Little Town on the Prairie

by Chuck Cecil

A sudden breeze stirs the prairie grasses near the former homestead of the Ingalls family in De Smet, S.D. (pop. 1,164), as Jennifer Dobson reminds the cast of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant that opening night is just a few weeks away.

"Show some excitement when you say your lines," instructs Dobson, 25, who has directed the annual summer pageant since 2000 in the town that inspired Laura Ingalls Wilder to write five of her classic Little House books about growing up on the Western frontier.

"I've been reading her books since I can remember and I still do," says Dobson, who played the parts of Laura's sisters—Mary, Carrie and Grace—in the pageant when she was a child.

Adjacent to the Ingalls' old homestead and overlooking the Big Slough and Silver Lake—places mentioned in the author's books—the open-air theater is a perfect setting to tell the story of the Charles and Caroline Ingalls family, who arrived in De Smet by covered wagon from Walnut Grove, Minn., in 1879.

Reminders of De Smet's pioneer past are evident throughout the town. Several homes built during the early days remain in use, as is the First Congregational Church, which the Ingalls family helped establish. Ingalls and Wilder family members, and characters written about in Ingalls Wilder's books, are buried in the De Smet Cemetery. And, still standing on Calumet Avenue is the 1879 Loftus Store, which provided food, clothing and supplies for the Ingalls and other pioneer families.

"You can see the original flooring," says Lynn Kruse, owner of the store, which now sells gifts and souvenirs.

De Smet has honored the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder since 1957—the year of the author's death—when a group of local residents formed the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, led by the late Aubrey Sherwood, publisher of the De Smet News.

Originally formed to mark locations of historic importance, the society gradually expanded its role and now maintains local properties with a Laura Ingalls Wilder connection, including the Ingalls' 1887 home, the surveyor's house where the Ingalls spent their first days in De Smet, and the first school house in De Smet where the Ingalls girls were educated.

Laura, husband Almonzo and daughter Rose left De Smet in 1894 for a farm near Mansfield, Mo. There, in the Ozarks, the author chronicled her De Smet memories in Little Town on the Prairie, Those Happy Golden Years, By The Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter and The First Four Years.

Each summer since 1971, those memories are recalled at the outdoor theater in De Smet. During the annual pageant, Dobson and her cast of 30 actors, dozens of extras and backstage volunteers present nine performances near a stand of five aging cottonwood trees planted in 1881 by Charles Ingalls for his wife and daughters.

To prepare for the July pageant and rush of summer visitors, most De Smet businesses encourage their employees to take time off, with no reduction in pay, to attend training sessions conducted by local experts on Ingalls Wilder, her life and writings.

"Everyone in town, from waitresses to those in the shops and gas stations, are familiar with the Ingalls story," says Cheryl Palmlund, executive director of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society.

They have to be knowledgeable to answer questions posed by the thousands of people who come to town each year to hear the story of the pioneer family that created a lasting legacy for De Smet, the little town on the South Dakota prairie.

This year's Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant is scheduled July 7-9; 14-16; and 21-23. For more information, visit www.discoverlaura.org or call (800) 880-3383.

Chuck Cecil is a freelance writer in Brookings, S.D.

first appeared: 6/18/2006