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greenhorn / greeny

Immature, raw, awkward.

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pokeberry

For rosy doll cheeks.

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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

Quilt block pattern.

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The Advance

Weekly family newspaper of the Congregational church.

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“Uncle John”

Play song to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

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picket rope / pin / line

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

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Adam / adam’s apple

The first man, the progenitor of the human race.

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“The Whip-Poor-Will’s Song”

1865 Harrison Millard song.

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“Highland Mary”

1799 Robert Burns songs, favorite of Mary Ingalls.

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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yeast / yeast cakes

Bread-leavening organism.

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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“Jesus Holds My Hand”

Hymn #85, Pure Gold for the Sunday Schools

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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“Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door”

1880 Joseph Skelley song.

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“Rock Me to Sleep”

Elizabeth Allen poem.

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Henry Ford’s Own Story

Industrialist and founder of Ford Motor Company.

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oyster

A mollusk of the genus Ostrea, having a bivalve shell.

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Florence Bell

Milliner and dressmaker in De Smet.

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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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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tableland

Elevated flat land; a plateau.

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Big Tracy Cut

“100 feet deep & tapering off for 1/4 mile”

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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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anvil

Iron block to hammer upon.

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“Bonny Doon”

1792 Robert Burns song.

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grippe

influenza

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clove apple / clove-apple

Spice-preserved fruit decoration.

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Rocky Ridge Farm

The Wilders’ Missouri farm east of Mansfield

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mustache

Hair above the lip.

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poor man’s fertilizer

Snow plowed into a field.

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beef

tough! juicy!

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buckwheat pancakes

Seeds of the flowering plant Eriogonum used as a grain.

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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“I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land”

1860 Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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Dr. Robert Hoyt

Husband of Mattie Masters.

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bale

Specific bundle of goods packaged for transport.

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ash withe / ash-withe

A flexible, slender twig or branch used as a band for tying.

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Bad Lands

Area eroded by wind & water.

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Marshall, Minnesota

Almanzo Wilder farmed here in 1879-1880.

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“Polly Wolly Doodle”

Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

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catechism

Question & answer book of religious doctrine.

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Ven Owen

Teacher and principal of the first graded school in De Smet

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Eleck Nelson family

Neighbors of the Ingalls family when living on their preemption claim north of Walnut Grove.

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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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bastion

A part of a main enclosure which projects toward the exterior.

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Stories of the Moorland

1869 book by Lizzie Bates about a young boy growing up in Scotland.

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“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

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snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

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Charles Lamson

Almanzo’s cousin.

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Thomas Huleatt family

Neighbors of Ingalls family in Pepin Co.

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Timothy Johnson family

De Smet Wagon Shop.

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The Youth’s Companion

Weekly instructional magazine for children, first published in 1827.

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“The Gypsy’s Warning”

1864 Henry Coard song.

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“The Tides” / The moon is at its full

1860 William Cullen Bryant poem.

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xanthophyll

I bet you can spell this word.

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Frank Schaub

Early harness maker in De Smet.

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Will Bennett

One of the younger De Smet schoolboys.

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De Smet today

Where I would like to be right now.

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cameo

Aunt Docia’s pretty collar pin.

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Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

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“Auld Lang Syne”

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

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windrow

Line of hay raked together.

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Reverend Edward Brown

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

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Belgian horse

A heavy draft horse originally from the Brabant region of...

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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composition

The act of forming a written piece.

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depot / station

Railway station.

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Jacob Hopp

Printer and De Smet newspaper owner.

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Will Barnes

Walnut Grove acquaintance of the Ingallses’ in the 1870s....

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starch

cloth stiffener

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cottonwood tree

Wetland plains tree, Populus fremontii.

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“De Boatmen’s Dance”

Away Down the RIver on the O-hi-o.

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drop the handkerchief / drop-the-handkerchief

Circle game.

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cabin / log house

A small cottage; a hut or small house.

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“It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary”

1912 Judge & Williams song.

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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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stanchion

Support frame.

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snowplow

Clears the tracks.

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“Three Blind Mice”

Popular nursery song, sung in rounds.

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writ of attachment

Legal document requiring action.

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“Hail Columbia”

1789 Philip Phile march.

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Walnut Grove during the Little House years

Village in Redwood County, Minnesota

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spring tonic

Bitter purifying medicine.

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cupola

Dome-like vault on a public building.

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“Beware!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem.

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“Bo-peep has lost her sheep”

Game of hiding and surprise to amuse a small child.

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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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basque

Jacket-like part of a lady’s dress.

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Pure Gold for the Sunday School

Hymnal owned by the Ingalls family.

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whiskey

Spirits distilled from grain.

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“The Rock of Ages”

Painting at Rev. Brown’s.

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Uncle Sam

Figure symbolizing the United States.

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“By Lo, Baby Bunting”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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batten / lath

Thin, narrow board for fastening or joining.

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“Pop! Goes the Weasel”

Traditional American song.

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Silliman Gilbert family

Kingsbury County farmer.

