Wisconsin Vacation and Travel Ideas for Literary Tours
Hamlin Garland Homestead
357 West Garland Street
Salem, WI 54669
Website: http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/arc/findingaids/garland/homestead.html
Email: archives@usc.edu
Phone: (608) 786-1675
Hamlin Garland (1860 - 1940) was born and raised in the Midwest, and although he moved to Boston in 1884, many of his best-known fiction works chronicle the lives of hard-working Midwestern farmers. A prolific writer, Garland produced a number of well-received novels and short stories, including Main-Traveled Roads (1891). In 1917 he published his highly-acclaimed autobiography, A Son of the Middle Border. The book's success inspired him to write a sequel A Daughter of the Middle Border, which earned Garland the Pulitzer Prize for Biography in 1922.
The Hamlin Garland Homestead was owned by Garland for many years. Garland purchased the home in 1893 as a retirement home for his parents, and he spent many summers here. His first child was born in the house, and he did much of his writing here.
The house was originally built in 1859, but was extensively renovated and expanded, particularly during Garland's ownership. The home was the first in the area to install indoor plumbing. Garland entertained many literary guests at the house, and also added a formal dining room. The house has been restored to its pre-1915 appearance, and features a number of mementos donated by Garland's daughters.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder Cabin and Museum
N 3238 County Road CC
Pepin, WI 54759
Website: http://www.pepinwisconsin.com/cgi-bin/viewnlcontent.cgi?nlarticle_id=2
Email: - none listed
Phone: (800) 442-3011
Between 1932 and 1943, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote and published a series of books based on her childhood, which became popularly known as the Little House Books. Six of the books received the Newbery Honor. Three additional books were published after her death at the age of 90 in 1957. The popularity of Wilder's books has continued to grow over the years, and inspired a long-running television series starring Michael Landon.
The Ingalls family moved frequently throughout Laura's childhood, settling by turns in South Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Wilder was born in, Wisconsin, where she is remembered with a reconstructed cabin located seven miles north of Pepin that offers a glimpse into prairie life in the 19th century. The cabin includes displays about Laura and her family, and a water pump for visitors to use. Laura's early years in this cabin inspired Little House in the Big Woods.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, which is in Pepin itself, features displays, memorabilia, and antiques relating to Laura and the period she lived in. An annual Laura Ingalls Wilder Days festival features spinning, quilting, blacksmithing and woodworking demonstrations, as well as pioneer games and a fiddle contest.
Other notable sites dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books include:
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society in De Smet, South Dakota. For more information, see , visit: http://www.liwms.com/, or call: (800) 880-3383.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa. For more information, see , visit: http://www.lauraingallswilder.us, or call: (563) 735-5916.
Little House on the Prairie, 13 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas. For more information, see , visit: http://www.littlehouseontheprarie.com or http://www.indkschamber.org/things_to_do_in_independence.htm, or call: (620) 289-4238.
Walnut Grove, Minnesota, setting of the popular television series, Little House on the Prairie. For more information see , visit: http://www.walnutgrove.org/, or call: (800) 528-7280.
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum in Mansfield, Missouri. For more information, see , visit: http://lauraingallswilderhome.com, or call: (417) 924-3626.
The Wilder Farmhouse in Malone, New York. For more information, see , visit: http://webpages.marshall.edu/~irby1/laura/malone.html, or call: (518) 483-1207.
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Museum at the Portage
804 MacFarlane
Portage, WI
Website: http://www.portagewi.com/v_areattr.asp#pcfa
Email: pacc@portagewi.com
Phone: (608) 742-6700
Zona Gale (1874 0 1938) began her writing career as a journalist, but early on turned to fiction writing. Her first novel, Romance Island, was published in 1906, and was followed by a popular series known as the "Friendship Village" stories. Her play based on her novel Miss Lulu Bett, depicting life in the Midwest, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921.
Gale was born and lived for much of her life in Portage, Wisconsin. The Museum at the Portage occupies the home Gale shared with her husband, and features her study, which is preserved to look as it did when Gale and her husband lived here. The museum also has exhibits pertaining to regional history and culture. The nearby Portage Center for the Arts features the Zona Gale Young People's Theater, which offers children's productions seasonally. Each summer Gale is remembered with The Friendship Village Festival, featuring poetry readings, and ice cream & pie social, and a graveside eulogy for the author.
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Sam Campbell Memorial Trail
Nicolet National Forest
(about 10 miles from Three Lakes)
Three Lakes, WI
Website: http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/cnnf/rec/trailsntours/nic_10.html
Sam Campbell was a writer, photographer, radio personality, and naturalist who was nicknamed "The Philosopher of the Forest." He traveled extensively and accompanied his popular lectures about nature with silent film footage he had taken on his journeys. His most popular writings were light-hearted stories about animals, which were inspired by his porcupine friend Inky.
Campbell maintained a summer home in the Three Lakes, Wisconsin, area, and a 1.75 mile trail here has been named for him. The trail is bordered by wildflowers, pines, and hardwoods, and leads to Wgimind Point and Vanishing Lake, which are featured in many of Campbell's writings.
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