Happy anniversary, Little House on the Prairie! The series that premiered 50 years ago today ran for nine seasons and over 200 episodes, filling living rooms with nostalgia for simpler times and family life in the late 1800s.
The series was a part of my childhood as I watched it with friends, read the novels, and even acted out skits of it with my friends growing up.
It’s nearly impossible to narrow down the most memorable episodes because the early episodes of the young Ingalls girls will always be special since they follow some of the novels Little House on the Prairie and On the Banks of Plumb Creek.
However, the later seasons were just as essential when the series developed Albert and Willie’s characters, and the Ingalls girls and Nellie met their husbands and started their own families.
As I narrowed down the choices, I chose character-rich storylines and episodes that made me smile and cry.
Pilot Movie – Little House on the Prairie
The Ingalls originally moved from Wisconsin to Kansas to start a new life, and Ed Friendly Productions and Michael Landon chose the book’s best parts to showcase in the pilot.
As the Ingalls built their new house, they met Mr. Edwards for the first time. Caroline initially disliked him because he taught Laura how to spit, but he won her over when he crossed an icy river to bring the girls their holiday gifts.
The prairie had a rougher life than they expected. The scenes with the Indians invading their home played out as vividly as Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote them down. It’s hard to forget how scared Ma and the girls were, even though Laura was fascinated by them.
Too soon, the crops were ruined there, and they moved on to Walnut Grove.
Little House on the Prairie Season 1 Episode 7
“Town Party – Country Party”
“Town Party, Country Party” was an ultimate classic because it showcased the differences between the parties and showed how Laura befriended a handicapped girl named Olga, played by Kim Richards.
Olga had difficulty fitting in at Nellie’s party, but Laura and Charles realized she needed a special shoe with a lift to run and play like the other children.
Seeing Nellie’s face when Olga ran around the bases and hit a home run was priceless.
Little House on the Prairie Season 1 Episode 11
“The Voice of Tinker Jones”
Most viewers refer to this as “The Bell” episode. The church is divided on whether to raise money for a church bell or let the Olesons donate money for one.
Tension grew so terrible that church services stopped, and the children couldn’t play together.
Tinker Jones, a kind mute, decided to make a bell, and all the children helped him.
It was refreshing to see even Nellie and Willie help the community for a common goal, and the adults realize how foolish they had been.
Little House on the Prairie Season 1 Episode 13 & 14
“The Lord is My Shepherd”
Melissa Gilbert often refers to “The Lord is My Shepherd” as her favorite series episode.
The two-part episode highlighted the strong relationship between Charles and Laura. Young Laura couldn’t handle being replaced by her baby brother, so she refused to pray for him when he became ill.
She felt so guilty when the baby died that she went to pray in the mountains to ask God to return the baby so her father could have a son.
Jonathan (Ernest Borgnine) helped her understand that God wanted Laura to be with Charles.
Viewers saw how devoted Charles was to finding his daughter and proving his love to her by how hard he and Mr. Edwards searched for her.
Little House on the Prairie Season 2 Episode 1
“The Richest Man in Walnut Grove”
In times of financial struggles, families either pull together or distance themselves.
When Charles couldn’t pay his bill at Oleson’s Mercantile, the Ingalls worked together to raise the money.
Mary quit school to sew for Mrs. Whipple, and Caroline and Laura planted an extra potato and vegetable crop to sell. Even young Carrie helped in the fields.
Each family member sacrificed something they liked: some white sugar or homework tablets for school.
When they paid the bill together, Mr. Oleson told Charles he was the “richest man in Walnut Grove ” because his children rallied and made him proud.
Little House on the Prairie Season 2 Episode 7 & 8
“Remember Me”
This was one of the most pivotal episodes. Julia Sanderson (Patricia Neal) died, leaving three children behind — John Jr, Carl, and Alicia (Kyle Richards).
In Walnut Grove, it was difficult to find a family willing to take in three more mouths to feed, no matter how charming the children were.
Grace Snyder and Mr. Edwards cared for them temporarily and became like a family, so much so that Mr. Edwards refused to see the children split up.
In one of the sweetest and most spontaneous proposals, he proposed to Grace, saying he loved her and the kids and wanted them to become an official family.
Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 2
“Bunny”
Alison Arngrim always says that “Bunny” is her favorite episode, and she thinks it’s a classic because Nellie gets her comeuppance.
Initially, Nellie fell off Bunny while riding her and became injured. She took advantage of Laura’s guilt and made her do all her missed schoolwork.
Nellie wasn’t hurt as bad as she said and could walk. When Laura learned that, she pushed her wheelchair down the hill so she would be forced to stand.
In a twist of fate, Mr. Oleson returned Bunny back to Laura.
Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 3
“The Race”
We couldn’t include “Bunny” without including “The Race.” They go together; since Laura got her horse returned, she trained for a local horse race.
