The following is a list of episodes for the television show Little House on the Prairie. A majority of the episodes ran approx. 50 minutes (without commercials – they have since been edited for syndication to accommodate more commercial time). Expanded episodes (90 minutes to two hours) have been indicated as such – many of these may not be currently shown in determined areas due to their length.
Charles and Caroline Ingalls move their young family from the big woods of Wisconsin to the open prairies of Kansas. Their closest neighbor, Isaiah Edwards, helps them settle on the prairie as they encounter fierce storms, fires, hostile Native American tribes ... and ultimately, the government.
The Ingalls move to the banks of Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. To acquire the deed to his farm, Charles takes several jobs. Eventually, the multiple duties and the stress become too much, and an exhausted Charles becomes injured when trying to load grain sacks for a feed dealer. This sends several of Walnut Grove's businessmen into action to help their new friend.
Mary and Laura begin school at Walnut Grove School. They have several problems adjusting – most notably, classmate Nellie Oleson, the spoiled rich daughter of the Mercantile owners. Laura, who cannot read or write, also tries to win approval of her new teacher, Miss Beadle.
A hailstorm leaves the Ingalls' crops in ruin. To recoup the money, Charles and his fellow farmers leave in search for work, eventually taking a dynamiting job at a mining camp. Caroline, meanwhile, rounds up the farmers' wives to salvage what's left of the crops.
While in Mankato, Charles encounters a drunken Mr. Edwards, and brings him to Walnut Grove. To rehabilitate him, the family gets him a job at Hansen's Mill and sets him up with widow Grace Snyder.
Laura's crush on a much older student, Johnny Johnson, is unrequited. His interest in Mary results in sibling rivalry between the two normally close sisters.
Miss Amy, old and alone, enlists the help of Charles and Doc Baker to stage her own death and funeral. This way, her estranged family just might decide to pay her a visit.
Laura makes friends with Olga, a girl who walks with a limp because of a birth defect. The two are invited to Nellie's party, but the snobbish Oleson girl uses the opportunity to show off her family's expensive furnishings. Laura then decides to throw her own bash. So Olga can fully participate, Charles makes Olga a special shoe. However, Olga's father objects since he'd rather pity her.
Charles and Caroline go on a romantic holiday to Sleepy Eye. Who's left in charge? Why, Mr. Edwards, who has his hands full managing the three mischievous Ingalls girls.
When Miss Beadle is injured and ordered to rest per Doc Baker, Caroline takes over as substitute teacher of Walnut Grove School. During her tenure, an uneducated youth named Abel enrolls. Abel is relentlessly teased because he is illiterate. Eventually, the harassment and Mrs. Oleson's meddling become too much, and Caroline orders the school closed. Caroline then takes it upon herself to teach "Dumb Abel" to read.
Laura's new pet is a raccoon named Jasper. However, a raccoon attacks Laura and runs away, causing the Ingalls to become concerned that Jasper may have bitten Laura and given her rabies.
Mrs. Oleson insists on a large bell for the church, and demands it be dedicated in her name upon its installation. This causes the townspeople to become divided, until the children commission mute craftsman named Tinker Jones to build the bell.
Mary decides to take an extra credit exam, but in her carelessness, winds up setting fire to the barn. An angry Caroline makes her pay restitution instead of taking the test.
There's a new member of the Ingalls family – a young boy. Everyone's happy, except Laura, who fears she will no longer be loved by her family. She prays to God that he will cause her brother to die. The baby becomes gravely ill and dies. Wrought with guilt, Laura decides to run away to the mountains and surrender her life to God ... until a mountain man helps her understand her place in the family.
Note: Originally aired as a two-hour episode. In syndication, it is seen as a two-part episode.
Guest star: Ernest Borgnine
The Ingalls take various jobs to buy Christmas presents for each other. The big surprise comes when Laura sells her beloved horse, Bunny, to Mrs. Oleson so she can buy her Ma a stove.
Nels Oleson has had it up to here with his wife's snobbish, meddlesome behavior, particularly toward the Ingalls. Mrs. Oleson doesn't take kindly to her husband's old-school beliefs either. The two get into a huge argument and decide to separate. This sends the Ingalls and the Olesons' other friends to intervene and convince them to settle their differences.
Mrs. Oleson's niece Kate is visiting from New York. While treating her for an injury, Doc Baker takes a romantic interest in Kate. The two fall in love, and marriage is on the horizon ... until they realize that their age difference (he's nearly twice as old as Kate) will doom the relationship.
A medicine man named O'Hara convinces the people of Walnut Grove that his magic healing powder can cure all sorts of illnesses. Rather than trust Doc Baker and have an operation, Mrs. Oleson insists on the powder and nearly pays with her life.
A typhus outbreak sweeps Walnut Grove, and several people become critically ill. The church is set up as a makeshift hospital-morgue while Charles, Doc Baker and Rev. Alden – all quarantined with the ill – search for the source of the plague. Eventually, they track it down to rat-infested cornmeal, but only after Mr. Edwards, who has also fallen ill, reveals he had purchased some of the cornmeal.
