Carrie Ingalls' collection in Keystone South Dakota! "Little House on the Prairie" character

#littlehouseontheprairie #historyhunters #keystone
Jeff & Sarah were in Keystone, South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore when they stumbled upon signs pointing them to the Carrie Ingalls collection inside the old Keystone Schoolhouse. Carrie Ingalls was the younger sister of famous author Laura Ingalls Wilder on which the TV show, "Little House on the Prairie" was based.
They visited the museum and checked out the items owned by Carrie. Jeff will explain who the real Carrie Ingalls was, a far cry from the TV character.
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[@lorraineforget5483]

The little brown dog Carrie got was mentioned in the Along The Banks Of Plum Creek. She got the figurine as a Christmas gift.

[@ginaparsons3426]

Yes! And the little china/ceramic trinket box that Laura received that same Christmas is at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home and Museum in Mansfield, Mo.

[@nicoleford3122]

It was also mentioned in The Long Winter when Pa was lost in the blizzard

[@myroselle6987]

It’s so funny. If that figurine is the one mentioned in the story of the Christmas tree where Laura got her furs, it’s totally not at all how I pictured it in my mind. No little boy is ever mentioned as being part of the figurine…. Oh well, I think I’ll continue to picture it as I always have….

[@pip393]

Carrie's handwriting was divine; what a beautifully gifted woman.

[@jbenziggy]

Handwriting is such a lost art these days! I think it's a form of discipline that should be taught, don't you?

[@pip393]

@@jbenziggy Yes, handwriting has always played an important role in the education of our children, as a means of pleasantly expressing ideas in an easily identifiable format. I also think that creative handwriting is an illustration of a person's artistic uniqueness as well as an expression of their character. In matters of the pen it appears all is lost, as we glide into an electronic age which I'm not too enthusiastic about. My wife and I find your channel to be superb.

[@jbenziggy]

@@pip393 well thank you! We are so pleased to know you like our content! May we never bore you!

[@hypnojon32]

Thanks for this so much! I'm 51, but I feel like a schoolboy, so happy to AT LAST see the real china shepardess. Best Christmas gift ever! and so glad to hear Carrie's story too, as I've never heard it before.

[@lizzy-wx4rx]

That's obviously not the shepherdess, and it's pretty disingenuous of the museum to claim that there is"evidence" that it "might be." Surely they must be familiar with Laura's description in the books where she says the shepherdess wears a laced-up dress and a pink apron.

[@positivityplace]

I just woked up, made coffee....and said, “I wonder in any new videos from History Hunters?”......and yep....Thanks

[@jbenziggy]

Hope you enjoyed it!

[@positivityplace]

absolutely, I have seen most of your videos and really enjoyed this one, I really like how you insert or edit in old pictures and go into great deatail....many times we pass by a town and never know the history of it...❤

[@jbenziggy]

@@positivityplace very true! I find these nuggets of history to be fascinating!

[@bridgetdrummond1721]

I love the Ingalls family. As a farm girl from the prairies of South Dakota, I grew up on the books. I loved the family's attitude and spirit. With kindness, love, common sense and perseverance, the mindset was that they accomplish anything. Every time I hear about this family or re read pages from one of the books, it puts me in good spirits.

[@rebeccagreen2310]

Thank you for sharing. I am 61 and love reading over and over The Little House On The Prairie, books. I even have a granddaughter name WILDER after Laura's married last name.

[@jgeorgetx]

This was so interesting, since so little is known about Carrie’s life outside of the LHOTP books. What I also find interesting, and a little sad, is that there are no living direct descendants of Charles Ingalls. Mary never had any children, and neither did Grace. Carrie never had any of her own children. Laura had 2 children - a son that died in infancy, and a daughter - Rose. Rose only had one child, a son…that died when he was a baby (just like what happened to her mother Laura, and her grandmother Caroline Ingalls). So, Rose was the last descendent of Charles Ingalls. And Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[@edeneverly2573]

Just today I was watching the show and it was the episode where Ma is pregnant with Grace and she loses he mind about wanting to have a boy for Charles and how he’d want a son to carry on the Ingalls name. To which Charles replies laughing something like, “No one outside of Walnut Grove has ever heard of the name Ingalls.” I wonder if they wrote that in as a nod to the fact that his line would indeed end.

[@netram28]

@@edeneverly2573 It is certainly a nod to the fact that many millions all over the world would eventually know the Ingalls name, via the books and TV series.

