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Is Wisconsin part of the new Netflix ‘Little House on the Prairie’?
Jim HigginsMilwaukee Journal Sentinel
July 16, 2026, 5:04 a.m. CT
Wisconsin does appear in Netflix’s new adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie.” But it’s the briefest of cameos
Netflix released the eight-episode season of its new “Little House” series on July 9. The streaming service has already renewed the show for a second season. Produced by CBS Studios and Anonymous Content, this new “Little House” has been described as a reboot or reimagining of the earlier TV series (1974-1983), but one that moves at the gentler pace of the books it’s based on
The “Little House” novels of Wilder (1867-1957), based on the author’s childhood and young adulthood, are enduringly popular children’s fiction. They’re also not without controversy in their portrayals of Indigenous people, as the people behind the new Netflix series acknowledge
Here are things you need to know about the new “Little House” and Laura Ingalls Wilder, with special attention to the Wisconsin elements of this story
What is season one of the new ‘Little House on the Prairie’ about?
Based on the third novel in the series, itself called “Little House on the Prairie,” season one is about the journey to and life on the prairie in Kansas, where the Ingalls family homesteads in Osage territory
Why did the Ingalls family leave Wisconsin’s ‘Big Woods’ in Netflix’s ‘Little House on the Prairie’?
Near the beginning of episode one, “Independence,” with Laura (Alice Halsey) narrating in voiceover, the Ingalls family and their dog, Jack, are shown for a few seconds leaving a snowy, wooded Wisconsin because Pa thought it was getting too crowded. There are no other humans in the scene!
This is consistent with the novel “Little House on the Prairie,” where Laura reports Pa saying there were too many people in the Big Woods (Wisconsin). “Wild animals would not stay in a country where there were so many people. Pa did not like to stay, either. He liked a country where the wild animals lived without being afraid,” Wilder writes in the fictional voice of Laura
If you read any of the biographies of Laura Ingalls Wilder, you’ll see the real Charles Ingalls, her Pa, described as a restless person always looking for a better opportunity
How does the new adaptation of ‘Little House on the Prairie’ differ from the earlier TV series?
The new series’ Osage cultural consultant, Julie O’Keefe, said the creative team has talked with people from the Osage nation about telling both sides of the story. Rather delicately, series Executive Producer Rebecca Sonnenshine described the original books’ view of the Osage as“outside looking in.” The creators of the new series have introduced the character of William Mitchell (Meegwun Fairbrother), a mixed-blood Osage man, and his family for the new series. Sonnenshine said she “wanted a family who mirrored the Ingalls — a married couple with a daughter and a really wonderful romantic relationship, but who also have disagreements, just like Caroline and Charles (Ingalls).”
Where was Laura Ingalls Wilder born?
While several states can claim Wilder as a resident, Wisconsin had her first. Laura Ingalls was born on Feb. 6, 1867, seven miles north of Pepin
She actually lived in Wisconsin twice: first, from her birth in 1867 until 1869, when her family moved on to the Osage Indian Reserve in Kansas, where they lived about a year – illegally, it would turn out. The Ingalls family returned to Wisconsin in 1871, in part because the man who bought their former Wisconsin property couldn’t pay for it. In early 1874, the Ingalls family left the state for good, crossing frozen Lake Pepin into Minnesota on their way to the prairie
Laura’s mother, Caroline Quiner Ingalls, was the first known White settler born in the Town of Brookfield, in 1839, when Wisconsin was still a territory. A historical marker noting that distinction can be seen at the intersection of Brookfield and West Davidson roads
Is there a Laura Ingalls Wilder site to visit in Wisconsin?
The modest Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum, 306 Third St., Pepin, features several rooms with displays of books, images, clothing, tools and artifacts related to the author, or inspired by her, or representative of her time. The museum is open from May through October; call (715) 513-9115 or visit lauraingallspepin.com for more information
The Little House Wayside on County Highway CC, about seven miles northwest of Pepin, is a replica log cabin on the spot where Charles and Caroline Ingalls built their own modest home. Open year-round, it’s a good photo stop. Walking into the small cabin helps a reader of “Little House in the Big Woods” understand how cozy the Ingalls family environment was. The cabin entrance is not wheelchair accessible
Which Laura Ingalls Wilder books take place in Wisconsin?
Only the first “Little House” novel, “Little House in the Big Woods,” takes place in Wisconsin. “Big Woods” does not have the dramatic incidents of the later books, such as the plague of grasshoppers in “On the Banks of Plum Creek” or the months of blizzards in “The Long Winter.” But it establishes the pattern for the novels that wouldfollow about a close-knit family working hard to survive and supporting one another through life’s difficulties
Wilder adapted “Big Woods” as a book for children from the autobiography for adults she was writing. In 2014 the South Dakota Historical Society published thatch became a surprise bestseller. Readers can trace how Wilder used or transformed her real experiences in writing “Big Woods” and the other “Little House” novels