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zebra

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

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lime / whitewash

Oxide of calcium mixed with water and used for whitening.

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Albert Quiner

Laura’s cousin.

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“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

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ambition

Act of obtaining an object of desire.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – the fictional story

Farming struggles in Minnesota.

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spoon holder / spoon-holder / spoonholder

Any vessel used to hold and display spoons.

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Thomas C. Wilkin family

Florence Wilkin’s father.

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“nervous as a witch”

restless

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“Oft in the Stilly Night”

Song from Lalla Rookh.

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Edward H. Couse

Early hardware store owner in De Smet.

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Grace Pearl Ingalls

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

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Reverend Edwin H. Alden

Walnut Grove Congregational minister and missionary in Dakota.

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Mary Power & Edwin Sanford

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

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sundogs

Bright spots on either side of the sun.

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Little House on the Prairie – the fictional story

The Ingallses in Indian Territory.

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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trough

Stock-watering vessel.

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apron

Garment protector.

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“My Jenny Jerusha Jane”

1868 A.G. Chase song.

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stockade

Enclosure of posts or sticks.

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land office

Where sales of public lands are registered.

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axle grease

Lubricant for wagon wheels and other machinery.

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patent / title

official property ownership document

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Johnny Johnson

“Wake up and watch the cattle!”

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beet

Succulent root vegetable.

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Henry O. Quiner family

Ma’s brother, married to Pa’s sister Polly.

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“The Pied Piper”

Robert Browning poem.

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“All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border”

1829 Sir Walter Scott air.

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John H. Carroll

Early De Smet banker.

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buffalo beans

Prairie ground plum.

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lantern

A light meant to be carried.

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fichu

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

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Laura helped her sew shirts.

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Kingsbury County, D.T.

County in eastern South Dakota, organized in 1879.

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udder

Where the milk is before milking.

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“Irish Washerwoman”

Traditional Scottish and Irish song/dance song.

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

1793 Robert Burns poem.

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wall-paper

Wall covering.

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“Yankee Doodle”

Early song brought to America from Britain.

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twilight

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

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spider

Legged cooking vessel.

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gosh!

that wicked word

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flag

the banner

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starry papers

Hand-made shelf edging.

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“The Mulligan Guard” / “The Skidmore Guard”

Harrigan & Hart minstrel show.

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claim shanty

Temporary dwelling.

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Spin-offs and Adaptations of the Little House Books

Milking the cash cow.

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Visscher Barnes

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

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antelope

Antilocapra cervicapra of North America.

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auger

A carpenter’s instrument for boring holes, chiefly in...

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lone cottonwood / lone tree

The big one between the lakes.

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peddler’s cart / wagon

A little store on wheels.

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pen / pen-wiper

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

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Delos Perry family

The Perry School was on his homestead.

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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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velocipede

Carriage propelled by pedals or feet.

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Laura’s Sorosis Club speech

“My Work”

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Osage Indian Treaty

Legal agreement between nations or sovereigns.

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custard / ice-cream

Sweetened milk and eggs, cooked.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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water alcove

Railroad car water for drinking.

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Doxology

Old Hundred.

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Horace Woodworth family

Family of first depot agent in De Smet.

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Pioneer Girl

Laura Ingalls Wilder’s memoir.

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Carrie Ingalls, Homesteader

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

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tea

A man’s drink in cold weather.

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Minnie Johnson

Laura’s schoolmate in De Smet

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osage orange

no good to eat or for anything else

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Silver Lake

Kingsbury County prairie pothole lake.

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stone fences

Rock wall enclosure.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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Julia & Amasa Tower

Walnut Grove church friends.

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isinglass

mica for stove windows

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checkers

Game played on a board of 64 squares.

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Ida Belle Wright

Laura’s best friend in De Smet

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ice cream / ice-cream

Sweetened cream, congealed by freezing.

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George Whiting Ingalls

Bugle-blowing, jigging uncle.

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“The Treadmill Song”

Oliver Wendell Holmes poem set to music.

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“Lilly Dale” / “Lily Dale”

1852 song by H.S. Thomson.

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Henry Hinz

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

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Army bugle

Brass military horn.

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jewel box / jewel-box

Nice place to keep a breast-pin.

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mummy

Put. that. back.

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copper-toed shoes

Metal shoe protector.

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Commentators on the Ac’s

Pa’s charade pun.

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Henry Burvee

One of the first settlers in Kingsbury Co.

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Ingalls office / store in De Smet

NW and SE corners of Calumet and Second.

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William H. Steadman family

Proprietor of hotel in Burr Oak.

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“Mountain of the Lord”

Hymn #52, Pure Gold for the Sunday School

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Peter Riley Ingalls family

Uncle Peter & Aunt Eliza.

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auk

Extinct sea bird used to describe dovekie found by Charles Ingalls.

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“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

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Farmer Boy – the fictional story

Almanzo Wilder’s childhood in Burke NY.

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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President James Madison

4th President of the U.S.

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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South Troy / Zumbro Falls today

Little town along the Zumbro River.

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