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“A Motto for Every Man”

1868 Harry Clifton song.

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I

“I am Mrs. Jinks…” – “I wouldn’t marry a farmer”

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button lamp

Improvised grease lamp.

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World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition

Destination of the Wilder brothers in the fall of 1884.

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Laura’s wedding silver

Wm. Rogers’ “Crown” silverplate.

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The Story of Art Smith

1915 Rose Wilder Lane serial about an aviator.

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velvet

Silk or blend fabric with short shag surface.

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Henry Hinz

Owner of first saloon in De Smet and boarder at the Ingallses’.

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dumpling

Dough cooked in liquid.

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cornmeal mush / hasty pudding

Cornmeal and water, cooked.

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dug out / dugout

Dwelling built into the earth.

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“Rock Me to Sleep”

Elizabeth Allen poem.

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awl

pokes holes

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Stories of the Moorland

1869 book by Lizzie Bates about a young boy growing up in Scotland.

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handcar

Don’t be left behind!

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hair receiver / hair-receiver

Container to save strands of hair in.

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fichu

Light pointed cape worn by ladies, usually made of lace.

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surveyor

One who measures land and delineates the same on paper.

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“The Good Old Way”

Hymn 18, Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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Protected: Alfred Ely

One of the younger boys in school.

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chilblain

Cold sores on hands and feet.

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Bloody Benders

Serial killers in 1870s Kansas.

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“Old Folks at Home”

Way down upon the Swanee River!

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Timothy Johnson family

De Smet Wagon Shop.

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bell

The noise-maker, not the milliner.

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last

Mold of a foot, used in making shoes.

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“The Star of Bethlehem”

When Marshalled on the Nightly Plane

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udder

Where the milk is before milking.

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beard / whiskers

Facial hair.

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“Buy a Broom”

O Du Leiber Augustin.

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“The Campbells are Coming”

Traditional Scottish jig.

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nubia

A light scarf worn about the head and neck.

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Little House Songs

Prairie Song Companion

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fever ‘n’ ague / malaria

malaria

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“To a Girl”

Poem used to describe Beatrice Sorchan.

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George George

1874 Minnesota traveling companion of the Ingallses

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“Paul Revere’s Ride”

Poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

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Rev. Royal Gould Wilder

Almanzo’s uncle.

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pork-pickle

Salt and sugar pork brine.

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Hamlin Garland

…and his first Christmas tree!

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Thomas H. Ruth

President of Kingsbury County Bank in De Smet.

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Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography

Laura’s handwritten manuscript.

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Dolly Varden

NIckname of Edith Ingalls, Laura’s cousin.

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bracket lamp

Affixed lighting fixture.

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“Am I a Soldier of the Cross”

Isaac Watts hymn.

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“The Gypsy King”

Young Laura and Mary’s favorite song!

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by jingo!

A corruption of St. Gengoulph.

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Will Knight

Walnut Grove revival singer.

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welcome!

who we are

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hatchet

A small ax with a short handle, to be used with one hand.

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William H. Reed

Teacher in Burr Oak school, 1876-1877.

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Farmer Boy – historical perspective

1860s Burke / Malone NY.

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Wilder feed store

Shhh. There’s wheat in the wall!

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Governor of Orleans / The American Remount Association

Registered stallion leased to Almanzo Wilder 1923-1925.

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The Long Winter – historical perspective

The Hard Winter of 1880-1881.

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Frogs at School

“Twenty froggies went to school…”

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“Home, Sweet Home”

1823 Payne & Bishop song.

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Baby Boy Wilder

Son of Laura and Almanzo Wilder

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“Daisy Deane”

1863 song by Union soldiers.

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Walnut Grove during the Little House years

Village in Redwood County, Minnesota

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The Youth’s Companion

Weekly instructional magazine for children, first published in 1827.

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galluses / suspenders

Straps worn for holding up pants.

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name card / name-card

Pasteboard identification.

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cat hole / cat-hole

Jack will keep other animals from using it.

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churn

Cream agitator.

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Mother Goose

Fictionalized compiler of ancient nursery rhymes.