Naturally, Nellie threw a tantrum, and Mrs. Oleson bought her a thoroughbred to beat Laura at that race.
When Mrs. Oleson realized how well-trained Laura was, she decided Willie should race instead since he weighed less. However, he got sick from eating too many sweets, and Nellie raced after all.
Even though Laura and Bunny were tired from riding to find Dr. Baker, they still beat that thoroughbred. Their special relationship conquered all.
Little House on the Prairie Season 4, Episode 16
“I Remember, I Remember”
This installment focused on when a young Caroline and Charles met and started dating. Caroline had mentioned some of the stories before, and seeing their courtship on screen was nice.
When Charles was late for their wedding anniversary, she shared several stories with her daughters through sentimental flashbacks.
Matthew Labyorteaux appeared for the first time on Little House on the Prairie as young Charles. Young Charles was so shy around Caroline, even though she had a crush on him.
She wasn’t even sure he liked her until he gave her a necklace he had made himself.
Little House on the Prairie Season 4 Episodes 21 & 22
“I’ll Be Waving as You Drive Away”
Mary going blind was such an essential storyline. She thought her life was over, and initially, her parents pitied her, letting her sit in a rocking chair feeling sorry for herself.
Melissa Sue Anderson was one of the youngest actresses nominated for a Primetime Emmy for this episode.
She gave a layered performance as she learned she was losing her sight to feeling abandoned that her parents were sending her away to the blind school.
It had a bittersweet ending for Mary since she met her future husband and fellow teacher at the blind school, Adam Kendall.
Little House on the Prairie Season 5 Episodes 1 & 2
“As Long as We’re Together”
With no work in Walnut Grove, the Ingalls family moved to Winoka, where Mary and Adam opened a new blind school.
Even though Charles hated the city, he tried harder this time since his family was together. It helped that soon, the Garveys and the Olesons moved there, too, so the town was reunited.
Matthew Labyorteaux rejoined the cast as a full-time cast member as an orphan named Albert, who became close to the Ingalls.
After meeting Charles and Laura, he met the rest of the family at Mary’s 16th birthday party.
Little House on the Prairie Season 5 Episodes 5 & 6
“There’s No Place Like Home”
The Ingalls, Garveys, and the Olesons felt like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz and wanted to click their heels, chant “There’s No Place Like Home,” and return to Walnut Grove.
They weren’t meant for life in the city where fights occurred often in the saloon. As Charles said often, he was a farmer, not a fighter.
Unfortunately, when they returned to Walnut Grove, the town was in disarray, and it was harder to convince the townspeople to repair it than they initially thought.
However, everyone eventually banded together, and it was a joyful celebration seeing everyone back in church.
Little House on the Prairie Season 5 Episode 9
“The Wedding”
Mary was the first of the younger generation to get married, making this episode truly special.
In the books, Mary never fell in love after becoming blind, so seeing her get her happy ending seemed even more rewarding.
Unfortunately, parts of Mary were still insecure, and she feared how she and Adam would care for their future children. It took a dust storm and finding one of their lost students to restore her confidence in herself and their relationship.
As an added bonus, Reverand Alden traveled to Winoka to marry them as a surprise.
Little House on the Prairie Season 6 Episode 1 & 2
“Back to School”
Little House on the Prairie Season 6 continued the trend of two-part premiere episodes and introduced Almanzo and Eliza Jane Wilder.
Nellie and Laura continued to mature and battle for a man’s attention, though Almanzo wasn’t interested in either of them. They were just kids to him.
This episode featured some of their best rivalry as Laura wrecked Almanzo and Nellie’s date, so Nellie caused Laura to fail an exam.
All this pent-up anger caused the teens to take out their agressions in a catfight in the mud. It’s ironic that the actresses are best friends in real life.
Little House on the Prairie Season 6 Episode 22
“Sweet Sixteen”
Many viewers waited anxiously for “Sweet Sixteen” because Laura finally became a teacher, and Almanzo realized she was growing up.
Besides Almanzo, Charles finally referred to her as a young woman instead of his little girl, though he had difficulty letting her go and forbade her to get married until she was 18.
Almanzo and Laura shared their first kiss on her 16th birthday.
It was Melissa Gilbert’s first kiss too, and it was difficult since her mom was on set crying in the background.
Little House on the Prairie Season 6 Episodes 23 & 24
“He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not”
In the Season 6 two-part finale, Laura and Nellie deal with with romantic drama. I doubt anyone thought Nellie Oleson would find love and become a better person, but she did.
The Olesons hired Percival Dalton to train Nellie to become a better cook. He didn’t tolerate her snide remarks, so she softened, and they fell in love.
Meanwhile, Almanzo grew tired of waiting and moved to Sleepy Eye. He and Laura had several misunderstandings until she learned he was working several jobs to help raise money for the new blind school.
At Nellie’s wedding, Charles agreed that Laura and Almanzo would only have to wait one more year to marry.
