Laura Ingalls Wilder

Pioneering Journeys of the Ingalls Family

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Pioneering Introduction Pepin Montgomery County, Kansas Walnut Grove Burr Oak
De Smet Vinton Mansfield

Born February 7, 1867 Laura Elizabeth Ingalls began her life in the Big Woods of Pepin County, Wisconsin. Her pioneering journeys began just a few years later when Pa started his long search for a productive farm and a permanent home in the west. This journey continued for the next ten years as the Ingallses moved often, faced hard luck, hard work, and shared many adventures which Laura recounted in her "Little House" books. For a decade Charles and Caroline Ingalls looked for a permanent homestead without success. Finally Ma's concern for an education for her girls and opportunities for blind Mary led to one last move west to Dakota Territory.

1867	Laura Ingalls is born near Pepin, Wisconsin.
1869	Ma, Pa, Mary and Laura move to Indian Territory near Independence in Montgomery County in Kansas Territory.
1871	Ingalls family returns to the Big Woods near Pepin, Wisconsin.
1874	Family moves to the banks of PlumCreek, near Walnut Grove, Minnesota.
1876	Ingalls family lives in Burr Oak, Iowa. This is not recorded in Laura's books.
1877	Pa, Ma, and girls return to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.
1879	Ingalls family moves to Dakota Territory near the town of De Smet.
1881	Mary Ingalls leaves De Smet to attend the Iowa College for the Blind in Vinton, Iowa .
1894	Laura, Almanzo and Rose leave De Smet for Mansfield, Missouri.

You can find more information about the starred places on the map by clicking on them.

Using the dates given and the map of the region, trace the journeys of the Ingallses. Include the final journey Laura and Almanzo made to Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri.
With the help of an atlas estimate the distances traveled between each home. A covered wagon could travel about fifteen miles a day. At that rate, how long would each trip have taken? Calculate and record.
What kind of route might pioneer travelers choose? Why?
Read about traveling by covered wagon. What hardships did pioneers face? How were obstacles (such as rivers) faced?