pioneergirl.com

Navigation Menu+

Marvin Hughitt

Read more

Marvin Hughitt

Officer and President of the Chicago & NorthWestern Railway Company.

Read more

Wilkin School

Read more

Wilkin School

April 20 – July 10, 1885.

Read more

hatchet

Read more

hatchet

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

Read more

pokeberry

Read more

pokeberry

For rosy doll cheeks.

Read more

buffalo beans

Read more

buffalo beans

Prairie ground plum.

Read more

Little House Songs

Read more

Little House Songs

Prairie Song Companion

Read more

Mary & Samuel Ray / Ellen & Amos Leonard

Read more

Mary & Samuel Ray / Ellen & Amos Leonard

Sisters feuding over a lovely homeplace…and a man.

Read more

greenhorn / greeny

Read more

greenhorn / greeny

Immature, raw, awkward.

Read more

starch

Read more

starch

cloth stiffener

Read more

“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Read more

“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

Read more

parsnip

Read more

parsnip

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

Read more

Oscar Rhuel / Röhl

Read more

Oscar Rhuel / Röhl

A romantic figure…

Read more

“To a Girl”

Read more

“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

Read more

Ida Belle Wright

Read more

Ida Belle Wright

Laura’s best friend in De Smet

Read more

“Golden Years are Passing By”

Read more

“Golden Years are Passing By”

1879 Will Thompson song.

Read more

chilblain

Read more

chilblain

Cold sores on hands and feet.

Read more

Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad

Read more

Oh Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad

1793 Robert Burns poem.

Read more

Bad Lands

Read more

Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

Read more

Peter Riley Ingalls family

Read more

Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

Read more

Indian camps

Read more

Indian camps

Look! Beads!

Read more

morning-glory

Read more

morning-glory

Climbing plant of the genus Ipomœa.

Read more

“The Treadmill Song”

Read more

“The Treadmill Song”

Oliver Wendell Holmes poem set to music.

Read more

udder

Read more

udder

Where the milk is before milking.

Read more

The Athenians

Read more

The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

Read more

Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Read more

Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Laura helped her sew shirts.

Read more

jumping jack / jumping-jack

Read more

jumping jack / jumping-jack

Jointed acrobat toy.

Read more

spider

Read more

spider

Legged cooking vessel.

Read more

The New York Ledger

Read more

The New York Ledger

Weekly story paper, published 1855-1898.

Read more

“Rock of Ages”

Read more

“Rock of Ages”

1760s Augustus Toplady hymn.

Read more

By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

Read more

By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

The railroad comes to Dakota.

Read more

“The Campbells are Coming”

Read more

“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

Read more

flag

Read more

flag

the banner

Read more

thunder-pumps

Read more

thunder-pumps

American bittern, a member of the heron family.

Read more

America / American

Read more

America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

Read more

oranges

Read more

oranges

Citrus fruit.

Read more

James Kennedy family

Read more

James Kennedy family

Walnut Grove farming family, originally from Canada.

Read more

killdeer

Read more

killdeer

Small aquatic bird.

Read more

Arthur Sherwood

Read more

Arthur Sherwood

Brother of Carter Sherwood.

Read more

Charles Ely

Read more

Charles Ely

Early lumber man in De Smet.

Read more

“Bo-peep has lost her sheep”

Read more

“Bo-peep has lost her sheep”

Game of hiding and surprise to amuse a small child.

Read more

nutmeg

Read more

nutmeg

Myristica moschata, used as a spice.

Read more

Little House in the Big Woods – the fictional story

Read more

Little House in the Big Woods – the fictional story

Once upon a time, 60 years ago…

Read more

velocipede

Read more

velocipede

Carriage propelled by pedals or feet.

Read more

pullaway

Read more

pullaway

Outdoor tagging game.

Read more

spelling / speller

Read more

spelling / speller

The order of letters in a word. / A book of exercises on the order of letters.

Read more

“Oh! Susanna”

Read more

“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

Read more

South Troy / Zumbro Falls during the Little House years

Read more

South Troy / Zumbro Falls during the Little House years

Ingallses lived here with Uncle Peter.

Read more

George C. Bradley

Read more

George C. Bradley

Early De Smet druggist.

Read more

Laura Speaks

Read more

Laura Speaks

Al-MAN-zo, Al-MAN-zo, Al-MAN-zo

Read more

twisting hay

Read more

twisting hay

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

Read more

Charles Philip Ingalls

Read more

Charles Philip Ingalls

Father of Laura Ingalls. He lived 1836-1902.

