Little House Museum and the Banks of Plum Creek

After what felt like an endlessly slow drive through many of the small towns of Minnesota, we finally arrived at the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Walnut Grove, the sight of her actual home during the period "On the Banks of Plum Creek" was written.

There are actually at least 5 similar such museums spaced anywhere from Minnesota to Kansas. This is the one we thought we be the most comprehensive (and that was somewhat on the way). It was small and fairly unprofessionally done, but still a good place to learn more about Laura Ingalls Wilder -- author and pioneer girl who has touched the hearts of many through her stories of growing up in the West.

While there were very few actual antiquities of Laura's life held here, there were many articles of daily life during the mid-1800's and how they might have been used by the Ingalls family. Here Isabelle stands below a portrait of Laura taken in her late teen years ("Little Town on the Prairie" days).

There was a real pump organ similar to what was bought for Mary upon her returning home from the college for the blind ("These Happy Golden Years"). We were allowed to play it and touch many things in their hands-on room.

In the mock one-room schoolhouse, I found these rules posted and thought they were worth sharing :-) Housed in the museum is an actual quilt of Laura's as well as the church pew from the Congregational Church where Rev. Alden preached and the Ingalls family attended.

A mile and half drive from the museum, you can actually walk to the sod dugout area where the Ingalls family first lived prior to building their pine-board house. Plum creek, with its overhanging willow trees, was full and you could just imagine where Laura and Mary used to play, sit on the big rock, and walk up to the table land -- all of which are still there, but smaller than they are made out to be in the book which is written from the eyes of a child.

The dugout's roof collapsed so you can no longer walk into it, but we could stand near it and on top of it -- where the prairie grasses still sway amidst patches of farmland.

The view from the dugout to the creek is lovely. I love being able to bring history and favorite books to life by "experiencing" them alongside the authors. This was very neat and would only have been appreciated more had it not been 85 and totally humid out. Isabelle, already a bit feverish, and I were both wilting by the time we were ready to leave.

We are now back on the road after passing field after field of the richest dark brown (almost black) earth I have ever seen in Minnesota. Everything that is not planted otherwise is grass. Seriously, it is like the entire state has been treated with Chem-lawn. Along the freeways, in the medians, beside every house and building -- everywhere, just like Laura shares in her book, all you see are miles of prairie grass. This, in contrast to the rich dark soil, is a gardeners dream :-)