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copyright / permissions

Please do not plagiarize.

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Introspections of an Individualist

Norma Lee Browning article about Rose Wilder Lane.

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velocipede

Carriage propelled by pedals or feet.

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fanning-mill

Machine for winnowing.

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dickcissel / dickie-bird

A semi-nomadic finch, Spiza americana.

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morning-glory

Climbing plant of the genus Ipomœa.

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

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mustache

Hair above the lip.

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Laura’s Sorosis Club speech

“My Work”

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tiger lily

Native spotted flower of tallgrass prairie.

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Tennyson’s Poems

Collection of works by Written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson,...

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sundogs

Bright spots on either side of the sun.

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Edelbert Harthorn family / Frank Harthorn & Mabel Burd

Father and son owners of early drygoods store in De Smet.

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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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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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Charles Mead

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

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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Julia & Amasa Tower

Walnut Grove church friends.

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last

Mold of a foot, used in making shoes.

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twine

A strong twisted thread.

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Mary & Samuel Ray / Ellen & Amos Leonard

Sisters feuding over a lovely homeplace…and a man.

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ante-over / anti-over / anteover

Game in which a ball is thrown over a structure.

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bangs / lunatic fringe

hair across the forehead

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photographs

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

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legal cap

legal document paper

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acre

4840 square yards of land.

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Horace Woodworth family

Family of first depot agent in De Smet.

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Marshall, Minnesota

Almanzo Wilder farmed here in 1879-1880.

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“Captain Jinks”

1868 comedic opera song.

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“My Sabbath Home”

Hymn #7, Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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“The Swan’s Nest”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.

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dictionary

The words of a language.

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Bibliography

LIW / RWL books & articles

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A Tribute to the Early Day Teachers

Neva Whaley Harding tribute.

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stockade

Enclosure of posts or sticks.

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saleratus / soda

Leavening agents used in baking.

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“Home, Sweet Home”

1823 Payne & Bishop song.

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dovekie

Arctic aquatic bird, Alle alle.

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brakeman

Person who stops the train.

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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“Sweet By and By”

Pa’s favorite hymn.

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Edward H. Couse

Early hardware store owner in De Smet.

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starch

cloth stiffener

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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Old Military Tract

Franklin Co. NY map reference

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Hattie Dorchester

Jake Zickrick’s skating partner.

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Thomas Power family

De Smet tailor.

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ostrich tips / feathers

Short bobbing feather used for hat decoration.

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Turkey red

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

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“My Jenny Jerusha Jane”

1868 A.G. Chase song.

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President James Madison

4th President of the U.S.

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St. Lawrence River

A streak of silver on the horizon.

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“In the Starlight”

1878 Glover & Carpenter song.

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“Nellie was a Lady”

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

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depot / station

Railway station.

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Bloody Benders

Serial killers in 1870s Kansas.

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Governor of Orleans / The American Remount Association

Registered stallion leased to Almanzo Wilder 1923-1925.

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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Horace / Homer Heath

Railroad-working brothers.

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Women’s Christian Temperance Union

W.C.T.U.

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John D. Peirson

Early De Smet liveryman.

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Doxology

Old Hundred.

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“The Lotos Eaters”

Tennyson poem.

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“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

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bear grease

Bear fat hair dressing.

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Ingalls office / store in De Smet

NW and SE corners of Calumet and Second.

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isinglass

mica for stove windows

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watermelon-rind preserves

sugary jelly

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Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

Laura’s handwritten manuscript.

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John H. Carroll

Early De Smet banker.

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fascinator

Pretty, light head covering.

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Burr Oak today

Only Ingalls home in original location.

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Mr. Edwards

Was he Edmund Mason?

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Eskimo / igloo

Tribes of arctic America and Greenland. / Snow hut.

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peddler’s cart / wagon

A little store on wheels.

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basket

Woven container.

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Eliza Jane Wilder

Almanzo’s sister.

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William H. Steadman family

Proprietor of hotel in Burr Oak.

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Jack Frost

A popular personification of frost.

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Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

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“Polly Wolly Doodle”

Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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Mary Power & Edwin Sanford

Laura’s friend and the new clerk at Ruth’s bank.

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cream of tartar / baking powder

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

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blizzard

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

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Syndicate Hotel

Laura & Almanzo stayed there!

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swimming hole

Watch out for ankle grabbers!

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black bird / blackbird

Name given to various American birds.

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icicle

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

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The Long Winter – historical perspective

The Hard Winter of 1880-1881.

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Charleton Fuller / Gerald Fuller

Hardware store owner, partnered with his brother Gerald.

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Alfred Ely

One of the younger boys in school.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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Dr. Robert Hoyt

Husband of Mattie Masters.

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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claim shanty

Temporary dwelling.

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“Bo-peep has lost her sheep”

Game of hiding and surprise to amuse a small child.

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De Smet today

Where I would like to be right now.

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cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

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Dolly Varden

NIckname of Edith Ingalls, Laura’s cousin.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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“Yankee Doodle”

Early song brought to America from Britain.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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water alcove

Railroad car water for drinking.

