A New Journey
Whether it was through the nine books she wrote or the TV show based upon them, millions of people grew up with Laura Ingalls Wilder
and her pioneer family. While the many adventures they had as they
hopscotched across the American frontier seem almost too incredible to
be true, the books are actually heavily based on their real experiences.
Like
millions of other Americans in the years following the Civil War,
Laura’s father Charles believed that he could create a better life for
himself and his family by taking advantage of the free land being
offered by the government. Life on the frontier was extremely difficult,
though, and the family was faced with illness, fires, and even clouds
filled with falling locusts, which caused them to repeatedly seek
greener pastures.
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Finally, after years of starting over, they
moved to South Dakota and settled down for good. They spent their first
winter, which Laura chronicles in her fifth book, By the Shores of Silver Lake, in a tiny cabin in the middle of the prairie.
The next spring, a town named De Smet was
built up around them, effectively making them its first residents. Town
life was never the Ingalls’ cup of tea, though, and so they immediately
claimed a homestead and began working hard to turn it into a profitable
farm.
While De Smet initially seemed like the end of the rainbow,
they were reminded that frontier life was far from easy when a string of
whiteout blizzards hit the area the next winter. The Long Winter,
Laura’s sixth book, details the frightening few months they spent
housebound and relying on their pioneer ingenuity to find food after the
supply trains were cut off by the weather.
Happier times followed, though, and the following nine months, which Laura describes in her seventh book, Little Town on the Prairie,
she and her sisters went to school and became part of De Smet’s small
but growing social scene. Laura found more than just friends in De Smet,
as it was there that she met her husband, Almanzo Wilder. Her courtship
with Almanzo, a local farmer, occurs in her eighth book, These Happy Golden Years.
Her last book, The First Four Years,
covers the early years of her marriage to Almanzo and the birth of her
daughter, Rose. The Wilders left De Smet in 1889, a year after the end
of the last book, but returned three years later. They left again in
1894 and never permanently returned, but Laura always remained close to
the town where, after a childhood on the road, she had finally found a
home.
Planning Time
De Smet has barely
changed since Laura’s time, so visitors are immediately transported back
to her world. Despite its rural location, though, it is still easy to
reach, as it is a one-and-a-half hour drive from Sioux Falls, South
Dakota’s largest city, and four hours from Omaha and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The town is home to a number of sites and attractions that were either
around during Laura’s time or were inspired by her and her family.
Nearly all of them are run by two different organizations, the Laura
Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society and the Ingalls Homestead.
The websites of both are the best resources for planning a trip to De
Smet, as they contain information about the family, the town, and all
the things to do. The Memorial Society and Homestead
also each run Facebook pages, where they post frequently about special
events, highlight items that belonged to Laura, and more!
Little Town, Big Adventure
The
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society is the best place to kick off a
visit to De Smet. The Society offers a two-hour tour of five buildings
in the heart of the downtown that played a major role in Laura’s life
and her books. The tour begins by visiting the surveyor’s cabin where
the Ingalls family spent their first winter in De Smet. Afterwards, you
will visit two schools, the one Laura attended and a replica of the one
she worked in while she was a teacher. The tour continues on to the
house where Laura’s parents and older sister Mary moved after they grew
too old to farm, which is filled with their original possessions. The
excursion concludes with a visit to the Discovery Center, an interactive
play area where children can try on pioneer clothes, experiment with a
treadle sewing machine, and more.
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The Society also offers free
maps that guide you along a 50-stop driving tour that lets you visit
points of interest left off the guided tour, such as the cemetery
where Laura’s parents, sisters, and son are buried. Driving is an
efficient way to see De Smet, but one site that is best accessed on foot
is Silver Lake,
the body of water which the Ingalls’ lived beside during their first
winter, and the inspiration for the name of Laura’s fifth book. The lake
can be reached from town via a newly-built walkway, which winds through
the open plains and provides a great view of lots of unique wildlife.
Don’t
leave downtown De Smet immediately after you’re finished at the
Memorial Society, though, as there are two other can’t-miss attractions
to visit. If you’re suffering from a bit of Laura overload, you can
learn more about the town’s history at the Depot Museum, which also happens to be free. When you’re ready to return to the land of the Little House books, stop into Loftus Store,
a place where Laura used to shop that is still around today, to pick up
charming gift items that will satisfy both historical and modern day
tastes, and view items that the store carried when it was patronized by
De Smet’s most famous citizen.
After leaving the downtown area,
head about a mile out into the plains to visit the place where most of
Laura’s adventures took place: her family’s homestead.
Your visit starts with a ride in a replica of the covered wagons which
the Ingalls used many times to travel. Children (and kid-at-heart
adults) can take turns holding the reins and steering the wagon. The
ride ends at another schoolhouse, where volunteers periodically “teach” a
lesson like the kind Laura would have given her students. Scattered
throughout the grounds are a number of buildings, either built or
inspired by the Ingalls, which contain artifacts, information, and
interactive activities, such as jump-rope and corn cob doll making.
If
all the unspoiled places and interactive activities aren’t enough, you
can see Laura’s story truly brought to life by attending the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant,
a family-friendly drama based upon the books that over 100 volunteers
act out on the prairie itself. The 2016 dates are July, 8, 9, 10, 15,
16, 17, 22, 23, and 24, so mark your calendar!
De Smet is so
committed to immersing visitors in Laura’s world that they have made
sure that your experience doesn’t have to end when the sun goes down.
The Ingalls Homestead offers a number of places to stay
on the very land where Laura and her family actually lived, all of
which cost under $50. Camping enthusiasts can pitch a tent in a spot of
their choosing, and RV owners can hook up for the night, while those
looking for a bit more comfort can rent a bunkhouse that sleeps six and
includes a small kitchen.
The most authentic and memorable
experience though, comes from spending the night in one of the covered
wagons that are an exact replica of the ones in which Laura spent so
much of her early life. You will have an unforgettable night, yet still
be able to travel back to the present, with its many modern
conveniences, the next day. Be prepared for the experience of a
lifetime!
