Looking For Mary: Places to Visit
Pepin, Wisconsin
The Little House in the Big Woods was located close to Pepin. This is where Mary and her sister Laura were born.
Independence, Kansas
Thirteen miles south of Independence is a replica of the Ingalls cabin in the Indian Territory.
Walnut Grove, Minnesota
The dugout where the Ingalls lived On the Banks of Plum Creek is two miles north of town. The Wilder Museum includes the 1898 depot, a chapel, an onion-domed house, dugout display, schoolhouse, early settler home, and covered wagon. The story of he family’s experiences is portrayed in an outdoor pageant in July.
Burr Oak, Iowa
A small museum is devoted to the year the Ingalls family spent in Burr Oak.
De Smet, South Dakota
De Smet is Laura’s Little Town on the Prairie. Visitors can see seventeen sites mentioned in the book, including the surveyor’s house, where the family first lived, and the Third Street house, where Mary lived most of her life. Many of the Ingalls possessions are preserved here, including Mary’s organ, some of her beadwork, and several of her books. Local actors perform a play based on The Long Winter in the summer months.