Who is the real Laura Ingalls? Is she the smart, strong, and resourceful fictional character of the Little House books? Or is she the more mature and somewhat worldly Laura Ingalls of Pioneer Girl? Or perhaps she’s the character that actress Melissa Gilbert created in the “Little House on the Prairie” television series.
And what about the author who launched the original Laura—Laura Ingalls Wilder? She once told readers that “All I have told is true but it is not the whole truth,”1 blurring the distinction between herself and the character she created. Even her editor was confused: “I had understood when your manuscript was given to me to read, that it was autobiographical… Won’t you send us an autobiographical sketch so that we can see just how this material fits into your own background?”2
Furthermore, generations of readers, television viewers, scholars, and the public at large have projected their own images of Laura Ingalls onto the books, television spin-offs, mini-series, documentaries, musicals, pageants, plays, articles, and recordings that have made Laura Ingalls an iconic American figure and Laura Ingalls Wilder a literary legend.
From the left - Carrie, Mary, and Laura Ingalls
So who is Laura Ingalls? Is there a definitive answer to this question?
Here are a few indisputable facts about the historical Laura: She was born on February 7, 1867, to Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Like her older sister Mary Amelia, Laura Elizabeth spent the first years of her life on a farm in Pepin County, Wisconsin.
The family may have moved briefly to Chariton County, Missouri, in the late 1860s, but by 1870, was living near Independence, Kansas. They were squatters on the Osage Diminished Reserve. As the federal census taker noted, “the Lands belonged to the Osage Indians and Settlers had no title to Said Lands.”3 Laura’s sister, Caroline Celestia (Carrie), was born there on August 3, 1870.
The family returned to Wisconsin in 1871, then moved west to Minnesota, where Laura’s parents bought a farm. A plague of grasshoppers destroyed their wheat crop, sending the family east to Burr Oak, Iowa. Laura’s brother Charles Frederick (Freddie) was born before the family moved east—on November 1, 1875—but died on their journey to Iowa; he was just nine months old.
Charles and Caroline had a hard time making ends meet in Iowa. Their attempt to manage a hotel failed, and Charles found work at a mill. Laura’s sister Grace Pearl was born in Burr Oak on May 23, 1877, but the family didn’t linger there. They returned to Minnesota and lived in the small town of Walnut Grove for about a year.
Laura Ingalls Wilder - De Smet, SD
After a serious illness, Mary lost her sight in 1879. That same year, Charles Ingalls accepted a job as a clerk and bookkeeper with the Chicago & North West Railroad in Dakota Territory, and the family moved west one last time. Charles filed a homestead claim in 1880, and helped found the town of De Smet. Laura came of age in Dakota Territory. She received her teaching certificate, taught schools near De Smet, and was courted by a young homesteader, Almanzo Wilder. They married on August 25, 1885, when Laura was eighteen. Their daughter Rose was born on December 5, 1886.
Laura and Almanzo’s first nine years of marriage were marred by economic hardship and personal loss. Both had diphtheria and Almanzo suffered a subsequent stroke, which left him permanently disabled. As Rose later wrote, her father “limped through the rest of his ninety years and was never as strong as he had been.”4 Laura and Almanzo’s second child—a son—died just a month after his birth in the summer of 1889, and a series of drought, fire, and financial crises forced the couple to move east to Minnesota, south to Florida, back to South Dakota, and ultimately to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894. They bought a piece of land, planted over 400 apple trees, and christened their new home “Rocky Ridge Farm.” The couple lived out the rest of their lives there.
Laura & Almanzo Wilder - Winter 1885-1886
In 1911, Laura launched her writing career with The Missouri Ruralist, the leading agricultural newspaper in the state. Rose also pursued a writing career and by the late 1920s was a well-known author. She encouraged her mother to write for national audiences too. In May 1930, Laura finished writing her first book-length work, entitled Pioneer Girl, an autobiography written for adult readers that focused on her frontier childhood and adolescence. Rose worked as her mother’s editor on Pioneer Girl, and helped market it to editors in New York.