[@nancycheskesvandra4177]

How very sad.

[@gracielou1407]

It is certainly remarkable that there was only one surviving grandchild with 3 married daughters. There is also a strong history of diabetes which may have been a contributing factor. I remember in one of LIW last books about Mrs. Boast who suffered severe depression from infertility. Why they didn't adopt because there were orphanages in the area has always been a puzzle. I loved these books though. I had never realized how much of their day was centered around food: growing, harvesting, and preserving.

[@Liz-cmc313]

I read Laura Ingalles Wilder's book. Terrific read. Nothing like the TV series.

[@jbenziggy]

I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t read her books! Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@1CathyHendrix]

Love this! I loved both the books, and the show! The small ceramic piece that was mentioned in the book came from a church where they went to a Christmas program. Each child received Christmas gifts and candy. Carrie got the little figurine there. Thanks so much for taking us here!! Really enjoyed it!

[@twistknit1]

I think it was mentioned again in "These Happy Golden Years" when Laura is packing her things to be married. Carrie moves her things closer to Mary's on the whatnot shelf so they don't look lonely without Laura's things.

[@nolongervailable9400]

The figurine Carrie got given in the books was a little spotted dog. It's in By the Banks of Plum Creek. You shared it sometime lol

[@stevemccoy8138]

That slide would get faster, the more it was used. My Grandchildren would love it. Thanks for the tour. 🙂

[@bsomero10]

As a huge fan of Little House, this was very interesting, enjoyed learning interesting facts about this once real life family. Thank you, Jeff and Sarah!

[@footballlvnlady]

My younger sister was such a fan of Laura Ingalls. Read all her books. My Mom made bonnets for both of my sisters in the 70’s. We had a centennial celebration in our city in the early 70’s. My sisters wore the bonnets for that. Those metal slides were very hot in the summer. 😊

[@DovieRuthAuthor]

Loved this episode! ❤ I believe I read the Little House books when I was in 5th grade. I remember curling up on the living room couch and reading for hours. Coming from a family of teachers, that must have made my mother happy.

[@frndofbear]

I did the same thing. I read one after another...and then started over! I absolutely loved them.

[@redmccoy8633]

Great history. Can you imagine what people of yesteryear would think of what they teach our kids now a-days. I can't believe it. Thank you for video.

[@jbenziggy]

It is shocking to see how different the country I grew up in in the 1970s and the country today. Hopefully it will normalize very soon.

[@ginadoyle4089]

Like what?

[@denisecaringer4726]

Thank you for this. My fourth-grade teacher introduced us to the Little House books before there was even a TV show. I loved them, reading and re-reading them over the years, even as an adult. Before the TV show, thank goodness, my husband and I went on a Laura Ingalls Wilder pilgrimage of our own to places still there gut not yet commercialized. On that memorable adventure, we went to the site of the homestead south of DeSmet, where the old cottonwood trees planted around the perimeter of the house were still standing and nothing had been built. I believe the site is now marred with new buildings. I was able to walk around in the peace and quiet, hearing the winds whispering through the prairie grasses, and getting a good "feel" for how things might have been a hundred years earlier. We also were able to go to the site of the "little house on Plum Creek," where the site of the old underground dugout house was clearly visible as a dip in the ground on the creek, the roof having given way decades earlier. Very special to be there. Burr Oak Iowa, not all that far from the Plum Creek place outside of Walnut Grove, was wonderful to visit. Its old hotel had already been restored, and one can walk the floors where the Ingalls family lived as they worked there. The old cemetery to which Laura walked many times is there, as well. The place was never mentioned in her books, she said, because it was such a difficult time for them with the death of the Ingalls' youngest child, a boy who lived only a year.

[@shirleymiller4219]

Your visits to the Ingalls sites were awesome. I have wondered something though; whenever Plum creek is mentioned, only the dugout is spoken of. Do they know where Pa built the new house there? I never hear that mentioned. Also when they moved back to Walnut Grove after leaving Burr Oak, they lived in a couple of places there for about 2 years before they left Walnut Grove for good. I have never read about where those might be either. It’s as if the dugout was the only place they lived there which isn’t true. Can you shed any light on these?

[@loriuden670]

@@shirleymiller4219 When I was at Walnut Grove in 2004, I asked about the frame house that Pa built, and the guide we had at that time said he didn't know where exactly the house was built, but it was close to town.

