The Wilder Pageant In Minnesota Is This Month

Laura Ingalls Wilder is a beloved American author whose connections to Minnesota gained renown in her book On the Banks of Plum Creek. Her connection to the state became even more famous in the 1970s thanks to the television series Little House on the Prairie, which was set in the southwestern Minnesota town of Walnut Grove. Walnut Grove, in turn, celebrates Ingalls Wilder with a fascinating museum and an annual Wlider Pageant in Minnesota that depicts the Ingalls family’s travels and tribulations.

Each July, Walnut Grove hosts the Wilder Pageant for three consecutive weekends. This year, the pageant takes place July 7-8, 14-15, and 21-22.

The pageant site, like Ingalls Wilder’s book about her time in the area, is set on the banks of Plum Creek, west of Walnut Grove.

Eventually, it’s time to find your your seats.

Watch as the pageant’s players depict the Ingalls family’s journey to Walnut Grove.

When they first arrived, they lived in an earthen dugout while Charles “Pa” Ingalls built their home.

The pageant depicts the struggles they experienced in Walnut Grove.

As well as the triumphs. Ultimately, though, Pa Ingalls was a mercurial figure who was always seeking the next thing, and the family decamped for De Smet, South Dakota… But you’ll have to see the pageant for yourself to learn all that transpired.

If you go to the pageant, you can stay at your own not so little house on the prairie.

The Wilder Pageant is a bucket list event for any Laura Ingalls Wilder enthusiast, to be sure! If you also happen to have an interest in Minnesota’s deeper cultural history, consider a visit to nearby Jefferson Petroglyphs, as well. It’s an archaeological site that connects the land now occupied by Minnesota to centuries of Native history. It’s a fascinating place that also happens to offer some excellent hiking opportunities.

Have you attended the Wilder Pageant? Tell us about your experience in the comments!

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Wilder Pageant Site, 11505 Crown Ave, Walnut Grove, MN 56180, USA

This Minnesota Pageant Celebrates One Of Its Most Beloved Historical Residents

Trent Jonas

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