Little House on the Prairie Season 7 Episode 2
“Laura Ingalls Wilder Part II”
This was the episode so many longed for. Laura and Almanzo were finally getting married.
They had trouble on the way to the alter because Almanzo couldn’t pay the mortgage to their new house, and he refused to let Laura teach to help pay for it.
Eliza Jane saved the day, though. She sacrificed everything for them and pretended she was getting married so she could begin a new life elsewhere, and they could move into the Wilder home.
Fun fact — Laura and Almanzo and Mary and Adam share the same anniversary.
Little House on the Prairie Season 7 Episodes 10 & 11
“To See the Light”
In a miracle, Adam regained his sight by having another concussion, the same way he lost it years ago.
While Adam was ecstatic and wanted to see the world and converse with new, sighted friends, Mary feared she was losing him.
Adam assumed they would have more freedom, but Mary only feared she’d be dependent on him. This fear deepened as Adam studied to become a lawyer.
It wasn’t until Adam became ill and needed her to fight for him that she realized they still made a winning team.
Little House on the PrairieSeason 8 Episode 13
“Stone Soup”
“Stone Soup” highlighted the acting strengths of the Gilbert siblings. Melissa Gilbert shined in many episodes, but we rarely saw the depth that Jonathan Gilbert (Willie) could play until this one.
Laura became overwhelmed watering her orchard trees while Almanzo was out of town for two months. She even fell asleep in class and overslept, worrying Albert and Willie, who led the class the day she was late.
No one could convince her she needed help, and she had a heatstroke. Willie ran to get the doctor in the heat and led the charge of the students to water her trees after hearing Caroline tell the story of “Stone Soup.”
He finally became the hero he had aspired to be.
Little House on the Prairie Season 8 Episodes 17 & 18
“Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow”
By the end of Little House on the Prairie Season 8, storylines were drifting, and the series needed a big arc to stay on the air.
This episode saved them because it combined many of Laura and Almanzo’s tragedies and triumphs in a special installment.
The first part was somewhat depressing, watching Almanzo lose hope after he had a stroke. Not even the birth of their daughter, Rose, cheered him up.
Not until a tornado destroyed their house and Laura broke down did Almanzo learn to walk again.
He and Charles worked in secret to build them a new home, and Laura’s surprised face was priceless.
Little House on the Prairie Season 9 Episode 1
“Times Are Changing – Part 1”
The series changed from focusing on the Ingalls to Almanzo and Laura’s family.
One of the most poignant scenes was when Charles’s friends threw him a surprise goodbye party, and they danced the night away.
Almanzo’s dying brother, Royal, visited and begged Almanzo and Laura to care for his daughter Jenny (a young Shannen Doherty) when he died.
Times changed in the final season, and seeing two talented actresses on screen made it better.
Little House on the Prairie Season 9 Episode 8
“Return Of Nellie”
Little House never seemed the same without Nellie Oleson, even though the series tried to replace her with Nancy.
Just as Nancy’s behavior worsened, Nellie returned for a visit. The Olesons hoped Nellie would be a good influence on their younger daughter, but Nancy resented how much everyone adored Nellie.
In many ways, Nancy feared what many adoptees fear — that her parents only adopted her to replace someone else, and she ran away.
The Olesons had to show that they loved all their children in different ways.
Little House on the Prairie Season 9 Episode 20
“May I Have This Dance”
This was another full circle episode since when Willie started school in Season, he was awful at it and got into so much trouble. Now, he graduated with the chance to go to college.
However, Willie was too much like his father. He wanted to run the family restaurant and get married instead, a thought that horrified Mrs. Oleson.
She threatened not to attend the wedding, but Willie had matured and stood up to his mother.
In a sweet scene, Nels reminded Harriet that the lovebirds were just like them since his mother hated that he dropped out of school to get married years ago, too.
Little House – Look Back to Yesterday
(Movie)
After the series was canceled, they did three movies to provide closure. Two made this list, and this one always made me cry.
Charles and Albert visited Walnut Grove while scouting medical schools for Albert, but Albert started having nose bleeds, which were a symptom of a fatal blood disorder.
It was one of the most bittersweet episodes.
It looked like Albert was going to die, but he still wanted to help the farmers rebuild the town.
He had the Ingalls determination, and in the sweetest scene, he and Laura put their clubhouse badges in the hope chest after climbing the mountain.
Little House – The Last Farewell
(Movie)
The series ended like it began — with the town united toward a common goal.
While Charles and Caroline were visiting, the Walnut Grove residents heard that the railroad wanted their land.
Amidst the anger, they decided to blow up the buildings. If someone else wanted the land, they would have a lot of work to do first.
It was such a sad but heartwarming scene to watch them walk out of town united.
There are many more memorable episodes, but we’d be here forever. That shows how impactful the series has been.
Which Little House on the Prairie episodes were the most memorable to you? Did we forget your favorites? Comment below.
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