Little House on the Prairie Museum keeps Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Kansas legacy alive
By Nelly Lopez
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INDEPENDENCE, Kansas (KOAM) — A working farm in Montgomery County holds one of Southeast Kansas’ most storied connections to American literary history — the childhood home that inspired Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved book series.
The Ingalls family settled near Independence from 1869 to 1871, living in a small log cabin on land that would later become the Little House on the Prairie Museum. Wilder’s account of that time, published in her 1935 book “Little House on the Prairie,” introduced generations of readers to Kansas history through the eyes of a young girl growing up on the frontier.
Jean Kurtis Schodorf, president and owner of the museum, said her family purchased the farm in 1923 — decades before they realized its historical significance.
“We did not know until years later that the Ingalls family, Charles Ingalls’ family, lived here on this property,” Schodorf said. “When the TV show came along, people were so interested because the Ingalls had actually lived in Kansas, in Montgomery County, near Independence, and it was our farm. We were thrilled.”
For years, the property operated as a working farm and oil field. Schodorf’s father raised cattle and drilled oil wells on the land, and the family had little reason to think visitors would come calling.
“There were lots of cars driving up and down, and they were disappointed because there wasn’t anything here,” Schodorf said.
That changed when her brother built a replica of the original log cabin. The museum opened in 1977 and has drawn visitors ever since.
Among the lesser-known pieces of history tied to the site: Carrie Ingalls, the third daughter of Charles and Caroline Ingalls, was born in that log cabin. The family physician who delivered her was Dr. Tan, described by Schodorf as the first doctor in the area and one of the region’s earliest African American physicians.
“Charles and Caroline came — they had Laura, and they had Mary. Mary was five and Laura was three. And they came to Kansas in a covered wagon,” Schodorf said. “What we did not know is that baby Carrie, the third daughter, was actually born in the log cabin.”
Schodorf said the museum’s mission goes beyond celebrating a famous author. It aims to connect visitors — especially children — to Kansas history and to encourage reading.
“Our mission is to teach about Kansas history and to encourage children to learn, to read,” Schodorf said. “For 90 years, this book has been very popular. And when you read it, it’s about Kansas history. Plus it’s about a family who loved each other.”
The museum also uses the site as a window into frontier life — from the plants and wildlife Wilder described in her writing to the daily realities of cooking, clothing, and survival on the Kansas prairie. Schodorf noted that some of the wildlife Wilder wrote about, including wolves that once roamed near the cabin, no longer exist in the region.
Each year on Aug. 2, the museum marks the occasion with “Carrie’s Days,” a celebration of Carrie Ingalls’ birthday.
Now, a new television series — one the producers say draws directly from Wilder’s books — is bringing a fresh wave of attention to the museum and its history.
“The amazing thing is the interest keeps going and people are still interested,” Schodorf said. “Now we have a new series coming out that looks very much like the book. The producers have said they have used the book and they’re trying to make it just like the book.”
The museum is located near Independence, Kansas, in Montgomery County.
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