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chapel

Place of worship.

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oyster

A mollusk of the genus Ostrea, having a bivalve shell.

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nine-patch / Laura’s double nine-patch Irish chain quilt

Quilt block pattern.

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“Golden Years are Passing By”

1879 Will Thompson song.

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patent / title

official property ownership document

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railroad cut / fill

How you level a railroad grade.

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windlass

Device to move water or dirt from the bottom of a well to ground level.

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black-berry / blackberry

The berry of the bramble, Rubus fruticosous.

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“Bo-peep has lost her sheep”

Game of hiding and surprise to amuse a small child.

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“Keep the Horse Shoe Over the Door”

1880 Joseph Skelley song.

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mustache

Hair above the lip.

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Waverly Novels

Sir Walter Scott books.

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Charles Trousdale

De Smet drayman and his performing sons.

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“Tubal Cain”

Charles McKay poem.

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poke bonnet / poke-bonnet

the lining matched Laura’s eyes

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Almanzo Wilder

The Man of the Place

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“Irish Washerwoman”

Traditional Scottish and Irish song/dance song.

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bastion

A part of a main enclosure which projects toward the exterior.

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wristlets

Knitted bands worn around the wrists for warmth.

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“The Ninety and Nine”

Elizabeth Clephane poem.

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“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks”

Long Winter song

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killdeer

Small aquatic bird.

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“The Gum-Tree Canoe”

1847 Steele & Winnemore song.

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nutmeg

Myristica moschata, used as a spice.

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T

tableland – two-faced

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New England States

ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, & CT.

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crocheted rag rug

Crocheted floor covering made of strips of cloth.

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Hotel keeper’s family struck by lightning

E.P. LeSuer of Canby, Minnesota.

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“Rock of Ages”

1760s Augustus Toplady hymn.

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“Uncle Ned”

One of the earliest Stephen Foster songs.

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amen / amen corner

Expression used at the end of prayers.

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Little House on the Prairie – historical perspective

LHOP history

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“Yankee Doodle”

Early song brought to America from Britain.

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Oscar Rhuel / Röhl

A romantic figure…

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These Happy Golden Years – historical perspective

De Smet, D.T., 1883-1885.

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“Gentle Words and Loving Smiles”

Hymn 139 in Pure Gold for the Sunday School.

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ice cream / ice-cream

Sweetened cream, congealed by freezing.

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cradle scythe

Blade and handle used to cut oats.

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Charles Lamson

Almanzo’s cousin.

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“Uncle John”

Play song to the tune of Yankee Doodle.

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mother-of-pearl

Hard, silvery, brilliant, internal layer of several kinds of shells, particularly oysters.

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justice / Justice of the Peace

Limited jurisdiction magistrate.

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J

jabot – Justice of the Peace

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silver castor

Rotating condiment set.

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Ven Owen

Teacher and principal of the first graded school in De Smet

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links

Helps you find what you’re looking for.

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forfeits

Game in which items are deposited and redeemable by a sportive fine.

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black bird / blackbird

Name given to various American birds.

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canvas

Coarse hemp or flax cloth.

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“Uncle Sam’s Farm”

1848 Jesse Hutchinson, Jr. song.

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“The Girl I Left Behind Me”

17th century Irish tune.

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Blanche Coday

Rose’s friend.

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bear grease

Bear fat hair dressing.

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wintergreen

Aromatic, creeping evergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, having bright red berries.

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stockade

Enclosure of posts or sticks.

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mud hen / mudhen

American coot.

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blueing bag

Whiter whites.

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Henry O. Quiner family

Ma’s brother, married to Pa’s sister Polly.

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Carrie Ingalls

Younger sister of Laura Ingalls; she lived 1870-1946.

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braid / plait

Entwined strands.

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church

Place of Christian worship.

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Congress

Legislative body of a country.

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Alfred N. Waters

Attorney and land agent in De Smet.

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bull dog / bulldog

All of him rested, except his ears.

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twin lakes

Lake Henry & Lake Thompson

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birthday

As near as I can figure, E.J. was right.