It's the Ingalls to the rescue as they come to the aid of a young boy who is being abused. Caroline nurses the boy's injuries while Charles helps the boy's alcoholic father become sober.
A young, university-educated farmer named Joesph Coulter convinces the farmers to buy new hybrid corn. As he returns with the crop, Coulter's wagon becomes involved in an accident. When he fails to return home, the suspicious farmers fear that Coulter has run off with the money and begin harassing his wife. Charles decides to find out the truth and retraces Coulter's route. When the farmers realize they made their accusations in haste, they decide to repent by planting the new seed.
While miles from home, the Ingalls become caught in a blizzard and are forced to take refuge in an abandoned house. Charles is injured in a hunting accident, and an Indian named Jack Lame Horse brings him back. But Jack is being pursued by a ruthless marshal. Jack and the Ingalls must rely on each other to survive.
Johnny Johnson wants to leave to "see the world." Mr. Edwards agrees to accompany Johnny on what turns out to be a series of misadventures, capped off by a young woman who takes all of Johnny's money. It isn't long before Johnny wants to go home.
Founder's Day comes to Walnut Grove, as the townspeople engage in a series of competitions. While the Ingalls and Olesons are very competitive, it is Charles' battle vs. an aging logger in a sawing competition that takes center stage.
Hanson's Mill closes when a major customer declares bankruptcy, leaving Lars unable to pay Charles two months of back pay. The Ingalls have a large tab at the Mercantile, forcing the family into a spirit of cooperation and sacrifice to pay off the bill. On the day Charles presents the funds due, Nels remarks how mightily impressed he is by the Ingalls' resolve.
The beginning chapter in a story arc concerning Mary's failing eyesight, which will soon render her blind. The tip off of her vision problems comes with her flagging grades. Mary gets a pair of glasses, but her unsympathetic classmates begin taunting her. Then, Miss Beadle puts on her glasses and makes a point to Mary and the other students.
Nellie dares Laura to enter a rickety old house. Laura discovers a kindly old widower living there. Well, the man doesn't think his wife is dead; he's merely waiting for her to come back. Laura helps him realize his wife's death and helps him mourn.
It's Walnut Grove vs. Sleepy Eye in the annual baseball battle. Star pitcher Mumford appears to be an ace up Walnut Grove's sleeve, until his wife discovers the townspeople are betting heavily on the game's outcome. To put a stop to the madness, she benches him, leaving Caroline to persuade Mrs. Mumford to allow him to play.
Mrs. Oleson invites herself along on the Ingalls' campout after she concludes that Laura and Mary will have the upper hand collecting leaves for a science project. The Ingalls and Olesons seem to mix like water and oil throughout the trip. After learning a "scratching" good lesson about poison ivy, Laura and Nellie become trapped in a raging current, leading the rivals to rely on each other to save them from being swept away.
Laura wants to go to the annual Spring Dance with Henry Henderson, while Grace Snider hopes Mr. Edwards will ask her out. But neither one want to go very badly, and this leads both Mary and Grace to take steps to make sure they won't refuse their subsequent invitations.
A widowed mother named Julia Sanderson learns she has a terminal illness, and has no close relatives willing to care for her three children - sons John Jr. and Carl; and daughter Alicia. Charles promises Mrs. Sanderson the children will find a new home. Meanwhile, the relationship between Mr. Edwards and Grace Snider begins to really blossom.
Charles has a difficult time finding someone who will adopt all three Sanderson children. At one point, a young couple show interest in adopting only Alicia, which would require her to become separated from her brothers. Just when it appears the family will be broken up, Mr. Edwards decides to propose to Grace Snider. The new couple then open their heart - and their new home - to the children.
Laura befriends Walnut Grove's new banker, the heartless Ebenezer Sprague. The friendship seems to be blossoming, until Mr. Sprague realizes Laura is Charles' daughter, and mistakenly believes that it was part of a conspiracy to get easy loan approval.
While fishing in a stream, Laura and her friend Jonah find a glittery substance that looks like gold. Laura spends her days gathering the "gold dust", and begins fantasizing about her family being very, very rich ... and the Olesons being dirt poor. Her dreams quickly crumble when Mr. Sprague tells her what she found is fools gold.
The children of Walnut Grove pool their money to buy Rev. Alden a new Bible, and entrust Mary with the cash. However, Mary and Laura decide to invest their money in medicines that, upon their sale, could easily double their money and thus allow them to buy one really great gift for their beloved minister. However, the plan backfires big time, leaving Mary to explain to a very disappointed Rev. Alden.
Mr. Edwards wants to turn John Jr. into an avid outdoorsman, but all John wants to do is read and study. John strongly objects to hunting, a point he tries to make clear after he gets a gun for his birthday. When Edwards offers no comment about a letter John wrote to him, John is left very hurt. He finally consents to go along on one hunting trip, but it soon turns tragic: a huge grizzly bear attacks Mr. Edwards, and a stunned John is unable to do anything but flee. Mr. Edwards is left seriously injured as a result. He later admits he is illiterate, and John reveals what he wrote in the letter - he deeply respects and loves him. He also agrees to help his new father learn to read.
