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elevator

Warehouse for seed and grain.

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whip

A lash tied to a handle.

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fascinator

Pretty, light head covering.

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“Home, Sweet Home”

1823 Payne & Bishop song.

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Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

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“Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess”

Nursery rhyme wordplay on the name Elizabeth.

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isinglass

mica for stove windows

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gingerbread

Chocolate frosting adds to the goodness!

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

1858 J. Warner song.

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storm apron

Rain protection for buggy.

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De Smet today

Where I would like to be right now.

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“The Battle-Cry of Freedom”

We’ll Rally Round the Flag, Boys!

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ambition

Act of obtaining an object of desire.

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Henry Burvee

One of the first settlers in Kingsbury Co.

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willow-ware

Blue-and-white tableware with Chinese story paintings.

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“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

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“Tubal Cain”

Charles McKay poem.

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drop the handkerchief / drop-the-handkerchief

Circle game.

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clove apple / clove-apple

Spice-preserved fruit decoration.

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“There is a Happy Land”

Whoop! How those eggs do smell!

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The Missouri Ruralist

Twice monthly Missouri farm periodical.

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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hogshead

100-140 gallon cask.

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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nubia

A light scarf worn about the head and neck.

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Charles H. Tinkham

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

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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cradle scythe

Blade and handle used to cut oats.

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muff

A warm covering for receiving the hands.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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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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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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apron

Garment protector.

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pasteboard / lambrequin

Paperboard used as base for decorative edging.

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“Pull for the Shore”

Sunshine for Sunday Schools hymn.

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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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milking-stool

Three legs (the cow has the udder).

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Good Templars Lodge

International temperance fraternal organization.

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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emigrant car

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

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Dr. Robert Hoyt

Husband of Mattie Masters.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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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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William O’Connell

Fictional Bill O’Dowd.

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Charles Philip Ingalls

Father of Laura Ingalls. He lived 1836-1902.

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whalebone

Baleen used in corsets.

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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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“Mountain of the Lord”

Hymn #52, Pure Gold for the Sunday School

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Marvin Hughitt

Officer and President of the Chicago & NorthWestern Railway Company.

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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honey

Bee-made sweetness.

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Dr. Alfred Starr

His wife wanted Laura.

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Robbins children

“froze stark stiff”

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bear grease

Bear fat hair dressing.

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The Floweret

1842 book of verse by Anna Maria Wells.

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New Ulm, Minnesota

Town in Brown Co., MN.

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Little House Songs

Prairie Song Companion

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Alice Maria Wilder

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

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“Give us this day our daily bread”

“The City, a Mc Kee plain glassware pattern.

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turnip

Cruciferous plant grown for root and greens.

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“Camptown Races”

1850 Stephen Foster song.

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Rev. Royal Gould Wilder

Almanzo’s uncle.

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Noah’s ark toy

Willie’s toy boat with animals.

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Will Bennett

Laura’s classmate in De Smet, one of the younger boys in...

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The Long Winter – the fictional story

Winter for seven months!

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powder horn / powder-horn

Animal horn in which gunpowder is carried.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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“Haste to the Wedding”

Traditional Irish fiddle tune.

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De Smet Cemetery

Ma & Pa’s final resting place.

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forfeits

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

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Quaker meeting

Parlor game in which players try to remain silent.

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Amos Whiting family

Superintendent of Schools, De Smet.

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Yankton, Dakota Territory

1879 land office town.

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“Captain Jinks”

1868 comedic opera song.

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dictionary

The words of a language.

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lone cottonwood / lone tree

The big one between the lakes.

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Will Barnes

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

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Waverly Novels

Sir Walter Scott books.

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Julia & Amasa Tower

Walnut Grove church friends.

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A Tribute to the Early Day Teachers

Neva Whaley Harding tribute.

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Wilder feed store

Shhh. There’s wheat in the wall!

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engine / locomotive / iron horse

Vehicle powered by steam and run on tracks.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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the Cameron gang

fiat justitia, ruat caelum…

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dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

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chilblain

Cold sores on hands and feet.

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“Mary of the Wild Moor”

1845 song by Joseph W. Turner.

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copperplate

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

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John H. Carroll

Early De Smet banker.

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roller towel

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

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auk

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

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“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

1794 Robert Burns poem.

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“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

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claim jumper / Mr. Hunter / Jack Hunt

claim jumper. One who lays violent hands upon another and ousts...

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Ernest & Minnie Green

This is not Mary & Edwin Sanford!

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blacking / stove-blacking / boot blacking

Preparation used to make things black.

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dragon-fly / dragonfly

mosquito hunter

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James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

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Santa Claus / Santa Clause

Ho. Ho. Ho.

