On this spot in 1880, Charles Ingalls claimed his homestead in Dakota Territory. He built is claim shanty here early in the spring, and his family moved here from his building in town shortly after. His wife, Caroline, desperately wanted trees to help block the strong prairie winds, so Charles went to the only tree for miles around, a towering cottonwood, and brought home five saplings. He planted one each for Caroline, Mary, Laura, Carrie, and baby Grace. He planted many more over time, but five still remain at this site, confirmed by Laura during her 1937 visit to be trees that her Pa planted. The family maintained a home at this site for several years, eventually moving to a house in town. That house still stands today! There is important information on both the plaque and the signage at the bottom of the hill. If you are unable to access the plaque for any reason, please send me a message and we can come up with alternative logging requirements.
To claim credit for this virtual cache, please send me a message (via messenger or email) answering the following questions:
1. On what date was the plaque on this site dedicated?
2. How many times did Charles Ingalls plough this prairie grass?
3. Please include an original pic of the plaque here! Your face does not need to be in the photo, but please include your hand, a trinket, your GPS unit etc, to confirm that your pic is original. You may send me the pic if you prefer not to post it, or you may simply post it with your log. Logs without confirmation may be deleted.
There are many more historical sites to visit in De Smet, most of them relating to Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. Thank you for visiting this site and helping to keep Laura's legacy alive!
This virtual cache has been placed with permission from the landowners.
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.