Most of Ethel's residents acquired land through the Homestead Act, receiving deeds for 140 acres that required them to build a home and farm the land for five years. Most homes were one-room cabins built from fallen trees and about 16 feet square, with logs locked together by notches and no nails used. Gaps between logs were filled with mud and leaves, roofs were covered with red cedar tiles laid on cedar trusses, and floors were often bare earth. If there was a window, it faced south for morning warmth and sunlight and was covered with paper or hide for weatherproofing. Settlers often made their own furniture from wood, extended cabins or replaced them with larger structures as families grew, cooked outside because indoor cast-iron stoves were too expensive for most families, and kept a small livestock enclosure and kitchen garden near the cabin for crops such as sweet potatoes, corn, and pumpkins. Hunting, fishing, and foraging were essential for feeding the family.