The manuscript didn’t sell, but an abbreviated version of Pioneer Girl, written for young readers, caught the attention of two New York children’s book editors, and became the first book in Wilder’s Little House series, Little House in the Big Woods, published in 1932. Laura and Rose formed an editorial collaboration, and together produced the remaining seven books published during their lifetimes.
Laura died in 1957, at the age of ninety; Rose died in 1968, at the age of 81. Three years later, in 1971, the last Little House novel was published posthumously, The First Four Years. By then Laura was an established literary legend.
Laura Ingalls Wilder – Portrait at 70 years; Courtesy of Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association, Mansfield, Missouri
The “Little House on the Prairie” television series launched in 1974, and with it, Laura’s celebrity reached new audiences. So too did new questions about Laura. And as the decades passed, the questions about Laura’s many identities became more complicated and perplexing.
Yet her influence continued to grow, inspiring new generations of readers and viewers to identify with both the real and fictional Laura Ingalls. Some point to her courage and optimism in the face of adversity; others to what they interpret as the simple, faith-based lifestyle her pioneer family embraced; still others resonate with Wilder’s depiction of women in the American West or the environmental themes they find in her work.
What is consistent, however, is that most Laura enthusiasts feel a personal connection with her; they believe Wilder’s work speaks directly to them. That voice appears to break through cultural, social, and generational barriers, allowing readers to bring their own unique interpretations of Laura into their lives. This web site will explore the many different faces of Laura Ingalls, and the many ways her work has inspired others, allowing you to draw your own conclusions about her. Because as Laura herself wrote, “There are so many different ways of seeing things, and so many different ways of saying them.”5
See all of our posts about Laura Ingalls Wilder here. To learn more about Laura Ingalls Wilder and how she became a writer, we recommend you check out Dean Butler’s documentary, Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder. To purchase the DVD, click here.
Notes:
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, Detroit Book Fair Speech, 1937, p. 8, Box 13, Laura Ingalls Wilder Series, Rose Wilder Lane Papers, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, Iowa.
- Virginia Kirkus to Laura Ingalls Wilder, December 15, 1931, Box 13, Laura Ingalls Wilder Series, Rose Wilder Lane Papers, Herbert Hoover Presidential Library, West Branch, Iowa.
- U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of the Census, Ninth Census of the United States, 1870, Rutland Township, Montgomery County, KS, at Ancestry.com.
- Rose Wilder Lane, Introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder, On The Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota To Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 (New York: Harper & Row, 1962), p.2
- Laura Ingalls Wilder, By the Shores of Silver Lake (New York: Harper & Row, 1939), p. 58.
Pamela Smith Hill is the author of Laura Ingalls Wilder: A Writer’s Life and the editor of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. She has taught writing and literature classes at several universities, including a massive open online course on Wilder for Missouri State University. She is also the author of three Young Adult novels.
I sometimes mention Laura ingalls on my San Francisco city tour. She came in her 50‘s
Out west to visit her daughter Rose, who was living in San Francisco as a newspaper writer. It was the 1915 pan pacific expo as the occasion. They rode the cable car. Laura jumped off the car and hurt her foot; she had to go back by train to her farm and recuperate.
This is my warning to people about being careful getting and off the cable cars.
I’ve LOVED Laura and her books about her family and life since I read them in elementary school years ago, and was thrilled when they were brought to TV . I still watch them today, even though I’ve seen every single episode many times over! Thank you for such an intimate look at her and her family! My little nephew dubbed the show “Mary on the Prairie” since he couldn’t master pronouncing Laura…lol
i watched all her movies and love them and just started the eppisodes
IAM a woman going on 83 come January I began watching the entire series every night some months ago Although over the years past I had cought a show here n there AND LOVED watching. This time though I watched and seen from time passing that Laura grew as well as Mary and the addition of the new Nellie was heartwarming oh how I loved mr.Olson. And Mr. Edwards and Doc Baker along with The reversed Alden ….I felt I lived there myself as I tuned in every night Last night I saw the final scene in the Wilder room n board manshoin when Mr Edwards decided to also move in And then it ended!! I couldn’t believe it was over !! I began to see what happened and found The last farewell. Watching that left me in tears. It was all gone!!! Watching each member of the cast cry themselves I realised they to felt somthing beautifull came to an end I believe Michael Landon ,s legacy was to leave this portrait of frontier life of Laura throughout the years it took as the family Ingles was growing .Very impressionable !! I hope it stirs the hearts of children still as well as adults Iam deeply grateful for seen this series which caused me to search into the real life of Laura ingles Wilder ..,..
