Not too long ago, we drove past a small town in Wisconsin called Pepin that had a museum in memory of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Â Do you remember her from the TV show Little House On the Prairie with Michael Landon? Â Well, if you don’t recall, the show was about the life of a family who lived in the 1870’s and 1880’s.
The show covered topics such as adoption, blindness and alcoholism ~ just to name a few. Â It portrayed what might be considered a “simpler” time in life.
We decided to pay the fee to go inside the museum.
Once inside, we learned that the town was Laura’s place of birth. Â It was a fairly small museum but had interesting stories and items.
The below is called a “prairie dress” and is typical of the dresses worn in her day. Â I kind’ve like it.
One thing I didn’t know was that they had sewing machines “back in the day.” Â No special stitches on these older models like the fancy ones nowadays that have 150 various stitches. Â A more simpler time …
I’m not sure I would want to use one of these older stoves. Â I really do like the convenience that mine has to offer ~ mainly electronic.
The quilt below is hand sewn although not from the period that Laura Ingalls lived in. Â It’s a reproduction though. Â As a fairly new quilter, I know it takes a lot of time to hand quilt these which is why I make mine via sewing machine.
The covered wagon below was built in the late 19th or early 20th century by the Rock Island Plow Company in Rockford, Illinois. Â It’s typical of a farm wagon of that era. Â In Laura’s stories (books that were written by her), the farm wagon was used as a temporary home as the family journeyed from one home to another.
Can you picture yourself in one of these?
Below is a picture of Laura in her older days.
And here’s a picture of Laura when she was 17 along with her husband Almanzo.
And here’s a photo of Laura and Almanzo’s Golden Wedding anniversary …
Laura wrote a series of “Little House” books that the TV show was kind’ve based on. As with all movies, they don’t always follow the book’s plot.
And there you have it.
A trip down memory lane with Laura. Â It was interesting to go to this museum and read about her “real” life.
The TV show always ended on a positive note which is what I liked about it. Â I know life is not always that way but sometimes how we look at things can make a huge difference.
