Season Three

On his way to Walnut Grove to collect donations, Reverend Alden becomes ill. He is rescued by Caleb Hodgekiss, an ex-con, who volunteers to help him. While Caleb's wife, Mattie, tends to the Reverend, Caleb goes to Walnut Grove, posing as a colleague of Reverend Alden's to collect donations ... with the intentions of keeping all the money for himself. However, after participating in acts of kindness, Caleb has a change of heart and does the right thing with the money.

Mary and Mr. Edward's oldest son, John are deeply in love, they want to be married. There is only one problem. John has gotten a scholarship to college to become a writer. John is afraid to leave Mary because she will change while he is gone, and Mary doesn't want him to go. Although Mary is only thirteen, the Ingalls reluctantly agree to let her marry. Mr. Edwards is exciting and begins plotting out land where John and Mary can live. However, in the end, they both realize that John must take the scholarship because writing is his dream, and he won't be him without it.

48. BUNNY October 18, 1976

When a horse riding accident paralyzes Nellie, Harriet blames Laura and wants to have the horse, Bunny, destroyed. Laura is able to hide Bunny from Mrs. Oleson for a while. Though it wasn't her fault, Laura still feels guilty and services Nellie's wishes. When Laura discovers Nellie was faking her injuries, Laura decides to take Nellie outside for some fresh air, and takes her to the top of the hill. Then, with a push by Laura, Nellie rolls all the way down the hill into the creek, where Nellie stands up shrieking, forgetting her "paralysis". Laura is praised by Harriet Oleson for helping Nellie miraculously recover. Nels returns Bunny to Laura

49. THE RACE October 4, 1976

.Laura and her horse, Bunny, are the favorites to win the horse race at the town fair. However, Harriet has no intention of letting Laura win; she purchases a thoroughbred, Sparks, for Nellie to ride and offers her family's large silver cup as the trophy. On the day of the race, Bunny is exhausted after riding to fetch Doc Baker. It appears Laura will have to forfeit but there's no keeping a good horse down. The race is close but Laura and Bunny win. Laura graciously returns Harriet's family heirloom.

50. THE MONSTER OF WALNUT GROVE November 1, 1976

On Halloween, Laura accidentally sees Nels chop off a dolls head. She had only seen the back of the head, so she believes it to be Mrs. Oleson. Her friend, Carl, who is the only person to believe Laura, helps her search for evidence to solve the crime. Meanwhile, Mrs. Oleson has gone away so the two really think that she has been murdered. When they tell Nellie and Willie, they don't believe them, but decide to scare Laura and Carl by saying that their father has been digging in the cellar. One night the children meet in the cellar. Nellie and Willie scare Laura and Carl, and while they are running out of the store, Mrs. Oleson comes home and everything is cleared up.

51/52. JOURNEY IN THE SPRING (Part One) November 15, 1976 & November 22, 1976

When Charles' mother dies, his father, Lansford Ingalls, loses the will to live. Charles brings his father back to Walnut Grove hoping it will do him some good. Spending time with his grandchildren helps Lansford recover. One day, Laura becomes angry with her grandfather after there is an accident with her horse, Bunny, He promised Laura Bunny would live and he was forced to put Bunny down when the injury was too bad. Feeling bad, Lansford leaves Walnut Grove. Realizing her anger was misplaced, Laura is able to find her grandfather and convinces him to return home with her. Later when he goes back home Laura cries and tells him she loves him. He dies few months later.

53. FRED November 29, 1976

On the way home from school one day, Laura is conned into taking a billy goat, named Fred. During the first night at the Ingalls farm, Fred eats the crop, so Charles tells Laura that she must get rid of the goat. However, trying to place the goat with either Mr. Edwards, Reverend Alden, Mrs. Olsen, or Doc Baker all result in very funny moments. Laura ends up setting Fred free and Fred eats the crop of the man Charles sold it to. The man is forces to go back to Charles and buy more at a bigger price. Charles finally lets Laura keep the goat but she realizes that he is better off with other goats in the wild, allowing him to set him free.

54. THE BULLY BOYS December 6, 1976

There is a new family in Walnut Grove ... the Galinders. They are three brothers, with a really bad attitude. They start in the store and buy supplies, then the lumberyard to fix their house. They say that they have money due Friday. When it doesn't arrive, the town gets angry. Charles gets beat up when he protects Caroline from the two men, and the whole school gets together to teach the third young bully a lesson. Reverend Alden is the man that decides that the Galinders must leave, so during church one Sunday the three are kicked out of Walnut Grove.

55. THE HUNTERS December 20, 1976 (Ninety minute episode)

Pa decides to go hunting, and Laura follows against Ma's wishes. When Pa and Laura are preparing the camp, Laura accidentally stumbles over Pa's gun, which goes off, seriously wounding Pa. Laura runs to Ben's house, but only Ben's blind father, Sam, is home. As Laura doesn't know how to return to Walnut Grove, she has to depend on Sam, who fears leaving the house. But as Sam just recently became blind, he and Laura set out, and after losing their way several times, they manage to find the place where Mr. Edward's was waiting for Pa and Laura. They save Pa, and thanks to Laura, Sam learned that just because he was blind didn't mean he had to stay at home and do nothing.

