Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Little House on the Prairie

I liked some of the episodes with hunting in them. Why did Charles tote a muzzle loader on the show? I don't think I ever saw an episode with him toting a lever action.

I didn't watch until it got to re-runs. Which is true of most shows that I tend to watch. But I've probably seen every episode by now. Like the show a lot.

Yes. When I was in fifth grade our teacher read to the class, 30 minutes a day, Little House on the Prairie. Laura had a great description of how her dad melted lead over the fire in the cabin and made bullets, and how he loaded and fired his muzzleloader.
I never had fired a gun but was fascinated by muzzleloaders. I wrote down every detail because I knew I would get a muzzleloader some day.

Thank you Laura Ingalls Wilder

He is playing a prank on you.

sakoluvr[/quote]
I liked some of the episodes with hunting in them. Why did Charles tote a muzzle loader on the show? I don't think I ever saw an episode with him toting a lever action.[/quote]

The movie Sergeant York is set in the Tennessee mountains starting in 1914. Fascinating to me because I live 100 miles away in the North Carolina mountains. In that movie, which I believe to be historically accurate, they show all the hillbillies shooting muzzleloader Tennessee Long Rifles.

Winchesters had been around for 40 years. Mausers were used to good effect against American troops in 1898 in Cuba, but in the back woods the boys still shot muzzleloaders.

it seems to me that I saw Winchester 94s being used on Little House.

Nellie was Hawt!!! When she got older.

Maybe so, but I never saw Charles with one.

I remember a hunting episode where a kid didn't want to hunt or something but anyway Mr Edwards gets attacked by a bear.

Yup, that was his son. Mr Edwards bought him the rifle for his birthday.

Saw that one recently. Edwards was recently married and was trying to get his two step sons to warm up to him. The younger one was enthusiastic but the older one was a snowflake who was only interested in books. He hated guns and hunting. He finally agreed to go camping/hunting and stood there watching while Edwards got mauled. Edwards was carrying a rabbit eared shotgun.

Another episode Edwards was going out of town to buy a brand new Winchester 1873 for like $15.

Thats cool LW.

I recall French being in Gunsmoke.
I think he played a badass Too!

I do know Landon was one of those actors who didn't take kindly to former pro athletes joining their ranks. Merlin Olson described him as such.

Yes, Victor French was in several Gunsmoke episodes, but not in any of mine.

L.W.

I read these books to my children at bedtime. I believe all Americans who trace their roots back to the settlers should do so.

The last book in this series is less of a children's book, or perhaps it is intended for teens about to enter young adulthood who need to understand the harsher realities of life. The First 4 Years tells the story of the early years of Laura's marriage to Almanzo and their life homesteading a farm. Those who read the children's books know Almanzo risked his life to save the seed wheat for his homestead. Their first harvest was almost ready when a hail storm destroyed the crop. Afterward Almanzo gathered the hailstones and told Laura, "Now we must make ice cream." I know many farmers who can't read those words to their children without tears in their eyes. They've all been there. They know what it means to lose a crop.

My wife thinks Victor France should have Pa Ingalls.

For all the moves they made, Pa never dug an outhouse.

You’re a perv.

That happened in real life, too, twice. The 1st time was when Laura's baby brother died. Years later Laura and Almanzo lost a son, too. It was all too common back then.

He did. It was an episode when they were keeping 2 boys, some kind of relatives if I remember right, who were always pulling practical jokes. One night Pa went to the outhouse in the dark and sat down on a rat trap.

I can relate, as my great great grandfather David Lewis homesteaded in Mina South Dakota in 1881. He got a quarter section, as did his son James Harry Lewis.
I went out there to see the old homestead in 2001, all that was left was the well. Sixty feet deep and six feet wide, and brick lined.

My dad said that when he was a kid that well was the refrigerator. They would lower down a bucket with butter or cream and it would keep for a while in the cool well water. When my dad was six years old he hauled many buckets of water out of that well.

I can imagine David Lewis and James Harry digging that well by hand.