The Kidz Cabin at the Plymouth County Historical Museum, will have a variety of items for children to use as they pretend to live the life of a pioneer family on the prairie. [Click to enlarge]

A little cabin tucked on the top floor hallway of the Plymouth County Historical Museum will make its debut during Ice Cream Days.

"Kidz Cabin" features a front porch, complete with clothesline and clothes pins, and a one-room living space, just the right size for children to play at being pioneers on the prairie.

Construction on the project was done in January, with Norm Barker leading the way for fellow volunteers Armond Bartsch and John Schnepf along with renovation project manager Wayne Marty.

Barker said he got ideas for the log cabin by seeing a similar project at the Sioux City Museum.

Once he got his idea sketched out, he special ordered non-treated lumber for the project. "We didn't want the kids playing in an area with treated logs," Barker said.

The cabin is constructed of landscape timbers. The crew laid the timbers in and sawed the notches, "maybe not quite like the pioneers did," Barker laughed. There are no lights in the cabin itself. The cabin can be moved if needed. "That was one of the requirements when we built it," Barker said.

He credits Bartsch, Schnepf and Marty with doing most of the actual contruction once the plans were made. The cabin even got new shingles.

Scraps of logs were scaled down so children can do their own building project.

Inside the cabin, there's a small table, set with dishes, a wood heating stove, and a loft where two dolls look like they're taking a nap.

Also having a hand in the project are Glada Koerselman and Paul Williams.

A Plymouth County Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) grant of $1,000 will be used to supply the cabin with pioneer clothing and supplies, according to museum administrator Judy Bowman.

Other plans include quilt blocks made from flannel, allowing children to "make their own quilt" in the cabin. Another idea is to have children "wash" clothes and hang them on the cabin's clothesline.

There are still some finishing touches to be done, Barker said. "We may still paint the wall around it to match the wildlife exhibit," he said.

The cabin is located between the Loess Hills Wildlife Display and the Study Hall on the museum's fourth floor.

The museum hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The museum is located at 335 First Ave. S.W.