The cabin homes of Kansas!
Home on the Range Cabin image by Ammodramus (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
How modestly they stood, Along the sunny hillsides, Or nestled in the wood. They sheltered men and women, Brave-hearted pioneers; Each one became a landmark Of Freedom's trial years.
The sod-built homes of Kansas!
Though built of mother earth, Within their walls so humble Are souls of sterling worth. Though poverty and struggle May be the builder's lot. The sod house is a castle, Where failure enters not.
The dugout homes of Kansas!
The lowliest of all, They hold the homestead title As firm as marble hall. Those dwellers in the cavern, Beneath the storms and snows. Shall make the desert places To blossom as the rose.
The splendid homes of Kansas!
Image By HornColumbia (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons
How proudly now they stand Amid the fields and orchards, All o'er the smiling land. They rose up where the cabins Once marked the virgin soil. And are the fitting emblems Of patient years of toil.
God bless the homes of Kansas!
From poorest to the best; The cabin of the border. The sod house of the west; The dugout, low and lonely. The mansion, grand and great; The hands that laid their hearthstones Have built a mighty State.
Source: A History of Kansas / Anna E. Arnold. pp.101