The Last Stop on the Ingalls' Trail

Today I finished stalking Charles Ingalls and his family.  The route took me from Pepin, MN where Laura was born through Walnut Grove, MN to DeSmet,SD, back to Walnut Grove, and today to Burr Oak, IA.  I've felt about like Ma Ingalls traveling from one state to another and back in such a short time.  Leah and I were laughing this evening.  We've been to three states two different times today alone!  As our last stop we have come to LaCrosse, WI & LaCrescent, MN (minutes apart) to explore Connor Franta's home town(s).  We'll do that tomorrow and maybe Saturday morning, and then be on our way home.

Today we traveled to Burr Oak, Iowa to see the hotel where the Ingalls lived and worked after they were forced out of Walnut Grove, Minnesota by a plague of locusts.  The guide at the hotel showed us a jar of faux locusts,  They were about 4 inches long.  She said the plague that year consisted of over a trillion of them!  If you read the books, Laura gives a chilling description of the plague, the insects, and the consequences to those who lived in the area.  Everything was stripped clean.

The front room of the hotel was used as entry, guest registry and saloon.  Due to the presence of the saloon, the Ingalls only lived in the hotel about a year and then moved down the street and lived above the grocery store.  Pa did not like what his girls were being exposed to.

It was interesting to be in the hotel. I thought about modern day people and their need for 'space'. The entire Ingalls family consisting of Ma, Pa, Grace and Mary - Laura was on her own by then - shared a room that was barely the equivelent of a small modern day kid's bedroom.

Upstairs there were four rooms and a landing and the guide said they would have 12 paying guests staying at a time.   They paid 25 cents a day for a space in the bed.  Each bed held three people.   According to the guide they made the beds up sideways.  People were definitely shorter!               

The Ingalls lived in the basement and served the food down there.  Ma did all of the cooking.  The hotel is the original building and the cupboards in the kitchen are the ones Ma used.

More tomorrow....