You’re truly an inspiration to me after reading your post. I’ve watched every season & every episode on peacock, Hulu, & bought the 1st 2 seasons on Vudu. I tried to buy more as I wanted to buy a season everytime I was able (b/c they’re costly), but Vudu & prime is not letting me buy them for some odd reason. I’ve re-watched them over & over everyday or before bed it helps me to sleep. I cry on so many episodes just as you do. I miss things growing up & the family values I grew up having & these days there seems to be none sadly. I’ve tried to teach my family growing up values & I hope it helps. Good luck to you & hope you get to continue to watch all the seasons again. Micheal Landon was an amazing man. He left a great legacy & is missed very much. I love highway to heaven too. ????
I wish the show was more to her true life??? Is it true that Rose and her mom had a different kind of life. Why did she call her mom Momma Beth?
I grew up watching Little House just as so many others. However, being African American little girl it meant something different to me. I was always encouraged by the stories that were inclusive of people who looked like me. In my life and family stories, the reality of the horrors of that time were very heavy for a child. Little House was almost escapism to a less heavy place.
I too am African American and I was 7 when the show first aired. My family and I watched it religiously and we had the entire book series. I loved Little House very much and the show meant even more to me when they had episodes that included people of color. As an adult, I recently re-watched the one with Todd Bridges, I’d forgotten how good that episode was! Charles and Caroline’s willingless to step in and watch over that child regardless of is skin color was amazing. In spite of what the townsfolk though and Charles’ hints at having a Black wife was absolutely hilarious! As a kid, I would never have caught on to that, it’s funny watching these from a much different perspective now. I’ve been binge watching Little House all through this Covid-19 and racial divisiveness, I still find it as a way to escape everything that’s going on in our American society and the world right now.
*thought
I had been doing some research on Yoshisaburo Asano, who then changed his name to Yoshiro Asano. Yoshiro Asano had married a woman by the name of Maria Cabrera Flores, they both had 6 kids one of them is my grandfather and Yoshisaburo Asano is my great-grandfather. When I had gathered all the information I needed to continue my research, but what was really strange on my great-grandfather information and this was under the 1920 United States Census under my great-grandfathers information it had listed Image Number 00283 – I did the research on it and found the image of Laura Ingalls and the only connection that I found between my great-grandfather and Laura was the United States Census 1920. I don’t know why Laura picture was placed under Yoshisaburo Asano files and I seriously don’t think it had been a mistake, only because my great-grandfather was born on 1886 and died in 1886. Shouldn’t have the US Census picked up that kind of information before filing that? I just want to know what happened to my great-grandfather if you should have any information at all, could you please contact me, thank you AnnMarie…
Little House on the Parry had been my favorite show, thank you for that also.
I was 7 when Little House first aired. It was one of those shows, along with The Waltons, that the whole family watched and loved together.
I remember my Grandfather (and miss him to this day) in a halo of pipe smoke telling us grandkids stories (I suspect many were just that, stories) of his youth.
Treasures lost to time.
My name is marla scoggins I love reading about laura ingalls wilder and I even love watching the shows and the movies.
