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cupola

Dome-like vault on a public building.

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pieplant

Rhubarb.

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John H. Carroll

Early De Smet banker.

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James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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“I Wish I Was Single Again”

1871 J.C. Beckel song.

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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garnet

Deep orange-red gemstone.

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birds’-nest pudding

Dessert made of apples baked in syrup and served with cream.

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Arthur Sherwood

Brother of Carter Sherwood.

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Henry Burvee

One of the first settlers in Kingsbury Co.

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Julia & Amasa Tower

Walnut Grove church friends.

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Charles Trousdale

De Smet drayman and his performing sons.

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bastion

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

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clove apple / clove-apple

Spice-preserved fruit decoration.

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nickel

The metal. Or five-cent piece.

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auk

Extinct sea bird used to describe dovekie found by Charles Ingalls.

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“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Isaac Watts hymn.

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“The Blue Juniata”

1841 Marion Dix Sullivan song.

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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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pasteboard / lambrequin

Paperboard used as base for decorative edging.

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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Syndicate Hotel

Laura & Almanzo stayed there!

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dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

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Alice & Arthur Whiting

Cousin Alice Ingalls Whiting’s family.

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“all’s well that ends well”

A proverb.

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“What Shall the Harvest Be?”

1850 Emily Oakley poem.

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“The Ninety and Nine”

Elizabeth Clephane poem.

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Doxology

Old Hundred.

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last

Mold of a foot, used in making shoes.

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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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census taker

Statistical registration of members of a country.

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“The Sleighing Glee”

Singing school song.

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Burr Oak during the Little House years

Town in Winneshiek County, Iowa.

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gosh!

that wicked word

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Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

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Robbins children

“froze stark stiff”

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freeze drying

sublimation!

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“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

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cream of tartar / baking powder

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

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cottage cheese

Curdled skim milk.

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apron

Garment protector.

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“Bean Porridge Hot”

Bean porridge cold…

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Roman candle

Flaming stars and balls firework.

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“Old Grimes”

1822 Albert Gorton Greene poem.

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button

who’s got one?

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“Song of the Grass”

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

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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De Smet bird’s-eye view

1883 Henry Wellge drawing of De Smet

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Jerome Bisby

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

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Laura Speaks

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

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Carrie Ingalls

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

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Ross family

Neighbors in the Perry District.

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buffalo beans

Prairie ground plum.

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missionary barrel

Collection of items distributed to the needy.

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Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

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“The Swan’s Nest”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.

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Ida Belle Wright

Laura’s best friend in De Smet

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turntable

Revolving railroad platform.

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wintergreen

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

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“Polly Wolly Doodle”

Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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certificate

Written testimony of fact.

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custard / ice-cream

Sweetened milk and eggs, cooked.

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Marvin Hughitt

Officer and President of the Chicago & NorthWestern Railway Company.

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Turkey red

Durable red color, dyed with madder upon calico or woolen cloth.

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“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Stephen Foster song.

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Bibliography

LIW / RWL books & articles

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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Women’s Christian Temperance Union

W.C.T.U.

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Hiram Ingalls

Pa’s brother.

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windrow

Line of hay raked together.

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Jesse French

Butchered oxen during the Hard Winter.

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Maude Blair

Walnut Grove friend of Laura’s

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Will Bennett

One of the younger De Smet schoolboys.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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Minnie Johnson

Laura’s schoolmate in De Smet

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icicle

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

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basque

Jacket-like part of a lady’s dress.

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fanning-mill

Machine for winnowing.

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catechism

Question & answer book of religious doctrine.

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poor man’s fertilizer

Snow plowed into a field.

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Silliman Gilbert family

Kingsbury County farmer.

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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“Little Annie Rooney”

1889 song by Michael Nolan.

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Ernest & Minnie Green

This is not Mary & Edwin Sanford!

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“The Lotos Eaters”

Tennyson poem.

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stone fences

Rock wall enclosure.

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yeast / yeast cakes

Bread-leavening organism.

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Silas Rood

Rude by name & nature?

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grippe

influenza

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“Home, Sweet Home”

1823 Payne & Bishop song.

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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Margaret Garland family / Cap Garland

Family living behind the Ingallses in De Smet.

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Lansford James Ingalls family

Pa’s brother and Laura’s uncle.

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apple pie / dried apple pie

Just like Ma used to make.

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Lost, between sunrise and sunset…

Horace Mann quotation from his Writings, published in 1872.

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“Ben Bolt”

1842 Thomas Dunn English song.

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Henry O. Quiner family

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

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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shoe pegs

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

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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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“Come In and Shut the Door”

Circa 1862 song by J.P.H.

