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turnip

Cruciferous plant grown for root and greens.

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Adam / adam’s apple

The first man, the progenitor of the human race.

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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“There is a Happy Land”

Whoop! How those eggs do smell!

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

1858 J. Warner song.

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whiskey

Spirits distilled from grain.

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Charlotte Holbrook

Laura’s “Aunt Lotty”

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America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

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dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

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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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Mrs. Jarley’s Wax Works

Rise! Come forward!

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cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

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“Billy Boy”

English folk song.

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“all’s well that ends well”

A proverb.

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zenith

The point of the heavens directly overhead.

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“Home of the Soul”

1865 E.M.H. Gates hymn.

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honey

Bee-made sweetness.

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Braille / New York Point

Used by Mary Ingalls.

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silver castor

Rotating condiment set.

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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Ida Belle Wright

Laura’s best friend in De Smet

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“My Sabbath Home”

Hymn #7, Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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The Advance

Weekly family newspaper of the Congregational church.

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Charles Lamson

Almanzo’s cousin.

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“Oft in the Stilly Night”

Song from Lalla Rookh.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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Mansfield history

Town in Wright County, Missouri.

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Charles Philip Ingalls

Father of Laura Ingalls. He lived 1836-1902.

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“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

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“Highland Mary”

1799 Robert Burns songs, favorite of Mary Ingalls.

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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Hotel keeper’s family struck by lightning

E.P. LeSuer of Canby, Minnesota.

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breast-pin / brooch

Ornament worn on clothing.

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squirrel

Rodent mammal of the genus Sciurus.

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Waverly Novels

Sir Walter Scott books.

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Grace Pearl Ingalls

Youngest sister of Laura Ingalls; she lived 1877-1941.

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Oscar Rhuel / Röhl

A romantic figure…

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

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saleratus / soda

Leavening agents used in baking.

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hulled corn

Hominy.

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“Here’s to the Maiden”

1780 R.B. Sheridan drinking song.

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apprentice

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

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John H. Carroll

Early De Smet banker.

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orthography

The art of spelling words correctly.

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David Thorp

Walnut Grove teacher 1877-78.

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John James Ingalls

Senator from Kansas.

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spider

Legged cooking vessel.

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“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Singing school exercise

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“My Jenny Jerusha Jane”

1868 A.G. Chase song.

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Dr. Alfred Starr

His wife wanted Laura.

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hair receiver / hair-receiver

Container to save strands of hair in.

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poke bonnet / poke-bonnet

the lining matched Laura’s eyes

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mustache

Hair above the lip.

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cradle scythe

Blade and handle used to cut oats.

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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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“Don’t Leave the Farm, Boys”

Song from The Conqueror.

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“Nellie was a Lady”

Pa would play some of the old songs, ‘to go to sleep...

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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powder horn / powder-horn

Animal horn in which gunpowder is carried.

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“The Sleighing Glee”

Singing school song.

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whalebone

Baleen used in corsets.

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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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George A. Williams

Superintendent of Schools, 1883.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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apron

Garment protector.

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parsnip

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

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cat’s cradle

Game played with string twisted on the fingers.

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cabin / log house

A small cottage; a hut or small house.

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“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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Pure Gold for the Sunday School

Hymnal owned by the Ingalls family.

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Henry O. Quiner family

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

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leap frog / leap-frog

Run and jump game.

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Quiner graves

Abandoned cemetery off Playhouse Road.

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riot / Tracy railroad strike

Tracy in June, not De Smet in September

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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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“The Polish Boy”

Poem by Ann S. Stephens

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Florence Bell

Milliner and dressmaker in De Smet.

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Jack Frost

A popular personification of frost.

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pork-pickle

Salt and sugar pork brine.

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dictionary

The words of a language.

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oyster

A mollusk of the genus Ostrea, having a bivalve shell.

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ice-house

Stores ice blocks in warm weather.

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Bibliography

LIW / RWL books & articles

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

The railroad comes to Dakota.

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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“Beware!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem.

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“A Motto for Every Man”

1868 Harry Clifton song.

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sulky / sulky plow

One-seated conveyance.

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Mr. Anderson / Niels Kopperud

Hard Winter wheat settler

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candy hearts

Mary’s had a candy poem on it!

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“All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border”

1829 Sir Walter Scott air.

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apple pie / dried apple pie

Just like Ma used to make.

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Little Town on the Prairie – historical perspective

De Smet D.T. in the 1880s.

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

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tea

A man’s drink in cold weather.

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Will Barnes

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

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“nervous as a witch”

restless

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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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“Dakota Land”

1876 hymn, Beulah Land.

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Alice & Arthur Whiting

Cousin Alice Ingalls Whiting’s family.

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Kingsbury County, D.T.

County in eastern South Dakota, organized in 1879.

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Home Missionary Society

Group organized to raise money to start churches and Sunday schools in the west where there were none.

