Monday Memories: South Dakota Part I
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Little Town on the Prairie
The Ingalls family headed into the unsettled territory of South Dakota as Pa had secured a job building the railroad. He moved his family into the Surveyor's house by the shores of Silver Lake. The house no longer rest on the shores of that lake. It was moved into the town of De Smet and made into a museum and gift shop. Inside of the house are many items from the time period Laura and her family called it home. It wasn't a very large house, and I recall in the book that eventually Ma took on borders who were coming into the area. It would have been very crowded to fit the Ingalls family into this home, let alone take in more tenants! The Original Homestead
Pa staked a claim outside of town and this is where he built a temporary home called a shanty. The original shanty no longer exists, but evidence of where it stood has been marked. The cottonwood trees that he planted with Laura's help as a wind break still stand.
On the homestead site is another museum with more interpretive displayed. There is a look out tower in which you can see off in the distance the Big Slough. As I stood at the historical marker of the homestead site, I tried to image the scene that Laura had described of Pa mowing the grass out in the Slough, or looking toward the direction of town and seeing Alamanzo's buggy come toward the homestead. After Laura Married
After Laura married Pa continued to work his homestead, but eventually his physical health declined and he built a house within the town of De Smet. The house is also another museum, this one filled with many of the remaining possessions of the Ingalls family, plus the upstairs has belongings that Rose Wilder owned.
Mary and Ma Ingalls lived in the home for many years following Pa's death. I believe they took in the occasional border to help pay for their living expenses. Some items on display that I wish I could have photographed (no photography was allowed) included an item that Mary had crocheted, plus a pattern book of thread crochet that had been owned by Carrie! I still wish I could get a copy of that pattern book Carrie owned! Next Week's StopOur journey through South Dakota was filled with more adventures. Next week we'll stop at Mitchell and visit the Corn Palace and end our day in Chamberlain with an overlook of the Missouri River.Links to other Monday Memories |
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Sweet! All this is nearby where my mom grew up. Did you ever go through Aberdeen, SD and see Storybook Land?
I'm very jealous. I am a HUGE Little House fan. Both the books and the TV show.