Little House in the Big Woods

“Once upon a time…a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.”

As a child, I absolutely ADORED the Little House on the Prairie books.  I think it's mostly because I've always loved history in general, but I also specifically love learning how things were done in the olden days.  I've re-read the series as a whole at least a few times, but for the books that were my faves -- Little House in the Big Woods, Farmer Boy, The Long Winter, and These Happy Golden Years -- I've lost count of how often I went back in time (metaphorically, of course) to live vicariously with Laura and her family.

I've been telling the kids for YEARS that one day we were finally going to stop somewhere along the route that Laura's family took in their travels and I was so excited while planning this road trip to realize that we would in fact be passing through the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder in Pepin, Wisconsin!  Like with The Music Man, I attempted to get the kids to prepare for our visit by reading Little House in the Big Woods (preferably) or ANY of the other books in the series as part of our family Summer Reading Challenge, but it wasn't a huge success.  UNLIKE The Music Man, the only one who attempted to do this particular homework was Sophie, who read both Little House in the Big Woods and Farmer Boy.  (Although, technically, she had already read them when she was much younger and was thus re-reading them for trip.)

Laura’s story begins here, in Pepin.  The Ingalls family cabin, the homes of her extended family, and the fields, forest, lakefront, and village of Pepin were the setting for Little House in the Big Woods, the first in her series of stories featuring the adventures of Laura and her family as they traveled the west when she and America were young together.

Pioneer author Laura Ingalls Wilder was born about seven miles from this location on February 7, 1867.  Her family’s log cabin vanished under the grass long ago, and the “Big Woods” of which she wrote have been replaced by the rich agricultural lands which surround this community on the Mississippi River.

(I've always loved old things.  What I was surprised to discover on this trip is that GRACE loves them, too!  I'm not sure why I was so surprised by that, but it was fun knowing that I wasn't the only one who enjoyed seeing all the displays.)

This quilt belonged to Laura Ingalls Wilder in her adulthood.  I absolutely love the hand quilting 

Exhibits in our museum illuminate daily life in the time of Laura and her pioneer neighbors.  When Laura’s family departed this place for the last time in 1874, they left little behind, and took with them only what could be carried in their covered wagon.  The artifacts in our museum have been gathered by those who stayed, including members of the Ingalls extended family, and other European settlers of this area in the nineteenth century.

Although Laura’s story of frontier life in Pepin County took place long ago, echoes of a traditional way of life can still be found here in the woods and field, on the water, and in this little town on the river.

Along with plenty of historical relics on display, there was a more "children friendly" interactive area that included a covered wagon, along with other items that were in use back in Laura's time.  The kids had fun posing in front of the wagon, pretending to type on an old typewriter, and picking out souvenirs in the gift shop.  Hahaha.  

Jane with the poses again.

I loved seeing all these older editions of the books.

A "vacuum washer."

Again with the poses.

After finishing up with the museum, we drove a few miles further to check out the replica of Laura's Little House in the Big Woods.  The setting was really so lovely, and it was cool to be able to go inside and get a feel for what it was like living in such a small cabin with a family of 5.  I have to say that I was quite in awe picturing how exactly everyone and everything would have fit into such a compact space.  We certainly are leading MUCH different lives than the early settlers.

“Once upon a time…a little girl lived in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, in a little gray house made of logs.”

Writing about herself and her life here, Laura Ingalls Wilder thus began “Little House in the Big Woods,” the first of her famous “Little House” books.

Laura was born here in February 7, 1867.  Late in 1868, or the spring of 1869, the Ingalls family left Wisconsin and traveled by covered wagon to Kansas.  They found Kansas to be Indian country, so shortly after Carrie was born in August of 1870, Charles Ingalls brought his family back to the little house near Pepin.  In 1871, Mary and Laura enrolled in the Barry Corner School near here.  They sold this farm in 1873 and moved to Minnesota.

Laura Ingalls Wilder is loved, both for her delightful writing style and for her good homespun philosophy.  Reflecting on her rugged frontier youth, she said “It has been many years since I beat eggs with a fork or cleaned a kerosene lamp.  Many things have changed since then, but the truths we learned from our parents and the principles they taught us are always true.  They can never change.”

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, Inc. of Pepin, Wisconsin, organized in 1974, is proud to provide “Little House Wayside” as a memorial to this great lady and beloved author.

To finish off this tribute to all things "Little House," I'm going to close this post with some book reviews -- first, a few of mine based on books about the Little House series, and then, Sophie's based on her Summer Reading experience.  Just to keep things real.  Hahahahaha.  Enjoy!