Laura and Nellie vie for the affections of a new schoolboy named Jason, who is very adept with new contraptions. One of his newest finds is a "talking machine," which can record conversations. Jason decides to become friends with Laura, leading a jealous Nellie to hatch a "get even" plan. Enlisting Willie's help, Nellie gets Laura to confide in her her feelings for Jason. The next day at school, Nellie humiliates Laura by playing back the recording. Laura cries to her Pa about what happened, and Charles reports the shenanigans to Nels. While Nellie is left to deal with her angry father, Laura finally reveals her feelings for Jason.
Mary enters a statewide math competition, but Charles can't afford to pay the travel expenses necessary for her to compete. The entire town council foots the bill, and Mary ends up finishing second. She comes home to a rousing reception, which lifts the downbeat Mary's spirits.
Charles and the girls go on a camping trip, and Caroline will join them later. Caroline then scratches herself on a piece of baling wire, and the minor scratch soon turns into a serious infection. Just when she is about to succumb to her illness, Caroline is able to cut out the infection. She then musters enough strength to see Doc Baker, who helps her recover.
At a train station, Mary, Laura and Carl wander into a caboose. Without warning, the caboose begins to move, and it soon is on a crash course with an oncoming train. Charles and Mr. Edwards go on a race against time to try to warn the locomotive operator.
Miss Beadle is relieved of her duties as schoolmarm when several of the older students' misbehavior becomes too much. In her place is Hannibal Applewood - a strict disciplinarian whom students call "Mr. Crabapple" in disdain. Acting on a false tip from Mrs. Oleson, Mr. Applewood quickly singles out Laura as the class troublemaker, unfairly punishing her for things she did not do, and even expelling her when test papers become damaged. Eventually, Charles hears a ruckus between Applewood and one of the other students, and finally decides to expose him through his lengthy resume.
During a recession, Charles and Mr. Edwards take a job handling highly explosive materials along a rough and dangerously winding road. If that wasn't bad enough, they also have to deal with racism as the result of two men who join them.
To buy Caroline a new set of china, Charles secretly takes a woodworking job for an attractive young widow. The problem is, Mrs. Oleson plants a suggestion in Caroline's mind that there's more going on than woodworking behind closed doors. Laura and Mary soon decide they need to try to "win Pa back" with a plan of their own.
Walnut Grove prepares to celebrate the nation's centennial, but the party is threatened with cancellation when their taxes go up. A Russian immigrant gives an impassioned speech about what it's like to live in America, and that he loves his new land despite its faults. The townsfolk are inspired to resume the celebration.
Mrs. Whipple's son, Granville, returns to Walnut Grove to resume his career as a music teacher. One of his students is Willie Oleson, who takes violin lessons at his mother's insistence. But he's got a huge cross to bear ... he's been hooked on morphine since the Civil War, and is struggling to cope with his addiction. His troubles soon become too much to bear, and he winds up killing himself.
His crops and farm lie in ruin, thanks to a devastating tornado that sweeps through Hero Township. A despondent Charles sees no opportunity ahead, so he decides to move his family back home to Wisconsin and sells his farm back to its previous owners. However, the family is able to convince Charles to stay and restore hope, and remind him that he didn't really want to move anyway.
When Rev. Alden falls ill while collecting, ex-convict Caleb Hodgekiss offers to collect the money himself. However, Hodgekiss is actually scheming to keep the money himself, until he sees how the money is intended to be used.
The love between Mary and John Jr. continues to blossom, and marriage may soon be on the horizon. But Mary is worried that she could be standing in the way between John and his dreams of becoming a writer.
Nellie goes for a ride on Bunny, Laura's beloved horse, and begins to mistreat it. The horse goes wild and throws Nellie off. Nellie is shaken up but not seriously hurt; however, Nellie decides to pretend that she has been paralyzed in the accident. Laura believes it and, in remorse, decides to help Nellie. However, Mrs. Oleson decides that the only way things can be made right is by shooting Bunny. One day when visiting the Olesons, Laura finds out that Nellie is just fine, and schemes to expose the fake paralysis by taking Nellie on a little ride in her wheelchair.
Picking up where the previous episode left off, it's a race between Nellie and Laura, and their respective horses. Laura's entry, Bunny, is the favorite, but Mrs. Oleson – over Nels' objections, of course – decides to buy an expensive thoroughbred for Nellie.
A comedy of misunderstandings results when Laura sees what she thinks is Nels beheading his wife during an argument (Mrs. Oleson was actually out of town, and Nels had accidentally beheaded a mannequin). Laura reports what she had seen to Nellie and Willie, who play along to have a little fun at their nemesis's expense.
Charles' mother passes away after a long illness, and he travels back to Wisconsin to handle the funeral arrangements. His father, Landsford, becomes very despondent and – after an argument with Charles – tries to kill himself by setting his house on fire. Charles saves Landsford and talks him into coming to Walnut Grove to sort out his emotions. While staying with his son's family, Landsford begins to form a special relationship with Laura.
