Little House on the Prairie, Independence, KS

[oregontocal]

Someone on the list suggested visiting the Little House on the Prairie site close to Independence, Kansas, so the other day I did. This website pretty much describes the site and its history, and also includes many of the same pictures I took. But, I'm going to stick them here, anyway. I think the thing that impressed me most about my visit was the almost absolute silence out there on the prairie. Even though there's a major highway fairly nearby, it was beautifully quiet. http://littlehouseontheprairie.com/

The gift shop carries lots of books and other things related to Little House on the Prairie. Very friendly people working there. I bought three books for my grand-daughter since her mother, my youngest daughter, has always loved the books and the TV show.


Big red barn and some of the little burros. One by one they came over to the fence to check me out.




Views of the property




The actual hand-dug well


This replica of the Ingalls' family cabin was built almost directly on the site of the actual cabin. The builders took their ideas from the books.










This sign shows the various places Laura Ingalls settled.


This is the actual post office that served residents of nearby Wayside, Kansas from the turn of the century until the mid-1970s.




The Sunny Side School was used from 1872 until 1947.






A sign behind the buildings suggests "Look north and visualize covered wagons coming across the Kansas prairie." So, I did. Can you see them? (take out the power lines, though)

[mitch5252]

THANK YOU! Thank you! thank you...

My sweetie, who's not nuts about camping, thinks it might be fun to visit here!!! I'm so excited - we both LOVED the Little House TV show and watched it faithfully! So, he now has a reason to camp! I can't thank you enough!

Any recommendations of where to stay? I think I could talk him into a day or so of dry camping, but no more. After that, we'd have to have hookups! OHBOY!!

[Cedar518]

Great trip report and photos. I can't imagine living in that cabin,.... what no internet, no tv, no washer, dryer,... no dishwasher??? They were certainly hearty folks back then. I'd enjoy that place too. Thanks for such a great tour!

[Liz]

Mitch,
I believe there is a corps of Engineers cg on Elk City Lake just 5 miles north of there where Carolinagal and I stayed when visiting there. There's also a State Park. COE cgs usually have hook-ups.

[dpf]

For anyone who is interested there is a really neat "Little House on the Prairie " site in DeSmet SD, eastern side of SD, on your way to the Black Hills. http://www.ingallshomestead.com They have a pageant every year too.

[Cedar518]

Not far from here is Almanzo Wilder's home,... I can't give a report as i haven't been there. Hmmm.... guess I need to do that this year when I'm camping at the St. Lawrence River nearby.

http://www.almanzowilderfarm.com/

[AlmostThere]

I enjoyed all the links! Thanks for sharing.

[Nasoosie]

GREAT pics! Thanks. Cabin looks a lot like my leanto, but a bit more season-proof! And the huge expansive prairie would make me nervous-----I am so used to sheltering trees and comforting short mountains and hills and lots of water.

I have a school desk like the ones shown in the picture. When I started school in Cambridge, MA, we had inkwells and pens with dipping nibs. One of the classroom jobs was filling the inkwells. If we made a blob while writing an assignment, we had to start all over. All the 'wells' holes were on the right side of the desks, hence left-handers had a real problem reaching over their work to dip the pen! I guess that's why my teacher made me write right-handed, even though I already knew how to write left-handed.