Thelma & Louise Part 6 aka Buttercup & Daisy

I know I'm terribly slow and not very efficient but I will get thru this trip SO HELP me. The wonderful thing about it, is I get to look at all the pictures again that Buttercup and I took and see the sights that we saw. Makes us want to do it all over!

Must first make a correction or addition.(a couple actually) I didn't post the map where we were on the last blog. That would be Walnut Grove Minnesota, land of the Gigantic GNATS!

Also in my search for the map I found this amazing picture. And although it is not the Ingalls, it is a dug out very similar to the one that they lived in where we were on Plum Creek. I can really visualize Laura and her family posing just like this for this picture. It looks very similar to the place where we were also.

And this is where we spend the night after seeing Walnut Grove and doctoring Gnat bites! A lot of family history concerning the Ingalls took place in Brookings. Especially concerning the railroad. It was only 30 miles to DeSmet our true destination but we were very tired and slept late.

So on to DeSmet on Sunday June 5Th and yes it was very hot!

Really the only thing I can say about this picture is ''sigh".......I think we made two trips around the block and got several angles to make sure we saw this sign and photographed it flawlessly~

This and Mansfield Mo were our two main destinations. And nothing disappointed us.

They had a lovely museum with a short video telling the story of how the Ingalls came to be in DeSmet and Pa's choice of his land to homestead on. Lots of wonderful things in the museum and nice products in the gift shop.

Minnie Pearl Buttercup...again.......sigh......

These are the trees that Pa and the girls planted when they moved into their Shanty on the homestead. They are still there and still keep reminding us of the fact that it was true. It was all really happened. On the right is a rock that marks the spot where the Shanty stood

I think we almost made all these spots. The ones that we didn't just means we have to go back!

They have a lovely 'farm' tour around the property that Pa owned with many things replicating the times they lived there.

Pa built a barn with a hay roof and inside we found kittens! I really think this one wanted to come home with me. I REALLY do think so.

Ma called the cat they had the "Necessary Cat" because of mice! I had to poke her to see if she was alive:) I think she was just in a "kitty koma" like Spike does, when it's nap time it's NAP TIME!

This precious lady and I had a long conversation. She was so glad that someone actually knew who Laura was and wasn't just taking a "vacation" tour. She and I talked about how the TV show had made the characters silly and they were not. They were dedicated family oriented but fun loving people. I wish more people would get to know the real Laura thru her books.

We took a Horse and covered wagon ride out to this school. I just loved it and loved the story behind it.

This school room was very much as described by Laura in her "Happy Golden Years" book.

And here was our Laura :) Except our real Laura would never have let her arms show and would have had a bonnet hanging around her neck. But I loved this Laura!

Buttercup pretending to be a teacher.. HA.. she would have been in the corner!

Our view of the horses as we went for our ride! They were beautiful. Pet and Patty I think .

We are back at the barn and Buttercup has made her a corn cob doll like Laura had when she was really little in "The Big Woods". Doesn't she just look so proud?

We are pretty sure this was Pa :

Buttercup by the commemorative Rock.

Daisy is catching some Rays ~

Looking up at the faithful trees.

And then we discovered this marvelous CHURCH! in the far NE part of the property!

The Church does not hold regular services there but there were bulletins there from the previous year. The mid west had bad floods this spring and it appeared that the basement had been flooded. There were Christmas decorations up which makes me think they hold special services there.

A beautiful decorative altar .

The congregation for the day.

The Pastor for the day :)

We spent about 6 hours touring this day and spent the night in THE most expensive place we stayed the whole trip. In DeSmet SD.. What was with that???? but it's OK. Lots more tomorrow. lots more !

Thelma & Louise Part 5 aka Buttercup & Miss Daisy

Just the picture of this makes me itch! more later :)

This was our day to tour "On the Banks of Plum Creek" or Walnut Grove, both places they lived in Mn. and actually spent most of Laura's childhood. Although she really only writes about the "Sod House" part, they spent at least as much time if not more in the village of Walnut Grove. But the stories of Plum Creek were so much more fun.


Before arriving in Walnut grove we ate breakfast in a place called "Sleepy Eye" and we had a little homeless looking woman who sat with us and entertained us with her life story. Buttercup, of course was trying to avoid her, I found her quite fascinating :) And yes Sleepy Eye is named after this Indian who had what we would now call a lazy eye, or perhaps he had some sort of mild stroke.

And here we are at good ole Walnut Grove. This is where the TV Series takes place and the museum was mostly about the TV show and the stars etc. that have visited. It's their claim to fame and they were very nice. Although we left not sure they really knew very much about Laura Ingalls Wilder.

In her "On the Banks of Plum Creek" she writes about meeting Reverend Alden and how much she loved him and his Church. It was the beginnings of the First Congregational Church in Walnut Grove. He called her and Mary his "Country Girls" and she loved that.

This is NOT Rev. Alden.. Nuff said ~

I know we could never have traveled all those places in this covered wagon, we had our car bursting at the seams.. BUT AREN'T WE CUTE!

Laura lived 1.5 miles n. of Walnut Grove along the banks of Plum Creek from 1874 to 1876 Ma and Pa Ingalls settled on the property declaring their intent to homestead it. But then the grasshoppers came.. If you read the book, it reads like your worst night mare. and it happened 3 years and they gave up. Baby Freddie was born here.

The family of Harold Gordon bought the property not realizing it's historical connection. One of Laura's illustrators visited them in 1947 and informed them. The unusual depression in the bank of plum Creek was the location of the Ingalls dugout.

The Gordon family graciously continues to maintain access to the dugout site for Laura's fans. Visitors can still see the plum thickets, table lands, spring and other sites that Laura describes. They have left the dugout site as they found it so it is deteriorating. None of the buildings that Pa built remain nor is their exact location known. I personally wish the LIW Society had enough money to buy it and maintain it although the Gordon's have really done a remarkable job.

The Plum Creek that I grew up with in my mind!

I thought this was SO special!

There really isn't much to see except a slight indentation in the ground.

Buttercup was looking for a Letterbox here but didn't find it :( I tried to help by telling her it was a snake hole ~

Where Laura and Mary played.

A lovely path that walks you through what would be a wonderful experience except for GNATS!!!!!!!!!!! and I cannot express this enough. Minnesota needs spraying!

Just get me the Hell outta here!

I wanted to take a picture of every wild flower but it's hard to do when you are getting eaten alive!

I SAID GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!!!!!!!!! NOW!!!!!!!!!!

This is the Bell that was in the First Congregational Church in Walnut Grove that Pa helped pay for. It's now in a Lutheran Church but very treasured.

So we moved on down the road after washing the blood off of ourselves! from being eaten alive I repeat!

This was the little Train Station that Ma and the girls got on to travel to Brookings to meet Pa to take them in to Dakota Territory

And then the Windmills started! and went and went and went! Actually quite mesmerizing!

WE MADE IT!!!!!!!! Away from Minnesota and their BUGS! I don't ever want to go back there unless they can tell me a month that the bugs leave!

South Dakota!

You think I'm exaggerating! It was an army and they saw us coming.

Spent the night in Brookings with no hot water, how special. But were in S.D.!!!!!!