Landsford's relationship with his granddaughter, Laura, continues to grow, but falls into jeopardy when Bunny the horse is injured. Landsford tells Laura he will try to nurse the horse back to health, but Charles sees the horse is too badly hurt and must destroy it. Laura is angry when Landsford realizes his son did the right thing and shouldn't have made a promise he couldn't have kept. Landsford wants to leave, causing Laura to go all-out in staying for as long as he wants.
Laura goes to work for a farmer to earn some extra money, but chooses the farmer's billy goat instead. The goat, whose name is Fred, quickly wreaks havoc on Walnut Grove, doing everything from eating the Ingalls' crops to butting Rev. Alden in the back. Charles soon makes Laura get rid of the goat.
The Gallinder family – two 40-ish brothers and a teen-ager – come to Walnut Grove and quickly cause trouble. Rev. Alden pleads with the townspeople to be patient with the newcomers, but it soon becomes clear the Gallinders want to do nothing but cause trouble. They run up bills at the Mercantile and Hanson's Mill (with no intention of paying off either tab), while the boy causes trouble at school, eventually punching both Laura and Mary. Things get uglier when the men attempt to rape Caroline (while she was on the way to the Mercantile to deliver eggs); when Charles goes to confront the Gallinders, he is beaten. Rev. Alden realizes the Gallinders are nothing but thugs and invites them to church ... to order them out of town.
Charles is badly wounded on a hunting trip, when Laura knocks over a gun and it discharges. Laura despearately searches for help, and convinces a blind man and his son to help them. When the son leaves Charles alone in the cabin, Laura and the blind man are forced to work together to find their way out of the woods and get a doctor.
In the series' second Christmas episode, Miss Beadle dismisses school early on Christmas eve, unaware that the light, uneventful snowfall is about to quickly become a monster blizzard. The children become stranded halfway home, leading the fathers of Hero Township to brave the worsening weather conditions to find them and lead them back to the schoolhouse.
Mr. Edwards returns from a nearby town with a case of mountain fever, and passes it on to Alicia. Alicia becomes very sick and Mr. Edwards quarantines himself as he tries desperately to help his daughter. Laura, unaware of the illness, drops by to visit, and must deal with an angry Mr. Edwards. Eventually, Laura ends up nursing both father and daughter back to health.
Carrie proves to be a pest when accompanying her older sisters on a butterfly gathering trip for school. However, Mary and Laura soon regret being annoyed when Carrie falls down an old mine shaft. A drunken old miner finds an opportunity to redeem himself when he assists the cause to rescue Carrie before the crumbling mine collapses.
The school plans to put on a series of plays based on books. Laura, Mary and their friend, Ginny, decide to do a play on "Little Women." The Ingalls girls must deal with Nellie, who schemes to get the lead role, and Ginny's desire to play matchmaker for her single mother.
Laura becomes friends with Joseph Stokes, the son of a Sioux Indian who moves to Walnut Grove. Joseph's grandfather virtually disowns him because he comes from a mixed marriage – his Native American father and white mother – and is not shy about sharing his bigotry. Things are no better at school, as Joseph is harassed by a bully. Eventually, Laura helps Joseph stand up to the bully.
Mary is severely injured when a horse kicks her in the barn. When her condition deteriorates, it becomes clear she needs an expensive surgery to save her life. Charles and Mr. Edwards are forced to take dynamiting jobs for the railroad to fund the surgery.
Mary needs more surgery, something that weighs heavily on Charles' mind as he feverishly works to earn enough money for his daughter's surgery. Eventually, a fatigued Charles causes an accident that traps him and a co-worker inside. Mr. Edwards leads a harried effort to save the two men's lives.
A young black boy named Solomon, the son of former slaves, runs away to Walnut Grove, and soon takes refuge at the Ingalls. Charles is able to get the truth from Solomon: He is tired of everyone treating him "different" because he is black. Charles tells him he has much to be proud of and convinces him to return home, but not until after Solomon teaches the people of Walnut Grove a few lessons of his own.
Laura makes friends with Anna, a girl who stutters and has made few friends as a result. Later, Nellie starts a club and invites Laura to join but not Anna. While at the Mercantile, Laura steals a music box. Nellie catches her in the act but decides to keep silent about the incident on the condition that Laura break off her friendship with Anna. Later, Nellie inducts Anna into the club, but only to humiliate her. Laura goes along with the teasing, but Mary soon gets Laura to confess everything that's happened. In the end, Charles makes Laura admit to Nels that she stole the music box. Nels is disappointed but praises Laura for coming clean, which is nothing compared to the punishment Nellie is about to face. Laura also must make amends with Anna, who is terribly hurt by what the earlier shenanigans at the Olesons.
