On the Banks of Plum Creek

On the Banks of Plum Creek is a children’s novel written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and released in 1937. It is part of the renowned Little House series, comprising nine books in total. The story draws heavily from Wilder’s own experiences during her childhood years when her family resided near Plum Creek in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s. The book details the family’s struggles to farm the land and adjust to their new surroundings, while also celebrating the resiliency of the pioneer spirit and the importance of family ties. The novel received recognition as a Newbery Honor book in 1938, solidifying its place among the esteemed literary works of that time. This accolade was followed by four subsequent Little House books that also received the Newbery Honor distinction, establishing Wilder as a celebrated author in the genre.

Plot Summary

On the Banks of Plum Creek follows the experiences of Laura Ingalls at age seven when her family resides near Plum Creek in Minnesota. In the opening chapter, the Ingalls family, which includes Laura’s parents, Charles and Caroline (referred to as Pa and Ma throughout), as well as her older sister Mary and younger sister Carrie, travel from Kansas, where they had formerly settled. When they arrive near Plum Creek, Pa trades his horses for the property and two oxen of the Hansons, who are headed West. Laura is surprised to discover that their house is a dugout, a home burrowed into the creek bank.

During their early days at Plum Creek, the Ingalls explore the new land that surrounds them. Laura marvels at the wild plum trees, willow trees shading the creek, the beauty of the creek itself, the prairie, and a nearby tableland. They also work hard to make improvements to their new property, including working the land and purchasing a milk cow. Their first summer is hot and dry, followed by a mild winter, which their neighbors call “grasshopper weather.” The Ingalls do not know what this means and continue to be hopeful that increasing the size of their wheat-field will result in a bountiful harvest and more financial stability.

In the winter, Pa purchases two horses to help with the labor and provide transportation for the family to travel into town. In the spring, Pa purchases the wood to build them a real house on credit, counting on his bountiful harvest to pay for it in the fall. The Ingalls marvel at the new house, which has multiple rooms and real glass windows. Pa also surprises Ma by purchasing her a new cookstove to prepare the family meals on and keep them warm throughout the winter.

During the spring and summer, the Ingalls become more social, traveling regularly into town. The girls begin to go to school for the first time, where Laura learns to read and makes friends with other girls. She is bullied by Nellie Oleson, whose father owns a store in town, and who is considerably wealthier than Laura and her family. After Nellie insults her family, Laura gets back at her by luring her into muddy water in Plum Creek, where she gets leeches. The Ingalls also begin to attend church regularly, led by the gentle visiting Reverend Alden.

However, in the autumn the Ingalls finally discover what their neighbors had meant by the phrase “grasshopper weather.” A plague of grasshoppers descends from the sky and begin eating every growing thing on the landscape, including the Ingalls’ wheat crop. While the Ingalls do their best to control the damage by lighting small fires and trying to drive the grasshoppers out with smoke, there are too many of them to contain. With no other alternative, Pa walks almost 300 miles east where the grasshoppers have not affected the crops, and finds work on another farm. To make matters worse, the grasshoppers lay eggs, effectively perpetuating the cycle of destruction and making it impossible for Pa to plant a crop the next spring. However, at the end of the next summer, the grasshoppers mysteriously leave all at once and fly west.

That autumn, Pa once more must leave to find work elsewhere. When he returns, a cold winter has begun to arrive. That winter, blizzard after blizzard sweeps the landscape, forcing the Ingalls to stay indoors to survive. One day in December, Pa goes into town and gets trapped in a blizzard on his way back. He is forced to take shelter in an embankment along Plum Creek. Ma keeps the girls busy with games and bravely performs Pa’s chores each day, guiding herself to and from the house amidst the blinding snow with a coil of rope. When Pa finally makes it home safely, the family is so thrilled to see him that they don’t mind the lack of material gifts that Christmas.