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Charles Ingalls
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Phillip Ingalls (January 10, 1836, Cuba, New York - June 8, 1902, De Smet, South Dakota) was the father of Laura Ingalls Wilder, known for her Little House on the Prairie series of books. He was the second of nine children of Landsford and Laura Colby Ingalls. Ingalls is better known as "Pa" from the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
In the 1840s, the family of young Charles Ingalls moved from New York to the tallgrass prairie of Campton Township, just west of Elgin, Illinois.
On February 1, 1860 he married Caroline Quiner and they had five children, Mary, Laura, Carrie, Freddy and Grace. Freddy died as an infant.
Charles Ingalls had for his entire life a strong case of "wanderlust". He is quoted by Laura in her "Little House" series of books as saying: "My wandering foot gets to itching". He loved traveling and didn't like living among big crowds of people, so together with his family in the early years of his marriage, he traveled a great deal and often changed homes. From their original married home in the woods of Wisconsin, he moved his family first to Indian Territory in southeastern Kansas, then back to Wisconsin, then to southern Minnesota, then for a year to Burr Oak, Iowa, then back to Minnesota. Presented with a job opportunity in Dakota Territory, he longed to move yet again, as the family was struggling in Minnesota. Caroline Ingalls agreed, but extracted a promise from Charles that this would be their last move. She was not only tired of moving from place to place herself, she feared her children would never get a proper education unless the family put down roots somewhere. Charles agreed, and the family settled down for good in De Smet, South Dakota. He stayed with farming in De Smet for several years, but after he had "proved up" on his claim, he sold the farm and built a home on Third Street in De Smet, where he lived out the rest of his days. He died on June 8, 1902 of heart trouble at the age of 66. He was buried at De Smet Cemetery.
Ingalls was portrayed in the television adaptation of Little House on the Prairie by actor Michael Landon, in Beyond the Prairie movies by Richard Thomas, and in the newest miniseries by Cameron Bancroft.