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The modern American yurt is the ancestor of an ancient Mongolian traveling home that was known as a ger (rhymes with air). The original ger was used by nomadic tribes and carried on carts by oxen as they moved their herds of sheep and cattle across Asia. A yurt was more than a traveling shelter for the Mongolian nomads though; it was their home, their central point in a moving universe. The floor plan was laid out to represent the continuity of life. The door faced South, sacred space was to the North and the yin and yang of the room were separated accordingly, as the eastern half held feminine possessions and the western half held masculine appointments. The yurt was a way of life, so to speak, and it traveled with the tribes through the generations.

Over the past half-century, a growing crowd of alternative housing seekers has rediscovered yurts (Bluegreen included), which has resulted in their renaissance. Yurts have been a part of American offbeat culture since the early sixties, after a man named Bill Coperthwaite, a teacher at a Quaker school in New Hampshire, introduced them to some of his students. He integrated his personal, ongoing exploration of indigenous crafts and culture into his curriculum and encouraged students to explore with him.

A 1962 National Geographic article that detailed Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas’ trip to Mongolia stoked Coperthwaite’s determination to build a structure similar to the Mongolian ger. As Bill’s class was studying the mathematics of roof design at the time, the students commenced to build a yurt roof. Soon after, Bill and his students built the first complete yurt with lattice walls, a lattice roof and a cloth covering.

By 1968, Bill was working on his Doctoral at Harvard and enlisted a group of students to aid him with building a campus in New Hampshire made entirely of yurts. This project led to other ventures with schools and communities around the nation. As he worked, his ideas on yurts as alternative housing continued to evolve.

Bill established the Yurt Foundation in 1972 in order to continue his vision of studying indigenous cultures and incorporating their technologies into modern culture. In a 1973 interview with Mother Earth News, Bill explained his motives for the foundation, explaining that he “wanted to transmit folk knowledge to help [his] contemporaries design a better society,” and that he “liked the idea of working with an ancient principle to design a modern structure using modern materials.”

Many students of Bill’s went on to follow his footsteps of modifying the yurt. Kirk Bachman built yurts as ski huts in the mountains of central Idaho. Chuck Cox designed the steel aircraft cable that now serves as the tension band within the yurt. A group known as the Hoedads, who were replanting trees in Oregon’s forests, were prompted by mathematician Charlie Crawford to construct yurts as their forest dwellings.

As time commenced, yurts started to pop up everywhere, from mountain ski lodges to woodsy spas. For those seeking alternative housing to the traditional cabins and homes, the yurt embodied the sentiments of low impact living and sustainability. It has allowed its owner to reconnect with nature by living closer to the land and protecting it from permanent damage.

If you’re interested in a yurt, but have yet to see one, check out the ones at Bluegreen’s Shenandoah Crossing™. This Bluegreen resort in Virginia erected yurts as vacation alternatives to the many different accommodations on the property. They are modern and sophisticated, with wood-wall partitions and fully equipped kitchens. The outside of a yurt at Shenandoah Crossing is covered with durable fabrics that may seem a bit rugged, but once inside, the warm and comfortable ambiance will bring about a sense of peace and connection with nature.

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