Ninth Step: Laura Ingalls Wilder ~Exploring Walnut Grove~

Wrapping up our Laura road trip was a stop at Walnut Grove. We technically passed through here on the way to South Dakota with our visit to Plum Creek. However, I wanted to see the pageant in De Smet AND Walnut Grove, which meant splitting our visit to Minnesota in half. First Plum Creek on the way out and Walnut Grove and the pageant on the way back.

Walnut Grove is an interesting place for Laura history. It is where Laura history and Laura fiction intersect. Though the Ingalls only lived in Minnesota for little more than 3 years, the TV show’s setting, all nine seasons of it, took place in Walnut Grove. Despite the fact that the show was filmed on a ranch in California, Walnut Grove, Minnesota preserves much of the show’s history in the museums of the little town.

One of the first things you’ll see to let you know you’re in Walnut Grove is their water tower. Follow that off the highway and across the railroad tracks and you’re greeted by the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. This is quite a big museum that spans several buildings laid out to look like a mini town. You start in the gift shop and book store. I have to say, that I was impressed by most of the gift shops and book stores at the Laura museums I visited. This one had a particularly large book selection that I enjoyed. In the museum buildings you got to see a good mix of Laura history and the TV show history.

At the pageant, Fragments of a Dream

Fragments of a Dream, Walnut Grove’s pageant

Several weekends a year, you can see Walnut Grove’s pageant, Fragments of a Dream. It’s quite an elaborate production and worth watching! Since 1978 there had only been 2 times where the show had been rained out. The show we attended happened to have been the 3rd. We got to see half of the show before some wicked thunderstorms rolled through. The show keeps a keen eye on weather reports. They hustled a bit through the last scene before intermission then let everyone know of the impending storm(which we could guess was coming by the distant lightening and random drops of rain). We were given enough notice to make an orderly exit to our vehicles and for the show to quickly clean up and then the storm hit. Before we made it out of the parking lot it began to rain, and by the time we were on the highway to our hotel the storm was in full force and it was quite scary to drive in. I’ve been in a lot of storms, but there isn’t anything quite like a prairie storm!

That wrapped up all the Laura related parts of our trip, and now we just had to finish the drive home. It was one of my all-time favorite trips and I’m looking forward to going again with the kids are a little bit older. Maybe next time I’ll get to see the whole show in Walnut Grove! Our next trip though, will be to visit Mansfield, MO where Laura and Almanzo lived out the rest of their days. I can’t wait!

Ninth Step: Laura Ingalls Wilder ~Exploring De Smet, SD~

De Smet, South Dakota was where we stayed the longest on our Laura road trip. This makes perfect sense considering the Ingalls lived here for quite awhile, and it is where more than half of the Little House book series takes place. There were also many things to see and places to visit while here, including seeing the town’s annual Laura pageant, which happened to be ‘By the Shores of Silver Lake,’ when we were there.

When planning this visit, I knew I wanted to stay at The Prairie House Manor Bed & Breakfast. This bed and breakfast used to be Banker Ruth’s home, who was mentioned several times in Laura’s books. It is beautiful and centrally located to many Laura stops in town. Not to mention that our hosts were very gracious, hospitable, and helpful. It was a real pleasure to stay there. It is family friendly and I loved all the little Laura touches that were sprinkled throughout the property! The breakfast was a real treat and the kids LOVED their pancake men(just like Laura had in Little House in the Big Woods)for breakfast. It is also just a few doors down from Ma and Pa Ingalls’ last home!

Prairie Manor B&B

Kids playing on front porch

Breakfast and Trivia

Pancake men

In De Smet there is no forgetting that you are in Laura territory! You are able to see the Surveyor’s house that the Ingalls stayed in when they first arrived in South Dakota, the school that Laura attended, a replica of Brewster School where Laura first taught, Ma, Pa, and Mary’s final home, the Ingalls’ homestead site, the cemetery where several Ingalls were laid to rest, and more. Going on the historic home tour was very informative and a lot of fun! On this guided tour you see the Surveyor’s house, the First School, Brewster School, and Ma and Pa’s house. It also includes a stop to the gift shop, a small museum and visit to their Discovery Center for the kids with lots of fun hands on activities.

