Little House on the Prairie is set on a scenic farm near the lovely little town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota, but fans may be surprised to learn that the series was not actually filmed there. The life-lesson-filled Little House on the Prairie delighted viewers young and old for the nine seasons it aired. With its charming cast of characters, relatable storylines that could easily be transposed over a modern world, and its commitment to making sure the story remained engrossing, Little House on the Prairie has endured long past its final episode.
Another piece of the success of Little House on the Prairie comes from its setting. The Ingalls family lives on a picturesque farm on Plum Creek, which is only a short trip away from the larger town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Both locations are gorgeous, memorable settings that the audience came to know intimately. With its rolling hills, dusty roads, and inviting homes, it felt like a real place that a tired traveler could wander into and be at peace. It may come as a surprise then that Little House on the Prairie wasn’t filmed at the real Walnut Grove.
Little House On The Prairie Was Mostly Filmed In Simi Valley, California
Big Sky Movie Ranch Has Been Used In Numerous Movies
Little House on the Prairie was actually filmed far from Minnesota, in California; specifically, at Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley. Nearly all the exteriors for the show were shot at the famous Big Sky Movie Ranch (via BigSkyMovieRanchOfficial). Big Sky Movie Ranch includes over 7000 acres within a 30-mile radius, in the hills of Simi Valley.
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Several notable productions have been shot there, including Babylon, Gunsmoke, and Twin Peaks. The farm at Plum Creek was also filmed at Big Sky Movie Ranch. The large open space allowed the production team to construct the town of Walnut Grove and still leave ample vistas for different settings in the show (via Giggster).
Little House’s Interiors Were Shot At Paramount Studios
Paramount Studios Is Less Than 40 Miles From Simi Valley
The interiors for Little House on the Prairie were all filmed on sound stages at Paramount Studios (via WideOpenCountry). It’s always a bit easier to film these intimate sequences in an indoor setting in order to allow more room for cameras, light and sound technicians, and the actors to operate. It also means that production only needs to focus on the exterior when designing a building, and they don’t have to worry about how windows or doors or other frustrations will affect shooting inside. It’s nearly impossible to tell, and inside and outside both look fantastic.
Are The Little House On The Prairie Sets Still Around Today?
The Sets Were Blown Up In The Series Finale
Sadly, the sets for Little House on the Prairie have since been torn down, though the landscapes are still recognizable (via YouTube). The Little House on the Prairie finale sees the townspeople having to blow up their homes, which Michael Landon said (via NYT),
“It was also a nice catharsis for the cast and crew. There were lots of tears when we finally blew up the town. The actors had all become very attached to their own buildings, so it was very emotional.”
Landon and his crew opted to destroy the sets as a final goodbye to the show. However, Melissa Gilbert (who played Laura Ingalls), said in her memoir Prairie Tales (via Collider),
“[Landon] was furious that he had never received an official phone call from NBC president Brandon Tartikoff or anyone else at the network, letting him know the fate of the show. He had been on the network since 1959. Perceiving disrespect, Mike’s temper red-lined. He wanted to destroy all the sets — Walnut Grove, everything in Simi Valley.”
This has never been confirmed by anyone else, but the fact that Landon went on to star in Highway to Heaven just a year later suggests he wasn’t totally blindsided by the show ending, and this may just be an apocryphal story. A replica of the original homestead was built by the crew after the show ended, but sadly, it burned down in a fire in 2003 (via VCStar). While it may be impossible for fans to visit the Little House on the Prairie sets now, they’ll remain forever immortalized on the show.
Little House on the Prairie is a historical drama television series based on the book series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The show follows the life of the Ingalls family, particularly Laura, as they travel across the American frontier in the late 19th century, facing various challenges and experiences.
- Cast
- Melissa Gilbert , Dean Butler , Karen Grassle , Katherine MacGregor , Melissa Sue Anderson
- Release Date
- September 11, 1974
- Creator(s)
- Ed Friendly , Laura Ingalls Wilder