First published in 1904 "Dandelion Cottage" is Carroll Watson Rankin's best known novel. She first wrote the story for her own children. The novel became a regional classic in the Midwest, it tells of four young girls who negotiate the use of a derelict cottage as a playhouse by pulling dandelions for the owner, prosperous Mr. Black. Mr. Black character is based on, Marquette businessman and philanthropist Peter White, and the original Dandelion Cottage is also a real house that is still standing to this day.