Carrie was an independent young woman, and though single, she filed on a homestead claim in Top Bar, South Dakota. She also worked for The Keystone Recorder and The Hill City Star while living in the Black Hills. Here, Carrie met mine owner David N. Swanzey, a widower with two young children.
Carrie and Dave were married on August 1, 1912. Although Carrie and Dave never had any children together, Carrie raised Dave's children, Mary (age 8 at the time of the marriage) and Harold (age 6) as her own. The family lived in Keystone, the site of Mount Rushmore. When Gutzon Borglum arrived in the area looking for a good site for the carving, Dave was one of the group of men who recommended the mountain and led the sculptor to it. Carrie's stepson Harold helped with the carving.
Carrie was enthusiastic about Laura's books, and helped her sister by sharing her memories of their growing-up years with her.
In 1936, Carrie's stepson Harold was killed in an automobile accident, and in April 1938, Carrie lost her husband, as well. Mary Swanzey married Monroe Harris and had 15 children. Carrie died of a sudden illness on June 2, 1946, leaving Laura as the last living member of the Ingalls family.
Carrie Ingalls
Photo courtesy of Herbert Hoover Presidential Library.
Used with permission.