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Jim River / James River

A tributary of the Missouri River.

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“The Swan’s Nest”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.

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Peter Pfeiffer family

John May’s son-in-law.

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button lamp

Improvised grease lamp.

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“Nobody Ask’d You”

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

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Have you seen the comet?

Tebbutt’s Great Comet of 1881.

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“Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door”

1880 Joseph Skelley song.

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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“Old Folks at Home”

Way down upon the Swanee River!

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Charles H. Tinkham

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

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Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

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“Mountain of the Lord”

Hymn #52, Pure Gold for the Sunday School

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“The Floating Scow of Old Virginia”

1847 Charles White song.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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Rev. Royal Gould Wilder

Almanzo’s uncle.

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“Bean Porridge Hot”

Bean porridge cold…

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Burr Oak today

Only Ingalls home in original location.

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Syndicate Hotel

Laura & Almanzo stayed there!

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“Rock of Ages”

1760s Augustus Toplady hymn.

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cornice

Roof overhang.

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yoke

Frame worn on the neck for lifting or drawing.

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South Troy / Zumbro Falls today

Little town along the Zumbro River.

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“The Singing School”

1869 P. Benson song.

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John D. Peirson

Early De Smet liveryman.

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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tiger

Noah’s ark toy piece.

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Minnie Johnson

Laura’s schoolmate in De Smet

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cameo

Aunt Docia’s pretty collar pin.

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Osage Indian Treaty

Legal agreement between nations or sovereigns.

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swimming hole

Watch out for ankle grabbers!

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“Rock Me to Sleep”

Elizabeth Allen poem.

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Hiram Ingalls

Pa’s brother.

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“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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“Jingle Bells”

1857 James Pierpont song.

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wigwam

What Almanzo’s shocked oats looked like.

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fever ‘n’ ague / malaria

malaria

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“Sweet By and By”

Pa’s favorite hymn.

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pokeberry

For rosy doll cheeks.

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basket

Woven container.

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buckwheat pancakes

Seeds of the flowering plant Eriogonum used as a grain.

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Perry School

April 28 – June 27, 1884

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chilblain

Cold sores on hands and feet.

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railroad cut / fill

How you level a railroad grade.

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Visscher Barnes

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

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Supposed Speech of Regulus

From Independent Fifth Reader.

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roller skates / rink

Wheeled frame for the shoe.

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Ingalls office / store in De Smet

NW and SE corners of Calumet and Second.

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Ella & Robert Boast

Friends of the Ingalls family in De Smet.

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“Golden Years are Passing By”

1879 Will Thompson song.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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Old English letters

Variety of printing type.

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blacking / stove-blacking / boot blacking

Preparation used to make things black.

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claim jumper / Mr. Hunter / Jack Hunt

One who ousts another from their land.

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sewing machine

“Such beautiful stitching!”

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xanthophyll

I bet you can spell this word.

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Uncle Sam

Figure symbolizing the United States.

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wall-paper

Wall covering.

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“Tubal Cain”

Charles McKay poem.

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Introspections of an Individualist

Norma Lee Browning article about Rose Wilder Lane.

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Caroline Ingalls

Mother of Laura Ingalls. She lived 1839-1924.

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blizzard

In 1880-1881, a long, severe, blinding, and bitterly cold snowstorm.

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hatchet

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

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Hill-Billy

1926 Rose Wilder Lane book.

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biscuits

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

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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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Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls

Heather Williams book.

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watermelon-rind preserves

sugary jelly

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“Little Annie Rooney”

1889 song by Michael Nolan.

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President George Washington

First President of the U.S.A.

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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lantern

A light meant to be carried.

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engine / locomotive / iron horse

Vehicle powered by steam and run on tracks.

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the children’s blizzard

January 12, 1888, blizzard.

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“Pull for the Shore”

Sunshine for Sunday Schools hymn.

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“Jesus Holds My Hand”

Hymn #85, Pure Gold for the Sunday Schools

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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Spat them Out

Clapping (and kissing) game.

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Maude Blair

Walnut Grove friend of Laura’s

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The House that Jack Built

…for two pieces of money.

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Governor of Orleans / The American Remount Association

Registered stallion leased to Almanzo Wilder 1923-1925.

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Laura, the Prairie Girl

1975-76 animated series.

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Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

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pieplant

Rhubarb.

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William O’Connell

Fictional Bill O’Dowd.

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“Give us this day our daily bread”

“The City, a Mc Kee plain glassware pattern.

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icicle

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

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South Troy / Zumbro Falls during the Little House years

Ingallses lived here with Uncle Peter.

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“The Gypsy’s Warning”

1864 Henry Coard song.

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Yankton, Dakota Territory

1879 land office town.

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by jingo!

A corruption of St. Gengoulph.

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Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

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The Modern Musketeer

How Rose became a great actress.

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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alley / alleyway

Narrow passageway, distinct from public street.

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