Kansas

The Prairie Landscape and the Journey's End

After travelling across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Missouri, the Ingalls family enters Kansas, an endless flat land covered with tall grass. Day after day they see nothing but grass and a big sky, with nothing new to do and nothing new to look at. This is the country Pa had described in the long winter evenings back in Wisconsin, where the land is flat and the grass grows thick and high, where animals run freely and there are no settlers, only Indians. The family's arrival marks the end of their long journey from their little house in Wisconsin, which they left lonely and empty among the big trees, never to see again. They have come to Indian country, drawn by Pa's belief that the West offers a life where wild animals live without fear.

Building the Little House and Settling In

On this Kansas prairie, Pa builds the little house, a structure with thick walls that makes the family feel warm and safe. He puts a quilt over the door hole, and as Laura falls asleep on their first night inside, she hears a wolf's cry from somewhere far away on the prairie but does not feel so frightened. Pa promises that before winter comes he will make a wood floor and a solid roof, but that must wait until he finishes helping Mr Edwards and building a stable. He declares to Ma, "We're going to do well here, Caroline. We'll be happy here for the rest of our lives." Laura likes this place, too, liking the great big sky, the winds, and the wide land, everything so clean and big and wonderful. The house becomes a haven against the wild outside, a place where the family feels secure despite the dangers that surround them.

Encounters with Wolves and Wild Animals

The Kansas prairie is home to wolves, which become a recurring threat to the family. On their first night camping on the prairie, Laura hears a long, frightening cry from the dark prairie, and Pa identifies it as wolves, wishing Jack was still with them. Laura feels like crying but knows she must be strong, and she spots two green lights shining deep in the dark, the eyes of a wolf. Later, Pa rides Patty across the prairie and encounters a pack of wolves that walk along with him, jumping and playing with each other just like dogs. He explains that wolves will chase and hurt a running horse, so he pulled the reins hard and made Patty walk, even though she was trembling all over and he was scared the whole way home. He thought the wolves might come to the house, knowing Ma could keep them out with the gun, but Pet and her colt were outside. The wolves' presence is a constant reminder of the wildness of the land, a force that the family must respect and guard against.

The Cattle Drive and Cowboys

One night, Laura lies awake and listens to the sounds of the cattle on the prairie and the high, lonely songs of the cowboys, which sound like the crying of wolves under the moon and make her feel sad. The next day, cattle come running out of the dusty grass not far from the stable, their feet beating the ground. A cowboy on a black-and-white horse rides faster to get in front of them, waving his big hat and shouting at the cattle as he moves them along, and they all go over a low hill and disappear. Laura runs around outside, waving her hat and shouting wildly, until Ma stops her, saying that a young lady shouldn't shout like that. The cattle drive is a brief but vivid glimpse of another kind of life on the prairie, one that Laura is drawn to but is forbidden from imitating.

Encounters with Indians and the Threat of Removal

The Kansas prairie is also home to Indians, who are a source of fear and fascination for the family. Laura and Mary first see two tall, thin, fierce-looking men with reddish-brown skin, black and shining eyes, and feathers on their heads, walking right into the house. Laura suddenly feels cold and her legs tremble, while Jack growls angrily. The Indians are a constant presence, and Pa explains that when white settlers arrive in a place, the Indians have to move away from there, because the government makes them. He tells Laura that lots of white people are going to come and live here, and that the family came first to choose the best land. The threat of Indian removal hangs over the family, as they know the government could force them to leave as well.

The Family's Departure and the Enduring Prairie

In the end, the family is forced to leave their little house on the prairie. Pa climbs to his place beside Ma and takes the reins in his hands, Jack goes under the wagon, and Pet and Patty walk away from the little house. As far as they can see, to the east and to the south and to the west, nothing is moving, only the green grass waving in the wind. Pa says, "It's a great country, Caroline. But there will be wild Indians and wolves here for many years." Pa and Ma are still and silent, and Mary and Laura are quiet, too, but Laura feels all excited inside. The Kansas prairie remains a place of both promise and danger, a land that the family must leave behind but that will always be part of their story.