Season 1

The Ingalls family settles on Plum Creek outside Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Season 1 introduces the town and its people: Nels and Harriet Oleson and their children, Doc Baker, Reverend Alden, Miss Beadle and the Hansons, while Mr. Edwards finds his way back into the family's life. Season 1 aired on NBC in 1974–75 and has 23 episodes. Pick one below for a full synopsis.

1. 1A Harvest of FriendsFirst aired September 11, 1974The Ingalls family arrives at Plum Creek outside Walnut Grove, Minnesota, and Charles trades his horses for land with a sod dugout on it.
2. 2Country GirlsFirst aired September 18, 1974Mary and Laura go to school in Walnut Grove for the first time, and their homemade dresses and farm manners make them easy targets for the shopkeeper's spoiled daughter, Nellie Oleson.
3. 3100 Mile WalkFirst aired September 25, 1974A hailstorm flattens the Ingalls wheat crop just before harvest, and with it goes the money the family was counting on.
4. 4Mr. Edwards' HomecomingFirst aired October 2, 1974On a trip to Mankato, Charles stumbles onto his old Kansas friend Isaiah Edwards in the middle of a drunken bar fight.
5. 5The Love of Johnny JohnsonFirst aired October 9, 1974Laura falls hard for an older schoolboy, Johnny Johnson, and is crushed to learn that Johnny only has eyes for Mary.
6. 6If I Should Wake Before I DieFirst aired October 23, 1974Miss Amy, a lonely elderly woman in town, is heartbroken that her grown children never visit.
7. 7Town Party, Country PartyFirst aired October 30, 1974Laura makes a new friend, Olga Nordstrom, a shy girl who walks with a limp because one leg is shorter than the other.
8. 8Ma's HolidayFirst aired November 6, 1974Charles surprises Caroline with a rare getaway, just the two of them, a chance to be husband and wife again instead of only Ma and Pa.
9. 9School MomFirst aired November 13, 1974When Miss Beadle is injured, Caroline steps in as substitute teacher.
10. 10The RaccoonFirst aired November 20, 1974Laura takes in an orphaned baby raccoon she names Jasper and raises it as a pet.
11. 11The Voice of Tinker JonesFirst aired December 4, 1974Walnut Grove's church has no bell, and an argument over buying one splits the congregation.

12. 12The AwardFirst aired December 11, 1974Mary is desperate to win a prize in a school examination, and she stays up late studying by lamplight in the barn.
13. 13The Lord Is My ShepherdFirst aired December 18, 1974Caroline gives birth to a son, Charles Frederick, and Pa is overjoyed.
14. 14Christmas at Plum CreekFirst aired December 25, 1974Christmas is coming and money is short, so every member of the family secretly works to afford a present for someone else.
15. 15Family QuarrelFirst aired January 15, 1975Nels and Harriet Oleson's constant bickering finally boils over, and they separate.
16. 16Doctor's LadyFirst aired January 22, 1975Harriet Oleson's lively niece, Kate, comes to visit, and to everyone's surprise she sets her sights on Doc Baker.
17. 17PlagueFirst aired January 29, 1975A deadly typhus outbreak strikes Walnut Grove, and the sick are quarantined in the church.
18. 18Circus ManFirst aired February 5, 1975A smooth-talking traveling showman rolls into town selling a miracle tonic that he claims can cure anything.
19. 19Child of PainFirst aired February 12, 1975Laura and Mary notice that a classmate, Graham Stewart, is covered in bruises he refuses to explain.
20. 20Money CropFirst aired February 19, 1975A stranger convinces the farmers of Walnut Grove to plant a new cash crop with the promise of big profits.
21. 21SurvivalFirst aired February 26, 1975A ferocious blizzard traps the Ingalls family, along with a lawman who is stranded with them.
22. 22To See the WorldFirst aired March 5, 1975Johnny Johnson quarrels with his father and, his head full of Mr.
23. 23Founder's DayFirst aired May 7, 1975Walnut Grove celebrates Founder's Day with a town fair full of contests.