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“Money Musk”

Traditional American dance tune.

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Laura’s Sorosis Club speech

“My Work”

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mother-of-pearl

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

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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These Happy Golden Years – historical perspective

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

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President James Madison

4th President of the U.S.

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

The railroad comes to Dakota.

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“A Motto for Every Man”

1868 Harry Clifton song.

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Silliman Gilbert family

Kingsbury County farmer.

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icicle

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

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muff

A warm covering for receiving the hands.

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“Haste to the Wedding”

Traditional Irish fiddle tune.

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Oscar Rhuel / Röhl

A romantic figure…

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James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

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brakeman

Person who stops the train.

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dickcissel / dickie-bird

A semi-nomadic finch, Spiza americana.

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checkers

Game played on a board of 64 squares.

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udder

Where the milk is before milking.

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Charles Barker

Early De Smet grocer.

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ostrich tips / feathers

Short bobbing feather used for hat decoration.

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alley / alleyway

Narrow passageway, distinct from public street.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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hulled corn

Hominy.

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killdeer

Small aquatic bird.

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the children’s blizzard

January 12, 1888, blizzard.

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Ida Belle Wright

Laura’s best friend in De Smet

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Hamlin Garland

…and his first Christmas tree!

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cornmeal mush / hasty pudding

Cornmeal and water, cooked.

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dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

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De Smet during the Little House years

The Ingalls family moved here in 1879.

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“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Isaac Watts hymn.

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peddler’s cart / wagon

A little store on wheels.

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“The Rock of Ages”

Painting at Rev. Brown’s.

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Millbank

1871 novel by Mary Jane Holmes.

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Delos Perry family

The Perry School was on his homestead.

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yeast / yeast cakes

Bread-leavening organism.

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P A T

one seven seven ought

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shoe pegs

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

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oranges

Citrus fruit.

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turnip

Cruciferous plant grown for root and greens.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – the fictional story

Farming struggles in Minnesota.

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Doxology

Old Hundred.

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Rev. Royal Gould Wilder

Almanzo’s uncle.

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Charles Lamson

Almanzo’s cousin.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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parsnip

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

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cornice

Roof overhang.

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bandana

Large handkerchief with white pattern on red or blue background.

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carved wooden bracket

Place for a china shepherdess.

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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starry papers

Hand-made shelf edging.

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worm / angleworm

common soil worm

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“Oft in the Stilly Night”

Song from Lalla Rookh.

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barrel

Round vessel or cask made of wooden staves.

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claim jumper / Mr. Hunter / Jack Hunt

One who ousts another from their land.

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Becky Newhall / Rebecca Stewart

Classmate of Laura Ingalls in De Smet.

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scones

“Mamabess is growing fat.”

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stone fences

Rock wall enclosure.

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patent / title

official property ownership document

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button lamp

Improvised grease lamp.

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muskrat

Their houses predict winter weather.

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William O’Connell

Fictional Bill O’Dowd.

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Have you seen the comet?

Tebbutt’s Great Comet of 1881.

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“Buffalo Gals”

1844 Virginia Minstrels song.

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stockade

Enclosure of posts or sticks.

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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“Uncle Sam’s Farm”

1848 Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. song.

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Tennyson’s Poems

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

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mosquito bar / netting

Woven cloth bug barrier.

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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Big Tracy Cut

“100 feet deep & tapering off for 1/4 mile”

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“A Life on the Ocean Wave”

1847 Epes Sargent poem put to music.

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“Great is the Lord”

Singing school song from The Conqueror.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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Hotel keeper’s family struck by lightning

E.P. LeSuer of Canby, Minnesota.

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clinched nail

Bent at a right angle.

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poor man’s fertilizer

Snow plowed into a field.

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dried-raspberry sauce

Dried sauce good on biscuits.

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Brownsville, Texas 1906

Did Eliza Jane sell fruit to these soldiers?

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“Dakota Land”

1876 hymn, Beulah Land.

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composition

The act of forming a written piece.

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The Modern Musketeer

How Rose became a great actress.

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Mrs. Jarley’s Wax Works

Rise! Come forward!

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Supposed Speech of Regulus

From Independent Fifth Reader.

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Quaker meeting

Parlor game in which players try to remain silent.

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popcorn

Heat makes it burst & it’s tasty.

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Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

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garnet

Deep orange-red gemstone.

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clove apple / clove-apple

Spice-preserved fruit decoration.

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saleratus / soda

Leavening agents used in baking.

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Alfred Thomas

He was MARRIED, people!!

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“Rock of Ages”

1760s Augustus Toplady hymn.

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Will Barnes

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

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whip

A lash tied to a handle.

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windrow

Line of hay raked together.

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Marvin Hughitt

Officer and President of the Chicago & NorthWestern Railway Company.

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“Highland Mary”

1799 Robert Burns songs, favorite of Mary Ingalls.

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Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

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building paper / tar paper

Crude building paper used for covering.

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dug out / dugout

Dwelling built into the earth.

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literature

Knowledge and fancy preserved in writing.

