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What a way to bring in the new year with a visit to Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley, California! Brian Part, Carl Sanderson Edwards and I had the privilege of visiting the ranch and viewing the different locations that were used in the original “Little House on the Prairie” TV series as it appears today. The visit was special for Brian Part since it was his first visit back to the location since he left the “Little House” TV series.

I was completely in awe during the visit to the ranch. The scenery alone was very beautiful and such a peaceful atmosphere. I did however notice some areas that had some fire damage from the 2004 Simi Valley fires, but very little. Most of the damage was re-covered by mother nature herself.
My trip back to the prairie started at the Ingalls Homestead.

The theme song opening location

Here's how the hills look that was filmed for the theme song opening. I was so impressed how much nothing hasn't change so I added some before and after shots to the pictures. This was shot right in front of the Ingalls homestead.

The Ingalls homestead

As you can see in the pictures above the location where the “Little House” once stood is very recognizable. What caught my attention was the big tree! This was not far from the creek. Another thing that caught my eye was the road from the Ingalls homestead into town was exactly the same as it was in the series. In the pictures, to the bottom left you can see Brian remembering the Ingalls home. Also, myself on top pictured at the road into town and then the two of us at the spot where the "Little House" once was.

 
Tree from “Harvest of Friends”

I believe this is the tree used in the season one episode, “Harvest of Friends” when Charles climbed the tree to get the kite and fell off.

The Town

The town indeed has changed, but if you compare some of the photos below with some of the town shots on this Web site, not much has changed. The building you see in the photo was used on another production and not “Little House.”

The Sweetheart Tree

What was neat about the visit into town was finding the Sweetheart tree. I knew it was close to where the school house once stood and I remembered the shape of the tree from pictures I had seen of it and just within seconds after walking around the area Brian had found it, how did I know it was the real deal? Pictures I had matched and I found a heart still carved in it! Most of the carvings were gone, but saw some light ones and Brian’s wife had found an M below. Not sure if it was for Michael, Melissa or what… The picture with myself above you can see the heart on the tree.

Edwards Homestead

According to Brian, this is where the Edwards homestead once was.

The Pond

Going into town you will find the famous pond from the season six episode, “Back to School” where Nellie and Laura have the famous mud fight that Almanzo has to break up. The pond had not changed at all. The tree Laura cries is still there as pictured on the far left above. Also, I thought it would be neat to hold up a publicity photo of the two after the fight that took place at that spot.

Overall, the trip back to the prairie was a lot of fun! What made the trip especially fun was hearing the stories from Brian at all the location spots that he remembered from when he was on the show.

Exclusive Video: A Visit To Walnut Grove at Big Sky Movie Ranch

Below is a promo video I produced showcasing the “Little House” locations at Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley. I also produced a short documentary that will be available soon.

Prairie Fans was last updated on January 28, 2010

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