Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum!

Before the winter and potential further lockdowns strike, we took a fieldtrip to Walnut Grove, Minnesota to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum.

It. Was. Awesome.

There were exhibits and buildings that were closed because of the covid, but it was still so fun to walk around and see what we could. The kids and I agreed that we’d be coming back again, especially to see the hands-on displays that we couldn’t see this time.

I love a good face-cut-out photo op. Look at these pioneers!

Wearing masks was weird. We don’t go many places (or any places, really), so we’re not very practiced. Moe remarked cheerily that he was glad he didn’t have to smile, because no one would see his mouth anyway. Here the kids are in the settler home, set up the way it would have been during Laura’s time.

Moe enjoyed checking out the jail. Because. Moe.

The school and chapel weren’t open, but that gives us something to look forward to next time!

Elle remarked that the pioneers must have had very sore bottoms, because those wagon seats were hard!

While much of the museum would be interesting to people who have no experience with the Little House series, there was a room dedicated to pictures and artifacts of the family behind the stories. A quilt owned by Laura? Ma and Pa’s wedding picture? So neat.

We also enjoyed the room with memorabilia from the TV show. (We like the first three seasons…after that it gets pretty far from the books.) Last year a goodly number of actors came to Walnut Grove for a big reunion, so fans of the show have lots to see.

Speaking of lots to see, the gift shop is just lovely. We ended up with some horehound candy. (Pa brings some home one time in the books. I didn’t remember that, but Elle did.) It’s like raisin-flavored hard candy, in case you’re wondering. We also picked up some penny-candy-for-a-quarter, and Moe bought himself a powder horn. The girls looked longingly at the pioneer dresses and bonnets. Maybe someday. I might have to sneak back for a coyote-tail hat and other things for Christmas.

Throughout our fieldtrip, Pio had his own little “covered wagon.” I guess that makes me the ox?

Next we drove a few miles north of town to the actual site of the Ingalls’ home. At the museum is a replica of a sod-house, and at the site is a hole where the Ingalls’ sod-house used to be along Plum Creek.

It was a short but inclined hike to get to the site. The ox was a little tired after hauling the two babies, the lunch cooler, the diaper bag, and all the forsaken sweatshirts up with the stroller. But it was worth it.

The ropes show the actual size of the dugout. The actual size. Talk about tiny-house living! It was one room. Caroline Ingalls and the other pioneer mothers were superheroes for sure.

Turns out the trip down the hill with the stroller was the hard part of the visit, though. It sure got up some momentum as I chased/guided it down the path! No pictures or videos of that, thank goodness. But the kids were amused since I added in some nervous screaming, purely for their comedic benefit.

This picture is my favorite. It’s Elle. On the real banks of the real Plum Creek!

The sign in the background shows where the dugout was, so you can see its proximity to the creek, as well as the elevation change.

Then we enjoyed some peanut butter sandwiches along Plum Creek. (We didn’t see any plums. Although there are plum bushes still there, it’s not plum time, apparently.)

As we loaded up the van, a bumblebee flew in! After an experience with a swarm of wasps this summer, Moe gets pretty anxious about stinging insects, so I had to try to keep everyone calm. With all the kids inside the van, I ran around and opened all the doors, waiting for the bee to mosey out. When she did, I ran around again and shut all the doors before she could buzz back in.

Feeling triumphant about escaping without anyone getting stung, I started backing out slowly, only to realize in my haste to solve the bumble bee problem, I had forgotten to load the stroller in the back of the van.

Driving like an old lady has its perks; the stroller was just pushed a few feet, with no sign of damage. The only thing bruised was my ego, as another van pulled into the otherwise empty parking lot just in time to see me get out and load the stroller after having backed into it.

If you happen to be within a couple hours drive, you should definitely check out the museum/site in Walnut Grove. For now the museum is open through Halloween on the weekends. Check out the details on the website.

If you happen to live far away but love the Little House on the Prairie books, it’s worth the drive, too. Hopefully by next summer things will have calmed down enough to have the annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant in July. Maybe we can host a thing for friends who come to check it out?!?! I hope the virus settles soon, and we can open our home to our Laura-loving friends who visit.

We’re looking forward to living so close to this little treasure on the prairie, and hope you get a chance to see it, too. <3