Credit: Netflix

Charles Ingalls spends pretty much the whole of Little House on the Prairie chasing the same dream that had thousands of settlers heading west: a bit of land to call his own and the chance to give Caroline, Mary and Laura a better life.

By the time we reach the finale, it sort of looks like it’s all worked out. The cabin is finally built, and the family have finally found their feet.

But that’s not what happened at all. The decision to leave Kansas wasn’t some last-minute twist thrown in for drama. If you paid attention, the signs were there from the start. Charles believed he was building a future on free land, only to learn that the promise came at the expense of the Osage Nation, and once the government changed the rules, the Ingalls were left with a bill they had no chance of paying.

So why do Charles and Caroline end up packing the wagon after spending the whole season building a life for themselves in Kansas? And what does that final journey actually mean for where the Ingalls family goes next? Go ahead then; let’s find out.

Why do the Ingalls leave Kansas in the finale?

It all comes down to one awkward little detail: the land was never really theirs in the first place. From the very first episode, Charles is convinced the government has opened up free land around Independence for families willing to roll up their sleeves and build a new life. Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesn’t it?

There is only one rather enormous problem. The land actually belongs to the Osage Nation, and the settlers have turned up because they were sold a dream that completely overlooked the people who were already living there.

By the finale, the government finally signs a treaty with the Osage, buying the land before putting it up for sale properly. Suddenly, every settler is faced with the same choice: find the money to buy the land or pack everything into a wagon and move on.

Unfortunately for Charles, neither option is really on the table. The family has been relying on the sale of their old farm back in Wisconsin to clear their debts, but when that deal falls through, they are left in an even worse financial mess than before.

And because life clearly hasn’t finished kicking them while they are down, disaster strikes one last time. A prairie fire rips through the Ingalls’ crops, destroying the very harvest they were counting on to get back on their feet. That’s the final nail in the coffin. What’s there left to stay for?

Rather than dwelling on everything they’ve lost, Caroline makes the difficult call to keep moving. It’s a heartbreaking decision, but she’s right. As painful as it is to leave, Kansas just doesn’t have a future for the Ingalls family anymore.

Where are the Ingalls headed next?

By the end, the family is back climbing into the covered wagon once again. Only this time it feels a bit different, doesn’t it? Kansas was meant to be the place where they finally put down roots. The finish line. Instead, it turns out to be just another stop along the road. Next up is Walnut Grove, Minnesota, a place fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books have been waiting to see ever since the series was first announced.

The move is a pretty big deal and all, because it sets up the next chapter of Laura’s story. Walnut Grove’s where she first crosses paths with Nellie Oleson, who is one of the most famous characters from the books, and we already know she is turning up in season two. John Edwards also decides to hit the road with the Ingalls, which just goes to show how much their little family has grown since they first rocked up in Kansas. They are not just travelling together anymore… They have found their people.

So yeah, the finale shuts the door on one chapter, but you aren’t left with a feeling of hopelessness. The Ingalls might have lost their home, but they haven’t lost each other. If anything, that’s what the whole season has been building towards. It’s all they know, really… and that’s exactly what makes them so easy to root for.