A three-way race for class president ensues, with Nellie and Mary battling the slow-witted Elmer Dobkins for the honor. Plenty of shenanigans ensue: Elmer's nomination was just a joke, while Mary and Nellie each host parties to try to win votes. After Nellie plays a cruel joke on Elmer, Miss Beadle soon puts a stop to the whole idea of class officers, until Laura pleads with the teacher that many lessons have been learned. In the end, Willie – of all people – winds up casting the deciding vote.
When their crops are destroyed by heavy rain, the Ingalls and Edwards families head west to pan for gold. However, the temptations of being rich soon turns everyone against each other. Laura and Carl visit with an ex-miner who has seen the ill effects of gold mining. In the end, Charles and Mr. Edwards realize each of them is already rich (because they have their families) and decide to go home.
Note: Originally aired as a two-hour episode. In syndication, it is seen as a two-part episode.
Note: Last appearance of Victor French until a guest shot in the sixth season, and his full-time return late in the eighth season.
Laura grieves the death of her beloved dog, Jack, and refuses to pay attention to a stray dog that comes home. Eventually, she forms an emotional bond with the new pup, whom she names Bandit. Also, Mrs. Oleson refuses to allow Kezia Horn, an eccentric old woman and newcomer to Walnut Grove, to join the church.
Note: First appearances of Merlin Olsen and Hersha Paraday as Jonathan and Alice Garvey, friends of the Ingalls' family.
Charles takes Mary to Chicago, where he is attending the Grange. There, Mary meets up with John Jr., who has started a job as a cub reporter for a newspaper. However, former lovebirds John and Mary soon find their lives headed in separate directions.
When Laura and Mary go skinny-dipping with their friend, Ellen Taylor, some boys come by to get a glimpse. The girls hide underwater until they go away. Laura and Mary come back up, but Ellen becomes trapped under the surface and drowns. Ellen's grief-stricken mother blames Laura for the tragedy, then rebuffs efforts by several people to cheer her up. Later, when Laura turns up missing – Mrs. Taylor had trapped Laura in the basement, thinking she is Ellen – suspicion falls on Busby, a retarded man whom Charles had warned his daughters to stay away from. While the hunt is on for Busby, Laura must rely on her wits to escape Mrs. Taylor's clutches and help her come to terms with Ellen's death.
After Caroline complains about the small size of her kitchen, Charles decides to build an addition onto the house. However, he must leave to take a rush delivery to Mankato. Caroline hires a handsome young handyman named Chris Nelson to complete the job. Chris stays with the Ingalls family and unwittingly becomes head of the household in Charles' absence, prompting Carrie to mistakenly call the man "Uncle Chris." Mary soon becomes convinced that her Ma and Chris are becoming romantically involved, and she freely expresses her opinions. Nellie and Mrs. Oleson don't help matters when they share Mary's suspicions. Eventually, Mary confronts Chris with her suspicions and tells him he must leave, only to find out later it was a misunderstanding. Charles later returns and finishes the kitchen.
Laura and her new friend, Andy Garvey, find an injured mother wolf trying to tend to her pack of baby pups. Andy takes the wolf and her babies home to care for them, but decides to move them to the Ingalls barn when he learns Larabee wants to shoot them. Things turn deadly when a pack of rabid dogs advance on the barn, trapping Andy, Laura, Carrie and Bandit inside, leaving them to rely on Jonathan – and even more so, Bandit and the mother wolf – to save them from being mauled.
Laura and Andy become detectives to solve a series of burglaries in Walnut Grove. However, things get worse when Laura sets some traps to catch the culprit, but winds up catching Charles instead (at one point, causing him to be doused with green paint).
When Dr. Baker is unable to save a terminally ill patient, he chalks it up to incompetence and resigns as Walnut Grove's doctor. While he tries his hand out at farming, a new doctor – Dr. Logan – accepts a call to replace Dr. Baker. However, he is ill-tempered and has no compassion for his clients, prompting Charles to go all-out to convince Dr. Baker that he is a good doctor and that the people of Hero Township need him.
Outlaws Frank and Jesse James bring their trail of treachery to Walnut Grove. They stake out the town and take aliases while trying to blend into the background, even hiring Mary to do their work. However, their cover is soon blown when a posse arrives to arrest the James brothers, causing them to take Mary hostage.
When the Garvey's barn burns down, Alice takes a job at the post office. Johnathan believes that it's a man's job to support a family, and is outraged.
The Oleson and Ingalls families travel to a fair in Mankato, where Mary hopes to spend time with a boyfriend. Instead she is propositioned by her boyfriend's boss. Meanwhile Nels and Charles enter a donkey riding contest, and Laura has a hard time staying with Carrie. Eventually, Carrie falls asleep inside a hot-air balloon that accidentally gets set off.
When Adam Simms and his son Luke move to town, Adam instantly takes a liking to Miss Beadle, while Luke and Nellie fall in love. After Nellie talks to Miss Beadle, she and Luke run away to have a very short-lived marriage. This episode features one of the first looks at the softer side of Nellie's personality.
An Indian boy comes to Walnut grove, asking for help for his sick father. Charles agrees to help, angering several racist citizens, who are convinced the Indians mean to attack them. Charles is kept busy nursing the tribe leader back to health and warding off an imminent war.
