Once land was located, the process of settlement could begin. It was, for most, an expensive undertaking. Money was needed for livestock, equipment and seed. By the early twentieth century few could begin without $600 or $700, significant sums in those days. One way to economize was to spend the first year or two in rough housing, a method particularly suited to bachelors. Though shanties and tar paper shacks were also used, sod huts became the best known and most common kind of temporary shelter. Sod huts were not easy to build but when constructed, perhaps with the help of neighbours, they were warm and easily heated. This shack belonged to F. Hembrow-Smith, a British immigrant who came to Saskatchewan in 1903. It was built of sod and poplar poles. Most early primitive housing offered very limited space and unsanitary conditions. For those who survived these circumstances, an early priority was raising enough money to purchase better housing. If all went well, the progression to better accommodation might take place within two or three years; for many though the achievement of good housing would require the labour of a generation.