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – historical perspective

Dakota Central comes to De Smet.

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gable

Triangular end of a building under the roof.

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literature

Knowledge and fancy preserved in writing.

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primer

Used to teach someone to read.

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Florence Bell

Milliner and dressmaker in De Smet.

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America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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carved wooden bracket

Place for a china shepherdess.

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dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

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depot / station

Railway station.

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stanchion

Support frame.

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mummy

Put. that. back.

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by jingo!

A corruption of St. Gengoulph.

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mercury / thermometer

Used to measure air temperature.

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“Nobody Ask’d You”

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

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quarter section / quarter-section

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

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oranges

Citrus fruit.

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“Wait for the Wagon”

Buckley and Knauff song.

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“Rock of Ages”

1760s Augustus Toplady hymn.

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tiger lily

Native spotted flower of tallgrass prairie.

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dragon-fly / dragonfly

Mosquito hunter.

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claim shanty

Temporary dwelling.

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Carrie Ingalls, Homesteader

W-NW & W-SW 9-4N-20E of Black Hills Meridian

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photographs

There’s a little birdie in the camera, Rose.

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Quaker meeting

Parlor game in which players try to remain silent.

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Silver Lake

Kingsbury County prairie pothole lake.

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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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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Little House in the Big Woods – historical perspective

Pepin Twp., Pepin Co. Wisconsin

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“The Rock of Ages”

Painting at Rev. Brown’s.

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Missouri Pool

Smoked a pipe & grew pretty flowers.

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“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

1817 poem by Charles Wolfe.

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The Missouri Ruralist

Twice monthly Missouri farm periodical.

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De Smet during the Little House years

The Ingalls family moved here in 1879.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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“The Battle-Cry of Freedom”

We’ll Rally Round the Flag, Boys!

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“Bonny Doon”

1792 Robert Burns song.

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Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…

From Robert Herrick poem.

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“Jingle Bells”

1857 James Pierpont song.

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Docia Ingalls / Hiram Forbes

Sister of Charles Ingalls married to railroad contractor.

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consumption

A wasting disease, pulmonary tuberculosis.

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gingerbread

Chocolate frosting adds to the goodness!

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John James Ingalls

Senator from Kansas.

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“Captain Jinks”

1868 comedic opera song.

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Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Birthday

Happy Birthday, Laura!

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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“Rock Me to Sleep”

Elizabeth Allen poem.

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Alfred Ely

One of the younger boys in school.

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Mansfield history

Town in Wright County, Missouri.

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Perry School

April 28 – June 27, 1884

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isinglass

mica for stove windows

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basket

Woven container.

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Frogs at School

“Twenty froggies went to school…”

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

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Morocco leather

Fine goat leather.

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Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

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“Buy a Broom”

O Du Leiber Augustin.

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honey

Bee-made sweetness.

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storm apron

Rain protection for buggy.

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The Youth’s Companion

Weekly instructional magazine for children, first published in 1827.

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Waverly Novels

Sir Walter Scott books.

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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“yell like a Comanche”

Imitated Indian battle cry.

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snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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blueing bag

Whiter whites.

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“Yankee Doodle”

Early song brought to America from Britain.

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Dr. Robert Hoyt

Husband of Mattie Masters.

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Eskimo / igloo

Tribes of arctic America and Greenland. / Snow hut.

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cameo

Aunt Docia’s pretty collar pin.

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bear grease

Bear fat hair dressing.

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killdeer

Small aquatic bird.

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The Long Winter – historical perspective

The Hard Winter of 1880-1881.

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“When I Can Read My Title Clear”

1700s Isaac Watts hymn.

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Brownsville, Texas 1906

Did Eliza Jane sell fruit to these soldiers?

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“Old Dan Tucker”

Mr. Edwards sings it!

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clear, pure green sky

Sunlight separated into colored bands at sunset.

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vanity cakes

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

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Army bugle

Brass military horn.

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“Dakota Land”

1876 hymn, Beulah Land.

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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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fascinator

Pretty, light head covering.

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Yankton, Dakota Territory

1879 land office town.

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Charlotte Holbrook

Laura’s “Aunt Lotty”

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gopher

Four don’t go fur…

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“It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary”

1912 Judge & Williams song.

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chestnut / horse chestnut

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

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“Pull for the Shore”

Sunshine for Sunday Schools hymn.

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“The Floating Scow of Old Virginia”

1847 Charles White song.

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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“Uncle Ned”

One of the earliest Stephen Foster songs.

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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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Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

The railroad comes to Dakota.

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“Love’s Old Sweet Song”

1884 song by Bingham & Malloy.

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The Long Winter – the fictional story

Winter for seven months!

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