Learning at Laura’s first school

Trying his hand at grinding wheat in a coffee mill and twisting hay

Ma and Pa’s house in town

Laura’s familie’s homestead site is a short drive away. It spans acres and is maintained as kind of a living museum. There is a wonderful gift shop with a mini theater for viewing documentary type videos, then you can can walk around the premises and visit different buildings that highlight different aspects of pioneer living. There are also many activities for you and the kids, including driving buggies and covered wagons and a lesson at the school house!

Looking at a braille book

Learning to make a string and button toy

Doing the laundry

Driving a buggy

Driving a wagon

Ringing the school bell

Driving the wagon

Watching a video on the side of a wagon 🙂

Our final event in De Smet was to see their Laura pageant, which changes each year, and was By the Shores of Silver Lake this year. It’s an outdoor show with sets, lights, and sound. The actors come from around the area to perform. It was a beautiful, if buggy, night on the prairie to see Laura come to life right on the land where her family homesteaded.

Waiting for the show to begin

Headed back to the show after intermission

Getting Laura’s autograph

A photo with Laura and Carrie from the show

One of our last stops on our way out of town was the De Smet Cemetery where some of the Ingalls family and friends are buried, such as: Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie, Grace, Laura and Almanzo’s baby son, Mr. Boast, and Rev. Brown. Finally, we would begin the final leg of our journey and head back east toward home. But not without a stop in a little town called Walnut Grove first….

Ninth Step: Laura Ingalls Wilder ~Exploring Plum Creek~

After our brief stop in Pepin, Wisconsin, we continued on our Laura journey to Minnesota. This included a stop at Sod House on the Prairie . This was a really fun stop! Here you can see several different types of housing that was common on the prairie during Laura’s time, including types of sod housing like the Ingalls lived in at Plum Creek. I remember when reading, On the Banks of Plum Creek, that Ma lamented at having to live in a dugout. Though Laura is a master of description, I still couldn’t wrap my brain around how this whole thing worked. Sod House on the Prairie filled in some of those gaps for me.

The sod houses had their challenges, but looked surprisingly more livable than I had imagined. It was a hot sunny day when we visited, but the prairie winds kept you feeling cool and inside the sod houses with their packed dirt floors, shade, and open windows it was even cooler. We were the only ones visiting at the time we were there, so we could take our time checking everything out at our leisure. Though this site does not operate as a bed and breakfast anymore(what a neat experience that would have been!), there are bonnets and aprons to help you get into character during your visit and to snap a few fun photos. The homes are furnished with period items to try out and explore as well. The kids loved looking through the braille books like Mary’s, sitting at the tables, trying out the beds, and climbing ladders to look in lofts. One of their favorites was encountering the free roaming cats and kittens that have made the houses their homes.

On our way!

Beautiful prairie at Sod House on the Prairie

Going to check out the sod houses

Braille book on display

What’s in the loft?

After Sod House on the Prairie we went to Plum Creek to see where the Ingalls’ dugout was! This was my favorite stop of the whole road trip…..I think. 🙂 It was amazing to wade and play in Plum Creek, knowing that we were truly walking in Laura’s foot prints! The creek is on a farm that is maintained in its natural condition. They have provided a turnaround, garbage cans and few picnic benches for visitors near the creek, and a foot bridge over the creek to reach the dugout site, which is marked by a sign. Other than that, you are welcome to climb down into the ankle deep creek and play in nature to your heart’s content. The water is clear, the trees are beautiful and provide a quiet little retreat where you can walk in the waters and look for pretty rocks or find minnows and frogs. We stayed here for a couple hours just enjoying ourselves. We packed a lunch as well to munch on. For that, we walked across the foot bridge to read the sign marking the dugout site and to see the beautiful prairie behind it and try to imagine where Ingalls’ beautiful house may have been. (To see many more of our pictures from this stop click here to see a previous post.)