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picket rope / pin / line

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

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nickel

The metal. Or five-cent piece.

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bale

Specific bundle of goods packaged for transport.

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Docia Ingalls / Hiram Forbes

Sister of Charles Ingalls married to railroad contractor.

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antelope

Antilocapra cervicapra of North America.

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lone cottonwood / lone tree

The big one between the lakes.

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tomahawk

War hatchet used by American Indians.

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Charles Ely

Early lumber man in De Smet.

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“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Stephen Foster song.

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Old English letters

Variety of printing type.

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P A T

one seven seven ought

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“Jerusalem the Golden”

Hymn from Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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Peter Pfeiffer family

John May’s son-in-law.

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Lewis Sasse

De Smet druggist

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railroad cut / fill

How you level a railroad grade.

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elevator

Warehouse for seed and grain.

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popcorn

Heat makes it burst & it’s tasty.

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jewel box / jewel-box

Nice place to keep a breast-pin.

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poor man’s fertilizer

Snow plowed into a field.

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dried-raspberry sauce

Dried sauce good on biscuits.

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“yell like a Comanche”

Imitated Indian battle cry.

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honey

Bee-made sweetness.

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South Troy / Zumbro Falls today

Little town along the Zumbro River.

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“Three Blind Mice”

Popular nursery song, sung in rounds.

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kerosene / kerosine

Oil used for lighting.

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batten / lath

Thin, narrow board for fastening or joining.

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literature

Knowledge and fancy preserved in writing.

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Big Green Animal Book

George Hartwig’s The Polar and Tropical Worlds: A Description of Man and Nature.

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claim

The land to which one has a right.

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Reverend Edward Brown

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

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Thomas Quiner

Ma’s brother and Laura’s uncle

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“Irish Washerwoman”

Traditional Scottish and Irish song/dance song.

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“Paul Revere’s Ride”

Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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scour / scouring brick

To rub hard for the purpose of cleaning.

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Dr. Alfred Starr

His wife wanted Laura.

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Silliman Gilbert family

Kingsbury County farmer.

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Indian camps

Look! Beads!

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Roman candle

Flaming stars and balls firework.

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primer

Used to teach someone to read.

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mummy

Put. that. back.

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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bushel / peck

Dry quart measurements.

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dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

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“Wait for the Wagon”

Buckley and Knauff song.

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poll

No horns.

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chestnut / horse chestnut

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

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whiffle-tree / whiffletree

Bar to attach traces to.

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“The Star of Bethlehem”

When Marshalled on the Nightly Plane

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cant-hook / cant-pole

Instrument used by lumbermen to move logs.

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Lost, between sunrise and sunset…

Horace Mann quotation from his Writings, published in 1872.

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Freddy Ingalls

Laura’s brother (1875-1876)

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le cadeau du cheval

2008 horse mural composed of smaller paintings of horses,...

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“Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-Ay”

1891 Henry J. Sayers song.

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stone fences

Rock wall enclosure.

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milk pan / milk-pan / milkpan

Where cream rises.

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“A Shelter in the Time of Storm”

Ira Sankey hymn.

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Jerome Beardsley family

De Smet hotel keeper.

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“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

1794 Robert Burns poem.

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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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“Uncle Ned”

One of the earliest Stephen Foster songs.

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pork-pickle

Salt and sugar pork brine.

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cupola

Dome-like vault on a public building.

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elephant

A very large quadruped.

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vanity cakes

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

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amen / amen corner

Expression used at the end of prayers.

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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“Hail Columbia”

1789 Philip Phile march.

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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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equinoctial storm

Severe wind and heavy rain that occurs at or near the time of an equinox.

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“I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land”

1860 Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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Supposed Speech of Regulus

From Independent Fifth Reader.

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Little Georgie Dwight

He could not learn his letters!

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buttonhook

Curved metal tool for fastening shoes.

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Millbank

1871 novel by Mary Jane Holmes.

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bison / “The Bison Track”

Bayard Taylor poem about Bos Americanus, found in Independent Fifth Reader.

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me”

17th century Irish tune.

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“Auld Lang Syne”

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

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Walnut Grove during the Little House years

Village in Redwood County, Minnesota

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twisting hay

Pioneer method by which dried grass is formed into compact...

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gable

Triangular end of a building under the roof.

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Hiram Ingalls

Pa’s brother.

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

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Have you seen the comet?

Tebbutt’s Great Comet of 1881.

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Laura, the Prairie Girl

1975-76 animated series.

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snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

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zenith

The point of the heavens directly overhead.

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Thomas Huleatt family

Neighbors of Ingalls family in Pepin Co.

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“Nobody Ask’d You”

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

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spoon holder / spoon-holder / spoonholder

Any vessel used to hold and display spoons.

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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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harvest moon

Full moon nearest autumnal equinox

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biscuits

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

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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Jim River / James River

A tributary of the Missouri River.

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leap frog / leap-frog

Run and jump game.

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