[@Julia29853]

@@loriuden670 I got to visit the homesite outside of DeSmet on a family vacation in the 1970s. I was maybe 11 years old. It was so quiet and peaceful, and I also remember the sound of the wind in the cottonwoods . I remember imagining the family there ( I had been reading all the books around that time. ) I felt like I had stepped back in time andcould almost see them all.

[@BillGreenAZ]

@@Julia29853 I too visited De Smet during a family vacation in the 1970s and was maybe a little older than you when I visited with my family. I also remember the sound of the wind in the cottonwoods. However, my experience was different than yours as I remember a lot of people bustling about during the summer in this little town on the prairie.

[@dano8203]

I woke up and realized I forgot to set my clocks back so I thought I was catching this on time. I grew up watching the TV show and from time to time I’ll catch an episode on syndication. Amazing that they have a Carrie Swanzey Museum. It’s very interesting to learn the connection to Mount Rushmore. I remember reading that the actor who played Eddie Haskell on Leave it to Beaver lived next door to the real Laura Ingalls Wilder growing up. I went to Clark Intermediate Jr high here in Clovis which was part of the old Clovis High we had those old desks in the mid 80’s. This was a great piece of HISTORY and the TV show was when TV was good (now I sound like my dad lol) Thanks for sharing another part of your vacation with all of us!

[@rhondaz356]

This is so interesting. We know about this family mainly due to Laura's books, and the TV show. However, it is quite evident that Carrie was quite an acccomished individual, in her own right! Thank you for sharing all of this with us, Jeff and Sarah. I certainly learned a lot, and found it all entertaining, and very informative. 👏💥👏

[@bethtyree6346]

I love all the Little House books ! Happy Sunday

[@mikakestudios5891]

The Keystone museum is such a wonderful building and collection. The world is a better place for not losing it in the flood of 1977.

[@jbenziggy]

Yes indeed. Sounds like you are familiar with it!

[@estelleadamski308]

The Ingalls were part of the American Pioneer Movement, a unique time in history. Of course, they weren't the only family that went through the hardships of taming the West. I am a decedent of a KS homesteader pioneer family., so the same things happened to them. So I loved the books as a true depiction of life in that era. I've been to Pepin, WI, Burr Oak,IA. and DeSmet, SD. You did not mention that the whole Ingalls family has died out. There are NO direct descendants. They would have been lost to history if not for the books.

[@queenreg7]

So glad the books exist. I’m sad that there are no direct descendants. Loved the books-didn’t get into the series once I realized that Fictional TV series Pa didn’t have a beard.

[@sarahsiskin6780]

There aren’t any direct ones but my husband is a distant cousin of Charles so the family does live on!

[@estelleadamski308]

@@sarahsiskin6780 that must be fun! But, the union of Charles & Caroline has ended, sad! I'm a direct descendent of a homesteader. in KS. my great-grandfather and there are hundreds of us. So you never know who will make it or not! A nice lineage for UR husband!

[@sarahscharber5559]

@@sarahsiskin6780 Hello, Do you know how Rose Wilder Lane's son died? Rose never talked, nor wrote, about it much.

[@Sky-pt6lc]

My mom was a teacher in Mexico in the 50’s. She also taught in a one classroom school. The teacher we sent to many rural places. One story she told me was a student had a little sister who wanted to go to school. Wished I had asked her more questions. But she let the girl come to school with her sibling. She said she was so happy and I believe she just colored a coloring book.

[@raccabird8889]

Awesome a new video happy Sunday

[@jbenziggy]

Thank you! You too!

[@raccabird8889]

@@jbenziggy welcome and Thank you too

[@ralphpatrick3071]

Your trip was well worth it. I’ve learned so much from this and previous video’s. Nice to leave the state occasionally in search of national history. Thank you, Sarah and Jeff!

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks so much Patrick! Happy that you liked this new video too! It makes it all worth it when great fans enjoy the videos!

[@IDNHANTU2day]

Another destination for my travel plans. Thank you for scouting for us.

[@jbenziggy]

I have been telling people that there is so many great things to see and do in the Black Hills of South Dakota and this is one of them. You definitely should make a trip up there next year when the winter is over.

[@bryan565656]

I grew up watching the stories of this family. God I wish shows were more like these nowadays. I think the world would be a better place. Anyways thanks for the video Jeff/Sarah.