To Plum Creek!

Mowed path to the creek

Down to the creek

Toes in the sand, like Laura

The dugout site

Picnic in the prairie

Following our stop at Plum Creek, it was on to De Smet, South Dakota!

Ninth Step: Laura Ingalls Wilder ~Exploring Pepin~

After reading several of Laura’s Little House books it became clear that a road trip was going to be in our future. I had to see these places described so lovingly in the books and stand in the same creeks that she played in and experience the prairie for myself. Thankfully, the bug had caught and everyone in our home felt the same way. Some books that were very helpful in planning our trip were, Laura Ingalls Wilder Country, The Little House Guidebook, and Laura Ingalls Wilder. It was also very fun reading about other’s Laura travels, which besides being fun, had some interesting tips and hints as well! These narrative-style books were The Wilder Life, and My Life as Laura. With that, on to our first stop, Laura’s birthplace, Pepin, Wisconsin!

Coming from the Chicagoland area, it was a half a day’s drive to Pepin and a great place to hop out of the car and stretch our legs. The first place we visited was the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum. It is a small museum with some interesting artifacts that were either Laura’s or from the time she lived. It also included a small gift shop and play area for the kids. After viewing, playing, and shopping we headed to the shore of Lake Pepin.

I wanted to collect some rocks like Laura did when she made her first visit to a town ever, Pepin. She filled her pockets so full with rocks that her pocket ripped from her apron when Pa went to lift her into the wagon! The kids enjoyed finding their own special rocks to take with them as a memento of their visit. Finally, we went to visit Laura’s birthplace!

At Laura’s birthplace there is a recreation of a small cabin, and a sign denoting the significance of the spot. Unfortunately, there are no more Big Woods there. Those big stumps that gave Pa so much trouble have been cleared for farmland, so some imagination is necessary. Whomever owns the site has planted some trees there though to shelter the area a bit and separate from the surrounding farms. From there we continued on the next leg of our journey to Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, Minnesota!

Tenth Step: Nancy Drew ~Halloween Special Sidestep~

In a little sidestep from our normal fare, some fiction for your palate! History provides so many wonderful women to be inspired by, but there are some fantastic women in the realm of fantasy that certainly inspire us as well. They encourage us to dream and invite us to enter worlds that wouldn’t exist without someone’s imagination. Growing up, Nancy Drew books did that for me! She was so mature, so smart and together. She could do it all. Reading her books allowed me to live in her world and imagine myself in it. So, an homage to super sleuth Nancy Drew, inspiring girls for decades past, and continuing to inspire girls for decades into the future!

Ninth Step: Laura Ingalls Wilder ~Introduction~

This particular step has been a long time in the making! I always have 5-6 ladies in my back pocket that I’m working on and as circumstances allow, one rises to the surface to be next for the blog. Laura has been in the works for 7 months at least and finally it’s her turn to shine! This is one BIG step that included months of activities, reading, planning, and miles and miles of road tripping! It’s been amazing and the whole family has enjoyed every bit of it. I can’t wait to share more, but for now, some pictures of my babies playing in THE Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, MN and prairie grasses right here in IL, as inspired by Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Little Half Pint in Plum Creek

My little Farmer Boy in Plum Creek

Little Half Pint in Plum Creek

My little Farmer Boy in Plum Creek

My baby in Plum Creek

Little Half Pint in Plum Creek

My baby in Plum Creek

Farmer Boy headed back to the car after a dip in the creek.

Looking over the prairie where the ‘wonderful house’ would have been and standing just beside where the dugout was.

Headed back to the creek after visiting the dugout site.

At a prairie right here in IL.

Ninth Step: ~Sneak Peek~

So, so, so, so excited for this step! It’s really more of a giant leap since we planned events over many months, read hundreds of pages, and planned thousands of miles of driving for it! What an inspirational pioneer!