Mary gets her first teaching job in the backwoods community of Willow Prairie, but is met with stern, purely hateful opposition by the settlement's leader: an elderly woman who has driven away previous teachers and has thwarted all attempts to establish a school and uses the Bible in a hateful way to back her beliefs. The father of a student she stays with, a loyal follower to the woman, is just as bad. The woman's adamant beliefs against common things such as reading and cleaning with soap and water are the cover for her own shameful secret: She cannot read. Mary is driven from the community, but after Charles gives her a pep talk, she is able to expose Mrs. Peal. Afterward, she learns to accept and embrace education.
While waiting for Charles (who is stuck in the rain with a broken wagon wheel on her anniversary), Caroline tells the children the story of how she and Charles met.
Note: In this episode Matthew Laborteaux portrays young Charles, in the next season he would return, but as orphan child Albert.
When Laura finds a bottle with a note inside that reads, "Be my friend," she convinces Charles to help her look for the person, but they find a baby. They then look for the child's parents.
When Charles receives news that he is the heir to a late relative, Mrs. Oleson becomes oddly friendly. The Ingalls – sure they've inherited a fortune – go on a wild spending spree to upgrade their farm and equipment. Then, Charles gets the inheritance and finds out he's inherited Confederate money. Mrs. Oleson immediately decides to foreclose on the Ingalls farm, putting the Ingalls' friendships to the test.
Nels' brother sends his 12-year-old son, Peter, to Walnut Grove after the boy's behavior grows unmanagable. However, Mrs. Oleson babies the son, prompting a frustrated Nels to turn to Charles for assistance in rehabilitating Peter.
Charles has always wanted a son, and has another chance to get one when Caroline announces she's pregnant. But Caroline fears how Charles will react if the baby is a girl. Eventually, it's all for naught, as Charles loves his baby Grace just the same.
Note: The Ingalls' youngest biological child, Grace, is born.
Just as Mary falls in love with newcomer Seth Barton, her eyesight begins to worsen. Charles takes her to an optometrist, but the news is not good: Mary's vision cannot be saved, and she will soon go blind. In denial, Charles does not tell his daughter. One morning, she wakes up and finds to her horror she is completely blind. Mary becomes very bitter over her predicament and having to rely on others for basic needs.
Mary is sent to a blind school in Iowa, where she meets her husband-to-be, Adam Kendall. Mary refuses to accept Adam's help at first, but he eventually helps her learn to deal with her blindness. Meanwhile, the town of Walnut Grove faces bankruptcy as its citizens prepare to move out.
Note: This marks the first appearance of Linwood Boomer as Adam Kendall, and the final appearance of Charlotte Stewart as Miss Beadle-Simms.
Note: This was intended by NBC as the final episode of the series, but the show ended up being renewed for the following season.
When Walnut Grove falls on hard times, the Ingalls, Olesons and Garveys settle in the town of Winoka, where they are met by a cruel local businessman, Miles Standish. This episode marks the introduction of Matthew Laborteaux as Albert, the lovable orphan who is eventually taken in by the Ingalls family.
The former Walnut Grove residents continue to adjust to life in the city of Winoka. Charles and Caroline are managing The Dakota Hotel; Nels, Harriet and Jonathan Garvey are working in the saloon and Alice Garvey begins teaching school for the poor children of Winoka since the only school in town is an expensive private academy. Charles convinces Albert to attend school.
Laura makes friends with a shy classmate, but winds up jeopardizing the friendship when she makes fun of an obese man, not knowing he is the girl's father. True remorse doesn't come until the man falls seriously ill.
There's No Place Like Home (Part 2; 90-minute episode)
The Ingalls and friends return home to Walnut Grove, only to find a disgruntled and disabled Lars Hanson, who's been crippled by a stroke.
Note: This marks the final appearance of Karl Swenson as Lars Hanson (ironically, Swenson was to die a short time later after this episode was filmed).
Mrs. Oleson's cousin, Sterling Murdoch, comes to Walnut Grove to start the town's first newspaper, The Pen and the Plow. Mrs. Oleson writes a column for the fledgling newspaper, and soon writes scandalous stories about the residents of Hero Township. When she learns that another student beat Nellie in the school spelling bee, Mrs. Oleson claims that the lad's German immigrant parents are illiterate. Charles confronts Murdoch about his newspaper, but his complaints fall on deaf ears. Laura and Albert temporarily get back at Mrs. Oleson, but she responds by writing a story suggesting Charles fathered Albert outside his marriage. Charles has enough and exposes the work of Murdoch and Mrs. Oleson in church on Sunday, clears up the lie about the German family (they could read German) then chastises the rest of the town for reading the newspaper.
Adam proposes to Mary, and she accepts. Charles and Caroline travel to Winoka for the wedding. Mary begins to have doubts about getting married. Mary is worried about how she and Adam will possibly be able to raise a baby, since they are both blind.