[@michaelle8384]

For the world to be a better place is less people in a country America is getting worst is because to many people

[@rogertaylor7433]

​@@michaelle8384.... Actually there are not too many people in the world. That is a huge lie. There was a question about that many years ago. I believe it was 2018, or 2019... You can give everyone in the world a ten foot, by ten foot plot of land. All the people of the world can fit in Texas, and there would still be acres to spare.

[@jamesminear2336]

Sarah and Jeff thanks again for adding new places to see to our bucket list!!!👍👍

[@jbenziggy]

You are welcome James! Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@larrymiller8210]

Grew up with Laura's books. My 4th grade teacher read to us ever day. Most fond memory! Thanks so much for taking me back!

[@jbenziggy]

I am so happy to know that you enjoyed this video, Larry. Thank you so much!

[@janetbaker645]

I was also in the 4th grade when my Teacher read the books to us…small world

[@edeneverly2573]

You have a great voice for narration. Loved this video. And go Ma Ingalls for the fantastic and seemingly unusual middle name “Celestia!” I love that!

[@jbenziggy]

Thank you Eden!!!

[@l.l.790LLS]

My grandmother told me that her parents were neighbors to the ingalls in South Dakota. I’d love to go visit these places.

[@jackdelay6558]

I’m a fan of the book series. I’m so glad you stumbled on this jewel of history. Thank you for this excellent presentation. I appreciate it a great deal.

[@suzanneochs1543]

Oh how I LOVE Sunday History lessons with History Hunter's !! This one is a special one as I grew up watching "Little House on the Prarie " !! LOVED that show ! Thank you Jeff and Sarah for another great video ! ❤❤

[@jbenziggy]

Glad you enjoyed it, Suzanne! Happy to hear you liked it!

[@MurderMostSouthern]

Ahhhh!!! I’ve been waiting on this one!! Carrie was really such a neat person! While I often wonder what on earth Charles was thinking with all of his wander lust and moving hither and yonder always seeking a less populated place only to build a town so people would come, I see that he and Caroline instilled in their children the idea that they could accomplish anything. Also, Charles, unlike most men of the time treated his wife as a partner and taught his girls that they could do anything and encouraged them in education and pretty much anything they set their minds to. Most of the time their challenges were simply trying to keep food on the table and staying alive and that was true of everyone. Ma, Pa & Laura worked and saved to put Mary through a school for the blind. But something many don’t know about Carrie is that she herself was a homesteader. She had a land claim that she worked alone before she ever married, even with all of those health problems. She would spend enough time there to satisfy government stipulations for keeping it. She even built a little shanty on it. She did the work herself from what I read in the original manuscript of Prairie Girl which was the first book Laura Ingalls Wilder tried to publish. It was rejected over and over until her daughter Rose, an author in her own right (not as good as Laura in my opinion….Rose had issues) suggested that Laura break her life into smaller stories for children. She did and that is when they were published. The annotated version of Prairie Girl is wonderful though! I loved that book!! I read the books to my daughter when she was younger and we used a homeschool curriculum called Prairie Primer based on the books one year and it was a lot of fun. We made a lot of memories with all of the projects in that program. Thanks for this ❤ I love anything on the REAL Ingall’s family and it brings back wonderful memories made homeschooling my kids.

[@AlbertaRose94]

Most of your comment I agreed with. The one thing I disagreed with his your claim about Pa. Most men were like Pa. It’s amazing in some ways that they didn’t attempt to make Laura cleave to the stereotypes of the men of that era instead of portraying them as they really were.

[@Julia29853]

@@AlbertaRose94 I agree with you. People have such a twisted, untrue picture of what men and women were like back then. Pa wasn’t unique in that.

[@CJ-fs9gt]

