Where would the Ingalls family get food and supplies?
The Ingalls family could not make everything they would need. Sometimes they had to purchase items from the General Store. So once in a while, Pa would go into town to the general store to buy what the family needed. To buy things at the store, Pa traded the furs he collected during the winter by setting traps for various animals-otter, beaver, mink, even bear. He took the furs to the store and the storekeeper gave Pa either money or store credit for them. A general store when Laura was growing up was part grocery store; part hardware store and part feed store. There were bolts of cloth, sacks of sugar and plugs of tobacco. There were plows, guns, axes, hammers and nails. Groceries were a big part of the stock. A general store would have barrels of salted meats and fish, pickles and crackers; lard, flour, salt, and jars of colorful candy. A general store was crowded with merchandise stacked on the counters and shelves, piled on the floor and hanging from the walls, and rafters. Sometim
