Railroad Camp Shanty
Posted by: 
MNSearchers
N 44° 23.187 W 097° 32.647
14T E 615964 N 4915827
Located in DeSmet SD.
Waymark Code: WMJ9K
Location: South Dakota, United States
Date Posted: 07/26/2006
Views: 11
This is the Surveyors House from Laura Ingalls Wilders Little House books.
In December 1879, after the railroad workers left for the winter, the Ingalls family moved into the Surveyors' House on the north shore of Silver Lake, near what is now the town of De Smet, South Dakota. The surveyors had left behind coal for the stove and plenty of food, including flour, beans, salt meat, potatoes, jars of pickles and canned peaches. During the winter Pa played his fiddle and everyone sang. He played jigs and reels, polkas and waltzes. Laura and Carrie danced around the room. Pa said they were “snug as bugs in a rug.” Early in the spring, settlers started arriving at the house on their way to find new land, and the Ingalls family offered them room and board.
Laura was twelve when she moved to Dakota Territory in 1879. She and her family stayed in this house during one winter and spring
Street address:
1st and Olivet Sts.
DeSmet, SD USA
County / Borough / Parish: Kingsbury
Year listed: 1973
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Domestic
Current function: Recreation And Culture
Privately owned?: yes
Hours of operation: From: 9:00 AM To: 5:00 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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