@@AlbertaRose94 Exactly, I have a lot of parallels with this family through my long passed Grandfather. My grandfather was born in 1877. I was a tween when he passed away in 1977. Anyway the School Superintendent that signed Laura's certificate was my grand-Uncle. My family started in the original 13 colonies and moved farther and farther west then to Alberta Canada (known then as the N.W.T) .. an example of a wife and husband dedicated to working together to better the family is of another grand Uncle who was trapped in the Iowa Blizzard of 1856-1857. My grandfather's two older brothers had gone out to tend to the neighbour's stock but were lost overnight due to the blizzard. The eldest brother Reuben had tried to keep the younger alert and alive, the younger brother David lost all his toes, half of his foot, and most of his fingers as well. Moving on, David was chair bound from that point on. Yet he managed to marry, adopt 3 children, run one of the wealthiest farms in the area (they eventually had servants that helped David once the children came). He eventually retired in Gridley, California. All my children carry the same names as my pioneer/settler lineage. My youngest is the nineth generation to carry his name. The majority of them picked up and moved on every few years. My great grandfather when he traveled across the Midwest to Rock Falls, he and his 2nd wife raised 12 kids in a thatched but on the banks of the falls. 5 years there and then he moved them all to South Dakota before turning back to Iowa until half of the kids moved NWT, great grandfather (& 2nd wife) followed but he passed away 6 months after arrival while clearing the land in 1903. The people that came before us, were better people IMHO. If you want to have some fun reading about the Blizzard search: Lost in an Iowa Blizzard THE PALIMPSEST EDITED BY John C. Parish Volume II January 1921 No. 1 Copyright 1922 by the State Historical Society of Iowa

[@ginaparsons3426]

@@CJ-fs9gt What awesome stories you've shared! You're related to the man who signed Laura's teacher certificate?! That's so cool! And your grand uncle being caught in a blizzard! Wow! People were so hardy then!

[@cindyoconnell2471]

@@CJ-fs9gt I have another book, in my large library of books, by a good historical, non-fiction writer named David Larkin, who wrote “The Children’s Blizzard”. It is also very interesting! Your comments about your family history were very interesting!

[@HollywoodGraham]

"History allows us to learn from the past to not make the same mistakes in the future" If only that was the rule of the day we would not be in the financial problems we are in today. Nice little town Carrie lived in, I am sure she was very happy there.

[@redwhiteblue7831]

Awesome video, great job on the commentary. Your message at the end is so true. Thank you for sharing, take care Jeff, and Sarah. 🇺🇲

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks! We appreciate the affirmation! God bless you and God bless America!

[@tadbutlerstoryart]

A lovely video, Jeff! My daughter received a complete set of the Little House books for Christmas from her grandmother as a child, and her mother and I would read them to her before bedtime every evening until we had read through the entire set. Her mom and I enjoyed them as much as she did. We were also fans of the TV series. The little schoolhouse where the museum is housed reminds me of a little 4-classroom schoolhouse I attended grades 1-3 from 1969 until 1973 in Jeffersonton, Virginia, a suburb of Culpeper County. I have fond memories of my years spent in that little red brick building.

[@roddyandbella]

What a great history lesson! Loved this coverage of the Ingall’s family! The classroom was so much like my first and second grade classrooms at an old Catholic school I attended in Maryland back in the 1950’s. I can see myself sitting in one of those desks and the nun at the chalkboard!

[@marilyntaylor9577]

My public school in Indiana had those desks in the 50’s, with a hole for a bottle of ink and a groove for your pen. I feel ancient.

[@saries54]

I went to a Catholic school in Phoenix in the early sixties and they still had old desks just like that!

[@sarahsiskin6780]

My husband is a distant cousin of Charles Ingalls, as are many many others. The family lives on!

[@jbenziggy]

That’s fascinating! Something to be proud of!

[@howcanikeepfromsinging]

Thank you for sharing with those who loved the books, but won't be able to visit

[@maggieeriksson9639]

Great episode!

[@jbenziggy]

Thank you very much! We are glad that you enjoyed it.

[@vickihickson3156]

I love this video. I am a fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family and their lives through her books. It was very interesting to see some of Carrie's personal effects. Thank you for carefully filming the display cases and showed some of her handwriting. It makes history come alive.

[@jbenziggy]

Glad you enjoyed it! As you might know, I am an autograph collector so I always appreciate handwritten documents! Thanks so much for the nice comment!

[@heden1460]

I wondered if you would ever do anything on them because I don't think they had any history in California. I'm glad you showed this. I've read all the Little House books and looked up things about them on the internet. If I remember correctly, Nellie was a combination of several girls Laura knew growing up. Thanks for the video.

[@proudmarinemomma827]

I love all of this info. I’ve always loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and read the books over and over. I’ve bought some other books on them. Such wonderful history. My grandparents born in the 1920’s got me hooked. I was born in 1970 and remember loving chalk and chalk boards and the old school ways from back then. ❤

[@paulagibson2672]

Thank you both for such an interesting video!!! I'm 74 a relatively new widow after 47 years & I've always wanted to visit historical sites. Got to a few in our life but thanks to History Hunters, I've seen so many more than I would have been able to by myself!!! Once again, thank you so very much!!!!!!!

