On the easten bank of the great Mississippi lies the town of Pepin in Wisconsin. The river at this point widens to over 3 miles and is known as Lake Pepin. There is a small beach at the edge of the town, and it was here that the Ingalls had their picnic in 'Little House in the Big Woods'. The day we saw it, bearly a ripple disturbed it's millpond surface and the hills across the lake in Minnesota seemed a long way off. River worn pebbles can still be found on the beach just as Mary and Laura discovered, and I cannot think of a nicer place for a picnic. The great unanswered question is 'why did Pa Ingalls want to leave such a beautiful place?'. Of all the places on the Frontier Girl Trail this is without a doubt the most beautiful and idyllic place they lived in. I can only say that the call of the west must have been very loud to leave all this behind.
Going back into Pepin one comes across the waterfront buildings - most of the buildings in this picture survive from the time of Laura's stay here. In fact excellent maps and guides will take you to every 19th century house still standing in Pepin and give a detailed history of the building, if you so wish.
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.
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