Chapter 1: Going West

Little House on the Prairie opens with the Ingalls family preparing to leave the Big Woods of Wisconsin and move west. The family consists of Pa and Ma, and their three young daughters, Mary, Laura, and Carrie. Pa is moving the family west to Indian territory because of the increased number of people in the Big Woods, which he believes keeps away wild animals. "He liked a country where the wild animals lived without being afraid."

At the end of winter, Pa sells their house and packs most of their possessions in a covered wagon. Leaving early one morning, they say good-bye to their relatives and start on their journey. They stop in Pepin to trade furs for goods, cross a frozen lake, and spend the night in an abandoned cabin. During the night, they hear the ice breaking up in the lake—they crossed...