Read more

tableland

Read more

tableland

Elevated flat land; a plateau.

Read more

Willard Seelye

Read more

Willard Seelye

De Smet teacher, 1881-1882.

Read more

Delos Perry family

Read more

Delos Perry family

The Perry School was on his homestead.

Read more

wall-paper

Read more

wall-paper

Wall covering.

Read more

“The Tides” / The moon is at its full

Read more

“The Tides” / The moon is at its full

1860 William Cullen Bryant poem.

Read more

“There is a Happy Land”

Read more

“There is a Happy Land”

Whoop! How those eggs do smell!

Read more

Ven Owen

Read more

Ven Owen

Teacher and principal of the first graded school in De Smet

Read more

powder horn / powder-horn

Read more

powder horn / powder-horn

Animal horn in which gunpowder is carried.

Read more

dipper / ladle / skimmer

Read more

dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

Read more

“A Motto for Every Man”

Read more

“A Motto for Every Man”

1868 Harry Clifton song.

Read more

Edward H. Couse

Read more

Edward H. Couse

Early hardware store owner in De Smet.

Read more

Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls

Read more

Nellie Oleson Meets Laura Ingalls

Heather Williams book.

Read more

Hill-Billy

Read more

Hill-Billy

1926 Rose Wilder Lane book.

Read more

ice cream social

Read more

ice cream social

Laura and Almanzo didn’t enjoy it.

Read more

New England States

Read more

New England States

ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, & CT.

Read more

bangs / lunatic fringe

Read more

bangs / lunatic fringe

hair across the forehead

Read more

“America”

Read more

“America”

1832 Reverend Samuel F. Smith song.

Read more

“Mountain of the Lord”

Read more

“Mountain of the Lord”

Hymn #52, Pure Gold for the Sunday School

Read more

pasteboard / lambrequin

Read more

pasteboard / lambrequin

Paperboard used as base for decorative edging.

Read more

bison / “The Bison Track”

Read more

bison / “The Bison Track”

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

Read more

lantern

Read more

lantern

A light meant to be carried.

Read more

emigrant car

Read more

emigrant car

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

Read more

forfeits

Read more

forfeits

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

Read more

Albert Quiner

Read more

Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

Read more

batten / lath

Read more

batten / lath

Thin, narrow board for fastening or joining.

Read more

hoity-toity snip

Read more

hoity-toity snip

Thoughtless, giddy, haughty, flighty, gay, and noisy.

Read more

cupola

Read more

cupola

Dome-like vault on a public building.

Read more

fascinator

Read more

fascinator

Pretty, light head covering.

Read more

roller towel

Read more

roller towel

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

Read more

locust

Read more

locust

Buy this book.

Read more

wild prairie rose

Read more

wild prairie rose

RWL was their namesake, my dear.

Read more

“A Shelter in the Time of Storm”

Read more

“A Shelter in the Time of Storm”

Ira Sankey hymn.

Read more

“The Gypsy’s Warning”

Read more

“The Gypsy’s Warning”

1864 Henry Coard song.

Read more

Henry Hinz

Read more

Henry Hinz

Owner of first saloon in De Smet and boarder at the Ingallses’.

Read more

George Whiting Ingalls

Read more

George Whiting Ingalls

Bugle-blowing, jigging uncle.

Read more

“Jerusalem the Golden”

Read more

“Jerusalem the Golden”

Hymn from Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

Read more

stanchion

Read more

stanchion

Support frame.

Read more

mantel-shelf

Read more

mantel-shelf

Shelf above a fireplace.

Read more

lime / whitewash

Read more

lime / whitewash

Oxide of calcium mixed with water and used for whitening.

Read more

John D. Peirson

Read more

John D. Peirson

Early De Smet liveryman.

Read more

Grace Pearl Ingalls

Read more

Grace Pearl Ingalls

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

Read more

“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

Read more

“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

Read more

Jerome Beardsley family

Read more

Jerome Beardsley family

De Smet hotel keeper.

Read more

geranium

Read more

geranium

Winter windowsill flowers.

Read more

wigwam

Read more

wigwam

What Almanzo’s shocked oats looked like.

Read more

turntable

Read more

turntable

Revolving railroad platform.

Read more

“The Sleighing Glee”

Read more

“The Sleighing Glee”

Singing school song.

Read more

“Captain Jinks”

Read more

“Captain Jinks”

1868 comedic opera song.

Read more

depot / station

Read more

depot / station

Railway station.

Read more

copperplate

Read more

copperplate

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

Read more

Women’s Christian Temperance Union

Read more

Women’s Christian Temperance Union

W.C.T.U.

