Laura Ingalls Wilder country --the Little House on the Prairie, the Little Town on the Prairie, and Rocky Ridge
The Little House books changed my life when I discovered them at about the age of 8. They were a fictional account of Laura Ingalls' childhood, but from her I learned about bravery, stoicism, hard times, and silver linings. (The tv series, in my opinion, was an abomination. It may have been a pleasant show but it was not the story found in the books. Shudder....) I have re-read the books as an adult and of course have a different take on the events in the book, but my heart will always be full of admiration for that young woman and her family. Read the books yourself if you have not done so, or find out more about her on some of these websites. They go into great detail about the life of LIW.
littlehouseontheprairie.com The story of how the Little House site was found and recreated. It is just down the road from Independence, Kansas
lauraingallswilderhome.com Rocky Ridge, the final home of Laura and Almanzo in Manchester, Missouri
discoverlaura.org De Smet, which was the Little Town, and has many buildings still standing from the books
Reading Laura Ingalls Wilder is not the Same When You Are a Parent, by Amy Lifson
Independence, Kansas
The Little House on the Prairie
The re-creation of the homestead is a quiet little spot by the side on a little road near Independence, Kansas. I almost missed the sign off the main road Some historians tracked down the Ingalls' plot of land, and discovered the well that Pa and his neighbor dug. (The dig is a dramatic story in the book).
A reproduction of the little log cabin was built near the well, and several other buildings were added as well. A very nice lady ran the gift shop, which is in that white building behind the cabin.
A closer view of the cabin. I would say it was about 15 feet by 10 feet. It was small but not quite as teeny as I imagined. That little white sign in the doorway informs us that there was severe damage to the structure of the cabin from a storm a few weeks earlier, and the cabin was listing a bit. They did not want people going in for fear of the cabin tumbling down around our ears.
The interior of the cabin . Two adults would have slept in a bed smaller than a twin bed! My car bed gives me more wiggle room than this one would.
I stopped off at the Little House one year later on my way to the Truman library, and lo, they had built a brand new little house. It looks very shiny and fresh. I hope it weathers as well as the other one. That's the interior of the new house, without the tiny furniture.
Pa's hand dug well. Here is what the sign says; " 'The water was clear and cold and good. Laura thought she had never tasted anything so good as those long, cold drinks of water. Pa built a solid platform over the well, and a heavy cover for the hole that let the water bucket through.' Little House on the Prairie, Chapter 12. Pa must have dug this well in 1869. It is 20 feet deep and rimmed with rock. It provided researchers with an anchor to determine the location of the original cabin. It is covered for safety."
This is the view of the prairie looking out the front door of the cabin. In my mind's eye, I imagined it as very dry and brown, but it was lush and green in the middle of July. I would like to think that this is the view Laura would have seen every summer morning when she woke. It is flat all the way to those trees along the creek.
Mansfield, Missouri
Rocky Ridge, where Laura and Almanzo lived for over 60 years
The beloved farmhouse from the bottom of the hill. It expanded many times over the years. The countertops were all built to fit Laura's diminutive size, which was about 4'11". We could not take photos inside, which is a shame. It is beautifully fitted out.
I don't know why I didn't take my own shot of the Rock House; I got this off of Pinterest. Rose built this house for her parents. It had all modern conveniences, and Laura and Almanzo never liked living there. The minute Rose left Missouri, they moved right back to the farmhouse. But Laura did much of the writing of the first four books in this house.
This is the view from the Rock House of their 400 acres. The rolling hills of Missouri are beautiful.
That is Pa's fiddle right there. I was not supposed to take this shot in the museum, but I had waited years to see it and could not resist. I can't imagine the books without the music of the fiddle. The life of the whole family revolved around Pa and his music. More valued than gold. I wish I knew how he came to learn to play.
PA'S DEAR OLD FIDDLE
"The fiddle was probably made in Germany around 1850. Pa played the fiddle until his death in 1902. It was sent to Laura, who in 1944, donated it to the South Dakota State Historical Museum at Pierre. In 1962, it was returned to this museum."
De Smet, South Dakota
The Little Town on the Prairie