Borger, Hutchinson County
This structure is a copy of a half-dugout erected in 1898 near this location by John (1865-1944) and Maggie Weatherly (1875-1968). The High Plains offered no native stone or timber for building materials. Instead, settlers lived in dugouts, built into the thick sod. Well-insulated, the dugouts were cool in summer and warm in winter. When building supplies became available, more elegant homes were erected. The Weatherlys were pioneer ranchers and civic leaders. Borger was founded on their original homestead after oil was discovered here. (1978)