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breast-pin / brooch

Ornament worn on clothing.

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snowplow

Clears the tracks.

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chapel

Place of worship.

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Lewis Sasse

De Smet druggist

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gable

Triangular end of a building under the roof.

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Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

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Minnie Johnson

Laura’s schoolmate in De Smet

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“Oft in the Stilly Night”

Song from Lalla Rookh.

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buffalo beans

Prairie ground plum.

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winnow

Drive off chaff by wind.

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Peter Pfeiffer family

John May’s son-in-law.

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Stories of the Moorland

1869 book by Lizzie Bates about a young boy growing up in Scotland.

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picket rope / pin / line

n. A stake sharpened or pointed, used in fortification and...

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“Money Musk”

Traditional American dance tune.

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Robbins children

“froze stark stiff”

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Charles Ely

Early lumber man in De Smet.

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twilight

Light when the sun is 0-18 degrees below the horizon.

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Henry J. Stebbins

Railroad contractor who inspired a song.

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watermelon-rind preserves

sugary jelly

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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Indian camps

Look! Beads!

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“The Sleighing Glee”

Singing school song.

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Godey’s Lady’s Book

Women’s magazine, 1830-1898.

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poll

No horns.

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Florence Bell

Milliner and dressmaker in De Smet.

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“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”

1863 Louis Lambert song.

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cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

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“nervous as a witch”

restless

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wigwam

What Almanzo’s shocked oats looked like.

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handcar

Don’t be left behind!

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xanthophyll

I bet you can spell this word.

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harvest moon

Full moon nearest autumnal equinox

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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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Young Pioneers

David and Molly Beaton.

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wall-paper

Wall covering.

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“Three Blind Mice”

Popular nursery song, sung in rounds.

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orthography

The art of spelling words correctly.

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twisting hay

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

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nubia

A light scarf worn about the head and neck.

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lone cottonwood / lone tree

The big one between the lakes.

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“The Lotos Eaters”

Tennyson poem.

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udder

Where the milk is before milking.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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drop the handkerchief / drop-the-handkerchief

Circle game.

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Charles Trousdale

De Smet drayman and his performing sons.

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pullaway

Outdoor tagging game.

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Come Into the Garden, Maud

1855 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

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“In the Starlight”

1878 Glover & Carpenter song.

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elephant

A very large quadruped.

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Dolly Varden

NIckname of Edith Ingalls, Laura’s cousin.

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“Pop! Goes the Weasel”

Traditional American song.

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poor man’s fertilizer

Snow plowed into a field.

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mosquito bar / netting

Woven cloth bug barrier.

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P A T

one seven seven ought

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spelling / speller

The order of letters in a word. / A book of exercises on the order of letters.

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hair receiver / hair-receiver

Container to save strands of hair in.

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Bibliography

LIW / RWL books & articles

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George C. Bradley

Early De Smet druggist.

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copyright / permissions

Please do not plagiarize.

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cottage cheese

Curdled skim milk.

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greenhorn / greeny

Immature, raw, awkward.

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The Floweret

1842 book of verse by Anna Maria Wells.

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alley / alleyway

Narrow passageway, distinct from public street.

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poultice

Applied to sores to help them heal.

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Missouri Pool

Smoked a pipe & grew pretty flowers.

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flag, the flower

An aquatic flower, Iris versicolor.

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“Uncle John”

Play song to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

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Charles Ingalls: The Civil War Years

Charles Ingalls: the Civil War Years

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rags for paper

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

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leap frog / leap-frog

Run and jump game.

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Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

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by jingo!

A corruption of St. Gengoulph.

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cornmeal mush / hasty pudding

Cornmeal and water, cooked.

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claim jumper / Mr. Hunter / Jack Hunt

One who ousts another from their land.

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Hattie Dorchester

Jake Zickrick’s skating partner.

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“Great is the Lord”

Singing school song from The Conqueror.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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“Down in Alabam'” / “The Old Gray Mare”

1858 J. Warner song.

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gingerbread

Chocolate frosting adds to the goodness!

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galumphing

To move in a clumsy, ponderous, or noisy manner.

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freeze drying

sublimation!

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William H. Reed

Teacher in Burr Oak school, 1876-1877.

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worm / angleworm

common soil worm

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“Hail Columbia”

1789 Philip Phile march.

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Quaker meeting

Parlor game in which players try to remain silent.

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pieplant

Rhubarb.

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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Frank M. Cooley family

On the Way home travelers.

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catechism

Question & answer book of religious doctrine.

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census taker

Statistical registration of members of a country.

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Peytona & Fashion

Currier & Ives print at Rocky Ridge Farm.

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emigrant car

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

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quarter section / quarter-section

One-fourth of a square mile, consisting of 160 acres.

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Thomas Power family

De Smet tailor.

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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windrow

Line of hay raked together.

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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“What Shall the Harvest Be?”

1850 Emily Oakley poem.

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The New York Ledger

Weekly story paper, published 1855-1898.

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railroad cut / fill

How you level a railroad grade.