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Almanzo Wilder

The Man of the Place

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Alfred N. Waters

Attorney and land agent in De Smet.

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Indian camps

Look! Beads!

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batten / lath

Thin, narrow board for fastening or joining.

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poll

No horns.

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“In the Starlight”

1878 Glover & Carpenter song.

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poultice

Applied to sores to help them heal.

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“Love’s Old Sweet Song”

1884 song by Bingham & Malloy.

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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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Reverend Edwin H. Alden

Walnut Grove Congregational minister and missionary in Dakota.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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Charles H. Tinkham

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

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Good Templars Lodge

International temperance fraternal organization.

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auger

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

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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lone cottonwood / lone tree

The big one between the lakes.

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flag

the banner

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consumption

A wasting disease, pulmonary tuberculosis.

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buttonhook

Curved metal tool for fastening shoes.

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John Ensign family

Quit crying, Howard.

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“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

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“Lend a Helping Hand”

Hymn #22, Pure Gold for Sunday School.

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“Hail Columbia”

1789 Philip Phile march.

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biscuits

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

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“Come In and Shut the Door”

Circa 1862 song by J.P.H.

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yoke

Frame worn on the neck for lifting or drawing.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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“Billy Boy”

English folk song.

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copyright / permissions

Please do not plagiarize.

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New Ulm, Minnesota

Town in Brown Co., MN.

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The New York Ledger

Weekly story paper, published 1855-1898.

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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Walnut Grove during the Little House years

Village in Redwood County, Minnesota

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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Jerome Beardsley family

De Smet hotel keeper.

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“nervous as a witch”

restless

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bangs / lunatic fringe

hair across the forehead

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“Old Folks at Home”

Way down upon the Swanee River!

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willow-ware

Blue-and-white tableware with Chinese story paintings.

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Young Pioneers

David and Molly Beaton.

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gosh!

that wicked word

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tableland

Elevated flat land; a plateau.

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Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

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Charles Mead

Proprietor of the Exchange Hotel in De Smet, 1880-1882.

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Alice Maria Wilder

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

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Bloody Benders

Serial killers in 1870s Kansas.

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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The Youth’s Companion

Weekly instructional magazine for children, first published in 1827.

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Mother Goose

Fictionalized compiler of ancient nursery rhymes.

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Horace Woodworth family

Family of first depot agent in De Smet.

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antelope

Antilocapra cervicapra of North America.

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Little House in the Big Woods – historical perspective

Pepin Twp., Pepin Co. Wisconsin

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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clear, pure green sky

Sunlight separated into colored bands at sunset.

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carding-machine

Straightens fibers by combing.

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census taker

Statistical registration of members of a country.

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perforated paper embroidery

Stitched designs.

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sundogs

Bright spots on either side of the sun.

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drop the handkerchief / drop-the-handkerchief

Circle game.

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jumping jack / jumping-jack

Jointed acrobat toy.

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“Jesus Holds My Hand”

Hymn #85, Pure Gold for the Sunday Schools

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nine-patch / Laura’s double nine-patch Irish chain quilt

Quilt block pattern.

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fever ‘n’ ague / malaria

malaria

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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“Little Annie Rooney”

1889 song by Michael Nolan.

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acre

4840 square yards of land.

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De Smet bird’s-eye view

1883 Henry Wellge drawing of De Smet

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door knob

Grab to open a door.

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Horace / Homer Heath

Railroad-working brothers.

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watermelon-rind preserves

sugary jelly

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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Little Georgie Dwight

He could not learn his letters!

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“Merry, Merry Christmas”

Hymn Number 150 in Pure Gold for Sunday Schools.

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ice cream social

Laura and Almanzo didn’t enjoy it.

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George Whiting Ingalls

Bugle-blowing, jigging uncle.

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forfeits

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

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basket

Woven container.

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silver castor

Rotating condiment set.

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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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basque

Jacket-like part of a lady’s dress.

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surveyor

One who measures land and delineates the same on paper.

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lime / whitewash

Oxide of calcium mixed with water and used for whitening.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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hardtack

Unleavened hard bread made from flour and water.

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cradle scythe

Blade and handle used to cut oats.

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the Cameron gang

fiat justitia, ruat caelum…

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“The Mulligan Guard” / “The Skidmore Guard”

Harrigan & Hart minstrel show.

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“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Singing school exercise

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“The Ninety and Nine”

Elizabeth Clephane poem.

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claim shanty

Temporary dwelling.

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button

who’s got one?

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breast-pin / brooch

Ornament worn on clothing.

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Margaret Garland family / Cap Garland

Family living behind the Ingallses in De Smet.

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flag, the flower

An aquatic flower, Iris versicolor.

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“The Blue Juniata”

1841 Marion Dix Sullivan song.

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“The Tides” / The moon is at its full

1860 William Cullen Bryant poem.

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handcar

Don’t be left behind!

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swimming hole

Watch out for ankle grabbers!

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“Here’s to the Maiden”

1780 R.B. Sheridan drinking song.

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