When Albert and Andy boast they can become self-sufficient, Charles and Jonathan decide to take them on a camping trip to put that claim to rest. But Albert and Andy prove their worth, and their fathers wind up, well, not so well off.
The Walnut Grove School children take a series of routine tests to prepare them for the next grade, but after Andy Garvey shows failing grades, his parents enlist Nellie Oleson to help him with his studies...but Nellie shows him an even better way to succeed: by cheating.
It is discovered that the late Mr. Hanson has willed his (now decrepit) house to the town of Walnut Grove. The town council then elects to turn it into the new blind school, as the proprietor of the blind school in Winoka has informed Mary and Adam that the rent has been raised to an amount he can no longer pay. Charles then recruits Joe Kagan to accompany him to Winoka to lead the children back to Walnut Grove. To their shock and dismay, they discover that Mrs. Oleson has paid a large sum of money to name the new blind school after herself and traveled to Winoka to help lead the blind children to Walnut Grove in order to impress someone named Mrs. Terhune.
In Winoka, Mrs. Oleson is disappointed to discover that Mrs. Terhune is not an elite society lady from St. Louis, but rather Hester Sue Terhune (Ketty Lester in her first appearance), the African American caretaker of the blind school that has merged with the one run by the Kendalls. During the journey back to Walnut Grove, Mrs. Oleson must overcome her racism and Adam must overcome his fear of water. Upon return to Walnut Grove, Nels is shocked to see that his wife has overcome her racism (for now).
In a rare episode featuring Carrie, the young Ingalls tyke becomes heartsick for her Pa when Charles and Jonathan take jobs on a telephone crew and must be away for weeks. When nobody has time for her, Carrie creates an imaginary friend named Alyssa, and the two have wonderful adventures together.
Note: Lindsey and Sidney Greenbush appear on-screen together in the roles of Carrie Ingalls and her imaginary friend, Alyssa.
Laura's schoolmate and friend, Jordan, has dreams of one day working for a circus but is troubled by his quarreling parents. After an accident causes temporary blindness, Jordan pretends to remain blind in an effort to bring his parents closer together and avoid their upcoming divorce. Laura discovers Jordan's deception and struggles about whether she should tell everyone the truth.
Ray Bolger (The Wizard of Oz fame) returns as the happy-go-lucky Toby Noe. He is staying with the Ingalls family and eating them out of house and home when the spirited spinster Amanda Cooper catches his eye. Toby sets out to win her heart but she is determined to keep him at arm's length. Meanwhile, Laura has a crush on schoolmate Jason and, with Albert's council, tries to get him to notice her.
Mary and Adam discover they are having a baby. Adam's father visits Walnut Grove upon learning the news and convinces Adam and Mary to move to New York so that Adam can attend law school and eventually become a partner in his father's law firm. Tragedy strikes however and Adam realizes that the troubles between he and his father were not imagined after all.
Mrs. Oleson attempts to evict Kezia Hermione Baddeley from her house by the lake. She, Willie and Nellie move in and force Kezia to serve as their maid, but Laura, Albert and Andy Garvey hatch a plan to drive the Olesons away. They get Kezia to concoct a story about a monster that inhabits the lake, and then dress up as the monster. The plan works, the Olesons run away screaming, and Kezia keeps her house.
Farmer Judd Larabee objects to setting a standard price for wheat, particularly since black farmers would pay the same rate as white farmers. Jonathan Garvey has enough of Larabee's racism and confronts him in front of his family. Tensions escalate when a vengeful Larabee pays a visit to the Garveys and assaults Andy, who is the only one home. Then, Garvey's barn burns down and Larabee is fingered as the suspect. Andy knows the truth, but will his testimony be complete enough before Larabee's fate is sealed?
Mary begins to see light again and the entire family hopes she will soon recover her sight. She and Charles travel to visit the eye doctor for tests and a professional assessment. Meanwhile, Adam struggles with the possibility of Mary regaining her vision and what that means for their future. An excited Laura recruits Albert to help her fix up the Mr. Edward's old shack for Mary's return. Nels Olsen donates paint that he is unable to sell to Laura's project.
During a horse-buying trip to Sleepy Eye, Charles meets up with Brett Harper, one of the state's best horse breeders. However, Harper's alcoholism has taken a deep toll on the family and is coming apart because of the lack of a strong head of the household. Charles temporarily takes the role as the family man while he tries to sober Harper up, but his touch may have worked too well: Harper's wife and children like Charles better than drunken Brett (who had become that way after his son had died). Charles manages to convince his family that Brett is a good person, but needs to be sober to do so.
Numerous Walnut Grove townsfolk become seriously ill after eating anthrax-laced mutton, turning the Blind School into a makeshift hospital and morgue. Charles and Jonathan – among the few who hadn't gotten sick – race against time to rush supplies and medicine to the Blind School, but have to encounter a few obstacles along the way. Namely, the brothers who sold the meat even though they knew it was spoiled; and a deluded farmer who believes the medicine will help him become rich.
