Burr Oak, Iowa: Nestled along the banks of the Silver Creek in the far Northeast corner of Iowa you will find the village of Burr Oak, which was named for its ample number of bur oak trees. Founded in 1851 this village was the major crossroads of the area, with over 200 covered wagons passing through daily on the way to the South and West. In 1880, a couple of years after the Ingalls family left Burr Oak, the population was 199.


Ingalls Family Travels: The Ingalls family was living and farming along the banks of Plum Creek during the years the grasshopper plagues hit. This put them in a poor financial situation. In 1875 they experienced the worst grasshopper plagues ever. It was during this time the Ingalls family decided they needed to move. Some friends from church, the Steadmans, had just purchased a hotel in Burr Oak, Iowa and they invited the Ingalls family to help them manage the hotel. With no other options, they decided to give it a try. In the fall of 1876 when Laura was nine years old, the family arrived in town to help manage the hotel owned by their friend William Steadman. Ma, Mary and Laura were kept busy with the daily chores involved in running the hotel. It was in a small house, not far from the hotel, that Caroline Ingalls gave birth to her fourth daughter, Grace. After a one-year stay in Burr Oak, Charles Ingalls once again set his sights to the West and moved his family back to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.


The Masters Hotel: During the early 1900's, the hotel was used as a private residence and was transferred from owner to owner for many years. In 1973, after it was discovered that the Ingalls family had lived there, private citizens purchased the building for $1500. Renovations began and three years later, in July 1976, ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held to officially open it as a museum. The Hotel Building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born February 7, 1867, in a little log cabin house in the Big Woods near Pepin, Wisconsin. She was the second daughter born to Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Laura and her family moved several times throughout her childhood, which provided her with information and adventure for her books. She had her first book published when she was 65 years old. Laura and Almanzo Wilder lived on Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri until their deaths. Almanzo died in 1949 at the age of 92. Laura died three days after her 90th birthday in 1957. They are buried in Mansfield, Missouri along with their daughter, Rose Wilder Lane.