I was born in 1971, and from 1975 to 1980 and then from 1982 to 1986 my family lived very much like the Ingalls family in Little House on the Prairie, in that we were off grid as it’s called now. We did not have electricity, no running water, no indoor plumbing, but we did have a car or truck…lol!!! We used carosine lanterns, carried water, cooked on a wood stove, heated with wood, and we had a small farm basically, horses, chickens, goats, cats and dogs a garden, etc. We did have a flushing toilet and septic, just had to flush with a gallon of water, a shower stall with 5 gallon bucket on top with water faucet and a shower head. Fill the bucket up with hot water, shower! Because we didn’t have TV, reading was out “entertainment” , and it was exactly that and the best. Mom read us Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie. She also read to us The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series as well as many other books! During the daytime we had the freedom to roam and play, climb and jump when not in school or doing a few chores!!!! During school Dad dropped us at our bus stop 2 & 1\2 miles from home, on his way to work, in the afternoons we, my brother and I had to walk that 2 & 1\2 miles home every day no matter the weather, unless the weather was good early but was going to turn bad later, Mom would ride our horse to the bus stop and leave him with that neighbor then she would walk back home, and we would ride Joe home!! If the weather made seeing difficult, we would just point ole Joe towards the horse, tell him to take us home and we had no worries! He was the best horse ever!!! At Christmas time he would come up on the porch open the door and stick his head inside wanting a piece of fudge! LOL! We could mount him on either side, climb all over him and under his belly and neck, literally, and ride him 3 at a time, even when we were all preteen and young teen year sized!!! I miss him!!!
I hope I made someone smile!!!
Going off grid is easy if you ever want to do it! I’m working on doing so in AZ. Rebuilding, and starting all over from scratch mostly, but it’ll be my last home and I won’t have outrageous bills as I get even older!!!
All of my Love and the Love, Blessings and Grace of our LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, unto you and yours for today tomorrow and for always!!!!
I also was born in 1971. Enjoyed reading about your memories! I grew up watching the Little House series and researching a possible road trip for this year and “stumbled” across your comment. Blessings from our Lord to you as well!
Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful memories!
Oh my lord I wish I did that! I loooooooovvvvvvveeeeee little house and have always wanted to do that. When I was a kid I made my playhouse outside into a little house with beds, turned the bin into a stove:) and played in the field next to our house filled with wildflowers and long grasses everyday. Is that right:)?
That was a sweet glimpse into your life. Thank you for sharing!
Suzanne your story made me happy. Thank you for sharing. God bless you. Love, Stacy
Your note did make me smile… and I am thankful to you for sharing your childhood story as you reminisce over your memories. I had a so called comfortable life growing up and how I wish I had the kind of life as you had! May the Lord, our Savior, bless you too!
I like this read very much! I wish you best of everything in your future. God’s blessings will surely shine on those who follow His words and ways.
Love from Talladega Alabama
Im From sri lanka .first i read the little house books when im in 14 years and now im in 34 years but im still re reading this books …my only hope is going to plum creek one day..i haven’t got enough money yet.but one day how ever im trying to go to USA to see this heart touching land of Laura…love this books for ever….
I live in England and I am waiting for a chance to follow the track of Laura Ingalls wilder too! I’ve love the books and will never stop loving them ????
When I was in kindergarten my mom talked to me about the books and I started reading them. They are very entertaining and I also loved the show , how it really was like the books. I enjoyed it so much I read On The Banks Of Plum Creek Three times! I may be only nine but since five and forever I love these books!????
I live in Australia. My aunt, an avid reader let me read her copy of Little House on the Prairie. That was in early 1960’s.
As a teacher I read it as a serial every afternoon to my class. When my own children were born and in school and I was back teaching, I read it to them in library classes and we collected them at home. We all loved the tv version and now I have grandchildren of the right age for my boxed set. I have collected all the books also the books about Caroline’s life and the days in Scotland.
Growing up, my mom and I watched the tv show together. I read the whole series of books at least 3 times. I got the set for a birthday gift. My mom was an accomplished seamstress and made my niece and I the dresses that Laura and Mary wore with the matching bonnets! So cute. Of course I don’t think we ever wore them anywhere, but we would dress up in them quite often and act out scenes for my mom! Oh how I miss those simpler times! Love and always willing, Laura Ingalls Wilder!!! I am 53 now!