Laura and Albert's friend, Dylan, has one dream - to one day see the ocean. When the boy discovers he is terminally ill, he sets out to realize his dream and Laura and Albert join him. As the trio begins the journey to San Francisco, they come across a few stumbling blocks and are soon found by a worried Charles. The children convince Charles to help Dylan obtain his dream of seeing the ocean before he dies. The group meets William Randolf Hearst, famous American newspaper magnate, along the way.
A new school year begins with a brand-new teacher, and Laura meets Almanzo Wilder, who would become her husband. Nellie and her mother also has their eye on the handsome young farmer and believe that Nellie's new restaurant and hotel will attract his attention. Nellie proves to be less than competent at hospitality.
Note: The Wilders are introduced in this episode, with Lucy Lee Flippen as Eliza Jane, and Dean Butler as Almanzo.
Laura and Nellie, both wanting Almanzo, engage in a series of dirty tricks to get back at the other. First, Nellie invites Almanzo to dinner, and Laura volunteers to cook; it is a recipe for disaster. Later, Nellie deliberately gives aspiring teacher Laura some incorrect material for an exam, and Laura fails miserably. The two engage in a memorable fistfight, both of them landing in the mud. When Almanzo takes Laura back to his place to clean up, Charles finds her wearing his robe and assumes the worst.
The school's latest project is to create a "family tree" documenting the history of their families, which causes Albert to remember his own dark past. Ultimately, he has become attached to the Ingalls that he wants them to adopt him. But first, they must face Albert's real father.
Adam wins a teaching award and must travel to Minneapolis to receive it. En route, Mary, Adam and another woman and are involved in a serious stagecoach accident. Mary is the only one who is able to look for help. While she is climbing the hillside, her old glasses fall out of her pocket. The glasses start a fire that acts as a signal for Charles, who's searching for her. Meanwhile, Laura and Albert get Mrs. Oleson and Nellie to pick up some honey from a honeycomb, not telling them they're actually getting a hornets' nest.
Note: Leslie Landon appears in this episode as the other woman in the stage coach. She also appears in Season 8's "A Wiser Heart" and will later play the role of Miss Plum in Season 9
Rev. Alden falls in love with a member of his congregation and marries her.
Note: This would be the only episode showing Alden's married life as his wife would not appear in another series episode, leaving that plot hole ambiguous.
Mr. Edwards has become very wealthy owning a logging empire. When Alicia brings him lunch, she is nearly crushed by a falling tree. Edwards saves her from certain injury, but his legs are crushed. He soon becomes resigned to life as a cripple, prompting Grace to write to her old friends, the Ingalls, to help. However, neither Charles nor Laura can seem to get Edwards to snap out of his depression, which is taking its toll on the family. On two occasions, Charles has to stop Edwards from trying to commit suicide. Only when Charles pretends to have been injured in a gun accident does Edwards snap out of his deep depression. It isn't long before Edwards is back to his old, irascible self.
Note: This is Victor French's first appearance on the show in many years (due to his commitment to his previous series, Carter Country), however he would not appear on the show again until the end of the eighth season.
A traveling minister comes to Walnut Grove on a "healing" crusade. But after a member of his congregation suddenly dies, some citizens begin to question the minister's motives.
Caroline's parents come for a visit, but on the trip her mother passes away. Caroline's father is then distraught until he is convinced to write an autobiography.
The newly invented telephone comes to Walnut Grove. The switchboard is housed in Nellie's Restaurant and Harriet is tasked with being the system's operator. She listens in on a phone conversation from Alice Garvey about her past, which has an adverse effect on the entire Garvey family.
A teen-aged boy comes to Walnut Grove to live with his grandparents, when his mother can no longer tolerate his increasingly ill-tempered behavior. When the elderly couple become afraid of the boy, Charles offers to help reform him. It seems to be working, until Charles gives the boy a gift for his hard work – a blue shirt – that he rips up, not knowing that it triggered the boy's horrible memories of abuse.
A bully terrorizes Miss Wilder, the schoolteacher, and his fellow classmates, especially Albert. The resourceful Albert tries to get revenge against the bully by creating a paper-maché werewolf costume, and nearly succeeds until Carrie unwittingly exposes the effort. The children then decide they've had enough of being pushed around and gang up on the bully.
Charles and Caroline travel to their class reunion, and find that many of their classmates have become financially successful. But are they really happy in their lives?
While spending the night at the Blind School, Laura and Mary are held hostage by a trio of escaped felons. When one of them becomes ill from a gunshot wound, the leader sends Laura to get a doctor, warning her that the consequences will be deadly if she says anything about the hostage situation. When she can't find Dr. Baker, the terrified Laura goes to her Pa and tells him about what's going on. Charles poses as Dr. Baker, but soon finds himself in a dangerous predicament when the real Dr. Baker shows up. But Charles manages to get the upper hand.
In an episode that marks the turning point for both the characters and the series in general, Albert and a friend, Clay, inadvertently cause a fire at the School for the Blind, killing Mrs. Garvey and Mary's infant son. After Albert unwittingly causes Mary to snap out of her trance, he runs away, but must come face-to-face with what he has done.
