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The Best Episodes of Little House on the Prairie Season 3

Every episode of Little House on the Prairie Season 3 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of Little House on the Prairie Season 3!

Binge this in 18h 2m•Peaking at 8.7/10

When the big woods of Wisconsin becomes a difficult spot for hunting, Charles Ingalls reluctantly decides to move his family, pioneering west. Their life on the farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 1 - The Collection
    8.5/10(533 votes)

    #1 - The Collection

    S3:E1

    Reverend Alden gets sick while collecting donations. Caleb Hodgekiss, an ex-convict, helps the Reverend by giving him a place to stay and volunteering to get the donations from Walnut Grove. Caleb poses as a friend of the Reverend so that he might get donations which he initially planned to keep for himself.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Arthur Heinemann

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  2. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 2 - Bunny
    8.4/10(428 votes)

    #2 - Bunny

    S3:E2

    Nellie falls off of Bunny and pretends to be paralyzed. Mrs. Oleson blames Laura for this and wants to destroy Bunny.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Michael Landon

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  3. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 3 - The Race
    8.1/10(394 votes)

    #3 - The Race

    S3:E3

    Laura and her horse, Bunny, are picked to win at the horse race in town. Since Mrs. Oleson doesn't want Laura to win, she buys a great thoroughbred for Nellie to ride.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:John V. Hanrahan

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  4. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 4 - Little Girl Lost
    8.4/10(422 votes)

    #4 - Little Girl Lost

    S3:E4

    Carrie, having tagged along on Laura and Mary's classroom assignment, falls down a mine shaft, providing an alcoholic ex-miner a chance at redemption.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Paul W. Cooper

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  5. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 5 - The Monster of Walnut Grove
    7.6/10(408 votes)

    #5 - The Monster of Walnut Grove

    S3:E5

    Laura's imagination runs wild on Halloween when she thinks she sees Nels cut off Mrs Oleson's head. Laura tells Nellie and Willie what she saw. Since the Oleson kids know that their mother is really out of town, they decide to scare Laura a little bit more. Everything is straightened up when Mrs. Oleson comes back.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:John Hawkins

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  6. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 6 - Journey in the Spring (1)
    7.8/10(384 votes)

    #6 - Journey in the Spring (1)

    S3:E6

    Charles' father, Lansford Ingalls, doesn't want to live after his wife dies. Charles brings his father to Walnut Grove to help him out. When Laura's horse gets hurt, she blames her grandpa.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Michael Landon

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  7. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 7 - Journey in the Spring (2)
    8.0/10(375 votes)

    #7 - Journey in the Spring (2)

    S3:E7

    Lansford leaves because he feels really bad. Once Laura realizes that her grandpa wasn't to blame for the accident, she looks for Lansford and convinces him to come back home.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Michael Landon

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  8. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 8 - Fred
    7.4/10(395 votes)

    #8 - Fred

    S3:E8

    Laura is tricked into taking a ""one of a kind"" billy goat home with her. After Fred eats some of the Ingalls' crops, Laura is forced to get rid of the billy goat. Every person that Laura wanted to give the billy goat to resulted in a funny time. Laura finally decides to set him free in the wild. This episode is guaranteed to make you laugh!

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Robert Vincent Wright

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  9. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 9 - The Bully Boys
    8.3/10(451 votes)

    #9 - The Bully Boys

    S3:E9

    Rev. Alden's pleas to ""turn the other cheek"" is put to the test when a family of ruffians move to Walnut Grove and cause trouble.

    Director:Victor French
    Writer:B.W. Sandefur

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  10. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 10 - The Hunters
    8.2/10(419 votes)

    #10 - The Hunters

    S3:E10

    Pa decides to take Laura hunting with him. When Charles and Laura are getting settled down for the night, Laura trips over her dad's gun and sets it off. Charles is badly wounded. Laura runs to get help, but the only person she can find is a blind person, Sam. Since Sam just recently became blind, he knew his way around somewhat. After getting lost a few times, Sam and Laura finally find Mr. Edwards' home. Mr. Edwards gets a doctor, who saves Mr. Ingalls. Thanks to Laura, Sam learned that just because he was blind didn't mean he had to stay at home and do nothing.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Harold Swanton

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  11. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 11 - Blizzard
    8.7/10(524 votes)

    #11 - Blizzard

    S3:E11

    The day before Christmas vacation started, Miss Beadle lets the children out early when she notices that a snowstorm is beginning. The children aren't able to make it home before the storm starts. The men of Walnut Grove search for the children while Doc Baker takes care of the frostbitten children that show up at the school.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Paul W. Cooper

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  12. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 12 - I'll Ride the Wind
    7.8/10(358 votes)

    #12 - I'll Ride the Wind

    S3:E12

    Mary and John have fallen deeply in love and want to get married, but John has a problem. He must decide if he will accept a scholarship and go to college or stay with Mary. At first Mary doesn't want him to go until she and John both realize that he must take the scholarship to try to make his dreams of becoming a writer a reality.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Harold Swanton

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  13. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 13 - Quarantine
    7.8/10(387 votes)

    #13 - Quarantine

    S3:E13

    Mr. Edwards and Doc Baker help a nearby town with an epidemic case of mountain fever. When Mr. Edwards returns, a quarantine is placed on Walnut Grove. Alicia, Mr. Edward's adopted daughter comes down with the disease. Mr. Edwards tries to help his daughter. Laura, not knowing about the disease, goes to visit Alicia and Mr. Edwards. Laura ends up taking care of the both of them while they recover.

