Love ‘Little House on the Prairie’? Visit Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Iowa Home
Did you know that author Laura Ingalls Wilder spent some time living in Iowa during her childhood? Take a trip to Burr Oak, Iowa to visit The Masters Hotel, the only one of Laura's childhood homes that's still located at its original site!
Laura Ingalls Wilder & the Masters Hotel
Located in Winneshiek County near the Minnesota border, Burr Oak is a small, unincorporated community that's known for one thing: The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum. The museum is inside of the Masters Hotel, which is where the Ingalls family briefly lived and worked from 1876 to 1877. The official website reads:
"In 1876, when Laura was nine years old, the Ingalls family left Walnut Grove, Minnesota, after suffering through two years of grasshopper plagues. They traveled to Burr Oak, Iowa, to help manage the Masters Hotel, owned by their friend, William Steadman, also from Walnut Grove. Burr Oak is often referred to as 'The Missing Link' in the Little House book series."
According to an article from Midwest Living, even though Laura's iconic Little House book series wasn't set in Iowa, Burr Oak was the site of a big moment for the Ingalls family. It was where Laura's youngest sister Grace was born on May 23rd, 1877. Grace is first mentioned in the book By the Shores of Silver Lake, but she was not born in Minnesota, like the book leads you to believe. The museum's website says, "Laura left the Burr Oak years out in her children’s books because it didn’t flow smoothly with the story of her family moving west."
The building that later became home to The Masters Hotel was constructed in 1851, and changed names and ownership several times over its history. It was purchased in the early 70s by a group of people with the goal of opening it as a museum, and after three years of restoration, that dream came to fruition. The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum opened its doors in June of 1976.
The Museum & Laura Days Festival
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum is open May through mid-October, and sees around 5,000 visitors each year. It's a popular destination for school field trips in the area.
In addition to touring the Masters Hotel, guests can also check out the Burr Oak History Center inside of a former bank built in 1910, dress up like pioneers and take photos in an old covered wagon, ring the historic church bell, and stop inside Burr Oak Mercantile building, which is now home to the Visitor Center & Gift Shop.
Admission to the museum is $10 for ages 18+ and $6 for ages 6 to 17. You can check out its days and hours of operation HERE.
Each year, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum also hosts a big festival in Burr Oak called Laura Days. The three-day event takes visitors back in time with pioneer games, live music, a parade, special guest speakers, historical displays, craft demonstrations, a pie auction, and more. The 2026 festival, which happens to be the 50th anniversary, is set for June 26th through 28th, and will feature an appearance from Alison Arngrim, who played Nellie Oleson in the Little House on the Prairie TV series. You can get more information on Laura Days HERE.
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