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The Little House Wayside, which is not furnished, can be visited any time; in Pepin, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Museum is open May 15 through Oct. 15. A re-created log house, representing Laura's 1867 birthplace, stands seven miles up County Road CC from the Mississippi River town. A century and a half after Laura's birth in 1867, her books are as beloved as ever. International shipment of items may be subject to customs processing and additional charges. We may receive commission if your application for credit is successful, the commission does not affect the amount you will pay under your agreement.
Producing books reflecting the rich and varied history of South Dakota and the region. Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family moved to the De Smet area in 1879 at the beginning of the book By the Shores of Silver Lake. "Little House in the Ozarks" Archived October 17, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. "Wilder was an experienced journalist; many of her articles, often written for a publication called Farmer's Week, described her life on the farm where she and Almanzo had finally settled". The controversy over authorship is often tied to the movement to read the Little House series through an ideological lens.
Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes
In autumn 1956, 89-year-old Wilder became severely ill from undiagnosed diabetes and cardiac issues. She was hospitalized by Lane, who had arrived for Thanksgiving. She was able to return home on the day after Christmas.
At first, they earned income only from wagon loads of fire wood they would sell in town for 50 cents. Apple trees they planted did not bear fruit for seven years. Almanzo's parents visited around that time and gave them the deed to the house they had been renting in Mansfield, which was the economic boost Wilder's family needed.
De Smet- Little Town on the Prairie- Home of Laura Ingalls Wilder
They diversified Rocky Ridge Farm with poultry, a dairy farm, and a large apple orchard. Wilder became active in various clubs and was an advocate for several regional farm associations. She was recognized as an authority in poultry farming and rural living, which led to invitations to speak to groups around the region. On December 5, 1886, Wilder gave birth to her daughter, Rose. In 1889, she gave birth to a son who died at 12 days of age before being named. He was buried at De Smet, Kingsbury County, South Dakota.
Laura Ingalls went to school for a time and began working as a teacher when she was only 15 years old. There she met Almanzo Wilder, who she married when she was 18. They had a daughter and a son, but the little boy died in infancy. Like her parents before her, Laura and her family moved around quite a bit, living in South Dakota, Minnesota, and Florida before finally settling down on a farm in Mansfield, Missouri.
Historic sites and museums
After another year of crops being ruined, they moved back to Walnut Grove. This is where Laura would meet her future husband, Almanzo Wilder. The building now housing Ward's Restaurant and Bakery was Edward H. Couse's hardware store when Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in De Smet. In those days, the town had no place for meetings or public entertainment. Silver Lake, a pothole lake formed by the melting glaciers, was the site of the railroad camp and the Surveyor’s Shanty. The Ingalls lived in the Shanty when they first came to De Smet.
In her first book, (in a series of children’s books Laura began writing at the age of 64) “Little House in the Big Woods”, Laura discusses her early memories. The series of books discusses her childhood with her family as both a settler and pioneer. Let a bus take you through the history of the Wilder family and the open prairie of De Smet. At the Wilder Welcome Center, folks are happy to answer any questions you might have about the Wilder's legacy.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Homestead Visitors Center
Drive a covered wagon, attend a one-room schoolhouse, twist hay, grind wheat, make rope, wash clothes, experience the homesteading history that shaped our nation. Do you remember reading the “Little House on the Prairie” books growing up? Check out the Ingalls Homestead in De Smet, South Dakota, where Pa Ingalls first set his claim in 1880.
Because she died in 1957, Wilder's works are now public domain in countries where the term of copyright lasts 50 years after the author's death, or less; generally this does not include works first published posthumously. Works first published before 1924 or where copyright was not renewed, primarily her newspaper columns, are also public domain in the United States. Wilder supported women's rights and education reform.
Visit Charles “Pa” Ingalls homestead one mile southeast of De Smet. Visit Almanzo Wilder’s homestead and tree claim north of De Smet on Hwy 25. Take a guided tour for access to our historic homes. The Ingalls Homestead has a variety of activities available to make your visit fun. At different buildings around the homestead, kids can make button toys, corn cob dolls , and jump ropes using historic techniques, as well as twisting hay the way Laura and her family had to during the cold winter. But the real stars of the show are the horses and ponies.
The original title of the first of the books was When Grandma Was a Little Girl. On the advice of Lane's publisher, she greatly expanded the story. As a result of Lane's publishing connections as a successful writer and after editing by her, Harper & Brothers published Wilder's book in 1932 as Little House in the Big Woods. The close and often rocky collaboration between her and Lane continued, in person until 1935, when Lane permanently left Rocky Ridge Farm, and afterward by correspondence.
Camping A few RV sites are available at the Ingalls Homestead. Nearby Lake Thompson, one of the ‘Twin Lakes' in Laura's books, has a very nice campground. Leaving DeSmet and heading east along Highway 14 takes you across the Big Slough to the site of the Ingalls Homestead. This is the land that Pa would have lost had Mr. Edwards not overheard the men who planned to jump him when he went to stake his claim. Though the original house and barn are long gone, the buildings have been recreated using Pa's descriptions and drawings.
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