Re: The LH at DeSmet -- Our Laura Ingalls Wilder Forum

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Date Posted: 21:01:04 06/12/03 Thu
Author: Lili
Subject: Re: The LH at DeSmet
In reply to: Ann 's message, "The LH at DeSmet" on 18:55:45 06/11/03 Wed

I read that it became to hard for Pa, physically that is, to maintain such a farm. Thats just what I read somewhere. No idea if it's true or not.

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[> Re: The LH at DeSmet -- Ann, 11:59:37 06/13/03 Fri

Thanks, Lili and Ellie. I wonder who bought it and if they were successful at all. I think now it is just prairie again, so I guess no one made a lasting success of it or someone would be farming there. Or maybe it is still vacant because it has been preserved?

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[> [> Ingalls Homestead -- long! -- nancy, 12:49:25 06/13/03 Fri

Pa proved up on his homestead in 1886. Although the family moved to town in 1887, Pa kept the homestead and farmed it until 1892, when he sold it for $1,200. Homestead law only said that they had to live there 6 months per year until final proof, which is why it was perfectly okay to have another place in town to live during the winter.

The land was farmed until 5 or so years ago, mostly in hay. It's now "Ingalls Homestead - Laura's Living Prairie," a wonderful site!! See www.ingallshomestead.com. If you saw the Travel Channel show about LH filmed last summer, Dean Butler was driving a wagon on the homestead. The owner of the homestead farms only a small portion now (the amount of land Pa said he originally plowed), which is planted in corn, oats, and wheat - using horses. There is a replica shanty on the spot Laura wrote the house stood -- NOT on the hill in the corner, but on a low rise to the east of it. The land is also being replanted with native grasses. There are horses, cows, kittens in the hayloft. Kids go wild there, since it's the total opposite of the "don't touch" Surveyor's house and Third Street house in town.

Oh, just go look at the homestead website (g), or at www.dakotagirl.com. There are some great pictures there.

Sorry to be such a lurker. The homestead is my favorite LH site, so I had to crawl out from under my rock to speak up!!

--nancy

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[> [> [> Thank you, Nancy! -- Ann, 16:30:27 06/13/03 Fri

I went to the site, and it was great! I want to go there in person some day! For some reason, maybe a book that is out of date, I thought there was nothing much there, but the reproduction of house, and the school, and the people in costume and everything--wow!

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