The “four-square” was the simplest construction. Styles of log cabins varied wildly, based on the ethnicity or heritage of pioneers, availability of materials, the contour of the land, and the size of the family. Location was important for water accessibility, runoff, proximity to crops and livestock, and, sometimes, defensibility. Usually cabins faced the south for sunlight and faced away from the west wind. Gaps between logs could also be filled with wood in the form of shake shingles, wedges or slender poles made from long limbs, but mortar was usually used to cement all pieces together and block air holes. Chinking was also easily repaired from year to year, was cheap and made from readily available raw materials. Chinking provided some flexibility in movement and enabled the cabin to withstand changes in wood or flexing from tornadoes or earthquakes. The wood expanded or constricted with variances of heat and moisture from season to season. Contrary to some popular beliefs regarding log cabin building, logs were not fitted together as tightly as possible. Recipes for chinking mortar often included mud, clay, sand, mixed with water (or “spit” as some pioneer recipes called for), hog, goat or cow hair, and even livestock manure or buffalo chips. A wide variety of materials could be used for this process, from small sticks or pebbles, to clay, mud, grass, swamp moss, oakum, livestock hair, corn cobs, leaves, or all the above.

This was important not only to keep out the cold, but also insects, vermin, and snakes. One of the final steps was chinking to fill in gaps between logs, stone and window openings. (Some pioneers even hung a fancier iron cooking “crane” that could swing out from over the fire, so stews, soups, and other dishes could be spooned straight from the pot.) While building the chimney, when you can’t lift the rocks any farther above your head, you’ll have to build a ladder from tree limbs, so you can stack the rocks at least 8-12 feet high for the stack. You’ll hang pots and Dutch ovens off that to cook over the fireplace fire. When you’ve built the chimney walls about two or three feet from the floor, you’ll probably want to insert an iron, oak, or chestnut bar into the mortar across the hearth. Exhausting.) Now you have to mortar the heavy stones together to build a fireplace. (Ever tried to stir concrete? It’s like wrestling an alligator. Then you have to gather clay, dirt, sand, and carry water to mix it for mortar. And while you’re carrying stones for the foundation, you’ll also have to move several additional tons of field stone for the fireplace and hearth. Then you had to gather tons of stones dug up from the prairie, woods and stream beds to build a stone foundation.

The log cabin