Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Homes — Attraction in De Smet

Being a fan of the “Little House on the Prairie” TV Series, I decided to travel to De Smet to visit some of the sited directly related to the Ingalls Family. After stopping at the Ingalls Homestead just a mile out of town I made my way to the Small Town of De Smet to visit some of the other sites related to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Ingalls family. My fist stop was at the Surveyors House where the family lived when they first arrived in De Smet. In Addition to the Surveyors House there is the school that the Ingalls Girls attended and a replica of the Brewster School. There is also a very nice statue of a young Laura. After finishing at the Surveyors Home, I spent another enjoyable hour or so walking around the small town and visited the "town home" that was built by Charles. This home still contains some of the furniture that was built by Charles. While walking around the town I discovered several other historic building and enjoyed reading the little informational plaque affixed to each building. I really glad that I decided to visit and enjoyed walking around the town and touring some of the sites related to the...

A must for any Laura Ingalls Wilder fan. Books or television. We've also been to Mansfield, MO, where Laura and Almanzo lived and ultimately died. Mansfield was beautiful, peaceful and exudes the Wilder family. It's where the books were written, edited. It's where the legacy was conceived and born. We have also been to Walnut Grove, MN. But DeSmet is it. There's so much to see and absorb. They were real people that lived and endured in a wild unknown, unpredictable part of a young new nation. They represent all the pioneer families that took similar risks. It took strength. I find that fascinating. Now, there are no living direct descendants of the Ingalls family. Which is sad, kind of, but I think that also adds to the legacy. The tour starts here, takes you a little ways across town to the last house Pa built. Laura & Almanzo's first house is not far either. Their unnamed infant son, and the rest of the Ingalls are buried in the cemetery. Outside of town is also the Ingalls Homestead. That is quite large and gives one an idea of the scale of a plot of land and attempting to tame it may...

My husband and our son traveled from Florida (1692 miles, 26 hours) to visit my dream location, Laura Ingalls Wilder's little town. The gift shop was wonderful (my only reason for a second star) , the buildings could have been amazing. Sadly, we were guided on our tour into history by a uneducated child. This wonderful bit of history and they use a young teenager to teach you about it. The only thing more painful then listening to a teenager speak incorrect english is having them tell you about history they know nothing about. Laura fans know these books cover to cover. To have driven this far doing something I have only dreamed of, and have your tour guide not even know the facts of her books is disheartening to say the least. Tickets are not inexpensive, so way can't they hire adults  to be guides…. Or at the very least take time to really train and educate their employees. I would not recommend until some serious...