    Director:Victor French
    Writer:John Hawkins

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  14. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 14 - Little Women
    7.9/10(406 votes)

    #14 - Little Women

    S3:E14

    The school children are allowed to put on plays in groups. Laura and Mary work with Ginny Clark, a student who has no father. Ginny wants her mother to date, but her mother, Della, doesn't believe she looks good enough. Ginny sells her long beautiful hair so she can buy her mother a new dress. Della at first accuses Ginny of stealing money until she sees that her daughter has cut her hair.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Dale Eunson

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  15. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 15 - Injun Kid
    8.0/10(413 votes)

    #15 - Injun Kid

    S3:E15

    Joseph Stokes is the son of a Sioux Indian who moves to Walnut Grove with his widowed mother. They stay with his grandpa, Jeremy. Jeremy doesn't like Joseph because he is embarrassed that his daughter married an Indian. At school, Joseph is being bullied. Jeremy finally accepts Joseph when he sees his grandson face the bullies

    Director:Victor French
    Writer:Arthur Heinemann

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  16. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 16 - To Live with Fear (1)
    8.3/10(376 votes)

    #16 - To Live with Fear (1)

    S3:E16

    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.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:B.W. Sandefur

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  17. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 17 - To Live with Fear (2)
    8.2/10(371 votes)

    #17 - To Live with Fear (2)

    S3:E17

    Caroline stays with Mary who suddenly needs another operation. Charles leave and take on a high risk job to pay for the operation for Mary and Mr. Edwards goes with him. They take a job as a couple of Powder Monkeys making a tunnel for the railroad. But safety is far at the back of Charles' mind as he takes risks, refusing to stop even when a funeral of a Chinese worker takes place. This rush inevitably causes a cave-in where Charles and Harris are buried.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:John Hawkins

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  18. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 18 - The Wisdom of Solomon
    8.3/10(452 votes)

    #18 - The Wisdom of Solomon

    S3:E18

    Solomon Henry, an eleven year old black boy, runs away from his family because he's tired of everybody treating him different. He goes to live with the Ingalls. The Ingalls learn many important things and Laura learns an important lesson : Don't take things for granted. The Ingalls convince Solomon to be proud of his heritage. Solomon goes back to his family in the end.

    Director:William F. Claxton
    Writer:Scott Swanton

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  19. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 19 - The Music Box
    7.9/10(403 votes)

    #19 - The Music Box

    S3:E19

    Laura befriends a new girl, Anna, who stutters and has a hard time making friends. A jealous Nellie starts an elite club and although she invites Laura, she leaves Anna out. While at the Olesons, Laura steals one of Nellie's music boxes.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writer:Robert Janes

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  20. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 20 - The Election
    8.2/10(387 votes)

    #20 - The Election

    S3:E20

    As a prank to make him look foolish, the older boys of Walnut Grove school nominate the object of their practical jokes, gentle Elmer Dobkins, to run for class president against popular Mary Ingalls and wealthy Nellie Oleson. While Mary and Nellie wage their campaigns with promises of popcorn and gum balls, Mr. Dobkins witnesses his son being teased by the older boys and, when he finds out why Elmer was nominated, angrily orders him to pull out of the election. But, when election day comes and the race seems too close to call, a cruel act and children tired of being bullied decide the outcome.

    Director:Victor French
    Writer:B.W. Sandefur

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  21. Little House on the Prairie Season 3 Episode 21 - Gold Country
    8.0/10(394 votes)

    #21 - Gold Country

    S3:E21

    A heavy rain has been falling in Walnut Grove for two months, and it shows no signs of stopping. Farmers like Charles fear that their families will go hungry, and after reading an article in the newspaper, they take a 400-mile journey with their wives and children for a temporary new life in Gold Country. Things start out pretty well when Charles and Isaiah dig up some gold, but Laura and Carl get a completely different perspective from a new friend that they meet near their camp site. Meanwhile, Caroline opens and teaches a school in a tent, right in the middle of town, but it proves to be a less-than-ideal learning environment for everyone.

    Director:Michael Landon
    Writers:John Hawkins, B.W. Sandefur

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Season 3 Ratings Summary

"The Collection" is the best rated episode of "Little House on the Prairie" season 3. It scored 8.5/10 based on 533 votes. Directed by Michael Landon and written by Arthur Heinemann, it aired on 9/27/1976. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Bunny".