author’s note

The first book in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932. The loosely autobiographical novels depict Laura from childhood to young womanhood. Her family’s joys, sorrows, and travels on the frontier of
Yankee-Euro settlement have been eagerly read by millions of children. I was one of them. Years later, when working as an interpreter and curator in the historic sites world, I was delighted to discover that mentioning the Little House books often created a common bond with visitors. When I reread the series as an adult, I discovered new layers to the stories. The books are popular around the world, and have never gone out of print.

Thanks to the work, vision, and generosity of many, fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder can visit museums and historic sites where she once lived in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Kansas, and Missouri. This story provides only a glimpse of the sites’ histories; in most cases I made choices to help readers visualize places that may be familiar now. To learn more about the featured historic places and museums, visit:

Laura Ingalls Wilder Wayside and Museum, Pepin, WI
http://www.lauraingallspepin.com

Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum, Burr Oak, IA
http://www.lauraingallswilder.us

Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Ingalls Dugout Site, Wilder Pageant, Walnut Grove, MN
http://www.walnutgrove.org

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes, De Smet, SD
http://www.discoverlaura.org

Little House on the Prairie Museum, Independence, KS
http://www.littlehouseontheprairiemuseum.com

Laura Ingalls Wilder
Historic Home & Museum, Mansfield, MO
http://www.lauraingallswilderhome.com

Laura Ingalls Wilder fans will enjoy several sites that I was unable to include:

Wilder Homestead, Malone, NY
http://www.almanzowilderfarm.com

Spring Valley Methodist Church Museum, Spring Valley, MN
http://www.springvalleymnmuseum.org/wilderwilder.html

Ingalls Homestead, De Smet, SD (a hands-on, re-created experience on the land once homesteaded by the Ingalls family)
http://www.ingallshomestead.com

You’ll find photographs of some of the artifacts and places mentioned in the story on pages 329-334.

You can also find many more photographs, maps, and other resources on my website, www.kathleenernst.com.