We are back on the Road…this time with a new member of the family…Tate! And, we are headed west!
We packed up the camper and headed out on September 7. Out west is a lot bigger than New England so we quickly realized we were going to have to do some longer travel days! We drove 8 hours to Wisconsin Dells, stayed the night and then did another 8 hours through Minnesota to DeSmet, South Dakota. Why DeSmet? It’s the home of the Ingalls’ homestead! After listening to all the books in the Little House series this summer, we decided this would be a great starting point for our trip.
We camped right on the homestead, overlooking the beautiful prairie. We spent the day touring the town, including the original schoolhouse, the house that Pa built, the surveyors house, and the General store (yes, the boys bought candy sticks just like Laura and Mary!). Our tour guide was phenomenal connecting each stop to the stories in the books. The boys were able to grind wheat, ring the school bell, play a violin like Pa, and write on slates at their school desks. We ended the day with hot dogs and a campfire!
On Sunday, we enjoyed exploring the Ingalls homestead. They’ve recreated the land to resemble the original homestead. The boys experienced life as it would have been in the 1890s. They drove the covered wagon, twisted wheat, made a jump rope and corncob doll, washed clothes, drove a pony cart, and sat through a lesson in the one room schoolhouse. And of course, the boys found time to play quite a few football games on the prairie! We thoroughly enjoyed our time in DeSmet. It was so relaxing and beautiful. Higgins, maybe had the best time of all, chasing the cows in the pastures across the street!Â
