On this day in history, 1881, Mary Ingalls was enrolled at the Blind Asylum in Vinton, Iowa. November 23, 1881 – as in 2005 – was the day before Thanksgiving.
You have to wonder if Charles and Caroline Ingalls enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with Mary before returning to De Smet, or if they were traveling on that day. Were they even present during the enrollment process?
I always wondered why Mary started school in late November. The Blind Asylum had four terms per year – just like the De Smet school did – but the fall term typically started before November. Making sure that Mary was settled before winter travel made getting to and from Iowa a problem might have been one reason she started when she did. Getting the finances in order may have been another.
In early October 1881, Kingsbury County School Superintendent Amos Whiting notified the County Commissioners that Mary Ingalls was entitled to “the benefits of the Territorial Blind Asylum.” The notice was forwarded to the Governor with a certificate from the Commissioners confirming that Mary was indeed entitled to tuition and room and board. This, of course, referred to an agreement made between Iowa and Dakota Territory, because there was no blind asylum as yet in Dakota. There was, however, one in Minnesota. It is not known if they accepted some of the students from Dakota Territory as well. The father of the director of the blind asylum in Minnesota actually homesteaded in Kingsbury County, quite near the town of De Smet. I have a feeling I’ve mentioned this before, but James J. Dow took up work with the blind and by 1875 he had devoted his life to it. His first daughter was named Mary Amelia.
