More famous as the home of the Laurel Ingals Family                    updated 05/09/2012

Two Families at Walnut Grove, Redwood Co., MN

Lloyd Lionel Pack and Grace Eldora Wessling arrived in 1914 to North Hero Township. 2 miles east of Walnut on Highway 14 and 2 miles north. Farm is still in the Pack family, Warren Pack's farm is in the same section only on the south side.

Double Click to see picture.

Oliver Miles DeCourcy and Katherine Emma Ellis arrived in 1914 to Lamberton area and stayed until after the Lamberton bank went Bankrupt and moved to Revere, MN then to south of Walnut in about 1935.

Oliver Miles DeCourcy & Catherine Emma Ellis family

Christopherson Farm, Walnut Grove, MN about 1935.

Some Genbits

Working at a Perkins restaurant in the 1970's eating my lunch in the employees lounge, two other employees came in arguing that there was no such place as Walnut Grove, MN.  It did not exist in Minnesota. One person says yes there is and the other very strongly said no it was a made up town on the TV show "Little House on the Prairie."  I listened for a while and finally said to both of them. "I would not be sitting here today, if there was no Walnut Grove, MN."  The look of shock on the young fellows face was fun to watch as he was so sure there was no Walnut Grove, MN.  He asked why I was saying that and of course my answer was that both my parents went to school graduated from Walnut Grove, MN school and both sets of grandparents had farms there.

I've always wondered how many other people with ancestors/ growing up in "Peanut Hill" nickname for Walnut Grove, have had the same type of conversation.

The historical museum in Walnut has several building as part of the exhibit.  The big white house with group is one that my aunt, Wendelena "Wendy" Pack Sanderson and cousin lived in.  When Mother and I went thru there in 2002, we both were surprised. We were a little overwhelmed with being in the house and nothing had been changed from the 1950's..  The lower level had no kitchen but my aunt cooked on the porch that went the whole side of the house.   Cold in winter. Sorry to say that if you visit now, those rooms have been changed and that part of the history is gone. But the rooms that my aunt had is now the military section and her brother's [Warren Pack] picture is there, as he was in the occupation army in Japan at the end of WWII.