Read more

“Uncle Sam’s Farm”

Read more

“Uncle Sam’s Farm”

1848 Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. song.

Read more

prairie danglers

Read more

prairie danglers

seventhwinter whimsey’s glass slide pendants!

Read more

turnip

Read more

turnip

Cruciferous plant grown for root and greens.

Read more

honey

Read more

honey

Bee-made sweetness.

Read more

dumpling

Read more

dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

Read more

icicle

Read more

icicle

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

Read more

“Money Musk”

Read more

“Money Musk”

Traditional American dance tune.

Read more

“The Mulligan Guard” / “The Skidmore Guard”

Read more

“The Mulligan Guard” / “The Skidmore Guard”

Harrigan & Hart minstrel show.

Read more

le cadeau du cheval

Read more

le cadeau du cheval

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

Read more

Laura’s Sorosis Club speech

Read more

Laura’s Sorosis Club speech

“My Work”

Read more

Kingsbury County, D.T.

Read more

Kingsbury County, D.T.

County in eastern South Dakota, organized in 1879.

Read more

whalebone

Read more

whalebone

Baleen used in corsets.

Read more

“The May Queen”

Read more

“The May Queen”

Poem in three parts by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Read more

Quiner graves

Read more

Quiner graves

Abandoned cemetery off Playhouse Road.

Read more

“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Read more

“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Stephen Foster song.

Read more

muff

Read more

muff

A warm covering for receiving the hands.

Read more

willow-ware

Read more

willow-ware

Blue-and-white tableware with Chinese story paintings.

Read more

Alfred Thomas

Read more

Alfred Thomas

He was MARRIED, people!!

Read more

pieplant

Read more

pieplant

Rhubarb.

Read more

Charlotte Holbrook

Read more

Charlotte Holbrook

Laura’s “Aunt Lotty”

Read more

scour / scouring brick

Read more

scour / scouring brick

To rub hard for the purpose of cleaning.

Read more

water alcove

Read more

water alcove

Railroad car water for drinking.

Read more

copyright / permissions

Read more

copyright / permissions

Please do not plagiarize.

Read more

“Coming Through the Rye”

Read more

“Coming Through the Rye”

Robert Burns tune.

Read more

“Come In and Shut the Door”

Read more

“Come In and Shut the Door”

Circa 1862 song by J.P.H.

Read more

consumption

Read more

consumption

A wasting disease, pulmonary tuberculosis.

Read more

Farmer Boy – historical perspective

Read more

Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

Read more

Burr Oak during the Little House years

Read more

Burr Oak during the Little House years

Town in Winneshiek County, Iowa.

Read more

fichu

Read more

fichu

Light pointed cape worn by ladies, usually made of lace.

Read more

scones

Read more

scones

“Mamabess is growing fat.”

Read more

“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Read more

“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Isaac Watts hymn.

Read more

primer

Read more

primer

Used to teach someone to read.

Read more

“Rock Me to Sleep”

Read more

“Rock Me to Sleep”

Elizabeth Allen poem.

Read more

“Pull for the Shore”

Read more

“Pull for the Shore”

Sunshine for Sunday Schools hymn.

Read more

milking-stool

Read more

milking-stool

Three legs (the cow has the udder).

Read more

“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Read more

“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Singing school exercise

Read more

Home Missionary Society

Read more

Home Missionary Society

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

Read more

Little House on the Prairie – the fictional story

Read more

Little House on the Prairie – the fictional story

The Ingallses in Indian Territory.

Read more

churn

Read more

churn

Cream agitator.

Read more

perforated paper embroidery

Read more

perforated paper embroidery

Stitched designs.

Read more

elevator

Read more

elevator

Warehouse for seed and grain.

Read more

Mother Goose

Read more

Mother Goose

Fictionalized compiler of ancient nursery rhymes.

Read more

Congress

Read more

Congress

Legislative body of a country.

Read more

mustache

Read more

mustache

Hair above the lip.

Read more

“Lend a Helping Hand”

Read more

“Lend a Helping Hand”

Hymn #22, Pure Gold for Sunday School.

Read more

These Happy Golden Years – historical perspective

Read more

These Happy Golden Years – historical perspective

De Smet, D.T., 1883-1885.

Read more

equinoctial storm

Read more

equinoctial storm

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

Read more

“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

Read more

“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

1817 poem by Charles Wolfe.

Read more

acre

Read more

acre

4840 square yards of land.

