Neat picture from the Phillippines

[Niederlander]

Just found this online.  It's pretty cool seeing it in color.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Nice.

Slim

[Drydock]

What a remarkable photograph!  All infantrymen, mills belts and bayonet scabbards.  Wonder where the rest of the rifles are? 

[pony express]

There's still places that look a lot like that! Except that some of the roofs would be tin, and there'd  probably be some TV antennas.

[Niederlander]

I'll bet that picture is a lot better representation of the average day for a soldier that all the glorious battle pictures put together.  I really like it.

[Bat 2919]

So, will you be building a hut or two now that you know what they look like?

[Major 2]

That is remarkable, the colorization make so much more human somehow....

[Niederlander]

So, will you be building a hut or two now that you know what they look like?

Funny you should ask.  The plan is to have a Cuban Blockhouse and a couple of huts as you see in some of the El Caney pictures. 

[pony express]

To build a village like that, you'd need a good supply of large bamboo and Nipa palms for the roof. Not real common in Nebraska....

[Niederlander]

Yep, we're going to be doing my "impression" of a Cuban house.  I think Jerry is planning on a couple buildings you'll actually go into as well.  Should be fun!

[Blair]

I lived in the PI for two year, 1959 to 1961. I loved it and the people.
The Nipa Huts (houses), as I remember, were built up on stilts, higher off the ground than these in the photo. But, that may depend on location to sea level and/or the mountain areas.
Bamboo was always the primary building material for support and flooring. Woven grasses for the walls and palms for roof thatching.
Building materials were always available to anyone. The bamboo could be rather large for some structures. 6 inches in dia. was not uncommon. It maybe now however, and nearly imposable to get here in the States.
My best,
Blair 

[1961MJS]

To build a village like that, you'd need a good supply of large bamboo and Nipa palms for the roof. Not real common in Nebraska....

A neighbor in Alabama had a  bamboo patch, but smaller diameters.  Should be a lot more after 20 years of Gore Warming.  Road trip?

Later

[pony express]

I lived in the PI for two year, 1959 to 1961. I loved it and the people.
The Nipa Huts (houses), as I remember, were built up on stilts, higher off the ground than these in the photo. But, that may depend on location to sea level and/or the mountain areas.
Bamboo was always the primary building material for support and flooring. Woven grasses for the walls and palms for roof thatching.
Building materials were always available to anyone. The bamboo could be rather large for some structures. 6 inches in dia. was not uncommon. It maybe now however, and nearly imposable to get here in the States.
My best,
Blair 

The common materials I observed during my visits(2006-2010) were coconut palm framing, approximately 2 1'2 or 3" square, cut with a chainsaw "by eye". Floors and walls were often bamboo strips, split to about 1 to 1 1'2" wide. Made for a pretty "springy" floor for a guy my size. Usually they were up on poles at least 5 or 6 feet and the lower level used for cooking, storage, or raising pigs. Newer houses are mostly either all concrete, except for the roof, or thin plywood.

[Pitspitr]

DANG!
We shoulda bought Drydock's boat!

Pony; we don't have bamboo or nipa, so I guess we'll have to substitute cedar and reed fencing. It probably won't look much like an actual Philippino village to someone who has actually seen one, but I'm hoping that the rest of us, by using a little imagination, might think it looks at least a little like one. Oh, and you'll have to use some imagination for the Nebraska hillsides to look like those mountains in the background. 

[Blair]

I hope what I added to this thread does not keep all from trying your best to create such a village.
The internet today may offer places you can get materials that can help you build a very close type structure to what the photo shows.

When I worked  at James Town, Va. (1607) we used grass woven mats to cover a bent wood frame work for the Indian village houses. This was then covered with plastic sheeting and then another cover of mats over that to help water and weather proof the structure.
This method kept the interior looking like the correct construction and the exterior as well, yet all water proof.

Bamboo, in the sizes you need for the frame work, maybe your biggest problem here in the States.
M best,
Blair     

[Pitspitr]

When I worked  at James Town, Va. (1607) we used grass woven mats to cover a bent wood frame work for the Indian village houses. This was then covered with plastic sheeting and then another cover of mats over that to help water and weather proof the structure.
This method kept the interior looking like the correct construction and the exterior as well, yet all water proof.

Good idea!

Probably the biggest issue with our "village", is the need to keep the building fronts inexpensive enough that when we put bullet holes in them we really won't be out much. Most of the village will only be 1/2 scale building fronts that we will put our targets in the windows and doors.

[ira scott]

Good idea!

Probably the biggest issue with our "village", is the need to keep the building fronts inexpensive enough that when we put bullet holes in them we really won't be out much. Most of the village will only be 1/2 scale building fronts that we will put our targets in the windows and doors.
[/
quote]

It amazes me that Ned puts so much effort into building props, and then is perfectly happy with people shooting the sh*t out of them. Sure is fun though!  Thanks in advance Dale, I'll be loading up some bamboo piercing ammo.