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De Smet, South Dakota, Charles "Pa" Ingalls, grave and tombstone, photo

The grave and tombstone of Charles "Pa" Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder of the Little House on the Prairie book series.

The grave and tombstone of Charles "Pa" Ingalls, father of Laura Ingalls Wilder of the Little House on the Prairie book series. Charles was born as Charles Phillip Ingalls on January 10, 1836 in Cuba, New York. While living in Wisconsin, he met, courted and married Caroline Quiner on February 1, 1860. Ingalls was a man who liked to travel and disliked putting down long term roots in any one location. Some of the moves were necessitated due to drought and locust plagues which made farming near impossible. During the course of their 42 year marriage the family lived in the states of Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, and South Dakota. After a number of moves during a nearly twenty year period, the Ingalls family moved to De Smet, South Dakota in 1879 where Charles and Caroline Ingalls lived the remainder of their lives. During the course of their many moves, five children were born: Mary (1865, near Pepin, Wisconsin); Laura (1867, near Pepin, Wisconsin); Carrie (1870, near modern day Independence, Kansas); Charles (1875, Walnut Grove, Minnesota, died when 10 months old); and Grace (1877, Burr Oak, Iowa).

Charles Ingalls lived most of his life as a farmer. In later years, he served as Justice of the Peace, owned a retail store and worked as a carpenter, all in De Smet, South Dakota. On June 8, 1902 at the age of 66, Charles Ingalls died of heart disease and was buried in the De Smet Cemetery, De Smet, South Dakota. Other members of the family buried in this cemetery include his wife, Caroline, and daughters Mary (never married), Carrie (Swanzey) and Grace (Dow). An unnamed infant son of Laura and Almanzo Wilder is also buried here, next to Caroline, mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Charles "Pa" Ingalls was portrayed by Michael Landon in the Little House on the Prairie television series originally broadcast between 1974 and 1982.

De Smet is the county seat of Kingsbury County, South Dakota.

Numerous Laura Ingalls Wilder related photos including her birth place, the homes where she wrote the Little House book series, the graves of Laura Ingalls Wilder and Almanzo Wilder, Charles "Pa" Ingalls, Caroline "Ma" Ingalls, her sisters, and Rose Wilder Lane can be viewed here:
Laura Ingalls Wilder - Little House related photos

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