Meet Laura Ingalls Wilder, LLC

I couldn't let today slip away without acknowledging that it is the 156th anniversary of the birth of Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved younger sister, Caroline Celestia ("Carrie") Ingalls Swanzey.

Contrary to the depiction in the wildly popular new Little House on the Prairie series on Netflix, the real Carrie Ingalls was born on August 3, 1870 in Montgomery County, Kansas (not at Christmas, as that show portrayed). Carrie was a smart, independent woman who never shied from adventure and had a long career in the newspaper industry, beginning in DeSmet, Dakota Territory (later South Dakota). If you have read LIW's books, you'll know DeSmet as the setting of five of her Little House series, for it is *the* Little Town on the Prairie! Carrie received most of her formal education in DeSmet, and began working for the local newspaper upon graduation from high school.

In her early 40s, after some twenty years working for newspapers around the west as well as preempting a parcel of land near Philip, South Dakota as a solo woman homesteader, she moved farther west to Keystone, South Dakota.

In Keystone she married an older widower, David Swanzey, and became stepmother to his two children, Mary and Harold. There she made Keystone her permanent, final home. Soon she became active in the local chapter of the Eastern Star (she was already a longstanding member of the organization), eventually being honored as a 50-year member! Around 1926, Carrie's oldest sister Mary, who was blind and unmarried, came to stay with Carrie and her family. Mary passed away at age 63 in Keystone in October 1928, and her funeral was held back in their old home town of DeSmet. Carrie would live out the remainder of her life in Keystone, but she sometimes traveled and at least once went as far as the Missouri Ozarks where she visited big sister Laura. Carrie passed away in Keystone in June, 1946, just two months shy of her 76th birthday.

Carrie's home in Keystone was destroyed by fire about 50 years ago, but many of the buildings in town today survive from the earliest era of its existence and would have been familiar landmarks. Among them is the former schoolhouse where her stepchildren attended classes. Today the building is the Keystone Area Historical Society and Museum, which maintains and exhibits many of Carrie's personal effects and papers.

If you visit Keystone and the surrounding area, you'll find it filled with endless options for exploring history and nature while enjoying unique tourist attractions from goldmines and live-action Wild West shows to my personal favorite, a 20-mile ride on the historic 1880 Train between Keystone and Hill City.

Below are some photos I took on various visits to Keystone and other spots in the Black Hills of South Dakota over the last decade or so.

Where in LauraLand would you like to visit?

This has been an exceptionally enjoyable event so far, and the fun isn't over yet!

Join me and all my hardworking history museum friends at Almanzo Wilder Farm tomorrow (Sunday!) for your chance to meet four cast members of the original Little House tv show while exploring the c.1840 home and farm where the real Almanzo Wilder and all of his siblings were born.

I may be a bit biased here, but Almanzo Wilder Farm is the brightest gem in New York's North Country!

set your gps to:

177 Stacy Road
Malone, NY 12953

When you get here, be sure to look for me (I'm working as part of the volunteer team & wearing a navy blue t-shirt that says "Al-MAN-zo" on the back). Come by and say hello!

Almanzo's Little House Cast Reunion Come meet Almanzo, Nellie, Perley, and Baby Rose!Join us for two (plus!) days of "amazing" at the Almanzo Wilder Homestead in Burke, NY. Tickets for the…

IYKYK why these openings might be of particular import to anyone with a scholarly interest in LIW...

We are hiring!