When I was in 5th and 6th grades (1960-61) I had teachers that would read to the class 15-20 minutes right after lunch everyday and they read the Little House books to us. In 1975 I married and one of our first Christmases I gave my wife the 7 book box set. I never read the books myself. Fast forward the August 2019. On our way home from our Wedding Anniversary trip we visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home in Mansfield, Mo. Now 2 days shy of my 71st birthday I am reading the books. I have on left to read. I am really enjoying them. I remember some parts that were read to me almost 60 years ago.
Thanks for all the history & comments. I think it’s time to read Little House on the Prairie, again!
I too read Laura Ingalls books when I was in grade school in Independence, Kansas. Also watched the tv show, Little House on the Prairie when I lived in Kansas and after my family moved to California in 1963. When I lived in Independence, my grandmother took me to the Little House on the prairie museum a few miles south of Independence when I was in grade school. I am now 72 and still remember every detail of that trip. After reading Laura’s story, I can relate to her life. We moved all over Kansas as my father worked on all the missile sites that were being built in Kansas. When I was 16, we moved to California. Where I continued to watch reruns of Little House on the Prairie. I am so glad I came across this post of the history of Little House on the Prairie! It Brought back a lot of memories and I enjoyed all of the comments of other readers.
I can’t remember when I first started reading this series, BUT I know it started me loving “series” of books. I liked reading the next story and finding my friends again in a new plot. Now, I’m older and at 45, I read Laura to my kids and they love calm pace, the rituals, the farm life and the many twists and turns of Laura’s life. It has taught them that good things come in simple packages and to just keep reading… you never know what’s around the bend
this book is my favorite book and its my dream book
I love the stories about Laura Ingalls Wilder and I loved the Little House on the Prairie TV series when it was on. I am a history nut I love history stuff.
I am from malaysia. I still remember 1st time i read the book Little House On The Prairie when i was young I was so attracted i kept read and read the book unfortunately there were only 1 series and it was really touched my heart makes me sad that i couldn’t find another series. Fortunately after many years they appeared on the tv series broadcasting once in a week. I still remember i did all house chores and homework as fast as i can so that I can watch tv series. It has been 40+ years now I still love to watch this series watching it almost everyday on tv show not to mention youtube. Really comforting i love this so much i wish one day i can go to walnut grove or wisconsin just to see the panorama.
Yes I’m a big fan of the house in the prairie episodes I read Laura’s books in grade school and when I found out they were showing it on TV I got excited.i love Laura and almonzo as a couple but I didnt like the episode where Laura’s baby boy died.its so sad cause she blames doc Baker but it wasn’t his fault.and i dont like the episode where Albert is hooked on morphine i felt bad for Charles cause u could tell he loved Albert even though he wasn’t his biological child sometimes i wished i lived in that era.
I wish I had met Laura & Almonzo ,So true it never gets old I love little house in the Prairie I have the whole DVD collection I also watch the reruns on cable, I’m 61 years old and my children tell me you love those old Series and I tell them yes I do , I have laugh , Cried and learn a lot for the Ingalls family , I just love the little house on the Prairie..!!
I wish i could meet laura
I love laura
I am a Bangladeshi woman. When was a little girl,I read “little house on the prairie”, the transleted version and i fall in love with little laura!my 2nd book was ” little house in the big woods”. And I read another three books from public libraby. After a long time i discover a book from an old book shop, that was”These happy golden years”. I also enjoy the tv serial “little house in the prairie” when I was a college girl. Now I am 59 yrs. I have three children. They know how much I love laura’s book! But I lost all theose books. In the year 2016,at my Birth day they gave a surprised gift”downloaded, original books of laura”! It was a great moment of my life! Still now I read these books, when I feel lonely!Laura gives me courage and mental calmness. Another things”my mother also love to read those books”.
What a lovely story. Thank you for sharing. JMB
I’m watching reruns, and I especially enjoy when they start from the very first episode. This show is heart warming and heart felt. I wish people would use their morals and values today like they do in show.
.
