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copyright / permissions

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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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Come Into the Garden, Maud

1855 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

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roller towel

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

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

1793 Robert Burns poem.

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Quaker meeting

Parlor game in which players try to remain silent.

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Henry O. Quiner family

Ma’s brother, married to Pa’s sister Polly.

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catechism

Question & answer book of religious doctrine.

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Silver Lake

Kingsbury County prairie pothole lake.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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Sale of School Lands on the Osage Diminished Reserve

LHOP cabin was on Section 36

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icicle

Conical mass of ice, formed by water freezing as it flows downward.

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Dolly Varden

NIckname of Edith Ingalls, Laura’s cousin.

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windrow

Line of hay raked together.

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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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dovekie

Arctic aquatic bird, Alle alle.

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Bibliography

LIW / RWL books & articles

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Jim River / James River

A tributary of the Missouri River.

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“All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border”

1829 Sir Walter Scott air.

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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dictionary

The words of a language.

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Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

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elephant

A very large quadruped.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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buckwheat pancakes

Seeds of the flowering plant Eriogonum used as a grain.

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whiffle-tree / whiffletree

Bar to attach traces to.

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Arthur Sherwood

Brother of Carter Sherwood.

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pullaway

Outdoor tagging game.

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“Captain Jinks”

1868 comedic opera song.

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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braid / plait

Entwined strands.

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wintergreen

Aromatic, creeping evergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, having bright red berries.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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buttonhook

Curved metal tool for fastening shoes.

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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Little House in the Big Woods – the fictional story

Once upon a time, 60 years ago…

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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“Life Let Us Cherish”

1796 Swiss song translated to English.

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Ernest & Minnie Green

This is not Mary & Edwin Sanford!

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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Tennyson’s Poems

Collection of works by Written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson,...

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“Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-Ay”

1891 Henry J. Sayers song.

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Reverend Edward Brown

Minister of the First Congregational Church of De Smet, 1880-1884.

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garnet

Deep orange-red gemstone.

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Amos Whiting family

Superintendent of Schools, De Smet.

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slate

Stone used as tablet for writing upon.

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snowplow

Clears the tracks.

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greenhorn / greeny

Immature, raw, awkward.

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“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

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

1858 J. Warner song.

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Laura’s Bible references

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s hand-written list of Bible verses to be read in times of trouble or stress.

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Laura Speaks

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

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“Great is the Lord”

Singing school song from The Conqueror.

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Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…

From Robert Herrick poem.

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chilblain

Cold sores on hands and feet.

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Little Town on the Prairie – the fictional story

Homesteading and town life.

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Morocco leather

Fine goat leather.

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“The Floating Scow of Old Virginia”

1847 Charles White song.

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Noah’s ark toy

Willie’s toy boat with animals.

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“The Big Sunflower”

Pa’s trouble song.

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Ven Owen

Teacher and principal of the first graded school in De Smet

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The Modern Musketeer

How Rose became a great actress.

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antelope

Antilocapra cervicapra of North America.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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Charles Barker

Early De Smet grocer.

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Charles H. Tinkham

Early undertaker and owner of the first furniture store in De Smet.

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dried-raspberry sauce

Dried sauce good on biscuits.

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Thomas Power family

De Smet tailor.

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zenith

The point of the heavens directly overhead.

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“Buy a Broom”

O Du Leiber Augustin.

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De Smet during the Little House years

The Ingalls family moved here in 1879.

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flag, the flower

An aquatic flower, Iris versicolor.

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nickel

The metal. Or five-cent piece.

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Delos Perry family

The Perry School was on his homestead.

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“Beware!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem.

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Daniel Loftus

Early drygoods store owner in De Smet.

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“Lend a Helping Hand”

Hymn #22, Pure Gold for Sunday School.

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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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“My Jenny Jerusha Jane”

1868 A.G. Chase song.

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engine / locomotive / iron horse

Vehicle powered by steam and run on tracks.

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Uncle Sam

Figure symbolizing the United States.

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Carrie Ingalls

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

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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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“Three Blind Mice”

Popular nursery song, sung in rounds.

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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certificate

Written testimony of fact.

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cornmeal mush / hasty pudding

Cornmeal and water, cooked.

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“The Polish Boy”

Poem by Ann S. Stephens

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cream of tartar / baking powder

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

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turnip

Cruciferous plant grown for root and greens.

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tableland

Elevated flat land; a plateau.

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Johnny Johnson

“Wake up and watch the cattle!”

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button

who’s got one?

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Congress

Legislative body of a country.

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P A T

one seven seven ought

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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tea

A man’s drink in cold weather.

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Young Pioneers

David and Molly Beaton.

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Farmer Boy – the fictional story

Almanzo Wilder’s childhood in Burke NY.

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churn

Cream agitator.

