The Dakota Fire Hole.

[El Jefe]

I've been wanting to show my sons how to build one of these and intend to once it gets a bit cooler outside.

This idea is ancient and has probably been rediscovered many times by many people, but nonetheless it's a good idea on many fronts.



http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/1300/dakota.gif (http://img25.imageshack.us/i/dakota.gif/)

In summary, the main advantages of using a Dakota Fire Hole include:

* burns hotter
* with less fuel
* producing less smoke
* less light visible to those you do not want to find you
* providing a stable cooking surface
* easy extinguishing of the fire
* and removal of evidence you have been there

http://www.survivaltopics.com/survival/the-dakota-fire-hole/

[Broondog]

i've made a couple of them just to be familiar with the concept and they work great. i found that and a lot of other cool ideas over at.....

http://www.survivaltopics.com/

:thumbsup:

[El Jefe]

i've made a couple of them just to be familiar with the concept and they work great. i found that and a lot of other cool ideas over at.....

http://www.survivaltopics.com/

:thumbsup:

Yep, it's a great site. Even if a guy doesn't intend to try some of the things discussed it makes for interesting reading.

[O.S.O.K.]

So the Dakota came up with this idea? That's where this came from? The native Americans had a lot of cool practical technologies. All handed down, generation to generation by example.

This makes me think of a show I was watching - Discovery or History channel - don't remember but it was about the Vikings and how they would take soil and burn it in little ovens to extract the iron from the soil - to get material to make swords and such. They'd have to process quite a bit of soil - gathering the iron from the bottom of the ovens to get enough to work with. Very cool as well.

[El Jefe]

So the Dakota came up with this idea? That's where this came from? The native Americans had a lot of cool practical technologies. All handed down, generation to generation by example.

This makes me think of a show I was watching - Discovery or History channel - don't remember but it was about the Vikings and how they would take soil and burn it in little ovens to extract the iron from the soil - to get material to make swords and such. They'd have to process quite a bit of soil - gathering the iron from the bottom of the ovens to get enough to work with. Very cool as well.

I would imagine that this idea of a vented fire pit has probably been discovered and used by many differing cultures through time. I think the idea here in the States is called a Dakota fire hole because that's where some Americans first ran across the idea, but it's use probably predates the Sioux and other northern plains Indians by a good bit.