Life on the Prairie

When we were planning the trip, we let each of the kids pick one special spot where they wanted to stop - even if we had to go slightly out of the way to get there. Abby's was De Smet, South Dakota - home of the Ingalls family homestead and known as the "Little Town on the Prairie" to fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. She has read the entire Little House series and was eager to find out more about how Laura lived on the prairie.

It's really quite amazing to think about how far we've come since 1879 when the Ingalls family first lived in De Smet. Charles had been working there, helping to build the railroad line out into the Dakota Territory when he was asked to move into the Surveyor's House to watch over things for the winter. His family joined him, and moved into likely the nicest house they had ever lived in. When we were at the homestead property, we visited both a "shanty" and a "dug out" house typical of those the settlers stayed in as they were moving west... "Which one would you prefer?" The sign asked us to choose. Both were tiny - no larger than about 8 x 10 feet. It would have been so cold during those long, hard winters that the dug out house would have likely kept them warmer, but it was so dark. I tried to imagine living there with just our family for months on end. Hmm... pretty close quarters. But that was just the norm 125 years ago. My maternal great-grandparents were from this area. I wonder if I could have lived as they did...

In town, we went on the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Society tour of the Surveyor's House as well as the school house where Laura Ingalls taught when she was just 15 years old, the school house where she attended with her sister (Carrie), and the house that "Pa" built in downtown De Smet. Seeing these homes and schools gave us insight into how the Ingalls family (and others) lived during that time. We also camped at the Ingalls Homestead - the quarter-section of land that Charles Ingalls laid claim to in 1860. It was set up with many hands-on exhibits the kids could take part in, which both of them loved. Isaac even said at the end of the day, "I was wrong, Mommy. This place was really fun."

As I watched the kids ride off with Matt across the prairie for a quick bike ride after dinner, it brought me back to a simpler time. I was overwhelmed with the opportunity we have in front of us on this trip and my heart burst with joy as I felt immensely blessed.

Tracy