🚨🚨IMPORTANT NOTE: Application deadlines vary for each position! Copy and paste the link next to each position in a web browser for job specifics and application deadlines.🚨🚨

🌲Park Guide (Career Seasonal)
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/876932000

👋🏽Visitor Services Assistant (Seasonal)
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/876003500

📝Office Support Clerk (OA) (Seasonal)
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/876004200

🛠Maintenance Worker
https://www.usajobs.gov/job/876926700

GRAB THE POPCORN and WATCH THE WILDER HOMESTEAD ON TV!
"Upstate Attractions", a series produced by WPBS TV of Watertown NY, explores northernmost New York State – the "North Country" – discovering exceptional places, hidden gems, people, and pieces of Americana in the local travel and adventure series. On July 20th, they will once again air the Almanzo Wilder Homestead episode! If you live in the WPBS zone, watch it on TV at 7pm. If you're a member, find it digitally on their website or check your local PBS station. https://www.wpbstv.org/program-schedule/ =schedule&day=20260714&provider=Broadcast

On this day, June 28th, in Black Ourstory

On June 28, 1866, an Act of Congress authorized the creation of two cavalry and four infantry regiments, "which shall be composed of colored men." They were organized as the 9th and 10th Cavalry and the 38th through 41st Infantry. The 9th and 10th Cavalry would play a major role in the history of the West as the "Buffalo Soldiers." The congressional order required their officers to be white.

These were members of the American cavalry regiments of the U.S. Army who served in the western United States until 1896, mainly fighting Native Americans on the frontier. On September 21, 1866, the 9th Cavalry Regiment was activated at Greenville, LA, under the command of Colonel Edward Hatch, and the 10th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Leavenworth, KS, under the command of Colonel Benjamin Grierson. The 38th through 41st infantries (these four were later reduced to the 24th and 25th infantries) often fought alongside the cavalry regiments.

Both regiments were trained and equipped and began a long and proud history. African Americans have a long military history, dating back to the Revolutionary War. The all-black Tenth Cavalry is but one example.

After the American Civil War, the 9th, 10th, and 11th Buffalo Soldiers units were recognized as a superior fighting force. These cavalry units were primarily based in Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and New Mexico. The day had passed when ambitious officers avoided leading all-Black troops. In 1896, a young lieutenant John J. Pershing got his first command with the Tenth. It was here that he got the nickname "Black Jack.” According to some Western historians, George Custer wanted nothing to do with the Black cavalry units, turning down command with them.

Additionally, it was widely believed that the tenth-longest-serving commander, General Benjamin H. Grierson, a brilliant and inventive officer, had been held back from promotion due to his close association with his Black troops. In 1916, a punitive mission headed by Pershing was to respond to the murder of eighteen people in Columbus, New Mexico, by Pancho Villa. Pershing had led the Buffalo Soldiers through the Spanish-American War. When he took command of the Villa expedition, he specifically asked that the tenth, based at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, accompany him. However, the expedition came to nothing; it was the first campaign to use airplanes and motorized land vehicles. For over two decades, they conducted campaigns against Native American tribes, engaging in several skirmishes against such great Native Chiefs as Geronimo and Gall.

"Buffalo Soldiers" was the name given to the Black cavalrymen by the Plains Natives. The reasoning for the name is uncertain. One view is that the Natives saw a resemblance between the black man's hair and the buffalo's mane. Another view is that when a buffalo was wounded or cornered, it fought ferociously, displaying unusual stamina and courage. This was the same fighting spirit Indians saw in combat with Black cavalrymen. Since Natives held the buffalo in such high regard, it was felt that the name was not given in disrespect. The Buffalo Soldiers were noted for their courage and discipline. Drunkenness, a pervasive problem in the army, was rare; when nearly a third of white army enlistees deserted, the Black soldiers had the U.S. Army's lowest desertion and court-martial rates.

In nearly 30 years of frontier service, buffalo soldiers participated in almost 200 major and minor engagements. From 1870 to 1890, 14 Buffalo Soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor, the Army's highest award for bravery. When not fighting, both regiments built forts and roads, installed telegraph lines, located water holes, escorted wagon trains and cattle drives, rode "shotgun" on the stagecoach and mail runs, and protected settlers from renegade Natives, outlaws, and Mexican revolutionaries. Elements of the 9th & 10th regiments fought in Cuba during the War with Spain. In 1941, the two regiments formed the 4th Cavalry Brigade and were commanded by General Benjamin O. Davis Sr. at Camp Funston, Kansas.

