De Smet: In the Footsteps of Laura Ingalls Wilder

De Smet is closely connected with the stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Local connections range from a summer outdoor pageant and a significant collection to historic buildings, events, and outdoor recreation. The reason for your trip may determine where to stay: a specific date raises different planning questions than an interest in literature, local history, or nature. If you’re looking for a hotel in De Smet, you can first consider which of these themes you’d like to shape your stay.

Laura Ingalls Wilder and Local History

Since 1971, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Pageant has welcomed visitors every summer to experience stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder on an outdoor stage. The production connects the town’s literary heritage with a theatrical performance. Dates and schedules vary from year to year. If you want the Pageant to determine your travel dates, check the current performance dates before planning your trip.

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society preserves and displays the largest collection of Ingalls family artifacts and memorabilia, with more than 2,000 items. At the same society’s Discovery Center, visitors can take part in pioneer activities, dress as pioneers, and learn to sew on a treadle sewing machine. The collection puts preserved objects at the center; at the Discovery Center, hands-on activities take the lead. These offer two distinct yet related ways to explore pioneer history and family memories.

De Smet’s Main Street is also connected to Wilder: Calumet Avenue is known locally as Main Street. There, the Loftus Store is the only surviving building on Main Street that Laura Ingalls Wilder featured in her “Little House” book series. The Harvey Dunn Schoolhouse offers a different perspective on local history: the schoolhouse was moved to De Smet and restored more than 20 years ago. Together, these sites bring literary connections alongside the story of a building that was relocated and restored.

Events and When to Visit

Since 2015, the De Smet Arts Council has held an annual concert series with five concerts. From April through September, one concert takes place each month on a Sunday afternoon in the Midstate Theater at the De Smet Event & Wellness Center. An event at this center also features a public exhibition and sale of artworks on a Sunday morning. Old Settler’s Day takes place every year on the second weekend in June.

These dates offer different planning reference points: Old Settler’s Day is tied to a specific weekend in June, while the concert series runs over several months. The Pageant takes place every summer, but its performance dates and schedules vary from year to year. If an event is the deciding factor for your trip, plan around its respective calendar.

Outdoor Recreation

Rose Vincent Memorial Park is in northern De Smet and has playground equipment. Nearby, Lake Thompson offers opportunities for fishing and birdwatching. These activities offer different ways to enjoy the outdoors: playground equipment in the park on one hand, and fishing and birdwatching at the lake on the other. Which of these options interests you depends on what you’d like to do.

Recurring events offer different date ranges; the Pageant’s dates and schedules vary each year. This distinction can help you first decide on the focus you want and then choose the right travel dates for your stay in De Smet.

Discover more destinations: Oldham.

See the wider travel overview: Kingsbury County.