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Helps you find what you’re looking for.

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copperplate

Variable-width handwriting script made with a flexible, pointed nib.

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candy hearts

Mary’s had a candy poem on it!

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“Come In and Shut the Door”

Circa 1862 song by J.P.H.

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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“Golden Years are Passing By”

1879 Will Thompson song.

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buffalo beans

Prairie ground plum.

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railroad cut / fill

How you level a railroad grade.

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custard / ice-cream

Sweetened milk and eggs, cooked.

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“Irish Washerwoman”

Traditional Scottish and Irish song/dance song.

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parsnip

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

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Doxology

Old Hundred.

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copyright / permissions

Please do not plagiarize.

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Christopher Columbus

A native of Genoa, in Italy.

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twine

A strong twisted thread.

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fascinator

Pretty, light head covering.

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dovekie

Arctic aquatic bird, Alle alle.

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“Camptown Races”

1850 Stephen Foster song.

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Charles Barker

Early De Smet grocer.

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forfeits

Game in which items are deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine.

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“A Shelter in the Time of Storm”

Ira Sankey hymn.

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Hiram Ingalls

Pa’s brother.

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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auger

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

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Have you seen the comet?

Tebbutt’s Great Comet of 1881.

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“Jerusalem the Golden”

Hymn from Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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Western Reserve

Land in Ohio, given to Connecticut upon agreement to give up claim to lands in Pennsylvania.

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“Uncle Sam’s Farm”

1848 Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. song.

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“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Singing school exercise

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“Kitty Wells”

1858 Sloan & Atherton song.

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literature

Knowledge and fancy preserved in writing.

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Little House on the Prairie – the fictional story

The Ingallses in Indian Territory.

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George A. Williams

Superintendent of Schools, 1883.

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surveyor

One who measures land and delineates the same on paper.

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butter tester

Instrument used to remove core sample from a vat of butter, for the sake of testing.

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Carrie Ingalls

Younger sister of Laura Ingalls; she lived 1870-1946.

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“Marching Through Georgia”

Union song from American Civil War.

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

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Little Town on the Prairie – the fictional story

Homesteading and town life.

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Marshall, Minnesota

Almanzo Wilder farmed here in 1879-1880.

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“The Big Sunflower”

Pa’s trouble song.

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Lost, between sunrise and sunset…

Horace Mann quotation from his Writings, published in 1872.

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Big Sioux River / Sioux River

SD-IA tributary of Missouri River.

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Bloody Benders

Serial killers in 1870s Kansas.

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by jingo!

A corruption of St. Gengoulph.

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rags for paper

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

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orthography

The art of spelling words correctly.

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poultice

Applied to sores to help them heal.

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Mary & Samuel Ray / Ellen & Amos Leonard

Sisters feuding over a lovely homeplace…and a man.

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Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

Laura’s handwritten manuscript.

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Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

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Henry Hinz

Owner of first saloon in De Smet and boarder at the Ingallses’.

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locust

Buy this book.

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Johnny Johnson

“Wake up and watch the cattle!”

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Kingsbury County, D.T.

County in eastern South Dakota, organized in 1879.

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apprentice

One who is legally bound to another to learn a trade or art.

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pork-pickle

Salt and sugar pork brine.

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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pumpkin

The plant and fruit of Curcubita pepo

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Jack Frost

A popular personification of frost.

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America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

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dictionary

The words of a language.

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Edward H. Couse

Early hardware store owner in De Smet.

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De Smet Cemetery

Ma & Pa’s final resting place.

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Mary Power & Edwin Sanford

Laura’s friend and the new clerk at Ruth’s bank.

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crow

Large black bird of genus Corvus.

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Noah’s ark toy

Willie’s toy boat with animals.

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“Jingle Bells”

1857 James Pierpont song.

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braid / plait

Entwined strands.

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Quiner graves

Abandoned cemetery off Playhouse Road.

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awl

pokes holes

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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“Little Annie Rooney”

1889 song by Michael Nolan.

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cant-hook / cant-pole

Instrument used by lumbermen to move logs.

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fanning-mill

Machine for winnowing.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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wall-paper

Wall covering.

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door knob

Grab to open a door.

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“The Battle-Cry of Freedom”

We’ll Rally Round the Flag, Boys!

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snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

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prairie danglers

seventhwinter whimsey’s glass slide pendants!

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“Tubal Cain”

Charles McKay poem.

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kerosene / kerosine

Oil used for lighting.

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tiger

Noah’s ark toy piece.

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stone fences

Rock wall enclosure.

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“Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess”

Nursery rhyme wordplay on the name Elizabeth.

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Freddy Ingalls

Laura’s brother (1875-1876)

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Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Laura helped her sew shirts.

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Hamlin Garland

…and his first Christmas tree!

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James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

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zebra

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

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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starry papers

Hand-made shelf edging.

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Horace Woodworth family

Family of first depot agent in De Smet.

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button lamp

Improvised grease lamp.

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“Song of the Grass”

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

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“A Life on the Ocean Wave”

1847 Epes Sargent poem put to music.

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“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

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mowing machine

Farm implement for cutting hay or grain.