[@jbenziggy]

Our pleasure! So glad that you enjoy what we have produced, Paula! Thanks and blessings!

[@rosaszymanski4601]

Another awesome video, thank you!

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks! Glad you liked it, Rosa!

[@kimberlyjohnson1026]

Carrie was an integral character in her sister's books. I loved finding out more about her life after the books ended. I'm a Sturgis girl - my grandfather was in the cavalry at Ft. Meade and I wonder if he was among those soldiers that camped at Keystone.

[@ritafirestone761]

What an amazing museum. I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. I read every one of them. I then read the ones that their daughter Rose wrote. Of course Carrie was not in some of the later years books. The shepherdess statue was so cherished I would believe that the one in the museum was the one Carolyn cherished so much. ❤❤❤

[@martindriver6026]

That is what I am talking about. Good show.

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks! Glad you liked it!

[@sherriwells5886]

Thank you for sharing this! I have always been fascinated with anything connected with the Ingalls family. I was able earlier in my life to visit Laura and Almanzo's home in Missouri. It was a dream come true. They have Pa's fiddle on display. But to see what is possibly the little China Shepherdess made me so happy, I had read that no one knew what had become of it as it was not in Laura or Rose's possessions. Very nice to know Carrie had it and took loving care of it. Interesting fact I learned when we were in Mansfield is that the name "Almanzo" is actually pronounced differently than they said it on the TV series. The man is pronounced as man not mon.

[@loriuden670]

You're right about the way 'Almanzo' is pronounced. That is why Laura's nickname for him was 'Manly'.

[@netram28]

It would make sense for Ma to have kept the shepherdess until she died, then Mary may have brought it with her when she moved in with Carrie for the final years of her life.

[@pattimessenger6214]

I remember reading that Carrie wrote down some of her childhood memories for Laura, and they were written into Laura’s books. I don’t remember where I read it, but Carrie did contribute her memories for Laura.

[@philipcollins5440]

Another gr8 video that I first went to after waking up. I have enjoyed visiting the different places you and Sarah have gone to. Thanks

[@jbenziggy]

Have you been to Keystone, South Dakota? It is a really nice little town right next to the Mount Rushmore attraction.

[@robbierobinson6839]

Americana. You guys really showed the authentic pioneer spirit in your videos. Love it!

[@WayneKline]

Another fantastic video Jeff & Sarah, well done!

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks so much, Wayne! Glad you liked it!

[@marceyvogt2007]

I read all the books when I was a kid. I didn't watch the TV show much. This was interesting. I have been to Keystone too. Thank you.

[@talesfromanoldmanpatoneal6372]

Wasn't a huge fan of the television show but found this very informative and entertaining. Thanks for taking us on the adventure.

[@edeneverly2573]

Literally the only person I’ve ever seen comment they didn’t like Little House! That’s crazy.

[@territimmerman140]

I move to Rapid City in 1997. I taught for a number of years and the trips to the schoolhouse and general store were always a hit with great kids. It really helped to reinforce what they were learning about the pioneer days.

[@jbenziggy]

Fantastic! So you are no stranger to that exhibit. That is a wonderful state and if it wasn’t for the winter weather I probably wouldn’t mind living there!

[@MzzzNettie]

Great video! I've always liked the Little House series and I always love hearing the real story behind the Ingalls family.

[@johnygarcia7636]

My friend thanks for doing a great job on this video I'm a fan of the tv show 😀 👍 😊 keep it up...

[@terryeustice5399]

I have been to several of Laura’s Ingells sites years ago. Not certayif I made this stop. Thank you for sharing this part of her History with us. God Bless!

[@jbenziggy]

You are so welcome! God bless you too, Terry!

[@nikkid3235]

I really enjoyed this. I've read all of the books and I've seen every episode of the series. While the series took on creative license to tell a differing story, the books and show are very dear to my heart. Thank you for sharing. I've a feeling that this was a Sarah designed stop more so than something Jeff wanted to do. I may be wrong in that feeling, however, this is very well done. IMO.

[@jbenziggy]

No, I think we both wanted to check out the museum because we had time to kill prior to our helicopter ride and I enjoy visiting museums of historical people. Now it is true that she has read the book series and I have not but I watch that show quite a bit as a child.

