Lakeland Sod High School

Lakeland High School was constructed 20 miles south of this site during the summer of 1934 by ranchers from several rural school districts. School began that September with 11 students. Built of prairie sod with a sod roof supported by pole rafters, the two-room building contained both the classroom and living quarters for the teacher. Outbuildings, including two toilets and a barn for the students' horses, were also made of sod. The rooms were heated by "prairie coal" (cow chips) gathered by teachers, students and parents. Altogether 33 students attended Lakeland, and 11 received high school diplomas. Some students rode horseback up to ten miles, while others stayed with families and worked for their room and board. With approval from the Nebraska Department of Education and through the efforts of the county superintendent and school patrons, students in the sparsely populated sandhills of southern Brown County received their higher education during the hard times of the 1930s.

Nebraska · United States