56. BLIZZARD January 3, 1977

One winter day, before Christmas vacation, the children are at school. Miss. Beatle realizes that a storm is brewing, and lets the school children out early so that they all can make it home before the storm starts. The storm starts before the children can reach home, and Mary, Laura, and Carrie are caught in it, along with other children. They set up camp in an old barn. The men in the town search for the children while Doc Baker sets up shop in the church to help the frozen children as they each come in. One man goes outside and finds a boy who came home by himself, but his Pa dies in the snow.

57. LITTLE GIRL LOST January 10, 1977

When Laura and Mary receive the assignment to collect bugs for studying, Carrie wants to go with them. Mary becomes upset and yells at Carrie to stay on the log after Carrie lets out all of Mary's bugs. Instead, Carrie chases a butterfly, and falls into an old mine's air shaft. Meanwhile, Mr. Hanson refuses to hire an ex-miner Mr. Laudy because of his addiction to alcohol and the fact that he had married Mr. Hanson's daughter against his will. The whole town pitches in to help get Carrie out of the shaft, but it is Mr. Laudy that actually saves Carrie before the whole mine caves in, showing Mr. Hanson that he should be forgiven.
Guest stars: Mr. Laudy is played by John Ireland.

58. QUARANTINE January 7, 1977

Mr. Edwards takes Doc Baker to help a neighboring town with an epidemic case of fatal mountain fever. Upon Mr. Edwards return, Walnut Grove is placed under quarantine. Mr. Edwards adopted daughter, Alicia becomes ill with mountain fever, and he knows he brought it to her, as he was also the carrier when his first wife and child got sick and died. Mr. Edwards takes her to his hunting cabin to tend to her. Laura doesn't realize the seriousness of the illness and enters the cabin. When she comes down with spots, the mountain fever symptom, she quarantines herself with Mr. Edwards and Alicia, and ends up tending both of them when Mr. Edwards collapses from exhaustion. In the end, Mr. Edwards daughter recovers, and Laura simply had a case of poison ivy.

59. LITTLE WOMEN January 24, 1977

Miss Beatle thinks that it is a good idea for the school to put on plays in small groups. In Laura and Mary's group is Ginny Clark, who doesn't have a father. Ginny's mother, Della, would like to date the wood man, but she feels that she doesn't look good enough. Wanting her mother to be able to date, Ginny cuts her beautiful hair to sell it in order to buy her mother a dress. Della at first accuses Ginny of stealing money until she sees that her daughter has cut her hair, and punishes her, believing she stole the money. No one realizes it until during the play that Ginny has actually cut her hair like in the play that they are performing... Little Women.

60. INJUN KID January 31, 1976

Joseph Stokes, also known as Spotted Eagle, the son of a Sioux Indian father and a white mother, moves to Walnut Grove with his widowed mother to live with his grandfather, Jeremy. Jeremy is ashamed that his daughter willingly married an Indian and treats Joseph with contempt. At school, Joseph is harassed by the bullies. It is not until Joseph shows courage under adversity when beaten up by the bullies does Jeremy stand up for him and accept Spotted Eagle as his grandson.

61. TO LIVE WITH FEAR (Part One) February 14, 1977

Mary has an accident with a horse in the barn. When Mary starts to get worse, the Ingalls take her to a specialist. There they learn that Mary needs an immediate operation. Charles must leave and take on a high risk job to pay for the operation.

62. TO LIVE WITH FEAR (Part Two) February 21, 1977

Charles risks his own life, and the lives of his crew by rushing a tunnel dynamiting job.

63. THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON March 7, 1977

Slavery has just been abolished by the Civil War, but many, both white and black people are still sticking to their old ways. Solomon Henry is a black boy of eleven who decides that he is sick of being a Negro. He wants to be white and go to school. Solomon runs away, and starts living with the Ingalls family. He teaches the family about slavery and also teaches Laura not to take things for granted. Solomon ends up being proud of his family and goes back to work on his families farm.
Comment: Solomon mentions many interesting ideas to think about. Such as, if it was the late 1800's, would you like to be black and live to 100, or white and live to be 50.
Guest stars: Solomon is played by Todd Bridges.

64. THE MUSIC BOX March 14, 1977

Many new things have been happening to the Walnut Grove students. Nellie has started a club and Laura has a new friend, Olga. Olga has a speech problem. While at Nellie's, Laura takes a music box that she didn't think Nellie cared about. When Nellie catches Laura with the music box, Nellie decides that she will either tell, or make Laura do what ever she wants. Laura must help with her chores, be in the club even though she doesn't want to be, and she must also be mean to Olga. When Laura can't live with Nellie's bossiness anymore, she tells her father, and gives back the music box. Olga and Laura become best friends once again.

65. THE ELECTION March 21, 1977

The school house is having an election! Mary, Nellie, and Elmer are running. Elmer is a boy who isn't popular and is frequently picked on at school. He didn't want to run, but one of the other boys nominated him. Mary ends up dropping out of the election when she realizes that Elmer would be the best one for the position. Elmer does end up winning by one vote.

66. GOLD COUNTRY April 4, 1977 (Two hour episode)

After having their crops destroyed, the Ingalls leave Walnut Grove to try their luck at striking it rich. After being at the gold mines for a while, the Ingalls realize that greed has been poisoning their minds. They leave to go home instead of looking for more gold