Melissa Gilbert gets makeup. Courtesy: Bryan Pierson

It’s not often that an article on www.sipandgogirl.com starts an obsession, but apparently people love their Little House On the Prairie.

The Ingalls family in real life spent several years living in Minnesota. I was born in Minnesota along with countless family members going back to the 19th century.

The show is set in Minnesota for its entire 1974-1983 run. As I love to point out, the TV version of Walnut Grove has a lot more hills and sunshiney days than the real midwest state.

My cousin Dawn was born and raised there. She lives near St. Paul and reminded me that it wasn’t always perfect weather for the Ingalls family of TV. There was a “blizzard episode.”

She and I had a conversation about LHOTP after she read my article.

“I loved the show and am still slightly embarrassed to admit it.”

You’re secret is out now, Dawn.

Another reader contacted me all excited and to remind me that the TV show had filmed an episode where he went to college: University of Arizona in Tucson.

Bryan says, “I’m so inspired to go find this episode on YouTube. Of course I think Melissa Gilbert is cute.”

He then went on a hunt for photos he had taken behind the scenes during August 1981. He only found negatives, so he looked in his college yearbook, took pics of the pics, then looked some more and found the originals. Bryan then scanned them and sent them via email to me.

He was quite in earnest to get ahold of the photos he took of Laura Ingalls (Melissa Gilbert) and Pa Ingalls (Michael Landon).

Michael Landon directs. Courtesy: Bryan Pierson

The photos you see here are two he dug out all thrilled after reading about how Pa Ingalls aka Michael Landon has no fear of intimacy.

Enjoy the pics from the episode “A Wiser Heart.”