I am a very Big Fan of Little House on the Prairie….I am such a fan—I got my 44 yr old Son interested in the show….We talk about how our lives have changed over all the years….our ways of living, by travel, and our clothes….even the respect of others was so different !!!!We enjoy all the laughter, and tears in the show…it’s so funny ,because- my Son comes to me and says —Mom it’s time for Little House on The Prairie…We drop everything to watch such a sweet show !!!!!! I have been a fan of hers since I was a little girl—I am now almost 65 yrs old….and it never gets old!!!!
I agree I’m 67 and love love love the books and television show.
The little house books are very amazing.laura is a grateful author.
I am 56 and am a big fan of Little House On The Prairie. You enter another world when you read the books. I see the movies daily. I got my husband hooked. He thinks that many episodes are very educational. I absolutely agree! Old movies break a hole to a time that we all have faced and cherished. Many think as I do that we must go back to a certain child memories in order to escape and to live in the present.
I had always loved stories and poems, but I became a reader in third grade when I read Little House in the Big Woods. I finished the last page and cried because I wanted to go on living in the Big Woods with Ma and Pa and the girls. I was overjoyed when I found Little House on the Prairie, but sad when I discovered that Laura and Mary were leaving the Big Woods. An Air Force brat, I identified strongly with the Ingalls girls and their many moves. When I was in the fifth grade, my father received orders to go back to Germany, so after just a short year in the states, we were going back to Germany for the second time. I was heartbroken. The librarian on the book mobile bent the rules and let me check out the entire series of Laura’s books so I could read them all before I left. I staggered home with the collection and read all the way from Little House in the Big Woods to The First Four Years. Many years later, I read Little House in the Big Woods to my own daughter, who was in kindergarten at the time. When I read the last page and closed the book, she cried. Another reader was born. I just retired after teaching middle school English for 41 years. CSUS made me a teacher, but Laura made me the reader that wanted to become a teacher.
I was 12 years old when i started reading “Little House ” books. I am 70 years old now and still love reading about her.
I was heartbroken at the age of 12 when I finished reading her last book and found out there were no more books written.
Delighted to know there are more books now !
Thank you ,
Brenda Behrens
Hoy sábado 15 de febrero 2020 con la familia viendo la casa en la pradera nos trae muchos recuerdos gracias por pasar a la TV esta serie que es una realidad saludos Santiago de chile English
Today, Saturday, February 15, 2020, with the family watching the house on the meadow brings us many memories, thank you for passing this series on TV that is a reality greetings Santiago de Chile
For me the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder are like comfort food for a sad eater – every time I re-read them, I am encouraged and satisfied. I really treasure the books. My mother used to read them to me and so did I some decades later to my sons. The stories make me smile and cry. I am grateful, that they were translated into Finnish at the 60’’s and the 70’s!
The books that Laura Ingalls Wilder made their heart-warming and they encourged. I loved the one when they had a baby brother and after a week he dies and Laura runs away and tries to talk to God and a man finds her they became best friends then her father finds her and her friend said go to your’e father and she rejected but he told her again then she went to him.
I’m 52 years old and currently reading the series for the second time in the past ten years. Read as a child also. Currently reading about the literary gatherings on Friday evenings that Laura enjoyed so much in De Smet. It takes me to places and times that would be wonderful to experience. Thankful for Laura sharing her life, and Rose.
This is amazing! My family took a whole trip through each place she lived in, starting in Pepin and ending in Mansfield, Missouri. I read all of the books (at least twice) and it was fascinating, yet overwhelming, to see everything she wrote about and how the towns that her houses are in had changed over the course of many, many years.
I am from Srilanka, then it was known as Ceylon. I read Little House books in the sixties when I was In my early teens, and was hooked on to all the books ever since. I have read all the books several times, and I wrote to the publishers in 1968 to get more information about Laura Ingalls Wilder. They kindly replied to my request, and sent me a brochure about her which I still treasure to this day. Now I live in Toronto, Canada and introduced these books to my daughter’s first and now to my grandchildren too. One day I hope to visit the Rocky Ridge Museum in the future. I like to add that I did not enjoy the television series at all, not like reading the books since I found the series did not reflect the true essence of the books.
i cant get enough information about Laura. have read all of the books and because of these articles have found how much i still have to discover about Laura
yay
I am 54 years old. I read the Little House books when I was a child.I love every things about Laura,the books have caused a great impact in my life.
