Violet – A plant and flower of the genus Viola, of many species. They are generally low, herbaceous plants, and the flowers of many of the species are of some shade of blue. The color seen in a violet, being that one of the seven primary colors of the solar spectrum which is most refrangible.
Viola odorata, generally believed to be the “sweet violet” of the Ingalls homestead buffalo wallow, is a plant introduced to America from other countries. There are sixteen species of Viola native to South Dakota.
While I was in De Smet this summer, someone asked Grandpa Bob if the buffalo wallow still existed. He said he believed it had been located behind the current garage building on the property. Why? Because when Barney the buffalo (who came with the land when it was purchased from the Penney family years ago) roamed the land, he always wallowed and kicked up dust behind the garage. Maybe that was the location of the original wallow, or maybe the area behind the garage was simply well-trampled and dusty 100 years later?
Another version of the “what happened to…” story is that the little slough took over the buffalo wallow, and the two distinct features became one. I like this scenario better. On early topographical maps, there is a circular depression to the west of the little slough, and that area is still somewhat in evidence today. I’m pretty sure I’ve blogged about this before; I’ve certainly roamed the land looking for violets, and have come up empty-handed every time.
As is often pointed out, the Ingalls homestead was planted and irrigated for many years. This certainly changed the contours of land somewhat, and violets would have been consided a weed and dealt with accordingly.
