Burr Oak,  a town that was too large,  to busy for the likes of Laura Ingalls and Laura Ingalls was much like her father.

Laura Ingalls didn't write about the year spent in Burr Oak,  because it wasn't a positive time for her.  That year has been referred to as the "missing link".  After Burr Oak,  the Ingalls returned to Walnut Grove and then moved on to De Smet,  S.D.

The 1856 Hotel where Laura lived for that year now has 8000 visitors a year,  there they can view many of her posessions.  A calling card,  a quilt piece she stitched,  her sewing kit,   glasses and a suit worn by her teacher and many items like those mentioned in her boooks.  That includes wooden butter molds,  twists of slough grass used for heating and a three-footed "spider" kettle.

There's also a copy of her unpublished autobiography "Pioneer Girl" which mentions Burr Oak.  There's a photo too of Mrs. Eunice Hall Starr,  a doctor's wife that tried to adopt Laura so that Laura would have a better life.

Laura was offered music lessons,  an education, land,  clothing,  everything a girl could want,  however Mrs. Ingalls turned down the offer of having her girl adopted.    Laura stated that for the rest of her life she was bothered by the fact that someone wanted to take her away from her family.