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Iconic “Little House on the Prairie” Cabin Is Getting a Whole New Look
Big changes are underway for the “Little House on the Prairie” cabin.
Big changes are coming for the “Little House on the Prairie.” The deteriorating log cabin at the famous Kansas site is set for a makeover. And it’s about time!
The current log cabin was re-created and built in 1977, around the time of peak popularity for the television series based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books about on her childhood. Wilder had spent a year with her family at the original site, way back in 1869.
Bill Kurtis and Jean Schodorf, the siblings who own the cabin, say that the latest site has been worn down due to four decades of Kansas weather (which anyone who’s been to Kansas can totally believe). So they want to rebuild it, and also add a barn to the scene.
“We will be using any of the materials that are salvageable for the new cabin,” Schodorf said. “But really, that may be just the windows, floor and maybe the fireplace chimney.”
Schodorf’s mom had inherited the site from her relatives, who discovered it was the site of the famous house in 1968. Now, it attracts more than 20,000 visitors each year. But sadly, these adoring fans haven’t been able to actually go inside for some time due to safety hazards.
And Schodorf wants to change that.
“We get people coming here just to see the site because their child has read the book,” Schodorf said. “We want them to experience the prairie.”
And that’s just what they plan to do. So far, $30,000 has been raised to rebuild the cabin, but they still need $20,000 more to do the makeover they feel it deserves.
“Now we are hoping to get craftsmen who are knowledgeable on building cabins,” Schodorf said. “After that, we are hoping we will have volunteers who are knowledgeable of Kansas history and have strong backs to lift logs (to) … help us build the cabin walls.”
It’s scheduled for reconstruction in October and November. And you better believe we can’t wait to see the final product!