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Reverend Edward Brown

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

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Pure Gold for the Sunday School

Hymnal owned by the Ingalls family.

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Syndicate Hotel

Laura & Almanzo stayed there!

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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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ground-cherry

Variety of husk tomato.

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scones

“Mamabess is growing fat.”

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peddler’s cart / wagon

A little store on wheels.

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Eskimo / igloo

Tribes of arctic America and Greenland. / Snow hut.

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Timber Culture Act / tree claim

Passed by Congress, March 3, 1873.

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china shepherdess / little china woman

Ingalls precious family figurine.

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winnow

Drive off chaff by wind.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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Marshall, Minnesota

Almanzo Wilder farmed here in 1879-1880.

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hardtack

Unleavened hard bread made from flour and water.

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composition

The act of forming a written piece.

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parsnip

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

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cream of tartar / baking powder

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

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Hill-Billy

1926 Rose Wilder Lane book.

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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“Jerusalem the Golden”

Hymn from Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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“The Lotos Eaters”

Tennyson poem.

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barrel

Round vessel or cask made of wooden staves.

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starry papers

Hand-made shelf edging.

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“Old Grimes”

1822 Albert Gorton Greene poem.

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“The Mulligan Guard” / “The Skidmore Guard”

Harrigan & Hart minstrel show.

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The Modern Musketeer

How Rose became a great actress.

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stockade

Enclosure of posts or sticks.

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me”

17th century Irish tune.

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Little House in the Big Woods – the fictional story

Once upon a time, 60 years ago…

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jumping jack / jumping-jack

Jointed acrobat toy.

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twine

A strong twisted thread.

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Missouri Pool

Smoked a pipe & grew pretty flowers.

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birds’-nest pudding

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

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vanity cakes

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

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Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

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hatchet

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

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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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“Bonny Doon”

1792 Robert Burns song.

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Carrie Ingalls

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

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Jesse French

Butchered oxen during the Hard Winter.

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Jack Frost

A popular personification of frost.

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George Wilmarth family

Owner of early grocery store in De Smet.

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David Thorp

Walnut Grove teacher 1877-78.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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what-not / whatnot

An étagère for books & ornaments.

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Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

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Wilkin School

April 20 – July 10, 1885.

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“Three Blind Mice”

Popular nursery song, sung in rounds.

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ice cream / ice-cream

Sweetened cream, congealed by freezing.

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snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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elephant

A very large quadruped.

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killdeer

Small aquatic bird.

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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Peter Pfeiffer family

John May’s son-in-law.

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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cottonwood tree

Wetland plains tree, Populus fremontii.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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Arthur Sherwood

Brother of Carter Sherwood.

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swan

Cygnus Americanus

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Ella & Robert Boast

Friends of the Ingalls family in De Smet.

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“The Floating Scow of Old Virginia”

1847 Charles White song.

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“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

1817 poem by Charles Wolfe.

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poultice

Applied to sores to help them heal.

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“Auld Lang Syne”

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

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picket rope / pin / line

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

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Jerome Beardsley family

De Smet hotel keeper.

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“My Old Kentucky Home”

1853 Stephen Foster song.

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wild prairie rose

RWL was their namesake, my dear.

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leap frog / leap-frog

Run and jump game.

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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bandana

Large handkerchief with white pattern on red or blue background.

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kerosene / kerosine

Oil used for lighting.

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black bird / blackbird

Name given to various American birds.

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“Love’s Old Sweet Song”

1884 song by Bingham & Malloy.

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cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

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Silliman Gilbert family

Kingsbury County farmer.

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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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bacon

Hog’s flesh salted or pickled and dried, usually in smoke.

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turntable

Revolving railroad platform.

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quinine

Medicine used to treat malaria, made from cinchona bark.

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acre

4840 square yards of land.

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Little Town on the Prairie – the fictional story

Homesteading and town life.

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Will Knight

Walnut Grove revival singer.

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blueing bag

Whiter whites.

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checkers

Game played on a board of 64 squares.

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the children’s blizzard

January 12, 1888, blizzard.

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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gable

Triangular end of a building under the roof.

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ostrich tips / feathers

Short bobbing feather used for hat decoration.

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“nervous as a witch”

restless

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“Paul Revere’s Ride”

Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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brakeman

Person who stops the train.

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album

Blank booklet for collecting autographs or photos.

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spinning wheel / spinning-wheel

Turns wool into yarn.

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“Jingle Bells”

1857 James Pierpont song.

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Becky Newhall / Rebecca Stewart

Classmate of Laura Ingalls in De Smet.

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Charles Mead

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

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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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Alice & Arthur Whiting

Cousin Alice Ingalls Whiting’s family.

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