Read more

Governor of Orleans / The American Remount Association

Read more

Governor of Orleans / The American Remount Association

Registered stallion leased to Almanzo Wilder 1923-1925.

Read more

wristlets

Read more

wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

Read more

“nervous as a witch”

Read more

“nervous as a witch”

restless

Read more

cant-hook / cant-pole

Read more

cant-hook / cant-pole

Instrument used by lumbermen to move logs.

Read more

the Cameron gang

Read more

the Cameron gang

fiat justitia, ruat caelum…

Read more

“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

Read more

“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

1794 Robert Burns poem.

Read more

apple pie / dried apple pie

Read more

apple pie / dried apple pie

Just like Ma used to make.

Read more

snowplow

Read more

snowplow

Clears the tracks.

Read more

zebra

Read more

zebra

Part of Willie Oleson’s Noah’s Ark toy.

Read more

snow-fort

Read more

snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

Read more

Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Read more

Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

Read more

cat hole / cat-hole

Read more

cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

Read more

“My Old Kentucky Home”

Read more

“My Old Kentucky Home”

1853 Stephen Foster song.

Read more

Jacob Hopp

Read more

Jacob Hopp

Printer and De Smet newspaper owner.

Read more

tea

Read more

tea

A man’s drink in cold weather.

Read more

“Camptown Races”

Read more

“Camptown Races”

1850 Stephen Foster song.

Read more

Hiram Ingalls

Read more

Hiram Ingalls

Pa’s brother.

Read more

James McKee family

Read more

James McKee family

Early homesteader north of Manchester D.T. Laura Ingalls stayed with them during the spring of 1883.

Read more

Have you seen the comet?

Read more

Have you seen the comet?

Tebbutt’s Great Comet of 1881.

Read more

“Marching Through Georgia”

Read more

“Marching Through Georgia”

Union song from American Civil War.

Read more

“The Whip-Poor-Will’s Song”

Read more

“The Whip-Poor-Will’s Song”

1865 Harrison Millard song.

Read more

Laura Remington

Read more

Laura Remington

Mrs. Phillip Aubrey Lawrence

Read more

“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Read more

“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

Read more

Volga, Dakota Territory

Read more

Volga, Dakota Territory

Town on the Dakota Central R.R. between Brookings and Arlington, platted in 1879.

Read more

lief

Read more

lief

Gladly; willingly; freely.

Read more

sewing machine

Read more

sewing machine

“Such beautiful stitching!”

Read more

“Merry, Merry Christmas”

Read more

“Merry, Merry Christmas”

Hymn Number 150 in Pure Gold for Sunday Schools.

Read more

zenith

Read more

zenith

The point of the heavens directly overhead.

Read more

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

Read more

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

1858 J. Warner song.

Read more

Thomas H. Ruth

Read more

Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

Read more

winnow

Read more

winnow

Drive off chaff by wind.

Read more

breast-pin / brooch

Read more

breast-pin / brooch

Ornament worn on clothing.

Read more

“Lilly Dale” / “Lily Dale”

Read more

“Lilly Dale” / “Lily Dale”

1852 song by H.S. Thomson.

Read more

galluses / suspenders

Read more

galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

Read more

Henry J. Stebbins

Read more

Henry J. Stebbins

Railroad contractor who inspired a song.

Read more

whiffle-tree / whiffletree

Read more

whiffle-tree / whiffletree

Bar to attach traces to.

Read more

Bloody Benders

Read more

Bloody Benders

Serial killers in 1870s Kansas.

Read more

“Bonny Doon”

Read more

“Bonny Doon”

1792 Robert Burns song.

Read more

“The Swan’s Nest”

Read more

“The Swan’s Nest”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning poem.

Read more

Come Into the Garden, Maud

Read more

Come Into the Garden, Maud

1855 poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Read more

Lost, between sunrise and sunset…

Read more

Lost, between sunrise and sunset…

Horace Mann quotation from his Writings, published in 1872.

Read more

brakeman

Read more

brakeman

Person who stops the train.

Read more

Doxology

Read more

Doxology

Old Hundred.

Read more

Frank M. Cooley family

Read more

Frank M. Cooley family

On the Way home travelers.

Read more

by jingo!

Read more

by jingo!

A corruption of St. Gengoulph.

Read more

windrow

Read more

windrow

Line of hay raked together.

Read more

ground-cherry

Read more

ground-cherry

Variety of husk tomato.

Read more

“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Read more

“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Mother Goose rhyme.

Read more

“Sweet By and By”

Read more

“Sweet By and By”

Pa’s favorite hymn.

Read more

« Older Entries

Next Entries »