Laura Ingalls Wilder at Walnut Grove: Story and Facts

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Laura Ingalls Wilder at Walnut Grove is a story told about Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum and Ingalls Dugout Site, Walnut Grove, Redwood County. Vote believe it or no way, then see what 4 named sources say is documented.

LegendKind of story
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Minnesota River ValleyRegion
Nov 1Checked, 2026

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Laura Ingalls Wilder at Walnut Grove

People say the television show Little House on the Prairie was filmed in Walnut Grove, because the real Ingalls family once lived beside Plum Creek just outside town. Visitors arrive expecting the TV set, then find a prairie creek bank, a hollow in the ground and a small town museum. The truth is a mix. The family really lived near Walnut Grove, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about it, and the TV series took its name and some of its story from that.

What The Sources Document

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum says the Ingalls family lived on the Plum Creek property from 1874 to 1876, about 1.5 miles north of Walnut Grove, in a dugout on the creek bank. Laura was about seven when they settled there, and her father, Charles Ingalls, worked as the town butcher and justice of the peace. In spring 1879 he took a railroad job in eastern Dakota Territory, and the family followed that fall. Wilder wrote about the area in On the Banks of Plum Creek. The museum site says a deep depression in the ground is all that remains of the dugout and that none of the buildings Pa built survive. Explore Minnesota says the NBC television series, which aired from 1974 to 1983, was set in Walnut Grove but filmed in California. The museum states that the series' September 11, 1974 premiere and the interest it created led to the museum's founding. The dugout site is on private land of the Gordon family, open daylight hours May through October with a $10 per car fee.

Sources: Ingalls Dugout (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove); About Laura (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove); Museum (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove).

A Note

The TV series was not filmed here, and the books differ from real events. The dugout site is on private land that allows visitors, so follow the museum's directions only. Not confirmed: fees and hours, so check with the museum.

Its home: Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove. Official page.

On this site: Historic Sites, Minnesota River Valley Events.

Looked for and Not Found

Where the TV series was filmed, beyond 'California'

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Where do these facts come from?

From the named sources listed on this page: Ingalls Dugout (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove); About Laura (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove); Museum (Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, Walnut Grove).

Sources

Read on November 1, 2026. Stories are for fun; the facts come from these sources. How we check: editorial standards; spot a mistake? tell us.

Cite this page: It's Minnesota, “Laura Ingalls Wilder at Walnut Grove”, itsminnesota.com/legends/laura-ingalls-wilder-walnut-grove/ (updated 2026-11-01). By the It's Minnesota editorial team. Free to quote with attribution and a link to this page; data and tables are licensed CC BY 4.0.