In Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter, one of the most harrowing and memorable accounts of pioneer life is the story of how the Ingalls family survived the brutal winter of 1880-1881 in De Smet, South Dakota. As the story unfolds, the town is engulfed by relentless blizzards that cut off supply lines, leading to a critical shortage of coal and firewood, the primary sources of fuel for heating homes. With the temperatures plummeting and no end in sight to the winter storms, Laura’s father, Charles “Pa” Ingalls, devised a creative yet desperate solution to keep his family from freezing: twisting hay into makeshift logs to burn in their stove.
The situation described in The Long Winter is a vivid portrayal of the dire circumstances faced not just by the Ingalls family, but by many settlers on the Great Plains during that winter. The relentless blizzards, which began in October and continued into April, left communities isolated and without access to necessary supplies. The shortage of coal in De Smet is historically accurate, as the town’s coal supply was depleted early in the winter. The local lumberyard, which sold out of all its sawn boards, is also a true reflection of the desperation in the town. The boards, typically considered a luxury, were bought by the local banker and others who planned to burn them for heat in their stoves, underscoring the extreme conditions the settlers faced.
When the coal ran out, Pa looked to the Big Slough, an area of low-lying wetlands near De Smet, where he collected hay to use as fuel. He ingeniously figured out a way to twist the hay tightly into sticks, which could then be burned in the stove. These hay sticks, though far less efficient than coal or wood, provided a critical source of heat for the family. The process of twisting the hay was labor-intensive, and the resulting “logs” burned quickly, requiring a constant effort to keep the fire going.
Laura later joined Pa in this task, working alongside him to twist the hay into sticks to ensure the family had enough fuel to survive the relentless cold. The image of Laura and Pa twisting hay together is one of resilience and determination, emblematic of the pioneer spirit that Wilder so often celebrated in her writing.
But how accurate is this account? According to historical records and Laura’s own writings, it is extremely accurate. In her original Pioneer Girl manuscript, which served as the basis for the Little House series, Laura recounted the story of twisting hay in great detail. The manuscript confirms that the Ingalls family, like many others during that brutal winter, resorted to burning hay because there were no other options available. The constant need to twist and feed the hay into the stove throughout the day is also documented, highlighting the arduous and relentless nature of this task.
Burning hay for fuel was not unique to the Ingalls family; other settlers on the prairie during that winter faced similar challenges and had to employ the same desperate measures to survive. The winter of 1880-81 was particularly severe, with snowfall that piled up to unprecedented depths and blizzards that seemed never-ending. In many areas, hay was one of the few resources left that could be used as fuel, and settlers across the region found themselves twisting and burning hay to keep warm.
The winter of 1880-81 is a well-documented event in American history, known as one of the worst winters on record in the Great Plains. The blizzards were so frequent and intense that they disrupted transportation and communication across the region, leaving many communities, like De Smet, isolated for months. A detailed examination of the weather conditions and their impact on the settlers can be found in books dedicated to this period, such as The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin. The Beautiful Snow recounts the winter of 1880-81 and the Ingalls survival.
Laura Ingalls Wilder’s account of The Long Winter is not just a story of one family’s survival but a testament to the hardships faced by all settlers during that grueling winter. The twisting of hay into logs to burn is a poignant reminder of the resourcefulness and perseverance required to survive in the unforgiving environment of the American frontier. Through her detailed and accurate portrayal, Wilder has preserved a crucial piece of history, allowing readers to appreciate the immense challenges that shaped the lives of the early settlers.
