National Historic Site of Canada

Addison Sod House National Historic Site of Canada

Kindersley, Saskatchewan

Also known as Addison Sod House, Maison de tourbe Addison

General view of the Addison Sod House, showing its low one-and-a-half-storey, pyramidal massing set under a hipped roof.

General view of the Addison Sod House, showing its low one-and-a-half-storey, pyramidal massing set under a hipped roof.

Photo: Parks Canada | Parcs Canada

Built
1909–1911
Recognized
2004
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Addison Sod House National Historic Site of Canada is located in the rural municipality of Oakdale, Saskatchewan. Set in an open, flat, prairie environment the low one-and-a-half storey massing, inward sloping exterior walls and the angle of the low, hipped roof combine to give this small house a distinctive, almost pyramidal appearance. Triangular-shaped dormers light the upper floor. Set back from the road the house forms the centre of an original prairie homestead amongst outbuildings surrounded by a garden and shelterbelt plantings. Official recognition refers to the sod house on its footprint.

Heritage value

Addison Sod House was designated a national historic site of Canada because:

  • it is a remarkably well-preserved and rare surviving example of the sod type of construction, an important prairie settlement phenomenon, which was used extensively in the tall-grass regions of the Canadian West.

Carpenter Jim Addison built Addison Sod House in 1909-1911 as the residence for his family on his homestead. The care with which the sods were prepared and constructed ensured that this house survived for much longer than many others of its kind. On recognizing its durability, the owner further developed the home, enhancing its interior layout and finishes as well as adding a lean-to. The house is set within a grouping of outbuildings, gardens and shelterbelt plantings typical of a prairie farmstead from the early 20th century.

The heritage value of Addison Sod House resides in the integrity with which this house represents a prairie “soddy”, specifically its form, construction techniques, sod brick building materials, and setting.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, July 2003.

Character‑defining elements

Key features contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

  • its location in the rural municipality of Oakdale, Saskatchewan;
  • its setting in the open prairie on a homestead surrounded by a garden and protected by a shelterbelt;

-its rectangular footprint, and its low one-and-a-half-storey, pyramidal massing set under a hipped roof with centrally placed triangular dormers on both front and rear;

  • its long rear single-storey addition under a shed roof;
  • its three-bay façade with regularly spaced deep set windows and door;
  • its building materials including its sod brick construction technology with tapered walls;
  • the skilfully crafted wood framing of the wood-shingled hip roof;
  • its successive layers of protective cladding including wood, asphalt and vinyl;
  • the domestic interior layout, including its earthen cellar;
  • its successive layers of interior finishing materials, including plaster and wallpaper.

End of the register’s text

Location

Highway 21, Kindersley, Saskatchewan, Canada

51.62150° N, 109.01617° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.