[@fandoria09]

The original DeSmet South Dakota church & school house Laura attended & taught at is located in the 1880s town located in South Dakota. It was amazing to see it in person back in 2007 when my husband & I were moving our family of 4 by car, pulling a 4×6 U-Haul behind from Waverly, Ohio, to Bremerton, Washington. Sadly, we were 5 miles out of the way to visit DeSmet, South Dakota, to tour the actual Little House town Laura grew up in from the time they left Kansas. I live about an hour or two from her & Almonzo's home they built called "Rocky Ridge Farm" here in Missouri. The sad thing I'd read about in one of Laura's older biographies was when she mentioned losing family during the construction of Mount Rushmore." Mary never married. She never had children. There was no adoption of any boy named "Albert." I've researched this family since I first read her books at the age of 9yrs old. I have every book she'd ever written. From her children's books to her actual cook books, she'd written later in her life to her own farmer's wife, life gardening tips & almanac. Very good readings. White boards didn't exist in schools until after my own graduation in 1991 when I was 20. We were still using actual chalkboards.

[@schmatta4767]

What a welcoming video. We are sitting in the airport awaiting a flight to Athens & falling asleep when I received your notification. A jewel in the rough, so interesting. Thanks, Jeff & Sarah.

[@jbenziggy]

Well have a happy and safe flight! So glad that we woke you up at the airport. Lol

[@arthurscott4467]

I enjoyed, the way you portray this history, I felt that the way you hosted , made me feel that I was right there walking around with you. Thank you for a very informative video. I also liked the way your wife would interject her thoughts into the video, it made the journey more homelike and heartfelt.

[@joelhurley2678]

Thank you Jeff and Sarah for sharing this wonderful video. I have had friends who have gone here, and they've always told me how nice it was. I believe I have a keychain from there hopefully one day I can go. Show some very interesting facts about the family, and one day I will visit. Great video and thank you so much for sharing Jeff and Sarah.

[@jbenziggy]

We do hope that she will be able to visit Keystone because there is so much to see in the Black Hills. This museum is just one of the things that we enjoyed doing. Of course the helicopter ride, seeing Mount Rushmore, touring Custer State Park and visiting Bear Country were things that we enjoyed.

[@mannybravo237]

I loved that ol' clawfooted bathtub! Just like the one in my ol' family home! (History: when my late dad had to switch out washers or faucets, he had to visit about four different plumbing stores to find the right fittings) Thanks for the vlog, and preserving LHotP culture!

[@Xpyburnt_ndz]

Another fantastic HH episode! Gr8 for my weekly fix!!! Thnx Jeff & Sarah! :)

[@jbenziggy]

Very nice. Thank you so much!

[@babyroot3479]

I love watching your channel. I loved the tv show as a kid and I don't think I ever missed an episode. Ironically, my dear husband just bought me the entire DVD set of the show (online) and we just received it recently. I always look forward to your videos. Thanks for making them. Always insightful and educational. ❤👍

[@jbenziggy]

We always enjoy hearing our subscribers saying such nice things about her videos and just knowing that people enjoy that is quite the motivation to do more. Thank you so much!

[@161papa]

I used to watch "Little House on the Prairie". Thank you for taking me back to my youth.

[@thedoxinator3934]

Thanks Jeff watched , the show every week with my kids

[@CC-te5zf]

Happy Sunday! Great video. I grew up watching the TV show.

[@jbenziggy]

Same here! Thanks for watching!

[@raydash1424]

Always enjoy a look into the past and more peaceful time of America

[@sherrycarney4924]

Great video Jeff…I’m a little house fan and loved all the pics and other items you showed with all the details. I enjoyed your trip very much!

[@jbenziggy]

Great to hear, Sherry! It seems a lot of us grew up with Little House!

[@lisagohn1380]

OMG!!! Thank you so much for this episode. You guys are just getting better and better!!!

[@CB-ei6ez]

Love ur channel, I'm a student of history, and I'm enjoying rediscovering the life of the Ingalls, and that yearning for simpler times, wish i had a time machine, and thank you for posting this, and i agree, he who forgets the past is condemned to repeat it's mistakes.

[@jbenziggy]

Welcome aboard! Glad to hear that you like our video productions!

[@moshe8927]

Great video you guys! Thank you... Cheers!!

[@jbenziggy]

Thanks my friend!

