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copyright / permissions

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Wilkin School

April 20 – July 10, 1885.

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Osage Indian Treaty

Legal agreement between nations or sovereigns.

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“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

1817 poem by Charles Wolfe.

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snowplow

Clears the tracks.

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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“Bo-peep has lost her sheep”

Game of hiding and surprise to amuse a small child.

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President George Washington

First President of the U.S.A.

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dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

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“The Polish Boy”

Poem by Ann S. Stephens

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orthography

The art of spelling words correctly.

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bushel / peck

Dry quart measurements.

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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Doxology

Old Hundred.

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Come Into the Garden, Maud

1855 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

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hulled corn

Hominy.

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twisting hay

Pioneer method by which dried grass is formed into compact...

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cannon

Military engine used for throwing balls and other instruments of death by the force of gunpowder.

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morning-glory

Climbing plant of the genus Ipomœa.

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biscuits

A kind of un-fermented bread, formed into flat cakes, and baked.

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carding-machine

Straightens fibers by combing.

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Little House in the Big Woods – historical perspective

Pepin Twp., Pepin Co. Wisconsin

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Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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hair receiver / hair-receiver

Container to save strands of hair in.

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Old English letters

Variety of printing type.

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bacon

Hog’s flesh salted or pickled and dried, usually in smoke.

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lantern

A light meant to be carried.

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Will Knight

Walnut Grove revival singer.

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checkers

Game played on a board of 64 squares.

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“The New Year’s Come”

1842 “Why chime the bells so merrily?”

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drop the handkerchief / drop-the-handkerchief

Circle game.

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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kerosene / kerosine

Oil used for lighting.

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P A T

one seven seven ought

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“Mary of the Wild Moor”

1845 song by Joseph W. Turner.

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“Auld Lang Syne”

Now is now. It can never be a long time ago.

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chestnut / horse chestnut

A large nut, the fruit of a species of Æsculus.

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Robbins children

“froze stark stiff”

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Volga, Dakota Territory

Town on the Dakota Central R.R. between Brookings and Arlington, platted in 1879.

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These Happy Golden Years – historical perspective

De Smet, D.T., 1883-1885.

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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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buckwheat pancakes

Seeds of the flowering plant Eriogonum used as a grain.

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mother-of-pearl

Hard, silvery, brilliant, internal layer of several kinds of shells, particularly oysters.

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“Money Musk”

Traditional American dance tune.

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Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

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“The Tides” / The moon is at its full

1860 William Cullen Bryant poem.

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“Jerusalem the Golden”

Hymn from Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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“The Gypsy’s Warning”

1864 Henry Coard song.

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prairie danglers

seventhwinter whimsey’s glass slide pendants!

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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black-berry / blackberry

The berry of the bramble, Rubus fruticosous.

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elevator

Warehouse for seed and grain.

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barrel

Round vessel or cask made of wooden staves.

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“Uncle Ned”

One of the earliest Stephen Foster songs.

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Caroline Ingalls

Mother of Laura Ingalls. She lived 1839-1924.

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rags for paper

rag. A piece of cloth torn off; a tattered fragment; a shred; a...

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oranges

Citrus fruit.

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Arthur Sherwood

Brother of Carter Sherwood.

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saleratus / soda

Leavening agents used in baking.

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whip

A lash tied to a handle.

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Freddy Ingalls

Laura’s brother (1875-1876)

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Laura Speaks

Al-MAN-zo, Al-MAN-zo, Al-MAN-zo

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Roman candle

Flaming stars and balls firework.

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“Darling Nellie Gray”

1856 Benjamin Hamby song.

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cornmeal mush / hasty pudding

Cornmeal and water, cooked.

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mustache

Hair above the lip.

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Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad

1793 Robert Burns poem.

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dragon-fly / dragonfly

Mosquito hunter.

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De Smet today

Where I would like to be right now.

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churn

Cream agitator.

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shoe pegs

A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening.

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“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

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zebra

Part of Willie Oleson’s Noah’s Ark toy.

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copper

Cu

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Johnny Johnson

“Wake up and watch the cattle!”

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pen / pen-wiper

An instrument used for writing. / Material used to clean it after writing.

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crow

Large black bird of genus Corvus.

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Big Sioux River / Sioux River

SD-IA tributary of Missouri River.

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Peytona & Fashion

Currier & Ives print at Rocky Ridge Farm.

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Henry Burvee

One of the first settlers in Kingsbury Co.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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“The Blue Juniata”

1841 Marion Dix Sullivan song.

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ice-house

Stores ice blocks in warm weather.

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“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

1794 Robert Burns poem.

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Lewis Sasse

De Smet druggist

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Henry J. Stebbins

Railroad contractor who inspired a song.

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starry papers

Hand-made shelf edging.

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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“Old Folks at Home”

Way down upon the Swanee River!

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cradle scythe

Blade and handle used to cut oats.

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powder horn / powder-horn

Animal horn in which gunpowder is carried.

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le cadeau du cheval

2008 horse mural composed of smaller paintings of horses,...

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Frogs at School

“Twenty froggies went to school…”

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Ernest & Minnie Green

This is not Mary & Edwin Sanford!

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Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

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legal cap

legal document paper

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emigrant car

Railroad car used to move a settler and/or a settler’s goods.

