Experience De Smet, South Dakota

Attractions

Discover Laura!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, Inc.

1-800-880-3383
www.discoverlaura.org

Discover Laura Ingalls Wilder with a visit to "The Little Town on the Prairie", De Smet, South Dakota. Laura's stories come to life when you join our costumed guides for a visit to the original homes of author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Explore the Sureyors' House where Laura and her family spent their first Dakota winter. Laura wrote about this home in her "Little House" book, By the Shores of Silver Lake. Visit the home that Pa built, the Ingalls Home, and learn what happened to Ma, Pa, Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace. Experience a unique journey into Laura's life and history!
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Ingalls-Wilder heritages.

Ingalls Homestead

"Laura's Living Prairie"

1-800-776-3594
www.ingallshomestead.com

From De Smet: 1/2 mile southeast on Highway 14, 1/2 mile south on Homestead Road.

Visit the prairie of Laura's "Little House" stories. Pa Ingalls and his family claimed this piece of Dakota Territory as their homestead.

Sample 1880's pioneering life:

Covered wagon rides

Historic school session

Hands-on pioneering activities

Prairie learning center

Plan an old fashioned family day to De Smet, South Dakota.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant

proudly presents

"These Happy Golden Years"

1-800-880-3383
1-800-776-3594
www.desmetpageant.org

Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant, De Smet South Dakota

Capture the pioneering spirit with Laura and Almanzo in this year's production of "These Happy Golden Years".

The setting sun and Dakota prairies provide a wonderful backdrop for the outdoor pageant. The pageant is held one mile southeast of De Smet. From the pageant grounds you can see the land Pa homesteaded and the cottonwood trees Pa planted. The big slough and Silver Lake are nearby.
"Little Town on the Prairie" brings Laura and her prairie wonderfully to life.

The Loftus Store

The Original Store from the Little House Book, The Long Winter

1-866-335-3271
www.loftusstore.com

The Loftus Store your "Quality Store" since 1879. The original building still stands today. Laura wrote of Mr. Loftus and store in her well known book, The Long Winter. Walk where Laura walked. Discover original shoe boxes and shoes found in the attic 125 years later. Free admission and souvenir. Visa and MasterCard accepted.

De Smet Depot Museum

Harvey Dunn School

Free admission.
Open June - August

desmet.govoffice2.com

1-605-854-3991 or 1-605-854-3731

De Smet Depot Museum & Harvey Dunn School, De Smet South Dakota

De Smet traces its history to the year the railroad reached this location. The railroad depot is now a museum that features exhibits on De Smet's early history, a South Dakota wildlife display and a country print shop.

Adjacent to the museum is the schoolhouse attended by prairie artist Harvey Dunn who was born near De Smet. Several of Dunn's original works are on display in the city library, along with a collection of Laura Ingalls Wilder family memorabilia. Public internet access computers are also available at the library.