The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of Little House on the Prairie 

by Wendy McClure -- 4 stars (reviewed on August 11, 2016)

I think you would have to be a huge fan of the little house BOOKS -- not tv show -- to truly appreciate this book. since I was, I really enjoyed it.  Seriously, it has inspired me to make a trek over to the Laura Ingalls Wilder museum in Missouri before we leave this great state.  It also kindled a fire in me to pass on this legacy of loving the books to my children.  Sophie got the boxed set for Christmas a couple of years ago, and I think she's on board to start reading them with me.  My only issue in the book is that the author's biases and opinions are definitely noticeable.  Especially with regards to religion since she's decidedly a-religious.  Still.  It wasn't enough to take away from the book as a whole for me, and I really enjoyed it.

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Pamela Smith Hill (Editor) -- 5 stars (reviewed on June 9, 2017)

Okay, so I absolutely loved this book.  Because, a.) annotations! I love annotations.  Hahaha.  But, b.) I LOVED the Little House on the Prairie series of books when I was a kid.  I've probably reread them several times throughout the course of my life, and this Pioneer Girl autobiography was just so fascinating to compare the REAL life with the novelized life found in the series.  It's a bit of deep dive for anyone who isn't a true fan of the books, but if you loved those, you will most likely love this.

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder

by Caroline Fraser -- 4 stars (reviewed on February 23, 2019)

Believe it or not, it's taken me over a month to finally just sit down and write this review.  And I still can't quite put my finger on why it's been so difficult for me to decide what I want to rate it and how I want to review it!  So keep those caveats in mind.  I guess.  Haha.  First of all, I think it's been well-established how much I loved the Little House books when I was a kid.  I've re-read most of them a few different times, and I've read other non-fiction works based on them as well.  This book is divided into 3 parts, and I will say that for as long as it usually takes me to get through a straight non-fiction read, I FLEW through this one. I didn't want to put it down!  (At least for the first half to two-thirds.)  I felt like I was getting a full-on history lesson while reading, and I found it fascinating to see the social, economic, and political backdrop to the setting of Wilder's books.  I was totally expecting to give this 5 stars by the end, but then things just kind of lost momentum.  So much of the focus of the last third of the book was on her daughter, Rose, and their relationship, and all I can say is that Rose is a literal and metaphorical drag.  Once I finally finished the book, my new conundrum was reconciling what REALLY happened in Wilder's life with the polished and glowing version found in her books.  I mean, I get it -- these were meant to be children's books and I think it was probably smart to keep a lot of the hardship out of it.  Both because it would weigh the story down, but also because it would probably be a more boring read for kids.  But I also think I can empathize with Wilder because, as an idealist, I think I tend to interpret things in a way that emphasizes the good while making less of a to-do about the bad.  But also, I think it's partly human nature, right? as more time goes by, we're more likely to glamorize the past and forget about the hardships that may have happened alongside of it.  It's like our family road trip to the east coast a few summers ago -- when we first got back and people asked how it went, I had to tell them I needed a moment to figure that out because it was still too raw and fresh -- and if we're being technical, the trip ended on a sour note which cast a pall on the whole thing.  However, now that a couple of years have gone by, every time I think of that trip I think of how awesome it was and how much I loved visiting Niagara Falls, and Acadia National Park, and the Crayola factory (among other things)!  The good times seem larger than life and the rough parts of it seem to have faded to the point where in my mind I question, "was it even really all that bad?"  Hahaha.  So, given that -- and knowing that Wilder didn't start recounting her life's story until she was rather advanced in years -- I think I can also see how, to Wilder, these stories are all true.  Also, I really felt guilty while reading this book and seeing the way the native Americans were treated (and probably still are).  I mean, I know our country's history, but this just made it seem so much more real.  And super sad.  Anyway, I don't know if this review even makes sense.  But I'm glad I've finally done it, because now I can move on and actually start reading something else!

Farmer Boy

(Summer Reading Category -- A Little House on the Prairie Book)

Review by Sophie:

I’m pretty sure this one was always my favorite when I read a few of these books a while back.  I don’t know why, though, because when I read this, it was boring.  I mean, it was pretty much just Almanzo doing chores and helping on the farm so I can’t say it was very enrapturing.  Regardless, I still felt a little nostalgic reading it, no matter how uneventful it was.

Little House in the Big Woods

(Summer Reading Category -- Road Trip Location Book)

Review by Sophie:

Personally, I thought this book was boring as well, but that’s probably because it’s more for kids. Definitely felt a little nostalgic reading it, though, because I’m pretty sure this one or Farmer Boy was my favorite when I was like 5.  It was a pretty easy read considering it’s one of the shorter ones.  Basically, Laura’s family is faced with some challenges such as bears, wolves, and chores as the seasons change from fall to winter to spring at their log house in the big woods.  That’s pretty much it.  However, I will say I did enjoy seeing the little illustrations on almost every other page.

And that's a wrap! Our next stop is the Big Event -- Mackinac Island...

While traveling to Pepin, we drove along the Wisconsin Great River Road.  It was lovely and scenic, and we had to take some pictures, obviously.