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The Long Winter – the fictional story

Winter for seven months!

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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china shepherdess / little china woman

Ingalls precious family figurine.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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Have you seen the comet?

Tebbutt’s Great Comet of 1881.

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yoke

Frame worn on the neck for lifting or drawing.

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whalebone

Baleen used in corsets.

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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ice cream social

Laura and Almanzo didn’t enjoy it.

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flag, the flower

An aquatic flower, Iris versicolor.

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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“What Shall the Harvest Be?”

1850 Emily Oakley poem.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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gosh!

that wicked word

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breast-pin / brooch

Ornament worn on clothing.

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honey

Bee-made sweetness.

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“De Boatmen’s Dance”

Away Down the RIver on the O-hi-o.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

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Alfred Ely

One of the younger boys in school.

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Good Templars Lodge

International temperance fraternal organization.

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wall-paper

Wall covering.

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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buttonhook

Curved metal tool for fastening shoes.

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“Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door”

1880 Joseph Skelley song.

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Alfred Thomas

He was MARRIED, people!!

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“Old Grimes”

1822 Albert Gorton Greene poem.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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album

Blank booklet for collecting autographs or photos.

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Eliza Jane Wilder

Almanzo’s sister.

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muskrat

Their houses predict winter weather.

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“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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Will Barnes

Walnut Grove acquaintance of the Ingallses’ in the 1870s....

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Big Green Animal Book

George Hartwig’s The Polar and Tropical Worlds: A Description of Man and Nature.

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scones

“Mamabess is growing fat.”

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Frank M. Cooley family

On the Way home travelers.

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dried-raspberry sauce

Dried sauce good on biscuits.

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”

1863 Louis Lambert song.

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“Pop! Goes the Weasel”

Traditional American song.

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“Oft in the Stilly Night”

Song from Lalla Rookh.

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quinine

Medicine used to treat malaria, made from cinchona bark.

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“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Laura loved singing school. It began with singing scales to...

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Army bugle

Brass military horn.

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me”

17th century Irish tune.

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“The Battle-Cry of Freedom”

We’ll Rally Round the Flag, Boys!

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George Whiting Ingalls

Bugle-blowing, jigging uncle.

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composition

The act of forming a written piece.

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Jim River / James River

A tributary of the Missouri River.

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parsnip

Pastinaca edulis, a white, spindle-shaped root vegetable.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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birthday

As near as I can figure, E.J. was right.

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grippe

influenza

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what-not / whatnot

An étagère for books & ornaments.

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door knob

Grab to open a door.

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coal / coal hod

Carbonized plant matter mined and used as fuel.

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“Jesus Holds My Hand”

Hymn #85, Pure Gold for the Sunday Schools

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Amos Whiting family

Superintendent of Schools, De Smet.

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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turntable

Revolving railroad platform.

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“Lend a Helping Hand”

Hymn #22, Pure Gold for Sunday School.

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“My Old Kentucky Home”

1853 Stephen Foster song.

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James McKee family

Early homesteader north of Manchester D.T. Laura Ingalls stayed with them during the spring of 1883.

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depot / station

Railway station.

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Poverty Flat

Early De Smet residential area.

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Horace / Homer Heath

Railroad-working brothers.

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Jerome Bisby

Resident of Burr Oak, Iowa, during the Ingallses’ stay...

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Braille / New York Point

Used by Mary Ingalls.

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Yankton, Dakota Territory

1879 land office town.

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Thomas Huleatt family

Neighbors of Ingalls family in Pepin Co.

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Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Laura helped her sew shirts.

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Eleck Nelson family

Neighbors of the Ingalls family when living on their preemption claim north of Walnut Grove.

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“Nobody Ask’d You”

In the frosty mornings and the chilly evenings when they went...

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nutmeg

Myristica moschata, used as a spice.

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George Wilmarth family

Owner of early grocery store in De Smet.

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Quaker meeting

Parlor game in which players try to remain silent.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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Brownsville, Texas 1906

Did Eliza Jane sell fruit to these soldiers?

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milking-stool

Three legs (the cow has the udder).

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cant-hook / cant-pole

Instrument used by lumbermen to move logs.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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chapel

Place of worship.

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Syndicate Hotel

Laura & Almanzo stayed there!

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cream of tartar / baking powder

Byproduct of wine-making process, used in baking as leavening agent.

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Adam / adam’s apple

The first man, the progenitor of the human race.

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“The Pied Piper”

Robert Browning poem.

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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hogshead

100-140 gallon cask.

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Jacob Hopp

Printer and De Smet newspaper owner.

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ostrich tips / feathers

Short bobbing feather used for hat decoration.

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dovekie

Arctic aquatic bird, Alle alle.

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poll

No horns.

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isinglass

mica for stove windows

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“The Silver Moon”

Sail on, silver moon…

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wigwam

What Almanzo’s shocked oats looked like.

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dug out / dugout

Dwelling built into the earth.

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bison / “The Bison Track”

Bayard Taylor poem about Bos Americanus, found in Independent Fifth Reader.

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Dr. Robert Hoyt

Husband of Mattie Masters.

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

The railroad comes to Dakota.

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Marshall, Minnesota

Almanzo Wilder farmed here in 1879-1880.

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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