Prairie House Manor Bed and Breakfast

03/18/2026

Another Interesting Building!

Most people pass this home and barely give it a thought. However, it was built in 1896 by James Cooley and later sold it to Albert Cornwell and his wife Lovenia. Sound familiar? No? Lovenia is the sister of "Cap" Garland.

They resided here... but that's not all. Grace Ingalls Dow died in 1941, her husband Nathan went to the poor home north of town. He was now 81 and could not live on his own. His niece Caroline Aspenwall adored her uncle and could not bear him alone there. She decided to remodel the farmhouse of Nathan and Grace and while doing so she moved her uncle out of the poor farm. You guessed it.... they both moved in to this house somewhere around 1942-43 for a few months during the remodel. Nathan passed away in 1944.

In 2024 I received a call from the museum asking me to look at a picture of a house and wanted to know if I knew where it was in town. At first I didn't but it struck me that this is the home they are looking for. Why? Lovenia Garland Cornwell's great, great, granddaughter wanted to see the home. Listed in the first comment below is the picture she showed me of her grandmother being held by Lovenia on their front portch.

01/12/2026

Just taking a stroll today.

12/30/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/17ciCMYY3f/

11/30/2025

The Owen Shoe Shop is one of three original buildings left on Calumet Ave. Today it is unrecognizable from the front. The façade has been remodeled but from the alley; it's a different story. From the back you can clearly see the Owen home located to the south, and the shop shop which was added to the side.

As a reference to Laura, Sam Owens' son (Vidocq) was Lauras' teacher when she finished her schooling in De Smet.

As a reference to South Dakota history, Sam Owens' brother John was a lawyer, Judge, land surveyor,
district attorney, Judge Advocate-General of the South Dakota Militia, and a member of the convention that drafted the South Dakota State Constitution. He was an avid prohibitionist who managed to get a couple bars closed in De Smet. He probably would not be very popular today.
Interestingly though, he was a leading member of the constitutional committee supporting the foundation of two Dakota states instead of one; thereby giving congress more Republican representation.

11/30/2025

Amazing author.

Enjoy Cindy Wilson, author of We Suffered Much: Charles Wood Irish and the Dakota Territory Railroad Survey of 1879–1881. Drawn from letters, diaries, and co...

11/09/2025

Was he real? Dr. George Tann that is. Yes, he was and he played a very important part in Laura's books. Known as a doctor of eclectic medicine which combined botanical remedies with physical therapy to achieve wellness. He was reputedly particularly skilled in setting bones. He was the doctor who administered to the local tribes on their Osage Diminished Indian Reserve. He entered the pages of Laura Ingalls Wilder's memoir as Dr. Tan who treated the Ingalls family for malaria, as recorded in the book "Little House on the Prairie," and was apparently also the attending physician when Carrie Ingalls was born.

11/07/2025

Over lunch in early May, I was talking to Dedra Birzer, the director of the South Dakota Historical Society Press, about the article I had just completed on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The First Four Ye…

11/06/2025

Check out our latest edition of the LORE!!!https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/12743202-4f38-4d3c-b5dc-65f8b868bcb5/LORE-email-Fall-25-Newsletter.pdf

10/27/2025

We were fortunate enough to recently receive the book "Beginnings of De Smet". This publication is a collection of news articles compiled by the late Aubrey Sherwood. Please enjoy this article from October 27th, 1883.
"The Congregational Church at its meeting on Wednesday unanimously voted to retain the Rev. Edward Brown in the pastorate.
An effort is being made to secure a bell for the Congregational church. Rev. E. Brown proposes to give a course of geological lectures for that object."
Remember the bell and church Charles (Pa) had a hand in helping with! How fun to see this article and remember the influence the Ingalls family had with this.