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Congress

Legislative body of a country.

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writ of attachment

Legal document requiring action.

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“Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door”

1880 Joseph Skelley song.

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dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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George Wilmarth family

Owner of early grocery store in De Smet.

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Willard Seelye

De Smet teacher, 1881-1882.

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claim jumper / Mr. Hunter / Jack Hunt

One who ousts another from their land.

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buffalo / bison

bison

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“The Gypsy’s Warning”

1864 Henry Coard song.

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cornice

Molded roof or window projection.

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fichu

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

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icicle

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

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copper

Cu

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The Advance

Weekly family newspaper of the Congregational church.

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beef

tough! juicy!

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Y

“Yankee Doodle” – Youth’s Companion

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forfeits

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

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“Golden Years are Passing By”

1879 Will Thompson song.

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gopher

Four don’t go fur…

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“The Tides” / The moon is at its full

1860 William Cullen Bryant poem.

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Almanzo Wilder

The Man of the Place

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H

hack – hypocrite

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Horace / Homer Heath

Railroad-working brothers.

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“Captain Jinks”

1868 comedic opera song.

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These Happy Golden Years – the fictional story

Laura teaches and falls in love.

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D

daisy – dye

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spoon holder / spoon-holder / spoonholder

Any vessel used to hold and display spoons.

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poultice

Applied to sores to help them heal.

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cosy / cozy

snug and comfortable

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Waverly Novels

Sir Walter Scott books.

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“Don’t Leave the Farm, Boys”

Song from The Conqueror.

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oranges

Citrus fruit.

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De Smet Cemetery

Ma & Pa’s final resting place.

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twilight

Light when the sun is 0-18 degrees below the horizon.

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President James Madison

4th President of the U.S.

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Pa’s red & white checked mittens

Fair Isle pattern.

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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“Coming Through the Rye”

Robert Burns tune.

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“Here’s to the Maiden”

1780 R.B. Sheridan drinking song.

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pork-pickle

Salt and sugar pork brine.

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John Ensign family

Quit crying, Howard.

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certificate

Written testimony of fact.

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turnip

Cruciferous plant grown for root and greens.

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surveyors’ house

railroad section house occupied by the Ingallses in 1879-1880

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gable

Triangular end of a building under the roof.

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Eskimo / igloo

Tribes of arctic America and Greenland. / Snow hut.

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“For the Sake o’ Somebody”

1794 Robert Burns poem.

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Declaration of Independence

Document renouncing U.S. subjection to Great Britain.

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“My Sabbath Home”

Hymn #7, Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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“Haste to the Wedding”

Traditional Irish fiddle tune.

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“Uncle John”

Play song to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

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Farmer Boy – the fictional story

Almanzo Wilder’s childhood in Burke NY.

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David Thorp

Walnut Grove teacher 1877-78.

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Carrie Ingalls, Homesteader

W-NW & W-SW 9-4N-20E of Black Hills Meridian

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ice-house

Stores ice blocks in warm weather.

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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census taker

Statistical registration of members of a country.

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custard / ice-cream

Sweetened milk and eggs, cooked.

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Alfred Ely

One of the younger boys in school.

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O

oak – oyster

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pasteboard / lambrequin

Paperboard used as base for decorative edging.

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garnet

Deep orange-red gemstone.

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nutmeg

Myristica moschata, used as a spice.

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Hiram Ingalls

Pa’s brother.

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flag

the banner

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smoke stack / smokestack

locomotive firebox chimney

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Will Knight

Walnut Grove revival singer.

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“Give us this day our daily bread”

The City, a Mc Kee plain glassware pattern.

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Chicago Inter-Ocean / Inter-Ocean

Republican political newspaper.

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“The Ninety and Nine”

Elizabeth Clephane poem.

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“The Gypsy King”

Young Laura and Mary’s favorite song!

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“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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coal / coal hod

Carbonized plant matter mined and used as fuel.

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E

ear flap – expelled

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Braille / New York Point

Used by Mary Ingalls.

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threshing

Beating to separate.

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Morocco leather

Fine goat leather.

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“The Silver Moon”

Sail on, silver moon…

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parsnip

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

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De Smet today

Where I would like to be right now.

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Lizzie

the child bride

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tiger

Noah’s ark toy piece.

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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railroad camp / Silver Lake camp

Temporary dwellings for workers during surveying or construction.

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Jacob Hopp

Printer and De Smet newspaper owner.

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cradle scythe

Blade and handle used to cut oats.

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Margaret Garland family / Cap Garland

Family living behind the Ingallses in De Smet.

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wall-paper

Wall covering.

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jumping jack / jumping-jack

Jointed acrobat toy.

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Ella & Robert Boast

Friends of the Ingalls family in De Smet.

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“When Johnny Comes Marching Home”

1863 Louis Lambert song.

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dried-raspberry sauce

Dried sauce good on biscuits.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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last

Mold of a foot, used in making shoes.

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The Floweret

1842 book of verse by Anna Maria Wells.