[@donnawoepke8861]

Very interesting, I love your stories.

[@unnecessaryroughness4681]

First off....I love the new intro of History Hunters! Well done! I watched Little House on the Prairie countless times. Sad thing is, I had no idea the show was based on a true family. This video was fantastic information about the Ingalls. What you and Sarah do is priceless to we the viewers. Thank you so much! Jeff

[@michaelgmoore5708]

Really educational Jeff& Sarah! You are both great teachers and easy and fun to listen to.Seeing how young those people looked and then again just before they died. Makes it look like we only live a few years! Time goes too fast!

[@pamelakern2849]

This was definitely one of my favorite videos!! ❣❣❣❣ I loved the little house books . All the artifacts were lovely. I loved all the old family pictures . This video really touched my heart ❤ Thankyou Jeff and Sarah 🥰🥰

[@nickbakker6963]

What a wonderful episode, Jeff and Sarah! I too really enjoyed the Little House series and I really enjoyed viewing the museum and exhibits. We do have our sights set on a road trip to South Dakota in the not-too-distant future. Thanks so much you two, and enjoy safe travels!!

[@nospin1394]

Nice episode guys. Little house and must mention the Waltons were weekly watched shows growing up. Incredible for that time period the age the children grew to and the changes they lived through.

[@glendapeterson1180]

I was raised in the 1950s and we were told that the chalkboards were green to help with the eyestrain which occurred with white chalk on the old truly black boards. I have no historical proof about this; it was just told to us by teachers in Tennessee. It was fun seeing the desks in Carrie's old school; I used the same kind. Thanks!

[@middlelle]

I’ve been to DeSmet, but not Keystone. Carrie’s husband, David Swanzey, was part of the naming of Mt. Rushmore. She ran a number of newspapers for a publisher named S.L. Senn and won her own Homestead when she was single. She didn’t have children of her own, but she raised two step-children.

[@suev3339]

Thank you for this about Carrie. I’ve read about her, but so nice to see a museum w/info all about her.

[@festerhairball6588]

Your closing remarks are spot on! I loved this episode!

[@lisaburns2117]

This would have been such a fun time. Thanks so much for sharing. I read all the books as a kid and loved the tv series.

[@oneeyeddog3045]

Enjoyed this very much! Thank you!

[@DestinyPowers-rz4lf]

thank you for taking time and giving us this history

[@edwardaustin740]

Thanks, Jeff and Sarah. Another learning experience from you.

[@jameslord156]

I always get a kick out the mountains of Walnut Grove depicted in the TV series. Grew up near Walnut Grove. Hurray for Hollywood.

[@jbenziggy]

Yeah and since we knew Landon filmed in the Sierra Nevada range east of where we live in California, we kind of thought, "Is everyone fooled to think this is Minnesota?" LOL

[@robertbiastre6037]

What a trip! When I see you have posted another "chapter' in your research I know that the post will be wonderful. Thanks!

[@greyghostjay]

Loved this video. Nice to know things are still able to see (on display) that famous people owned.

[@lindai5280]

Thank you! Great episode!

[@joanwiebe3654]

I loved the Little House Books. I read them the first time at 8 years old & then each summer growing up - 18 years old; they were like old friends. Thank you for this post❤

[@SarahGreen523]

That was a lovely bit of history I hadn't heard or seen before! Thank you.

[@luckytahlula6515]

Another good one! Enjoyed so much. God bless you, Jeff & Sarah and Happy trails to you, until we meet again. 🎶

[@webchuck1]

Hello Jeff and Sarah, Thanks so much for sharing the history and story on the Ingalls family what a great video as alway's have a wonderful sunday 🌞

[@bonniekaye]

Loved this video! Thank you so much! 🙂👍🌹🌹

[@carlosherrera-nu9ct]

thanks for sharing gre

[@tammynelson1190]

Excellent as always!! I have been a fan of the Little House books and television series. Thank you for all your wonderful travels. I always learn .

[@jbenziggy]

That is great to hear. Tammy, we always say that we like to entertain and educate and your comment tells us that we have done so.

[@privatepilot4064]

My favorite channel for history on KZbin! Thank you Jeff and Sarah!

[@jbenziggy]

Awesome! We need more great subscribers like you so we can quit our day jobs! LOL

[@lindsaymacpherson8782]

Beautiful walk through the history i like many others my age grew up with Thankyou Sarah and Jeff for a lovely video