Top Five Favorite Episodes from Little House on the Prairie - Season 8

Welcome to Season 8 favorites! I am sharing my top five favorite episodes from the eighth season of Little House on the Prairie today. 

"Dark Sage"

When a stretched-too-thin Doctor Baker hires Dr. Caleb Ledoux to join his practice, he and the residents of Walnut Grove are surprised upon his arrival that the Ledoux family is Black. 

Why I like it: Little House on the Prairie didn't shy away from tough topics of its day. Here, the residents of Walnut Grove, and specifically Doctor Baker, are forced to admit to their prejudices and learn from the dangers of them. [Though Dr. Ledoux is mentioned once again during the series' run, the Ledoux family is never seen again.]

"Chicago"

Upon learning that Isaiah's son John Jr. has been killed, Charles joins him in Chicago. What at first seemed like a tragic accident, with help from the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Callahan, they discover Isaiah's son had been working on a corruption story that led to his murder. 

Why I like it: While it takes place outside of Walnut Grove and features mainly new characters, this is a well-plotted murder mystery story. It's great to see Charles and Isaiah together again, and I loved the characters of Callaghan and B.J. 

"A Christmas They Never Forgot"

While celebrating Christmas with the Ingalls family, the Wilders, the Kendalls, and Hester Sue become snowbound by a blizzard. To pass the time, they share memories of Christmases past. 

Why I like it: Keeping in mind that one must suspend belief that everyone would be thrilled over having snowfall that reached up to the top window of the little house, or how possible that would even be, Landon outdid himself with this episode. The music, the return of Mary and Adam, the vignettes from Laura, Caroline, Almanzo, and Hester Sue, and more make this one of the most memorable Christmas episodes of the series. This one and "A Christmas on Plum Creek" from Season 1 are my favorites. 

"Stone Soup"

With Charles and Almanzo away, a pregnant Laura tries to keep the Wilders' new apple orchard growing despite a heat wave.

Why I like it: A grown-up Willie teaching class and rushing off to get Doc Baker when Laura collapses strikes a chord with me. This might be the first episode where they focus on Willie as a young man instead of as a boy. It's nice to see Caroline back in the classroom teaching. 

"Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow"

Almanzo's recovery from diphtheria is hampered by a stroke that paralyses him. The arrival of Eliza Jane delays Almanzo's progress, which causes a rift between Beth and Manly and Laura and her sister-in-law. After the birth of Rose, Eliza Jane's plans deepen the divide, but when it seems darkest, Almanzo faces some hard truths that lead to a remarkable change. 

Why I like it: This is classic Little House on the Prairie drama. With this two-part episode, Landon threw so much of what happened to the Wilders in real life at Beth and Manly and condensed it into a shortened period of time, which pushed these characters to their limits. Adding Eliza Jane to the mix added more tension. One of my favorite scenes is the exchange between Beth and Manly as he walks to her from the frame of their new house. 

Need Your Feedback: Which Character Should I Profile Next?

Character profiles tend to be popular at Laura's Little houses. So far I have profiled:

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Mary Ingalls Kendall

Almanzo James Wilder

Caroline Ingalls

Nels Oleson

Help me decide who to profile next.

Charles Ingalls

Harriet Oleson

Reverend Alden

Doc Baker

Eliza Jane Wilder

Nellie Oleson Dalton

Leave a comment on this post to let me know. Thanks for your feedback!

Little House on the Prairie - Historical or Fictional Characters

Every once in a while, a question will come up about characters on television's Little House on the Prairie. Since the show was based upon Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, some not familiar with Wilder's real life aren't sure which characters are historical figures and which were created solely for the show. Here's a good place to start.

The Ingalls family included: Caroline, Charles and their children Mary, Laura, Caroline Celestia (Carrie), Charles Frederick (Baby Freddie), and Grace. Popular characters though they were, the Ingallses never adopted an orphan boy named Albert or the Cooper children.

Mary Ingalls went blind as a teenager. Her hopes of being a teacher were quickly dashed. While she went away to a college for the blind and learned many things, she never married. She remained single, living with her parents until their deaths (Charles in 1902 and Caroline in 1924), and then with Grace and her husband in the Ingalls family home in De Smet. She died in 1928, while visiting her sister Carrie. That means Adam Kendall was a made for TV husband.

Reverend Edwin Hyde Alden was minister of the Congregational Church in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Known as Robert, the real life minister who started the church in Walnut Grove, was a home missionary with a wife and daughter back east. He rode the train west and preached in New Ulm, Sleepy Eye, Barnston, Walnut Grove, Saratoga and Marshall. He would preach in schoolhouses, private homes, and railroad depots. He was known to have built small chapels and churches in pioneer communities.

When the Ingalls family stayed in the Surveyor's House in De Smet, Reverend Alden visited them. He had left Minnesota and entered the missionary field in Dakota. The community wasn't yet know as De Smet, but Reverend Alden held the first church service ever in the Surveyor's House. He would stop by De Smet during his journeys, holding services in an unfinished depot until the new minister was appointed, Reverend Edward Brown.

Dabbs Greer played Reverend Alden on Little House on the Prairie. He traveled to other communities, just like his real life counterpart. He was single in the show, however, until Season 6, when he married widow Anna Craig.

Kevin Hagen played kindly Doctor Baker on the show. He is not based on any real life character that I know of. When the Ingalls family lived in Kansas, a black homeopathic doctor named George Tann treated them for malaria.

In the television show, Doc Baker took care of everyone's aches and pains. He delivered babies and acted as the town's veterinarian. In Season 8, Doc Baker decides he needs some help, so he hires African-American doctor Caleb Ledoux, who moves to town with his wife, Maddie. Racist sentiments in town almost drive them away, but they agree to stay in Walnut Grove, though we never see them again.

After the pilot episode, the Ingalls family leaves Kansas and journeys to Walnut Grove, Minnesota. The real life Ingalls family only stayed in Walnut Grove a couple of years (1874 - 1876) before crop failures forced them to leave, and returned for another two years (1877 - 1879), living in town before moving to their final home in De Smet, South Dakota. The majority of the show, however, took place in Walnut Grove.

When the TV Ingalls family (and the real life Ingallses) stop at Plum Creek, they purchase a dugout house on the banks of the creek from Mr. Hanson. He was a Norwegian settler who itched to go west, On television, he was one of the founders of Walnut Grove and remained there until his death.

Mr. Edwards was a neighbor of the Ingalls family when they lived in Kansas. A bachelor, originally from Tennessee, he lived across the creek. Identifying who he was and what his occupation was is difficult. In Donald Zochert's book Laura, he says he might have been J.H. Edwards, who ran Ed's Saloon and dealt in "liquor and cigars" at Fort Scott, but Zochert says that would make him too far away to be the man Wilder mentions in her books.

In the show, the character of Mr. Edwards is first introduced in the pilot, helping the Ingalls family and befriending Laura. They have a teary-eyed parting when the Ingalls family is forced to leave Kansas, but Charles runs into Mr. Edwards in Mankato and brings him back to Walnut Grove. This time, he has a backstory: his wife and daughter died, and he believes it was his fault for moving them so far away from medical help. This caused him to turn to alcohol in order to cope with the loss. 

Nellie Oleson, while featured in the books and on the television series, was a totally fictional character made up by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She is a composite of three of Wilder's classmates: Nellie Owens, Genevieve Masters, and Stella Gilbert. Nellie Owens had a brother named Willie, and her parents (William and Margaret) ran a mercantile in Walnut Grove. Sound familiar TV lovers?

I hope you have enjoyed this discussion. Comments are always welcome.