One of the cooler things that you can do for firemaking is to start a fire with 20 MPH winds. The Dakota Fire Hole helps you to start a fire and maintain it in high winds, since it is basically a fire underground. What you do is:

1.) Dig a hole down at a 45 degree angle, and then straighten the angle out flat (think a hockey stick).
2.) Dig a second hole about 3 feet ahead of the other hole, so that the two holes or tunnels meet.
3.) You should now have two openings in the ground, with two seperate tunnels that meet in the middle to form a flat area a couple of feet underground.


Start a fire at the bottom of the hole, and it will remain burning just fine in the highest of winds. Basically, the fire gets it's ventilation from one of the holes that is closest to the wind, and the furthest hole from the wind is where the smoke billows out of.

Enjoy!

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

Here's an interesting guide with pictures on how to make a Dakota Fire Hole.

Thats an interesting idea. I thought that these methods of making fire are obsolete. But it now looks like each old method of making fire have their own advantage like the Dakota fire hole.

Seems like that would be a safer way to burn a fire as well, if you're in a fire hazard area. Anyone who has tried this- how high do sparks travel from the hole?

Sparks are minimal and you can futher minimize by placing a small section of porch screen over the smoke hole.

I wouldn't call old methods of fire making and usage obsolete. They were used before modern times for a reason. I would call a lot of stuff like this a lost art. Modern conveniences just caused people to forget these methods.

If you ever need a cooking fire that you need to keep hidden to avoid attracting others, this would be a very good method to hide it. Like someone else also mentioned, it is a very good way to keep a fire from spreading in a dry area.

To the OP. Thanks for posting this.

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NRA Certified Instructor for Basic Handgun and Personal protection in the Home.
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A little known survival aid related to wilderness fire making skills is the Dakota Fire Hole, also known as the Dakota Fire Pit. This handy device is easy to construct and has marked advantages over other types of camp fire constructs. Once you make a Dakota fire hole and try it out, you may choose to use this method on a regular basis.

Or you can get yourself a" pocket cooker" folding wood stove and keep it in your kit.

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certified pistol, rifle, shotgun, home defense Instructor
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