Laura Ingalls Wilder

We went to DeSmet, SD which was where Laura Ingalls lived and met and married Almanzo Wilder. She was the author of the Little House on the Prairie series of books.

We arrived in DeSmet from the north and passed by the land where Laura and Almanzo lived for a few years after marrying. We met my other sisters and their kids there.

There are several different attractions in town. We first went to the Ingalls Homestead, which is on the land that Charles Ingalls homesteaded south of town. None of the buildings there are from the Ingalls, they are either re-creations or buildings moved in from elsewhere. The cows are right across the road from the Ingalls Homestead.

The cottonwood trees in the northwest corner of the property are the original trees that Charles Ingalls planted.

It was common for settlers to live in a dugout for a little while as they were easy to build and a bit warmer in the winter. The Ingalls lived in a dugout on the Banks of Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, MN.

The Burvee Shanty was built in 1878 north of DeSmet and moved here.

Next up was the sod barn, with chickens, a calf and some kittens. The claim papers that Charles Ingalls filed for the land included a description of a sod barn.

The kittens were the show of the visit, with some of the kids running back to the barn when there was free time to play with the kittens.

There is a re-construction of the house Charles Ingalls built on the property.

There was an actress working there in period dress that led the kids through doing laundry with a washboard and a wringer and then hanging it on a clothesline.

Notice the list of weekly chores by the stove.

After the house, we visited a large barn, much larger than a pioneer would have built. They kids got to ride a pony or in a kart behind a pony.

There is also an old auto dealership building moved here, the kids made corncob dolls, and made rope, making a jump rope or a lasso. The actress also demonstrated making hay twists, which Laura described in The Long Winter.

We walked back to the big barn after a picnic lunch we brought on the covered porch of the visitor’s center. The kids stopped at the sod barn to play with the kittens again.

The West Bethany Church was moved to the property from 10 miles northeast of DeSmet. It is not used, but is well-kept inside.

There was a covered wagon ride out to the Johnson one-room Schoolhouse that was moved to the property. The kids got to take turns driving the horses, Jack and Annie.

The woman playing the school teacher is a retired teacher, she did a great job engaging the kids (and adults) describing what life in a one-room schoolhouse was like.

We next went into DeSmet and toured some of the historic buildings.

The actual DeSmet schoolhouse that Laura attended is still standing. It’s been moved from its original location and spent a number of years as a home, but has been restored to its original configuration. During restoration, they found the chalkboards had been covered over and there were some chalk drawings on them still visible.

Then we drove over to 3rd street which is where Charles Ingalls built his last home. It’s still standing and has been restored. When Caroline died, it passed to Carrie and she rented it for a number of years then sold it to the Fergusons. The historical society purchased it from them in 1972. Rose’s attorney, Roger McBride, helped to pay off the mortgage and contributed furnishings from Laura’s home in Missouri and Rose’s home.

The home has the original cabinets in the kitchen that Charles built.