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basket

Woven container.

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“Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door”

1880 Joseph Skelley song.

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cream of tartar / baking powder

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

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geranium

Winter windowsill flowers.

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pokeberry

For rosy doll cheeks.

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George Whiting Ingalls

Bugle-blowing, jigging uncle.

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“Barbary Allen”

Old Scotch tune.

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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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De Smet today

Where I would like to be right now.

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Little House in the Big Woods – historical perspective

Pepin Twp., Pepin Co. Wisconsin

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primer

Used to teach someone to read.

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morning-glory

Climbing plant of the genus Ipomœa.

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P A T

one seven seven ought

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chapel

Place of worship.

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velocipede

Carriage propelled by pedals or feet.

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The Long Winter – historical perspective

The Hard Winter of 1880-1881.

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“The Old Time”

Mr. Boast’s favorite song.

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Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

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Poverty Flat

Early De Smet residential area.

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Little Town on the Prairie – historical perspective

De Smet D.T. in the 1880s.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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brakeman

Person who stops the train.

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George C. Bradley

Early De Smet druggist.

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Joseph Bouchie family

Fictional Brewster family in THGY.

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Jacob Hopp

Printer and De Smet newspaper owner.

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blueing bag

Whiter whites.

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These Happy Golden Years – the fictional story

Laura teaches and falls in love.

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“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

1817 poem by Charles Wolfe.

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me”

17th century Irish tune.

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The New York Ledger

Weekly story paper, published 1855-1898.

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Farmer Boy – the fictional story

Almanzo Wilder’s childhood in Burke NY.

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“The Treadmill Song”

Oliver Wendell Holmes poem set to music.

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ash withe / ash-withe

A flexible, slender twig or branch used as a band for tying.

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Mrs. Jarley’s Wax Works

Rise! Come forward!

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“yell like a Comanche”

Imitated Indian battle cry.

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milk pan / milk-pan / milkpan

Where cream rises.

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“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

1794 Robert Burns poem.

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Margaret Garland family / Cap Garland

Family living behind the Ingallses in De Smet.

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legal cap

legal document paper

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Charles Ely

Early lumber man in De Smet.

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building paper / tar paper

Crude building paper used for covering.

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Osage Indian Treaty

Legal agreement between nations or sovereigns.

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dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

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“Sing a Song of Sixpence”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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“Uncle John”

Play song to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

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“Bonny Doon”

1792 Robert Burns song.

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“There is a Happy Land”

Whoop! How those eggs do smell!

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“Wait for the Wagon”

Buckley and Knauff song.

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carved wooden bracket

Place for a china shepherdess.

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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George Wilmarth family

Owner of early grocery store in De Smet.

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yoke

Frame worn on the neck for lifting or drawing.

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depot / station

Railway station.

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hatchet

A small ax with a short handle, to be used with one hand.

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Alice Maria Wilder

Older sister and playmate of Almanzo Wilder. She lived 1853-1892.

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mercury / thermometer

Used to measure air temperature.

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roller skates / rink

Wheeled frame for the shoe.

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“Auld Lang Syne”

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

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Mary Amelia Ingalls

First child of Caroline and Charles Ingalls, 1865-1928; she lost her sight at age 15.

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“Home, Sweet Home”

1823 Payne & Bishop song.

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“The Singing School”

1869 P. Benson song.

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dragon-fly / dragonfly

Mosquito hunter.

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Hattie Dorchester

Jake Zickrick’s skating partner.

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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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thunder-pumps

American bittern, a member of the heron family.

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zenith

The point of the heavens directly overhead.

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Commentators on the Ac’s

Pa’s charade pun.

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

1793 Robert Burns poem.

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album

Blank booklet for collecting autographs or photos.

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cabin / log house

A small cottage; a hut or small house.

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hogshead

100-140 gallon cask.

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“Don’t Leave the Farm, Boys”

Song from The Conqueror.

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Ernest & Minnie Green

This is not Mary & Edwin Sanford!

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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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basque

Jacket-like part of a lady’s dress.

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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Timber Culture Act / tree claim

Passed by Congress, March 3, 1873.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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roller towel

Long towel with ends sewn together, hung on a rod.

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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ice-house

Stores ice blocks in warm weather.

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ice cream / ice-cream

Sweetened cream, congealed by freezing.

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jumping jack / jumping-jack

Jointed acrobat toy.

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Little Georgie Dwight

He could not learn his letters!

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Reverend Edwin H. Alden

Walnut Grove Congregational minister and missionary in Dakota.

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whalebone

Baleen used in corsets.

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Lewis Sasse

De Smet druggist

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“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Isaac Watts hymn.

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The Advance

Weekly family newspaper of the Congregational church.

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Mother Goose

Fictionalized compiler of ancient nursery rhymes.

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Amos Whiting family

Superintendent of Schools, De Smet.

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gopher

Four don’t go fur…

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Army bugle

Brass military horn.

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ante-over / anti-over / anteover

Game in which a ball is thrown over a structure.

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