Eu li Uma Casa na Floresta quando adolescente. Foi um livro que ficou
gravado no meu coração.
Posteriormente li Uma Casa na Campina e o Pequeno Fazendeiro, dos quais gostei muito também. Eu gostaria muito de relê-los. Mas acho que não são mais publicados no Brasil.
I’ve been reading the books since the third grade; I still read them today. I’m in the seventh grade now and will always and forever love the books that she has written. Seemingly, the books have caused a great impact in my life. We love you, Laura! (My favorite is These Happy Golden Years. Anyone else?)
I read all the books in the 3rd grade; I absolutely love them. I have continued to reread her beautiful series. Much love, Laura!
I love the tv mini series and most of all loved the books and learning the history behind the books.
Hey thanks for the amazing post! Just so you know I think that it’s supposed to be “they’re” instead of “there”.
this is a good website
Hey Where was this article published?
This is an original post that was written just for the Little House on the Prairie website. 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it.
yes real good post
I really like this tv drama.
I am 64 years old. I read the Little House books when I was a child, along with the Bobbsey Twins series and the Cherry Ames “Nurse” series. I’ve been an avid reader for all of my life. The House books left me with great memories of cuddling in bed with a book that took me to the various places Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of, or slipping out of bed to read by the bathroom light. I’ve always felt that a truly good writer was one whose story drew me in as if I were there. I call it, “falling into the story”. Even now, these many years later, I remember the stories and can feel the happiness of reading by the light of the bathroom while lying on the bedroom floor, getting ready to scoot back in bed if I heard my father’s footsteps.
It doesn’t matter that time marches on. Every child should be introduced to these stories.
I completely agree with you Kathleen. I forget how many times I re-read that series. I could pick up any one of the books in the series and have not be lost because I almost had each story memorized. I also read the Bobbsey Twins, Nancy Drew and Hardy boys series. But I think my favorite has always be the Little House stories. As I got older I searched for more information about Laura past where her books ended. I still have this little thrill of excitement when I discover something new or a reminder of what I have read, when I find websites like this.
I guess it’s time to go and read a Laura Ingalls Wilder book again!!
Totally agree with all of the comments above. Think I will go to the library and maybe a book store tomorrow.
WOW! this helped me with my report on her!THX
Happy Birthday Laura! One of my earliest and favourite authors. I have been reading her since grade 1. I have loved the television series also, but prefer the books for the simplicity. I have always tried to behave as Laura would. I even have some poetry she wrote and the articles from her local newspaper. She had such a talent for describing things that make you able to almost see things. ( Mary would have been able to “see” everything Laura described to her). One day I will get to her museums and especially Rocky Ridge. May she continue to inspire readers everywhere of all races and ages.
LAURA INGALLS WILDER IS TOTALLY AWESOME
My love of the Little House books was passed down to me by my mother. We took a bucket list trip to her Rocky Ridge Farm. It was amazing to be standing in her home and seeing things that I had read about so many times. Her books influenced the person I was and who I was to become. She taught us the values of hard work, determination, and devotion to faith and family. In a world gone mad, it’s so nice to look back at a time when these values were the most important things in life.
i love little house i watch it all the time one of my favorite show , love reading bout laura.
that is awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have read some of laura’s books she has writing about live on the Prairie. I loved reading these books.
I feel the same way. I am the same age as u. I read the books in 5th grade also and I watched the show. My family makes fun of me I still watch the show lol.
Being a 69 years old Flemish speaking Belgian, I’m very happy that I found the complete series in our public library. Everyday I’m following the story of the Ingalls family and their friends. All the actors and actresses are playing very natural, like real human beings are, with their joys, sadness, hopes and mutual friendship. The series shows us hardworking people with respect for other people and life itself, so I find the real values of years ago back in the stories, what moves me deeply. It reminds me of my childhood when life was simple but pleasant, without the horror of today. I’m sure this series unites all people all over the world, who have the same interest in a normal, happy life without the bad things that happen nowadays. I’m grateful that I can express
my appreciation of one of the most beautiful series ever made !
