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cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

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President George Washington

First President of the U.S.A.

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“The Singing School”

1869 P. Benson song.

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“The Gypsy’s Warning”

1864 Henry Coard song.

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sulky / sulky plow

One-seated conveyance.

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“De Boatmen’s Dance”

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

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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“Sing a Song of Sixpence”

Mother Goose rhyme.

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hogshead

100-140 gallon cask.

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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cornmeal mush / hasty pudding

Cornmeal and water, cooked.

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ante-over / anti-over / anteover

Game in which a ball is thrown over a structure.

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Willard Seelye

De Smet teacher, 1881-1882.

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Old Military Tract

Franklin Co. NY map reference

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lemon

The citrus fruit

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Oscar Rhuel / Röhl

A romantic figure…

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“Don’t Leave the Farm, Boys”

Song from The Conqueror.

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Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

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“Barbary Allen”

Old Scotch tune.

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Orion E. Stearns

Caught by blizzard of ’88.

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“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Stephen Foster song.

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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surveyor

One who measures land and delineates the same on paper.

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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grippe

influenza

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Z

zebra – Zion City

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“The Pied Piper”

Robert Browning poem.

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blueing bag

Whiter whites.

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Peytona & Fashion

Currier & Ives print at Rocky Ridge Farm.

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South Troy / Zumbro Falls today

Little town along the Zumbro River.

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“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Isaac Watts hymn.

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dove-in-the-window / bear’s tracks

Patchwork pattern variations.

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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accordion

musical instrument

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Spat them Out

Clapping (and kissing) game.

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Horace / Homer Heath

Railroad-working brothers.

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roller skates / rink

Wheeled frame for the shoe.

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On the Banks of Plum Creek – historical perspective

Walnut Grove in the 1870s.

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“My Jenny Jerusha Jane”

1868 A.G. Chase song.

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Martha Perry / Mrs. White

Laura helped her sew shirts.

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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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T

tableland – two-faced

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dipper / ladle / skimmer

Used to remove foam when boiling maple sap.

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D

daisy – dye

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engine / locomotive / iron horse

Vehicle powered by steam and run on tracks.

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welcome!

who we are

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“What Shall the Harvest Be?”

1850 Emily Oakley poem.

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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Gather ye rosebuds while ye may…

From Robert Herrick poem.

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“Old Folks at Home”

Way down upon the Swanee River!

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swan

Cygnus Americanus

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popcorn

Heat makes it burst & it’s tasty.

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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

1858 J. Warner song.

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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Charles Barker

Early De Smet grocer.

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“The Heavens Declare the Glory”

From The Conqueror, page 144.

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Will Bennett

One of the younger De Smet schoolboys.

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America / American

Pertaining to the United States of America.

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Pure Gold for the Sunday School

Hymnal owned by the Ingalls family.

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cant-hook / cant-pole

Instrument used by lumbermen to move logs.

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legal cap

legal document paper

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chewing gum

Long white sticks of chewiness.

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tattoo

Sounds like beating drums!

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Little House on the Prairie – historical perspective

LHOP history

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china shepherdess / little china woman

Ingalls family figurine.

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“Oh! Susanna”

Stephen Foster song.

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Ven Owen

Teacher and principal of the first graded school in De Smet

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“Money Musk”

Traditional American dance tune.

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The Advance

Weekly family newspaper of the Congregational church.

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“Beware!”

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow poem.

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“In the Starlight”

1878 Glover & Carpenter song.

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railroad camp / Silver Lake camp

Temporary dwellings for workers during surveying or construction.

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satchel

Small, soft-sided handled luggage.

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lief

Gladly; willingly; freely.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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“Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-Ay”

1891 Henry J. Sayers song.

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O

oak – oyster

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tiger

Noah’s ark toy piece.

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Turkey red

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

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“I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land”

1860 Daniel Decatur Emmett song.

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Thomas P. Power family

De Smet tailor.

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galumphing

To move in a clumsy, ponderous, or noisy manner.

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worm / angleworm

common soil worm

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Timothy Johnson family

De Smet Wagon Shop.

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drop the handkerchief / drop-the-handkerchief

Circle game.

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catechism

Question & answer book of religious doctrine.

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beef

tough! juicy!

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claim shanty

Temporary dwelling.

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Rev. Royal Gould Wilder

Almanzo’s uncle.

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honey

Bee-made sweetness.

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William H. Steadman family

Proprietor of hotel in Burr Oak.

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Spookendyke

Rose’s stubborn donkey

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flag

the banner

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stanchion

Support frame.

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auk

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

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Henry Hinz

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

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George C. Bradley

Early De Smet druggist.

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“Billy Boy”

English folk song.

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Kitty

the Ingallses’ cat in Dakota Territory

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candle / tallow

Used to furnish light.

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“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

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Charlotte Quiner Holbrook

Caroline Ingalls’ mother

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“I Wish I Was Single Again”

1871 J.C. Beckel song.

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“My Old Kentucky Home”

1853 Stephen Foster song.

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Jerome Beardsley family

De Smet hotel keeper.

