When I was a kid, I read and devoured a set of yellow paperback versions of Laura Ignalls Wilder's books (Little House in the Big Woods, Little House on the Prairie, etc.). I still have those well thumbed paperbacks - I think I read some of them multiple times because I enjoyed the simple pleasures of the world they created. As part of my cross country trip, I decided to visit several of the places Laura lived. While some of the museums were hokey, it was cool to see the actual sites of where the events of the books took place. As I traveled, I also listened to the audiobook of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography of Laura: "Prairie Fires" by Caroline Fraser. I learned a lot about Laura's relationship with her daughter Rose. Rose (a writer in her own right) edited and shaped many of the Little House books. I didn't realize that Laura didn't start publishing her books until she was in her 60s! Prairie Fires was interesting listening as I traveled through the actual geography of the places Laura lived and wrote about, I highly recommend it if you are interested in the context of Laura's life.
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| Statue of Laura in DeSmet, SD |
Pepin, Wisconsin
There was a little museum here, which isn't really worth your time (though admittance is only $5). I did enjoy seeing the recreation of "Little House in the Big Woods" - which was literally just at a rest stop at the side of the road and thus free. That is the book I've read most recently. It was also just cool to drive through the countryside, including the swampy area near the river, and imagine Ma and Pa and Mary and Laura in their cabin in the late 1800s.
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| "Little House In the Big Woods" |
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| Looking Out Over the River near Pepin, WI |
Walnut Grove, Minnesota
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| A store Pa Ignalls helped build in Walnut Grove |
This museum actually did have some artifacts from Laura's and the Ignalls Family's life, as well as numerous artifacts of the TV series (I'm not a fan of the TV series - the few episodes I've seen were too corny for me). The museum area also had a recreation of several buildings in Laura's life. While the museum was run down, it would be worth it if you love the TV show, or are just super interested in Laura.
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| Display showing Laura's books in several languages - they've sold all over the world! |
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| Me, Eating A Plum On the Banks of Plum Creek (and generally being a nerd) |
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| Site of the Dugout on Plum Creek |
The highlight of the Minnesota stop was visiting the actual site of the dugout featured in the book "On the Banks of Plum Creek." It was a nice area to walk around in and I don't think it's really much changed since Laura's time - I took a nice walk through a nearby meadow and saw lots of butterflies and wildflowers.
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| Plum Creek |
De Smet, South Dakota
This the site I probably enjoyed the most from a historical perspective - best tour (given by a high schooler!), and lots of actual historical buildings - the surveyor's house where the Ignalls family lived, the house Ma and Pa retired to, etc. There is also the homestead site outside town where the trees planted by Pa "On the Shores of Silver Lake" still stand.
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| Surveyor's House, where Ignalls family lived for one winter in De Smet |
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| The House where Ma and Pa "retired" in downtown De Smet |
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| Some of the trees Pa planted "on the banks of Silver Lake" |
All the sites are pretty out of the way from everywhere else, but it was still fun to retrace Laura's steps and feel nostalgic about reading the books as a pre-teen/teenager. A nice way to pass the time while crossing the country!
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