Which was an obstacle to the settlement of the american west?

Homesteaders faced the problem of constructing shelter very quickly. To do so, they often constructed simple cabins. Some also made use of what was in their environment and built sod houses. These houses had the advantage of being inexpensive to build, as the homesteaders only needed to buy materials for constructing the windows, a door, and sometimes a roof, and sod was cool in the summer and warm in the winter.