Our trip to Colorado and Yellowstone concluded with an eastbound visit to Wall Drug Store, the Corn Palace in Mitchell, and a stop in De Smet, SD where Laura Ingalls Wilder spent many of her early years. We spent about five hours in De Smet, visiting the original Ingalls homestead, the Surveyors House the Wilder's lived in during the winter, the school Carrie and Laura attended, the church they worshipped in, the house Pa built in town, and the cemetery where several of the Ingalls family are buried. A very nice day and well spent for anyone who read the Little House books while growing up. It gave a great perspective to the way of life families had on the plains during in the late 1800's. It was a very difficult life and folks had to be very resourceful.
After leaving De Smet, it was an uneventful 1200 mile drive back to North Georgia. Great to be home, though it was a fantastic trip and I miss riding with my ABB friends in Colorado already.
This is the Ingalls' original homestead that Pa filed a claim on. The Big Slough is in the right background. The homestead extends to the treeline in the background.
Imagine what it was like attending school here.
Glad to find this picture of the front of the school. Thank you! We visited this week, but standing water in the road prevented us from seeing the front. My grandmother and aunt taught in the school and my father and several other family members attended. It has been beautifully restored. --Constance Johnson Lewis
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