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Mr. and Mrs. Scott

Indian Territory neighbors of the Ingallses.

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E

ear flap – expelled

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Old Military Tract

Franklin Co. NY map reference

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Silliman Gilbert family

Kingsbury County farmer.

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cosy / cozy

snug and comfortable

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R

rabbit – rye

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wheelwright

One who makes wheels and carriages.

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grippe

influenza

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“The Rock of Ages”

Painting at Rev. Brown’s.

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greenhorn / greeny

Immature, raw, awkward.

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Pa’s “big green book”

George Hartwig’s The Polar and Tropical Worlds: A Description of Man and Nature.

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rubber

Used for waterproofing.

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Joseph Bouchie family

Fictional Brewster family in THGY.

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“The Sculptor Boy”

Carrie recited it.

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Laura’s Sorosis Club speech

“My Work”

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watermelon-rind preserves

sugary jelly

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custard / ice-cream

Sweetened milk and eggs, cooked.

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Commentators on the Ac’s

Pa’s charade pun.

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Q

quaker meeting – quinine

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“Oh Boys, Carry Me Along”

Stephen Foster song.

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Verdigris River

River that runs through Montgomery County, Kansas.

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reindeer

Why didn’t they fly over the creek?

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Burke / Malone during the Little House years

Almanzo Wilder birthplace.

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the children’s blizzard

January 12, 1888, blizzard.

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D

daisy – dye

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water alcove

Railroad car water for drinking.

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“The Floating Scow of Old Virginia”

1847 Charles White song.

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Robbins children

“froze stark stiff”

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Henry Ford’s Own Story

Industrialist and founder of Ford Motor Company.

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Big Sioux River / Sioux River

SD-IA tributary of Missouri River.

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“Down in Alabam'” / “The Old Gray Mare”

1858 J. Warner song.

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“Three Blind Mice”

Popular nursery song, sung in rounds.

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“Paddle Your Own Canoe”

1850s Harry Clifton song.

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thunder-pumps

American bittern, a member of the heron family.

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Spookendyke

Rose’s stubborn donkey

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“Ben Bolt”

1842 Thomas Dunn English song.

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scour / scouring brick

To rub hard for the purpose of cleaning.

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New Ulm, Minnesota

Town in Brown Co., MN.

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Alice Maria Wilder

Older sister and playmate of Almanzo Wilder. She lived 1853-1892.

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poll

No horns.

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Young Pioneers

David and Molly Beaton.

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The Square in Malone

Where the band played.

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freeze drying

sublimation!

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gaiters

Cloth ankle covering.

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telegraph

Don’t let Jimmie shock you with it!

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hoity-toity snip

Thoughtless, giddy, haughty, flighty, gay, and noisy.

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xanthophyll

I bet you can spell this word.

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geranium

Winter windowsill flowers.

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“I Wish I Was Single Again”

1871 J.C. Beckel song.

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dried-raspberry sauce

Dried sauce good on biscuits.

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Indian camps

Look! Beads!

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muff

A warm covering for receiving the hands.

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Will Bennett

One of the younger De Smet schoolboys.

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mummy

Put. that. back.

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Protected: James H. Clewett

De Smet teacher, January-March 1883

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Old Settler’s Day

De Smet annual reunion.

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tax

A certainty, as is death.

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“Pull for the Shore”

Sunshine for Sunday Schools hymn.

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“All the Blue Bonnets are Over the Border”

1829 Sir Walter Scott air.

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Little Town on the Prairie – the fictional story

Homesteading and town life.

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“Sweet By and By”

Pa’s favorite hymn.

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alley / alleyway

Narrow passageway, distinct from public street.

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prairie danglers

seventhwinter whimsey’s glass slide pendants!

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pullaway

Outdoor tagging game.

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“Wait for the Wagon”

Buckley and Knauff song.

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“The Star-Spangled Banner”

Our National Anthem; words by Francis Scott Key.

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Adam / adam’s apple

The first man, the progenitor of the human race.

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organ

musical instrument

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