Fourth Step: Jane Austen ~Conclusion~

After all this tea and partying we had to try it ourselves at home! The kids each got a little toy tea set of their own to play with and I got my grandmother’s tea set out of storage so that I could play too. 🙂 We prepared by making some yummy cookies. I got 3D printed cookie cutters of Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy, and also 3D printed cookie cutters of my kids silhouettes to make cookies with(links on my Pinterest page here). We decorated them and baked scones and got some Jane Austen inspired tea by Steep Show Teas(Miss Bennet’s English Pear black tea and Jane’s Regency Rose green tea). We didn’t make tea sandwiches like I had originally planned and cut them out with cookie cutters, sigh. In the end it was hot dogs. You win some and lose some I guess. 😉 Next time(and there will be a next time)! The kids at least tried the tea(not without some lumps of sugar of course), but in the end drank mostly apple juice in their tea cups. We had a fun time and definitely plan to make this more of a regular activity. It’s kind of amazing how a little nice china and beautiful plating and food can bring out the civility in your kids at the dinner table. I’d do this more often just for that!

Mixing up some cookie dough!

Getting ready to ‘paint’ our cookies!

Cookie decorating time!

Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy ❤

Silhouette cookie cutters of the kids ❤

Kiddo cookies!

All done!

Yummy Jane Austen tea, loved the pear tea!

Time to party!

Getting a lump

Can’t have a tea party without tea!

Mmm!

Fourth Step: Jane Austen ~Exploring~

Ack! Life has thrown me for a loop the last couple of months and the blog as suffered for it. Time to get back on the wagon! After moving from my lifelong home in the Midwest to the Oregon Coast I have finally settled in enough to whip out a couple of blog posts. Admittedly, part of the problem is that it is summer too. The kids are home. All day. It is exhausting and I don’t get a minute to myself. The days keep slipping by without much getting done, but I’m going to try and embrace it rather than let it drive me crazy. 🙂

For Jane Austen I had intended to do some different activities, but due to the interest of the kids, all activities pointed toward tea parties! I was perfectly fine with that! We got to bake and learn about the history of tea and how to make a good cuppa. A book that I really enjoyed reading and was a great resource was, ‘Tea with Jane Austen,’ by Kim Wilson(see links for many things mentioned and pictured on my Pinterest board for Jane). I also found some Marvel graphic novel adaptations of Jane Austen books such as; ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ ‘Sense and Sensibility,’ and ‘Emma.’ They were right up my alley as a comic fan and fun for the kids to look at because of all the pictures. 🙂 Another fun find was ‘The Beautifull Cassandra,’ a story written by Jane Austen when she was 12 years old. It was great to show the kids that even as a young girl Austen was writing and honing her craft, she didn’t have to wait until she was an adult to do something she loved! While searching for activities for the kids I came across some Jane Austen themed temporary tattoos and had to get them. 🙂 The kids loved them and I’ll admit I got a kick out of them too. Temporary is a relative term for these tattoos, lol! They adhered to the kids skin for weeks! Finally, we used some alcohol wipes to clean them off when we wanted some new ones. I was really impressed with their staying power! They obviously don’t fit in with the Regency era of activities, but I couldn’t pass them up!

We had a few fun outings during our time as well. We went to a lavender festival at Helvetia Lavender Farm here in Oregon and had some lavender tea and scones with berries while enjoying the most beautiful view up in the hills. We also got to cut our own lavender to make some lavender infused goodies for tea parties at home. The lavender lemonade was delicious! We also visited La Tea Da in Tillamook, Oregon, a wonderful tea house that really knows how to enjoy tea! We ate among antique decor on a myriad of beautifully decorated china, and all the accouterments that comes with a proper tea party. They also had a back room with some dress up items for the kids to enjoy. It was so fun, and the food and tea so tasty, we went back again a week later! I think we may finally be ready to throw a tea party of our own! 🙂