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ice cream / ice-cream

Sweetened cream, congealed by freezing.

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William O’Connell

Fictional Bill O’Dowd.

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Waverly Novels

Sir Walter Scott books.

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spoon holder / spoon-holder / spoonholder

Any vessel used to hold and display spoons.

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“Come In and Shut the Door”

Circa 1862 song by J.P.H.

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fanning-mill

Machine for winnowing.

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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These Happy Golden Years – the fictional story

Laura teaches and falls in love.

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“Old Folks at Home”

Way down upon the Swanee River!

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muff

A warm covering for receiving the hands.

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me”

17th century Irish tune.

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Reverend Edwin H. Alden

Walnut Grove Congregational minister and missionary in Dakota.

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roller skates / rink

Wheeled frame for the shoe.

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“The Heavens Declare the Glory”

From The Conqueror, page 144.

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Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

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bastion

A part of a main enclosure which projects toward the exterior.

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“A Shelter in the Time of Storm”

Ira Sankey hymn.

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New England States

ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, & CT.

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biscuits

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

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watermelon-rind preserves

sugary jelly

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“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

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South Troy / Zumbro Falls during the Little House years

Ingallses lived here with Uncle Peter.

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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basket

Woven container.

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Hill-Billy

1926 Rose Wilder Lane book.

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Visscher Barnes

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

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xanthophyll

I bet you can spell this word.

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chapel

Place of worship.

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literature

Knowledge and fancy preserved in writing.

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Frank M. Cooley family

On the Way home travelers.

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“Rock of Ages”

1760s Augustus Toplady hymn.

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velocipede

Carriage propelled by pedals or feet.

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“The Mulligan Guard” / “The Skidmore Guard”

Harrigan & Hart minstrel show.

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Thomas Quiner

Ma’s brother and Laura’s uncle

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“Marching Through Georgia”

Union song from American Civil War.

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writ of attachment

Legal document requiring action.

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crow

Large black bird of genus Corvus.

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“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”

1863 Louis Lambert song.

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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awl

pokes holes

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“My Old Kentucky Home”

1853 Stephen Foster song.

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“Jingle Bells”

1857 James Pierpont song.

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jumping jack / jumping-jack

Jointed acrobat toy.

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Will Knight

Walnut Grove revival singer.

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rags for paper

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

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yoke

Frame worn on the neck for lifting or drawing.

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last

Mold of a foot, used in making shoes.

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Big Sioux River / Sioux River

SD-IA tributary of Missouri River.

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fichu

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

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“Yankee Doodle”

Early song brought to America from Britain.

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William H. Reed

Teacher in Burr Oak school, 1876-1877.

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stanchion

Support frame.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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harvest moon

Full moon nearest autumnal equinox

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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ostrich tips / feathers

Short bobbing feather used for hat decoration.

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“Oft in the Stilly Night”

Song from Lalla Rookh.

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“The Swan’s Nest”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.

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Little Town on the Prairie – historical perspective

De Smet D.T. in the 1880s.

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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copper

Cu

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Henry Hinz

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

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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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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John D. Peirson

Early De Smet liveryman.

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Hotel keeper’s family struck by lightning

E.P. LeSuer of Canby, Minnesota.

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“What Shall the Harvest Be?”

1850 Emily Oakley poem.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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Ingalls office / store in De Smet

NW and SE corners of Calumet and Second.

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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clinched nail

Bent at a right angle.

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Edward H. Couse

Early hardware store owner in De Smet.

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storm apron

Rain protection for buggy.

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pokeberry

For rosy doll cheeks.

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pasteboard / lambrequin

Paperboard used as base for decorative edging.

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mercury / thermometer

Used to measure air temperature.

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“Mary of the Wild Moor”

1845 song by Joseph W. Turner.

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Women’s Christian Temperance Union

W.C.T.U.

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Will Bennett

One of the younger De Smet schoolboys.

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Laura, the Prairie Girl

1975-76 animated series.

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Hide the Thimble

You’re getting warmer…

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Old Military Tract

Franklin Co. NY map reference

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missionary barrel

Collection of items distributed to the needy.

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hogshead

100-140 gallon cask.

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Pioneer Girl

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s memoir.

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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“My Sabbath Home”

Hymn #7, Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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bangs / lunatic fringe

hair across the forehead

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“De Boatmen’s Dance”

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

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Little House on the Prairie – the fictional story

The Ingallses in Indian Territory.

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St. Lawrence River

A streak of silver on the horizon.

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chestnut / horse chestnut

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

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killdeer

Small aquatic bird.

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“Sing a Song of Sixpence”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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“Polly Wolly Doodle”

Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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“Uncle Ned”

One of the earliest Stephen Foster songs.

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“Old Grimes”

1822 Albert Gorton Greene poem.

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“Jerusalem the Golden”

Hymn from Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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