In 1944, the end came to the cavalry regiments, and the curtain was lowered on the long and glorious past of the "Buffalo Soldiers." The Baltimore Chapter of the Buffalo Soldiers Association hosted the 132nd Anniversary Reunion in 1998. (African American Registry, 2026)

All roads lead to the Almanzo Wilder Homestead for our Little House Cast Reunion Weekend July 25-26! Want to be GUARANTEED to meet Dean Butler (Almanzo) and Alison Arngrim (Nellie Oleson)? Purchase a VIP Almanzo's Circle ticket AND get priority seating at Alison's Friday performance, catered lunch and greeting with Dean and the cast, priority parking, catered lunch BOTH days, and a gala dinner with the cast. Buy your tickets here! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/almanzos-little-house-cast-reunion

**UPDATE**

Although I couldn't make it to the wake, which was held in the Center Meetinghouse at OSV on Monday, June 1st, and drew an enormous crowd, I was able to attend the funeral just down the road in Fiskdale the next day. The church was PACKED and my best estimate is about 250 people in attendance, including many retired one-time OSV employees as well as current OSV interns.

I was fortunate enough to spend a little time with two good friends of mine: a current and a former employee, both longtime veterans of OSV and both deeply affected by Tom's sudden death. Tom's brother gave a stirring eulogy that confirmed so many of the wonderful things others have said about Tom--his boundless energy and historical precision, his constant lifelong learning and teaching, his continuous generosity of spirit, his willingness to educate and inspire a love of history in everyone around him, and his staggering legacy.

The old trope of "not a dry eye in the place" played out in real time, as even the clergy conducting Mass were clearly fighting tears, dabbing their eyes, and occasionally choking up as they spoke. A remarkable experience to honor an extraordinary person.

May you rest in peace, Tom.

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This is horrible news. Tom was a fixture around OSV and a font of institutional history. Ever since I started my own living history business and began making (even more frequent) regular visits at the Village, he always made a point of regaling me with little-known stories of programs and events of the past, and details few others would know about the historic buildings around the campus. OSV and the living history community will never be the same without him.

On May 26, the Old Sturbridge Village community lost one of our own.
For more than 40 years, Tom Kelleher shared his extraordinary talent, humor, kindness, and dedication with everyone fortunate enough to know him. Since joining the Village in 1984, Tom devoted his life to helping bring history to life for generations of visitors through his scholarship, storytelling, craftsmanship, mentorship, and unforgettable performances.

Tom was a gifted historian, interpreter, curator, and educator whose impact on this Museum cannot be overstated. Whether reading the Declaration of Independence on the Fourth of July each year, bringing beloved historical stories to life, mentoring colleagues, volunteers, and others in the living history field, or keeping the Village’s historic mills running, Tom left an indelible mark on this place and all the people within it.

To many of us, Tom was far more than a coworker. He was a trusted friend, a mentor, and a deeply cherished member of the OSV family. His infectious laugh, care, and passion for history will be profoundly missed and forever remembered.
Our thoughts are with Tom’s family, loved ones, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Additional details regarding plans to honor Tom’s life and legacy will be shared at a later date.

Who's coming to Malone this July??

ADVANCE TICKETING IS OPEN! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/almanzos-little-house-cast-reunion

If you're planning to be anywhere near Pepin, Wisconsin (Laura's birthplace) this year, I highly recommend a visit to the Little House Wayside, which is a reproduction cabin made just as she described in Little House in the Big Woods, and located very close to the spot where the original once was. During the tourist season, on the second weekend of May, June, July, and August, the "Home at Laura's Place" event will feature the cabin fully furnished/decorated to reflect what it may have looked like when the Ingalls family lived on that farm. There will be special activities too!

Here comes another season of "Home at Laura's Place" at the Little House Wayside near Pepin where Laura Ingalls Wilder was born. the dates are:
May 9 & 10
June 13 & 14
July 11 & 12
August 8 & 9
Laura Ingalls Wilder Days will be Sept. 12 & 13 this year.