Swett Ranch Homestead: Root Cellar

Living in a one-room cabin about the size of your bedroom with another adult and three children doesn’t leave much room for storage. To solve some of this problem Oscar built the root cellar, a common practice at the time. The root cellar provided storage space for foodstuffs that were not stored in the meat house or the spring house. The ability to store foods made it possible to endure the harsh winters in Greendale. Canned goods, spices, apples, and other perishables were stored here. A series of three doors allowed for manipulation of humidity and temperature. As you enter the cellar, you can notice change in temperature.

Root cellar - 1971.	Present day view of the root cellar.