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Protected: James H. Clewett

De Smet teacher, January-March 1883

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James Glover family

Students in the Wilkin School.

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“Buffalo Gals”

1844 Virginia Minstrels song.

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name card / name-card

Pasteboard identification.

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Big Tracy Cut

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

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Laura & Lansford Ingalls

Grandpa & Grandma Ingalls

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squirrel

Rodent mammal of the genus Sciurus.

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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“The Polish Boy”

Poem by Ann S. Stephens

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coal / coal hod

Carbonized plant matter mined and used as fuel.

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buckwheat pancakes

Seeds of the flowering plant Eriogonum used as a grain.

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Laura & Almanzo Wilder house in De Smet

Home of Almanzo, Laura, & Rose 1892-1894

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antelope

Antilocapra cervicapra of North America.

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Thanksgiving

Public celebration of divine goodness.

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gingerbread

Chocolate frosting adds to the goodness!

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George Wilmarth family

Owner of early grocery store in De Smet.

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ambition

Act of obtaining an object of desire.

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Pre-1906 and 1912 De Smet Panoramic Photos

A view in every direction.

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C

cabbage – cyclone

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buffalo beans

Prairie ground plum.

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bandana

Large handkerchief with white pattern on red or blue background.

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barber

Shave and a haircut, two bits!

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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Dolly Varden

NIckname of Edith Ingalls, Laura’s cousin.

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flag, the flower

An aquatic flower, Iris versicolor.

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orthography

The art of spelling words correctly.

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bureau

A dresser / chest of drawers.

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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The Athenians

Hartville, Mo. study club.

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“Arkansas Traveler”

Traditional American folk song.

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“When I Can Read My Title Clear”

1700s Isaac Watts hymn.

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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brakeman

Person who stops the train.

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blueberry

a kind of whortleberry

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Missouri Pool

Smoked a pipe & grew pretty flowers.

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churn

Cream agitator.

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huckleberry

Let’s have some pie!

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Protected: private post

Go away AI; you are not welcome here.

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“Yankee Doodle”

Early song brought to America from Britain.

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“Old Dan Tucker”

Mr. Edwards sings it!

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sewing machine

“Such beautiful stitching!”

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Alice Maria Wilder

Older sister and playmate of Almanzo Wilder. She lived 1853-1892.

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“America”

1832 Reverend Samuel F. Smith song.

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Ross family

Neighbors in the Perry District.

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Mr. Clancy / Chauncey Clayson

Drygoods store owner, Chauncey Clayson

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poke bonnet / poke-bonnet

the lining matched Laura’s eyes

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Frogs at School

“Twenty froggies went to school…”

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“Gaily Now Our Boat is Sailing”

Singing school exercise

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crow

Large black bird of genus Corvus.

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basque

Jacket-like part of a lady’s dress.

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A Tribute to the Early Day Teachers

Neva Whaley Harding tribute.

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How well do you know the Little House books?

a quiz for you!

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Supposed Speech of Regulus

From Independent Fifth Reader.

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Verdigris River

River that runs through Montgomery County, Kansas.

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Walnut Grove during the Little House years

Village in Redwood County, Minnesota

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copper

Cu

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Fred Fields / Big Jerry

Railroad boss and his brother-in-law.

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Mr. Hanson

Walnut Grove land trader.

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Charles Philip Ingalls

Father of Laura Ingalls. He lived 1836-1902.

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These Happy Golden Years – the fictional story

Laura teaches and falls in love.

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parsnip

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

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udder

Where the milk is before milking.

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storm apron

Rain protection for buggy.

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butter

Edible fatty substance made by churning cream.

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“The Silver Moon”

Sail on, silver moon…

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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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Ella & Robert Boast

Friends of the Ingalls family in De Smet.

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Dr. William H. York

Bender victim

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ice cream social

Laura and Almanzo didn’t enjoy it.

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“The Evergreen Shore”

1861 William Hunter song.

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twisting hay

makes a hot, quick fire

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“The Burial of Sir John Moore”

1817 poem by Charles Wolfe.

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saleratus / soda

Leavening agents used in baking.

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“Sweet By and By”

Pa’s favorite hymn.

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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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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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M

Ma – “My Sabbath Home”

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Jacob Hopp

Printer and De Smet newspaper owner.

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By the Shores of Silver Lake – the fictional story

The railroad comes to Dakota.

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Laura, the Prairie Girl

1975-76 animated series.

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bake oven / bake-oven

Coals on top and below.

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Lansford James Ingalls family

Pa’s brother and Laura’s uncle.

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W

wage – writ of attachment

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snow-fort

“Holler ’nuff!”

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canvas

Coarse hemp or flax cloth.

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Little House in the Big Woods – historical perspective

Pepin Twp., Pepin Co. Wisconsin

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Florence Bell

Milliner and dressmaker in De Smet.

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B

bachelor – “by the pale, silver light…”

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velocipede

Carriage propelled by pedals or feet.

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Volga, Dakota Territory

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

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Congress

Legislative body of a country.

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Noah’s ark toy

Willie’s toy boat with animals.

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bangs / lunatic fringe

hair across the forehead

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