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Good Templars Lodge

International temperance fraternal organization.

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“The Pied Piper”

Robert Browning poem.

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“Uncle Sam’s Farm”

1848 Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. song.

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“Paul Revere’s Ride”

Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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clear, pure green sky

Sunlight separated into colored bands at sunset.

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lief

Gladly; willingly; freely.

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – historical perspective

Dakota Central comes to De Smet.

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turntable

Revolving railroad platform.

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squirrel

Rodent mammal of the genus Sciurus.

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Delos Perry family

The Perry School was on his homestead.

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chestnut / horse chestnut

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

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“Mary of the Wild Moor”

1845 song by Joseph W. Turner.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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Perry School

April 28 – June 27, 1884

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Quiner graves

Abandoned cemetery off Playhouse Road.

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vanity cakes

Egg and flour batter fried in oil into golden brown puffs.

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“Song of the Grass”

Song from Leslie and Randall’s The Conqueror, page 16.

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William O’Connell

Fictional Bill O’Dowd.

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Joseph Bouchie family

Fictional Brewster family in THGY.

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James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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spinning wheel / spinning-wheel

Turns wool into yarn.

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Timber Culture Act / tree claim

Passed by Congress, March 3, 1873.

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“Sweet By and By”

Pa’s favorite hymn.

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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claim shanty

Temporary dwelling.

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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“The Battle-Cry of Freedom”

We’ll Rally Round the Flag, Boys!

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Big Sioux River / Sioux River

SD-IA tributary of Missouri River.

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Jim River / James River

A tributary of the Missouri River.

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muff

A warm covering for receiving the hands.

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Old English letters

Variety of printing type.

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“Beware!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem.

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stanchion

Support frame.

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popcorn

Heat makes it burst & it’s tasty.

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equinoctial storm

Severe wind and heavy rain that occurs at or near the time of an equinox.

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Laura Speaks

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

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“Haste to the Wedding”

Traditional Irish fiddle tune.

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Docia Ingalls / Hiram Forbes

Sister of Charles Ingalls married to railroad contractor.

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De Smet Cemetery

Ma & Pa’s final resting place.

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“Highland Mary”

1799 Robert Burns songs, favorite of Mary Ingalls.

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needle grass

Ouch! Something bit me!

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fascinator

Pretty, light head covering.

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Great American Desert

Varying area of North America, believed at times to be uninhabitable by civilized man.

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Marshall, Minnesota

Almanzo Wilder farmed here in 1879-1880.

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“Darling Nellie Gray”

1856 Benjamin Hamby song.

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consumption

A wasting disease, pulmonary tuberculosis.

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Kingsbury County, D.T.

County in eastern South Dakota, organized in 1879.

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Dr. Alfred Starr

His wife wanted Laura.

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Jerome Beardsley family

De Smet hotel keeper.

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Little Town on the Prairie – historical perspective

De Smet D.T. in the 1880s.

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Willard Seelye

De Smet teacher, 1881-1882.

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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auger

A carpenter’s instrument for boring holes, chiefly in...

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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whiskey

Spirits distilled from grain.

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“America”

1832 Reverend Samuel F. Smith song.

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carved wooden bracket

Place for a china shepherdess.

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Lost, between sunrise and sunset…

Horace Mann quotation from his Writings, published in 1872.

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“Camptown Races”

1850 Stephen Foster song.

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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clinched nail

Bent at a right angle.

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“The High Tide”

Jean Ingelow poem.

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fichu

Light pointed cape worn by ladies, usually made of lace.

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birthday

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

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“My Jenny Jerusha Jane”

1868 A.G. Chase song.

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“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

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Visscher Barnes

Probate Judge, VP of Temperance Society, and first director of De Smet school board.

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swimming hole

Watch out for ankle grabbers!

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starry papers

Hand-made shelf edging.

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Daniel Loftus

Early drygoods store owner in De Smet.

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bison / “The Bison Track”

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

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Brownsville, Texas 1906

Did Eliza Jane sell fruit to these soldiers?

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A Tribute to the Early Day Teachers

Neva Whaley Harding tribute.

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storm apron

Rain protection for buggy.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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mustache

Hair above the lip.

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stone fences

Rock wall enclosure.

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Johnny Johnson

“Wake up and watch the cattle!”

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copper

Cu

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Horace / Homer Heath

Railroad-working brothers.

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ice cream / ice-cream

Sweetened cream, congealed by freezing.

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Charles Lamson

Almanzo’s cousin.

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Morocco leather

Fine goat leather.

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pen / pen-wiper

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

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writ of attachment

Legal document requiring action.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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Supposed Speech of Regulus

From Independent Fifth Reader.

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dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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“Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess”

Nursery rhyme wordplay on the name Elizabeth.

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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“Old Grimes”

1822 Albert Gorton Greene poem.

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“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

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Will Barnes

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

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Declaration of Independence

Document renouncing U.S. subjection to Great Britain.

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Mrs. Jarley’s Wax Works

Rise! Come forward!

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