The Little House of the Prairie Historic Site - Independence, KS - Kansas Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

"The Ingalls family arrived here in 1869, on the Osage Diminished Reserve, believing the land would soon be available for legal purchase. They had previously lived near present-day Rothville, in Yellow Creek Township, Chariton County, Missouri, and after over a year in Kansas, they returned to their home in Pepin, Wisconsin. In September 1870, the Osage signed a treaty with the United States government, selling their remaining Kansas land, moving to a new reservation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Although legal purchases were first recorded here in June 1871, Charles Ingalls never filed on this land, making identification of the exact location of their log cabin challenging.

In 1972, this site was identified by researchers Margaret Gray Clement and Eilene Charbo as the setting of Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her book, Charles and Caroline Ingalls with daughters Mary, Laura, and Baby Carrie live in "Indian Territory" for a year, leaving after hearing that soldiers were being sent to drive the white settlers off the land. The Ingalls Family Bible reveals that Caroline (Carrie) Celestia Ingalls was born in Rutland Township, Montgomery County, Kansas, on Wednesday, August 3, 1870. The Kansas State Historical Society located the Charles Ingalls family on the 1870 census in Rutland Township in Montgomery County, taken on August 12-13, 1870, by Asa Hairgrove. Working from these clues, Clement and Charbo searched land records for Rutland Township, comparing them with the names on the census, but no records were found for Ingalls. By analyzing the land ! documents and comparing them with the names on the 1870 census, Clement and Charbo discovered that the families listed just prior to and after the Ingalls family were all located in the southeast corner of the township. Only two quarter sections in this corner were not filed on by individuals listed on the census. This location (SW 1/4 of Section 36, Township 33, Range 14) was selected to most likely be the home site of the Ingalls family, with a hand dug well on the property. Most importantly, since this location was designated as a "school section", which would cost much more to purchase it, the Ingalls family had to once again move.

In Little, House on the Prairie, Laura tells the story of Pa and their neighbor Mr. Scott digging the well and Mr. Edwards helping build their log cabin home. - Edmund Mason lived half a mile away, and is most likely written to be Mr. Edwards. He is buried one mile east of the site at the Harrisonville Cemetery on Tyro Road/County Road 2700. -Dr. George Tann was the first African American physician in Kansas and Oklahoma, who treated the Ingalls family for malaria. He is buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence.

In 1977, Little House on the Prairie, Inc. was formed by Brigadier General William (Bill) Albert Kurtis, Sr. and his wife Wilma Horton Kurtis. Local volunteers built a replica log cabin on the property, based on descriptions in Laura's book. Visitors can still see the well nearby, and a walking trail leads from the cabin to Walnut Creek, mentioned in the h book, as the creek Mr. Edwards crossed to bring Christmas presents to the Ingalls girls."

Marker Name: The Little House of the Prairie Historic Site Marker Type: Roadside Marker text: "The Ingalls family arrived here in 1869, on the Osage Diminished Reserve, believing the land would soon be available for legal purchase. They had previously lived near present-day Rothville, in Yellow Creek Township, Chariton County, Missouri, and after over a year in Kansas, they returned to their home in Pepin, Wisconsin. In September 1870, the Osage signed a treaty with the United States government, selling their remaining Kansas land, moving to a new reservation in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma). Although legal purchases were first recorded here in June 1871, Charles Ingalls never filed on this land, making identification of the exact location of their log cabin challenging. In 1972, this site was identified by researchers Margaret Gray Clement and Eilene Charbo as the setting of Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her book, Charles and Caroline Ingalls with daughters Mary, Laura, and Baby Carrie live in "Indian Territory" for a year, leaving after hearing that soldiers were being sent to drive the white settlers off the land. The Ingalls Family Bible reveals that Caroline (Carrie) Celestia Ingalls was born in Rutland Township, Montgomery County, Kansas, on Wednesday, August 3, 1870. The Kansas State Historical Society located the Charles Ingalls family on the 1870 census in Rutland Township in Montgomery County, taken on August 12-13, 1870, by Asa Hairgrove. Working from these clues, Clement and Charbo searched land records for Rutland Township, comparing them with the names on the census, but no records were found for Ingalls. By analyzing the land ! documents and comparing them with the names on the 1870 census, Clement and Charbo discovered that the families listed just prior to and after the Ingalls family were all located in the southeast corner of the township. Only two quarter sections in this corner were not filed on by individuals listed on the census. This location (SW 1/4 of Section 36, Township 33, Range 14) was selected to most likely be the home site of the Ingalls family, with a hand dug well on the property. Most importantly, since this location was designated as a "school section", which would cost much more to purchase it, the Ingalls family had to once again move. In Little, House on the Prairie, Laura tells the story of Pa and their neighbor Mr. Scott digging the well and Mr. Edwards helping build their log cabin home. - Edmund Mason lived half a mile away, and is most likely written to be Mr. Edwards. He is buried one mile east of the site at the Harrisonville Cemetery on Tyro Road/County Road 2700. -Dr. George Tann was the first African American physician in Kansas and Oklahoma, who treated the Ingalls family for malaria. He is buried at the Mount Hope Cemetery in Independence. In 1977, Little House on the Prairie, Inc. was formed by Brigadier General William (Bill) Albert Kurtis, Sr. and his wife Wilma Horton Kurtis. Local volunteers built a replica log cabin on the property, based on descriptions in Laura's book. Visitors can still see the well nearby, and a walking trail leads from the cabin to Walnut Creek, mentioned in the h book, as the creek Mr. Edwards crossed to bring Christmas presents to the Ingalls girls." In 1972, this site was identified by researchers Margaret Gray Clement and Eilene Charbo as the setting of Little House on the Prairie, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. In her book, Charles and Caroline Ingalls with daughters Mary, Laura, and Baby Carrie live in "Indian Territory" for a year, leaving after hearing that soldiers were being sent to drive the white settlers off the land. The Ingalls Family Bible reveals that Caroline (Carrie) Celestia Ingalls was born in Rutland Township, Montgomery County, Kansas, on Wednesday, August 3, 1870. The Kansas State Historical Society located the Charles Ingalls family on the 1870 census in Rutland Township in Montgomery County, taken on Augus Marker Location: Montgomery Year Marker Placed: 01/01/2018 Official Marker Number: None Name of agency setting marker: Other (Please identify in marker text) Marker Web Address: [Web Link]

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