Today, the term “log home” or “log cabin” is loosely applied to any type of log house. The term refers to a building material rather than a specific style of architectural style. Knowledge of log construction was brought over from Europe during the 17th and 18th century by Swiss and German settlers and quickly spread in popularity across the frontier. They remained popular until around 1850’s, especially in the West and the Midwest regions. Even with the introduction of wooden balloon frame construction, log continued to be a basic building material throughout much of the country. By the early 20th century, the popularity of "rustic" architecture had revived log construction in many areas where it had not been used for decades.