Stopping By the Almanzo Wilder Homestead

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The Almanzo Wilder Homestead has long been on my “someday” list. Growing up, I read the Little  House books and was a fan of the TV show from the 1970s and 80s. As we planned our 2023 East Coast road trip, I looked for a way to include this historic farm on our itinerary. I was super excited when I realized we could fit it in between Niagara Falls and Bar Harbor, Maine!

It wasn’t the perfect visit, but as many roadtrippers know, stops along the route aren’t always perfect. We weren’t able to stop while the homestead was open due to timing on the road. But if that happens to you, don’t fear. You are allowed to walk the grounds even when the visitor center and museum are closed.

You won’t get a tour or get to go inside the buildings. Still, you’ll be able to walk the grounds where a little boy named Almanzo roamed long before he married Laura Ingalls, and certainly long before Laura would become a beloved author who shared their stories of growing up in America in the late 19th century.

A Little History

The farmhouse where Almanzo was born and spent his early years was built near Malone, though a more accurate location designation would be Burke, in 1843.  James and Anglelina Day Wilder, Almanzo’s parents, purchased the land in 1840 and set to work establishing a farm and raising a family. Almanzo was the fifth of six children: Laura, Royal, Eliza Jane, Alice, Almanzo, and Perley Day. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s book, Farmer Boy (1933), depicts a single year of Almanzo’s childhood on the farm. This mirrors her previous book, Little House in the Big Woods (1932), which also spans a year.

In the book, Almanzo’s oldest sister is omitted from the story, most likely because she shared a first name with the author. The book is set in 1866, so Perely Day, born in 1869, is also not included; however, it’s worth noting that there is some manipulation of time because Almanzo would be older in 1866 than his age in the book.

The story begins in January, right before Almanzo’s ninth birthday. Readers follow the characters as they live and work through the seasons, from Almanzo’s mother making delicious, bountiful meals while canning preserves and selling massive amounts of butter to his father harvesting potatoes and grain, followed by making maple sugar by tapping maple trees. The kids go to school, do chores, and care for animals. Almanzo even goes to the Malone County Fair and wins a blue ribbon for his pumpkin.

In 1875, the Wilder family sold the farm for $5,000 and left for Minnesota. Apparently, the family’s cash crop was hops, and it ran into some struggles in recent years. Apparently, Almanzo’s older sister Laura had moved to Spring Valley, Minnesota, to be near the Day side of the family, and she ultimately met her husband, Harrison Lamanzo. This seemed like a logical place for the rest of the Wilders to also make a fresh start.

Royal, Eliza Jane, and Almanzo would file homestead claims near De Smet in Dakota territory in 1879. Remarkably, Eliza Jane, a single woman at the time, was able to prove up on her homestead claim that she farmed initially on her own before her widowed sister Laura and children arrived to work the farm, as well. She faced a lot of hardship and had to supplement with her teaching income, a plot point that those who have read the Little House books would recall. In 1893, she married Thomas Jefferson Thayer.

Readers of the books would also know that Royal owned a store building on Main Street in De Smet; Almanzo and Royal would winter there during the Long Winter Laura Ingalls Wilder described. Eventually, Royal would open a general store before returning to Spring Valley. With the matchmaking scheming of his mother, Royal married the widow Electra Hutchinson, also in 1893. This sounds like a missed opportunity for an episode of the TV show to me.

Of course, readers of the books know that Laura and Almanzo were married in De Smet in 1885. Because of the homestead and tree claim requirements and the hardships they encountered, they lived on both claims for periods of time between 1885-1889. Rose joined the family in 1886. After facing one tragedy after another, they eventually settled in Mansfield, Missouri, but not before staying with Almanzo’s parents in Spring Valley and a short stint in Westville, Florida.

But I digress.

James and Angelina had sold their farm near Malone in 1875 to another local farmer. Apparently, the farm changed hands over the years. Though Laura Ingalls Wilder had never seen the farm, she used descriptions and drawings from Almanzo to describe the farm in Farmer Boy. Those descriptions proved to be so accurate that historians were able to pinpoint where the farm was located; this led to the purchasing of the property by the Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder Association in 1987.

The original house was still on the property on the original foundation; in fact, it’s the only house featured in the books that can make this claim. However, the barns were long gone, so the association, using Almanzo’s sketches, rebuilt the barns. Today, the property is a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a United for Libraries Literary Landmark.

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Arriving at the Homestead

This stop was part of our East Coast road trip in 2023. We’d just spent two nights at Niagara Falls, and we were making our way toward Bar Harbor, Maine. According to my photos, we arrived on a Sunday at about 3:50 p.m., missing the last tour of the day and arriving just beyond the visitor center’s operating hours.

I see on the website that you can arrange a tour by appointment, but I didn’t realize that was a possibility. Even without the tour, we had a great visit, and I recommend stopping by to walk the grounds.

As you pull into the parking area, one of the first things you see is the original red farmhouse. The home is an example of a Greek Revival style house popular during the time period, known for its practicality in rural areas. The gables and square posts are common features of this style.

It’s easy to envision the events of Farmer Boy happening here. I reread the book just before we left on the trip, so the story was fresh in my mind.

It’s peaceful to walk the grounds and imagine Almanzo and his siblings playing or doing chores.

Peeking Through the Windows

We didn’t get a tour, but we did take some peeks through the windows. A kitchen, pantry, dining room, and parlor comprise the first floor. The parlor is the setting of the famous scene in which Almanzo chucks a stove-blacking brush at Eliza Jane and misses, hitting the parlor wall and leaving a blacking mark.

Upstairs are the bedrooms and attic; the attic contains the loom and Father’s workshop.

It’s such a cozy home.

Here is a look at the woodshed attached to the house.

Below is the United for Libraries marker.

Additional Buildings on the Homestead

The other buildings on the grounds are reproductions based on archaeological digs for the foundations and Almanzo’s sketches.

The property also includes a pump house, a corn crib, a chicken coop, and a carriage house.

Below is the pump house.

There is also a replica of the one-room schoolhouse Almanzo and his siblings attended. The actual schoolhouse was located within walking distance for the Wilder children. Fun fact: when the replica was completed in 2013, Dean Butler, who played Almanzo in the original TV series, and Lucy Lee Flippin, who played Eliza Jane, made an appearance for the grand opening!

Here is a glimpse inside.

Visitor Center and Museum

Below is the visitor center and museum. Again, we were not able to go inside, but this would be a great addition to your visit. Maybe someday we’ll return.

Homestead Gardens

The display gardens at the homestead show how Mother’s kitchen garden would’ve functioned. She would’ve planted vegetables and herbs for food, dye, and medicine.

The gardens feature heritage plants like the ones from the 1800s. There is also a Three Sisters Garden that depicts the Native American technique of growing corn, beans, and squash together to help each thrive.

Mother’s Lilac Bush is also on the property behind the farmhouse. You can also find an apple orchard and wild berries on the grounds.

While we were there, some people were working on the garden. They had this cute dog with them.

You can also walk out to Trout River where the Wilders harvested ice and went fishing, as described in the book.

We had a great time stopping at the Almanzo Wilder Homestead. I encourage you to stop if you’re a Little House fan, even if you can’t take a tour or visit the visitor center. Even if you’re not familiar with Laura Ingalls Wilder or her works, it’s a great place to learn about farm life in upstate New York in the 1800s. The tranquility is also nice. I really hope to return one day!

Other Little House adventures we’ve had:

Little House on the Prairie Museum–Independence, Kansas

Ingalls Homestead–De Smet, South Dakota

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum–Mansfield, Missouri