Independence in Kansas is known to readers of Laura's books as the nearest town to the house that Pa built on the Kansas prairie. Laura suggests that the town is much further away than the 13 miles it actually is, but to a little girl even that is a long way away. The main attraction for Laura fans is the gravestone of Dr. George Tann. Dr. Tann was the doctor who saved the Ingalls' from the dreaded 'Fever n' Ague' (Malaria). It also seems it was Laura's first encounter with a black man. The grave is located in the New Hope Cemetery but we found following the signs to the zoo gave us our first glimpse of it. It is a huge cemetery and required some searching to find the gravestone we were looking for. It is located on the western side of the cemetery just across from the 'Pizza Hut' A large notice and 2 flags also helped us to locate it. It is a pity they had been placed right over it rather than to one side. It is good to see a monument like this dedicated to someone who obviously dedicated his life to helping others on the frontier.
	OTHER PAGES ON THE FRONTIER GIRL TRAIL. Rocky Ridge Museum, Rocky Ridge House, Mansfield, Mansfield Cemetery Kansas Prairie, Independence Kansas, Keystone South Dakota, De Smet, Pa's Claim site, The Homestead, De Smet Cemetery, De Smet Pageant. Tracy, Walnut Grove Museum, Plum Creek, Walnut Grove Pageant. South Troy, Lake Pepin, Pepin Museum, Big Woods house. Burr Oak, Ia., Vinton Iowa. Trail Home Page - - - Frontier Girl Main site Copyright ©, 2000 - Phil Greetham.