Nestled twenty miles from the southeast Kansas town of Independence, the Little House on the Prairie Historic Site brings the cabin to life that Laura Ingalls Wilder describes in her classic children's book. The site includes a one room school house, a pioneer post office, Pa's hand-dug well, and a gift shop and picnic recreation area.
History of the Little House on the Prairie Historic Site
Laura Ingalls Wilder and her pioneer family settled in Kansas in 1869. Their time here was brief, as conflict with the Osage and disease made life extremely difficult. Laura Ingalls Wilder later wrote of her pioneer childhood in Kansas in the 1935 classic, Little House on the Prairie. The book later became a hit television series starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert.
In Wilder's book Little House on the Prairie, Pa built a small wooden cabin to offer his family refuge from the harsh Kansas prairie. Though the Ingalls family left Southeast Kansas in 1871, the Kansas State Historical Society wanted to preserve the family's time in the state. Based on Census records and descriptions in Wilder's novel, the society found the cabin's original foundations as well as Pa's hand-dug well. Volunteers constructed a cabin in traditional pioneer fashion in 1977 on the exact site of the original.
Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House Cabin near Independence, Kansas
Walking into the Little House on the Prairie cabin is walking into a different world. Laura did not exagerate when she called her Kansas home "little house." The modern visitor marvels at the one room home with a fireplace, bed, and table. Parents can greatly sympathize with Ma and Pa, who dwelled in such a confined space with two small girls and a baby during their stay in Kansas.
The cabin's furnishings demonstrate the simplicity and practicality of Laura's pioneer upbringing. Dried herbs hang from the rafters. Tools hang from the wall, and a washboard and tub by the window reflect the pioneers' never-ending life of work.
Out the window, the visitor can see the vast expanse of Kansas fields, neat and orderly compared with the prairie Laura must have seen as she stared out at the waves of grain.
Pioneer School House and Post Office at Little House Site in Kansas
The Little House on the Prairie Historic Site includes a pioneer-era school house and a post office. The one-room Sunnyside School served area children up until the 1940's and has the original desks from the 1870's and 1880's, similar to desks Laura would have used at school.
The post office, from the nearby town of Wayside, includes wrought iron grates on the windows and counters worn thin with use. All the excitement that Laura and other pioneer children might have experienced with a letter from loved ones back East comes alive in this historic building.
How to Get to the Little House on the Prairie Historic Site
The Little House on the Prairie Historic Site is thirteen miles southeast of Independence, a medium-sized town in Southeast Kansas, on State Highway 75, ninety minutes north of Tulsa, Oklahoma and two hours east of Wichita, Kansas. Clearly marked signs make the turns off the main road easy to follow.
Picnic or Buy Souvenirs at the Little House on the Prairie Site
Past a line of trees, the site offers restrooms, picnic tables, and a view of the hand-dug well, now covered to prevent accidents. A gift shop beside the well offers souveniors of Little House on the Prairie and Kansas interest, drinks and snacks, and free tourist materials for other historic sites in Kansas. Admission to the site is free with donations highly encouraged.
Little House on the Prairie Historic Site offers a glimpse into Laura Ingalls Wilder's pioneer childhood by following in her footsteps as she played and lived on the Kansas prairie.
Sources:
Little House on the Prairie Historic Site. Informational brochure and official website. Accessed September 2010.
Melissa Roberts - A trained hospital chaplain, Melissa is a freelance writer, teacher, retreat leader, and spiritual director.