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mosquito bar / netting

Woven cloth bug barrier.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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literary society

Instructional and entertaining gathering.

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“Kitty Wells”

1858 Sloan & Atherton song.

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pen / pen-wiper

An instrument used for writing. / Material used to clean it after writing.

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Alfred Thomas

He was MARRIED, people!!

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Charles Ingalls: The Civil War Years

Charles Ingalls: the Civil War Years

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mud hen / mudhen

American coot.

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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carved wooden bracket

Place for a china shepherdess.

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nine-patch / Laura’s double nine-patch Irish chain quilt

Quilt block pattern.

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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windlass

Device to move water or dirt from the bottom of a well to ground level.

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R

rabbit – rye

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X

xanthophyll

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Uncle Sam

Figure symbolizing the United States.

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Lansford James Ingalls family

Pa’s brother and Laura’s uncle.

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“The New Year’s Come”

1842 “Why chime the bells so merrily?”

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St. Lawrence River

A streak of silver on the horizon.

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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B

bachelor – “by the pale, silver light…”

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Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

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beet

Succulent root vegetable.

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buck / buckskin

Male of the fallow deer, and leather made from its skin.

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Malone Hotels

Where the horse-buyer spent the night.

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cupola

Dome-like vault on a public building.

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post office / post-office

Where you send and receive mail.

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“Merry, Merry Christmas”

Hymn Number 150 in Pure Gold for Sunday Schools.

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America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

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squirrel

Rodent mammal of the genus Sciurus.

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Kingsbury County, D.T.

County in eastern South Dakota, organized in 1879.

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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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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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“Marching Through Georgia”

Union song from American Civil War.

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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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consumption

A wasting disease, pulmonary tuberculosis.

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peddler’s cart / wagon

A little store on wheels.

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Mary Power & Edwin Sanford

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

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cannon

Military engine used for throwing balls and other instruments of death by the force of gunpowder.

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bull dog / bulldog

All of him rested, except his ears.

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Millbank

1871 novel by Mary Jane Holmes.

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church

Place of Christian worship.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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links

Helps you find what you’re looking for.

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shoe pegs

A small, pointed piece of wood, used in fastening.

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World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition

Destination of the Wilder brothers in the fall of 1884.

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Charles Mead

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

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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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zebra

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

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Edward H. Couse

Early hardware store owner in De Smet.

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Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Laura helped her sew shirts.

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Frank M. Cooley family

On the Way home travelers.

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auger

hand drill

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cottonwood tree

Wetland plains tree, Populus fremontii.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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“A Motto for Every Man”

1868 Harry Clifton song.

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saleratus / soda

Leavening agents used in baking.

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twine

A strong twisted thread.

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name card / name-card

Pasteboard identification.

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Frank Schaub

Early harness maker in De Smet.

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flag, the flower

An aquatic flower, Iris versicolor.

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Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

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organ

musical instrument

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“Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy, and Bess”

Nursery rhyme wordplay on the name Elizabeth.

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“The Rock of Ages”

Painting at Rev. Brown’s.

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Alice & Arthur Whiting

Cousin Alice Ingalls Whiting’s family.

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Visscher Barnes

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

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Burr Oak today

Only Ingalls home in original location.

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ticket

All aboard!

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Dr. Alfred Starr

His wife wanted Laura.

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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whip

A lash tied to a handle.

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storm apron

Rain protection for buggy.

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“The Battle-Cry of Freedom”

We’ll Rally Round the Flag, Boys!

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antelope

Antilocapra cervicapra of North America.

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roller towel

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

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apprentice

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

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Commentators on the Ac’s

Pa’s charade pun.

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Santa Claus / Santa Clause

Ho. Ho. Ho.

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leap frog / leap-frog

Run and jump game.

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bear grease

Bear fat hair dressing.

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Quiner graves

Abandoned cemetery off Playhouse Road.

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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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Little Town on the Prairie – historical perspective

De Smet D.T. in the 1880s.

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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“Lilly Dale” / “Lily Dale”

1852 song by H.S. Thomson.

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cabin / log house

A small cottage; a hut or small house.

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W

wage – writ of attachment

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Wilder feed store

Shhh. There’s wheat in the wall!

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whiffle-tree / whiffletree

Bar to attach traces to.

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Hotel keeper’s family struck by lightning

E.P. LeSuer of Canby, Minnesota.

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gosh!

that wicked word

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“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Stephen Foster song.

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blizzard

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

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George A. Williams

Superintendent of Schools, 1883.

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Timothy Johnson family

De Smet Wagon Shop.

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How well do you know the Little House books?

a quiz for you!

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John H. Carroll

Early De Smet banker.

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Bloody Benders

Serial killers in 1870s Kansas.

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cat’s cradle

Game played with string twisted on the fingers.

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engine / locomotive / iron horse

Vehicle powered by steam and run on tracks.

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acre

4840 square yards of land.

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legal cap

legal document paper

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Spat them Out

Clapping (and kissing) game.

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