A Visit To Plum Creek

I recently traveled to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. It was the golden hour as the sun was setting when I paid A Visit To Plum Creek.

A Visit To Plum Creek

In the book On The Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote about her family living in a dugout. 

This wonderful site is pure enchantment. Native grasses have been planted and land looks much the same as when the Ingalls family first arrived. 

 

You cross over a wooden bridge and turn right to view the area where the dugout once was. 

 

The Dugout

A sign right above the depression helps to mark the spot of where the dugout once stood. 

On the return walk this was the beautiful view of the bridge. 

I felt a special magic walking in the footsteps of my family as the sun dipped into the nearby fields. The beauty was indescribable.

Simplicity S9324

“In the dugout Laura and Mary took off all their clothes, and over their bare skins they put on old patched dresses.” Chapter 4 On The Banks of Plum Creek.

In wanting to create a modern version of a dress inspired by what Laura and Mary might have worn I used Simplicity S9324. I selected View A as it buttoned up the back.

“All around the door green vines were growing out of the grassy bank, and they were full of flowers. Red and blue and purple and rosy-pink and white and striped flowers all had their throats wide open as if they were singing glory to the morning.” Chapter 2 On The Banks of Plum Creek.

The fabric used for the dress was vintage quilting cotton from the 1980s. It features a green background with many of the flowers Laura wrote about. 

And the patches? They were created from a handkerchief that once belonged to my dear Grandma Jingles (Ingalls). It had a few holes in the center but I could never bare to part with it. 

A Patched Dress For Plum Creek

Each of the corners of the handkerchief were patched on to the sleeves and pockets. They were accented in a periwinkle and white gingham bias trim. 

This dress was a way to carry my grandmother with me as I visited this sacred spot. 

My hair is short enough that it does not get caught in the buttons that run up the back of the dress. (Bonnetheads can probably name the LIW book that this references.)

The water at Plum Creek was so beautifully clear I could not resist taking a closer look at the pebbles that line the bottom of the creek bed. I imagine that my cousins often did this too. 

I took a moment to sit on the big rock with Sidney Robyn Greenbush. You might know her as Carrie. I know her as a treasured friend. 

We are working together to create more magical prairie moments for others this next summer in 2027. 

      

To commemorate the visit I had made brooches for my friends from the leftover fabric scraps. 

This beautiful site closes at sunset.

Many thanks to my dear friend, Arlene Toro, for capturing this magical moment. 

Ingalls Dugout Site

The site is open during daylight hours May through October, weather permitting. There is an entry fee of $10 per car. 

13501 County Road 5
Walnut Grove, MN  56180

May your day be filled with wildflowers. 

Laura