Recreation of Laura Igalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie cabin. In 1869, the Ingalls' family moved to this location, 12 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas. They stayed here about a year before returning to their earlier home in Pepin, Wisconsin. Laura Ingalls Wilder was only 3 when the family lived in Kansas, but when she started writing the "Little House" books, she based Little House on the Prairie on memories of her older family members: Pa, Ma, and Mary. The Michael Landon television series Little House on the Prairie was not set at this location, but at Walnut Grove, Minnesota, where the family moved in 1874. The small Little House on the Prairie cabin at this location is a recreation based on the description found in the book. The foundation of a small house believed to have been the home of the Ingalls' family, was found at this location in 1977. Two original buildings from the same time period have moved next to the reconstructed Little House on the Prairie. The interiors of all three buildings can be toured. There is no direct connection between any of these buildings and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Many visitors will need only a few minutes to tour the site and may be satisfied with the view from the road on Mondays or during the winter when Little House on the Prairie is closed. The best time to visit may be during the Prairie Days Festival in June. New signs have been placed on Highway 75, making it easy to find from either the north or south.
Little House
on the Prairie website
copyright 2005-2020 by Keith Stokes |
