What skills and materials do you need to build a log cabin? Objective 1. To explain the distinctive features of log structures built by Finnish homesteaders in Idaho. 2. To explain how Finns and Swedes influenced the techniques used for building log structures. 3. To describe how the log cabin became so widely used among colonists and later pioneers. 4. To investigate the student's own locality to find out what kind of folk housing was prevalent in their own community. Background Time Period: 1700s-1900s Topics: This lesson could be used in teaching units on the development of the early coloni Duration: 90 Minutes.