De Smet, SD Driving through South Dakota, I could see the land was in flood, with ponds that clearly weren’t usually ponds (clue: tree tops in them). The grass on the edges looked like commas, bent against the wind. I used my GPS to find the Surveyors’ House Laura Ingalls Wilder site, passing by the Homestead, which I visited a few years ago. Parked in a large, empty lot and went in. Tour in half an hour; would I like to see the museum while I waited? You bet! The surveyors’ house was the largest building Laura had ever seen—four rooms and a second floor. Our tour group, four families and me, jammed into the largest room while our guide, bright and personable, talked about the history of the Ingalls family. Then she pointed out that sixteen men had slept on the floor of the room about 12 of us were standing in … amazing! After we’d looked around a bit, we saw a replica of the Brewster school, Laura’s first. This was followed by Miss Wilder’s school, which was the first school in De Smet, and which was later used as a home. The LIW Society is in the process of restoring the building. I look at the tiny school buildings and think of my first real classroom, in a temporary building at Parmalee in Indian Hills, CO. Lots larger than these, of course, but similarly primitive in its own way, right down to the cracks in the floor you could sweep the dust through! How Laura did it, at 15 … with minimal resources and books … I’m impressed! We then piled into our own vehicles and drove to Pa’s house in town, about three blocks away. I had to park around the corner, but the group was waiting; another tour was still in the house. So we were allowed to go up the added-on back stairs to see the second floor: three Share This Blog:
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on a rock, by the lake ...
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Look at my map!
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To Mitchell SD, with a supper stop on the way
hail, the mighty hunter!
Hello world!
Trust
Trust …
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