Little House on the Prairie: Laura Ingalls Wilder Days in Pepin, Wisconsin

Laura Ingalls Wilder Days is celebrated in Pepin, Wisconsin on September 8-9, 2007. Pepin, Wisconsin is the birthplace of Laura Ingalls Wilder, the writer of the popular book series "Little House on the Prairie" which became a popular television series starring the late actor Michael Landon. "The Little House on the Prairie" television series featured a youthful Melissa Gilbert as Laura Ingalls.

Laura Ingalls was born in 1862 in a cabin seven miles north of Pepin, on Hwy. CC. There is a recreation of the log cabin owned by Charles and Caroline Ingalls on the site.

Charles Ingalls had a pioneering spirit. The Ingalls family moved west, drawn by the prospect of rich farm land and homesteads. The Ingalls family moved to Kansas, Minnesota and Iowa before settling in South Dakota.

"The Little House on the Prairie" is a series of books written starting in 1932 by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She was 65 when she wrote the first book, which was based in 1870. A total of nine books were written and translated into 40 languages. In 1996, Pepin became the starting point of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Highway, linking historic Laura Ingalls Wilder sites across the upper Midwest.

Pepin, Wisconsin is a small town scenically located on the Great Mississippi River.

In the days of the American pioneer, in the late 1800's, settlers would gather into an area to socialize and sell or trade with each other. In Pepin, there are a dedicated group of artisans who dress in costumes of the period to recreate the scene. Artisans demonstrate their crafts to visitors, who enjoy the opportunity to learn about traditional crafts. . The artisans demonstrate crafts including: willow basket making, wood turning, wood carving, food making, open hearth cooking, tin-smithing, blacksmithing, hand-spinning, quilt- making and more. Musicians may spontaneously set up and play folk music in this section. Most of the artisan's have a selection of high-quality, hand crafted items for sale.