Little House in Independence

 I grew up reading the Little House on the Prairie series, and of course most of you know of my great love for the TV show. 

As a child, while on family vacations, my parents took me to (I think) three of the actual Little House locations, but I don't remember a ton about any of them. I had actually looked (a couple of years ago) at doing a full circle trip of the locations, but it's a lengthy trip! It shocks me how often and far they moved...in the days of covered wagons! 

BUT! Two of the Little House locations were practically on our route home, so I asked Ryan if he minded if we visited. He's a very long-suffering husband, isn't he? 

And then, you guys, I found out you can buy a Little House passport! You can have it stamped at each location, which is something a nerd like this girl just LOVES.

I was more excited than I should have been when this arrived in the mail. I will own that. 

So our first stop was in Independence, Kansas, to the land where the Ingalls family lived in 1870. (The stories from the book titled Little House on the Prairie.) The cabin they lived in is no more, but there is a replica based on the details Laura wrote about in the book. And the well Pa dug by hand is still there. 

If you ever go, double check your GPS. We ended up about 15 miles in a wrong direction on a very dirt/gravel-filled road. Also please know that until you literally come upon the location, it will look like you're heading toward nothing. This museum is literally out in the middle of the Kansas prairie. No grand lighted sign. Just a little collection of buildings on the side of the road. But oh, what treasures they hold!!

At this location, you do have to pay an admission fee, but it's only $3.00 per person. There is an old farmhouse (not 1870s old, but old) on the property that serves as the gift shop, and there was the nicest woman working in there the day we went. All tours and adventures at this location are self-guided, so you can pay your admission fee and then take all the time you want to roam around the property and take pictures. (And you can also take pictures anywhere here.) I even got to stamp my own passport!

Then we went out to see the log cabin replica. I like tiny houses, but this house is tiny in SO many ways! Square footage...ceiling height...everything! (Apparently none of the Ingalls family members were very tall. But seriously - check out my height in relation to everything. (To be fair, I am kneeling in one picture...)

Even though I know they didn't live in this house, I know people did live in houses much like this one. Even families of five, like they were. Whew! 

I kind of wished I would have read the book to Ryan as we drove along, so he could have recognized all the things inside!

I had hoped to recreate this picture from when I visited as a teenager, but you can't climb in the wagon anymore, so I had to settle for the closest type of recreation I could get. 

(They've also moved the wagon to another spot.)

Next to the cabin is the Wayside Post Office, which according to the website, was built back in 1885 and functioned as an actual Kansas Post Office until the USPS consolidated some sites. It did not exist when Laura lived in this area, but it is a great peek into that general time in history! 

If you don't know this about me, checking the mail is one of my greatest joys in life, so stepping inside this building was probably more fun for me than most would have found it. (I'm so strange.) 

And then there was a little schoolhouse, too! According to the website, this Sunnyside schoolhouse was built in 1871 and was located just a few miles from the Ingalls home, but Laura and Mary were too young to attend when they lived in Kansas. I loved, loved, loved this building, though! The teaching-loving nerd in me was super happy about this. 

Also a fun fact: It is a dream of mine to one day live in an old schoolhouse. It will probably never happen, but wouldn't it be grand?

Ryan was so kind as to get a few pictures with me. (And FYI, he actually really enjoyed this stop. He likes reading about history and seeing historical places.)

Even Abby got a picture with the property!

I did one more near-recreation. (New sign.)

(Side note: there were 3-4 cars there when we arrived, but we paused to eat lunch in the RV before venturing forth, and we mostly had the entire place to ourselves while we were there. We saw a couple of women toward the end of our time, but it was mostly our own private tour!)

We loved it. I'm so glad we went. And I'm so glad I got a stamp in my passport!