Bookish Places: Little House

Background

The Little House series of books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, published between 1932 and 1943, told the story of Laura’s childhood in the American Midwest between 1870 and 1894.

The series of nine books were based on the idealised adventures of the Ingalls family, however Laura also wrote about the Wilder family and her later marriage to Almanzo Wilder.

Laura and her family moved around a lot when she was growing up and much of it was chronicled in her books. Many of the places have been brought back to life so fans of the books can experience her life as a pioneer.

Let’s take a look!

Pepin, Wisconsin

The Little House in the Big Woods


Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was born on 7 February 1867 in a cabin situated in the Big Woods, seven miles from the village of Pepin, Wisconsin. The setting would feature in The Little House in the Big Woods (1932).

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society was established in 1974 and they were able to purchase three acres of land, including the original site of Laura’s birth. A museum was established to showcase the history of Pepin and has information on Laura’s family. The museum is only open during the summer months but hosts Laura Ingalls Wilder Days which offer a variety if activities, such as contests, crafting and music.

Little House Wayside, a reproduction of the cabin described in Laura’s book, has been built on the site of her birthplace and is open to visitors.

Independence, Kansas

The Little House on the Prairie


When Laura was a young child, her family moved to Independence, Kansas, where her sister, Caroline Celestia Ingalls, was born on 3 August 1870. The Ingalls family only stayed there for about eighteen months before returning to Pepin, Wisconsin, however their stay was chronicled in The Little House on the Prairie (1935).

None of the original buildings remain but the museum has built a replica of the family cabin based on the descriptions in the book. They also have an old post office and a schoolhouse that would have been similar to ones from that period. The real family cabin would have been built on the same site but a little further back next to the well. The well is the original one that Charles Ingalls dug out.

Walnut Grove, Minnesota

On the Banks of Plum Creek


Around 1874, the Ingalls family left Wisconsin and lived in a dugout in the banks of Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. The name of Walnut Grove has become firmly established in the minds of Little House fans due to the popularity of the television series that was made in the 1970s.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Gift Store tells the story of the Ingalls family in Walnut Grove and also has a collection of memorabilia from the television show in a number of buildings.

While the house at Plum Creek no longer exists, visitors can still see the depression in the land where the house used to be. While the land is now private property, the owners have allowed access to it.

Burr Oak, Iowa

The Lost Years


After several crop failures, the Ingalls family moved to Burr Oak, Iowa, which was never chronicled in the books as it was a particularly painful time for the Ingalls family. Laura’s baby brother, Charles Frederick Ingalls, who had been born in Walnut Grove on 1 November 1875, died nine months later as the family were en route to Iowa.

In Iowa, the Ingalls family helped manage the Masters Hotel which was owned by their friend, William Steadman. The Masters Hotel is the only childhood home of Laura Ingalls Wilder that remains on its original site and is now the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum.

Laura’s sister, Grace Pearl Ingalls, was born there on 23 May 1877, however the family soon returned to Walnut Grove before moving on to Dakota.

De Smet, Dakota

The House That Pa Built


The Ingalls family moved to Dakota about 1879 and the final books in the Little House series would be set there. De Smet, South Dakota, would become the permanent home for Charles and Caroline, as well as their eldest daughter, Mary. It was here where Laura also met her future husband, Almanzo Wilder, who had a homestead just outside of town.

The Ingalls family initially lived on a homestead by Silver Lake but they later sold up and moved into town where Charles Ingalls built a house on Third Street. Charles held various elected positions in the town, including Justice of the Peace and deputy sheriff.

Guided tours are available of the Surveyor’s House where the family lived when they first arrived; the house on Third Street which is now a museum and the First School which Laura and Carrie attended. You can also visit the graveyard where Charles, Caroline, Mary, Carrie, Grace and Laura’s baby son are buried.

Mansfield, Missouri

Rocky Ridge Farm


Laura Ingalls married Almanzo Wilder on 25 August 1885 and they remained in De Smet, Dakota, where their daughter, Rose, was born on 5 December 1886 and an unnamed son in 1889 who died soon after his birth. The early years of their marriage were difficult and it was told in The First Four Years (1971).

In 1896, the Wilders bought some land in Mansfield, Missouri, where they lived in a log cabin which extended over the years to become a ten bedroom farm house. The property also consisted of Rock House which was built by Rose Wilder Lane as a gift for her parents and they lived there for a while before moving back into the larger house. It was here where Laura began writing the Little House books.

Today, the house is a museum which displays many possessions that once belonged to the Wilder and Ingalls families, including Pa’s fiddle.

Burke, New York

Farmer Boy


The Wilder Homestead is situated in Burke, Franklin County, New York, and is where Almanzo Wilder grew up. The story of his childhood was chronicled in the book Farmer Boy which was published in 1933.

The homestead was purchased in 1840 by James Wilder who built a house on the land for his growing family which consisted of six children: Laura, Royal, Eliza Jane, Alice, Almanzo and Perley.

The Almanzo & Laura Ingalls Wilder Association purchased the property in 1987 and began restoring the house to reflect the time the Wilder family lived there. They also began constructing the outer buildings from drawings Almanzo made for Laura. The Visitor Centre has many Wilder photos and possessions on display, such as farming tools.