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.!!!!!!