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50th Anniversary Home
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LIW Society marks 50th anniversary with many special events, contests
By John Prinzler, Editor
The De Smet News
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Fifty years ago the Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society operated on a shoestring.
The three founding members – Aubrey Sherwood, Alice Kirchmeier
and Vera McCaskell – held Society meetings at cafes and at city
hall in De Smet. The Society hadn’t yet acquired the local
buildings Ingalls Wilder mentioned in some of her books that take place
in De Smet.
“The Society’s first idea was to mark sites in the De Smet
area that Laura mentioned in her books,” said Cheryl Palmlund,
the Society’s executive director. “Over time, the
Society’s efforts grew into acquiring the Surveyors’ House,
the Ingalls home, a replica of the Brewster School and the Sigurd
Anderson Schoolhouse.”
The Society now has a modern complex off Olivet Avenue equipped with
offices, a conference room, archive space and a gift shop. It is
overseen by a nine-member board of directors and more than 900 members
worldwide receive the Laura Ingalls Wilder Lore newsletter twice each
year.
The first school in De Smet, where Laura and her sister Carrie attended
classes, will be moved from its Third Street location to the Society
grounds by April 30. Restoration will start after the building is
moved to the Society grounds.
“A lot has taken place within the Society since it was founded in
1957,” said Palmlund. “We’ve planned a lot of
activities in 2007 to celebrate those achievements. We want to
thank De Smet residents for their 50 years of support to the
Society.”
Fourth- and fifth-graders throughout South Dakota have been invited to
take part in an essay contest. South Dakota third-graders have
been invited to enter a poster contest.
De Smet middle and high school students have also been encouraged to submit writing entries.
In February, in honor of the month in which Ingalls Wilder was born 140
years ago, Society staff will visit Laura Ingalls Wilder Elementary
School in De Smet and Immaculate Conception School in Watertown to
teach students about Ingalls Wilder’s life. Students will
also spin wool, make butter and learn Braille because her older sister
Mary was blind.
A Family Fun Night will be in May on the Society grounds. A new
exhibit featuring the upstairs loft in the Surveyors’ House where
Laura, Mary and Carrie slept will open in June. Also in June the
restored kitchen at the Ingalls home will open to visitor.
Present and past Society board members, tour guides and volunteers will
be invited to an honorary coffee in June. A “country
covered wagon” meal will be served to Society visitors in
July. Restoration of De Smet’s first school will also start
in July on the Society’s grounds.
Displays of
the Society’s history can be seen at Peoples State Bank, Wells
Fargo Banks and the Hazel L. Meyer Memorial Library.
The Society encourages people to join the Laura E-Club by logging on to
www.discoverlaura.org. Each month members will receive a quote by
Laura Ingalls Wilder, a learning article, information about an artifact
and a kids’ fu activity.
Fun facts about De Smet’s past will be published every other week
in the De Smet News. Information for the fun facts comes from De
Smet newspapers published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
“Fifty years is a great milestone for the Society,” said
Palmlund. “We want to get the word out about what’s
happening at the Society this year to all those who have read and loved
the ‘Little House’ books by Laura Ingalls wilder. We
want to make their visit to De Smet a family, fun-filled experience.
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