Where Little House On The Prairie Was Filmed (It Wasn’t Walnut Grove, Minnesota)

Little House on the Prairie is set on a picturesque farm near the adorable town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota, but fans may be surprised to learn that the series wasn’t actually filmed there. The full life lesson Little House on the Prairie it enchanted viewers, young and old, during the nine seasons it aired. With its charming cast of characters, relatable stories that could easily be transposed into a modern world, and its commitment to ensuring the story remains captivating, Little House on the Prairie it lasted long after its final episode.

Another part of the success of Little House on the Prairie comes from your configuration. The Ingalls family lives on a picturesque farm in Plum Creek, which is just a short drive from the larger city of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Both locations are beautiful, memorable settings that audiences got to know intimately. With its rolling hills, dusty roads, and inviting houses, it seemed like a real place where a weary traveler could stroll and be at peace. It may come as a surprise then that Little House on the Prairie was not filmed in the real Walnut Grove.

Little House On The Prairie was filmed primarily in Simi Valley, California

Big Sky Movie Ranch has been used in several films

Little House on the Prairie it was actually filmed far from Minnesota in California; specifically, at the Big Sky Movie Ranch in Simi Valley. Approximately all of the show’s exteriors were filmed at the famous Big Sky Movie Ranch (through BigSkyMovieRanchOficial). Big Sky Movie Ranch includes more than 7,000 acres within a 30-mile radius in the hills of Simi Valley.

Several notable productions have been filmed there, including Babylon, Gun smokeand Twin Peaks. The Farm at Plum Creek was also filmed at the Big Sky Movie Ranch. The large open space allowed the production team to build the town of Walnut Grove and also leave wide views of different scenes from the show (via Gigster).

Little House’s interiors were filmed 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 Open Country). It’s always a little easier to film these intimate sequences indoors to allow more space for cameras, lighting and sound technicians, and actors. to operate. This 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, doors, or other frustrations will affect the interior footage. It’s almost impossible to tell, and inside and out they look fantastic.

Do little house on the prairie sets still exist today?

The sets were expanded at the end of the series

Unfortunately, sets for Little House on the Prairie have since been demolishedalthough the landscapes are still recognizable (via YouTube). THE Little House on the Prairie The ending shows the townspeople having to blow up their houses, which Michael Landon said (via NYT),

“It was also a good catharsis for the cast and crew. There were a lot of tears when we finally blew up the city. All the actors were very attached to their own buildings, so it was very emotional.”

Landon and his team chose to destroy the sets as a final goodbye to the show. However, Melissa Gilbert (who played Laura Ingalls), said in her memoir Tales from the Prairie (through Collider),

“[Landon] was furious that he never received an official phone call from NBC President Brandon Tartikoff or anyone else at the network informing him of the show’s fate. He had been with the network since 1959. Sensing the disrespect, Mike’s temper turned red. He wanted to destroy every scene – Walnut Grove, everything in Simi Valley.”

This has never been confirmed by anyone else, but the fact that Landon starred Road to heaven just a year later suggests he wasn’t entirely blindsided by the show’s endingand this may just be an apocryphal story. A replica of the original property was built by the team after the show ended, but unfortunately, 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 will forever remain immortalized on the show.