I am from India. Series written by laura is the first ever novel I read when i was a teenager. I absolutely adore her! Before reading i had no idea about the American lifestyle in 1800s. Hardship they went through is unimaginable. Reading about her now makes me feel nostalgic.
Thank you
DA TANTI ANNI SEGUO SEMPRE GLI EPISODI “LA CASA NELLA PROTERIA” (avevo 13 anni) E ULTIMAMENTE HO COMPRATO LA COLLEZIONE COMPLETA IN DVD. EPISODI CHE FANNO EMOZIONARE, INNAMORARE, DOVE LA FAMIGLIA E’ LA COSA PIU’ IMPORTANTE.
Hi can you take a look at the dates you listed for lauras marriage and roses birth it would seem she was pregnant when she got married??
August 1885 to December 1886 would be about 16 months or so.
thank you your site is very helpful
My favorite book of hers is the First Four Years
I began reading the “Little House” books when I was in 5th grade. I am now 52 years old and still feel such a connection to Laura that sometimes I jokingly say I was her in my past life! My niece is a 4th grade teacher and they read one of Laura’s books every year. She has asked me to come speak with her class and share with them some of the things I know of Laura. I have been to the Rocky Ridge Farm in Missouri twice and purchased the complete set of books from the store there, several years ago. They are falling apart as I have read them so often. Unfortunately, I have yet to be able to go to De Smet, but it is number 1 on my bucket list! I, too, wish things were as they were back then. Very difficult, I’m sure, but so much simpler. Children today don’t realize what it was like, and what’s even sadder is, they don’t seem to want to. Thank you for this wonderful website!!
I, for one, don’t like television series, they are an insult to the books that Laura herself published. The TV series changes many events of the books. I am not saying it’s wrong to like the TV show, but that they don’t match the books at all.
J’ai adoré lire les livres de madame Ingalls Wilder quand j’étais petite. Je trouve les romans beaucoup plus intéressants que la fiction TV.
THEY were a part of every family!
She was a great writer and the ingalls family was part of everything family
I am 77 yrs old and remember reading all Laura’s books as a young girl growing up in the white mountains of new Hampshire. Now I watch little house on the prairie every night. Such a sweet family.
In today’s world of terror and uncertainty it is wonderful to be able to turn to the Little House books and shows and see a world where people worked hard to become self-sufficient without asking for handouts and neighbors helped each other without expecting anything in return. Today’s world produces tears of outrage and deep sadness. Little House produces tears of sadness as well but that is the precursor to tears of happiness and sympathy for the trials and tribulations of yesterday endured by people longing for a better life and doing what was necessary to make the United States of America truly the home of the brave and the land of the free.
Excellent! 🙂
OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!! I JUST ADORE AND LOVE LAURA INGALLS WIDER. she is the most beuatiful writer in the WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:-) she is the key to the love in my reading life.
I TOTALLY agree. So glad you like her. SHE IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have read all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books and I have watched the TV show. I love them still. When I started to have children, I would read the books to them. And all my children have read these books to their children. She was a wonderful writer.
I loved the Little House on the Prairie and still do I am moved to tears all the time by the struggles and hardships along the way,
the characters chosen to play in it are all brilliant,
It is probably my favorite programme ever
Yèeeeees
I love little house too. And wish life is like that now please take me back in time to 1850
I LOVE YOU LAURA!!!!!!!! <3
I love anything to do with Laura Ingalls Wilder. I hope to someday go to the museums. When it is affordable. I grew up in an area where my dad trapped and hunted around the house. We used to take the beaver pelts to the fur place and sell them. This is awesome. Thank you for sharing.
As a teenager enjoyed looking at Laura and her family on Little House on the Prairie. I am an adult now and have children and grandchildren of my own and I still love looking at them. They need more family shows like this one.
fun stuff
How I loved the Little House TV show growing up and I was an avid reader and I read a few of her books, as well. Morals and integrity and hard work are often hard to find today, pride and convenience have taken over..entitlement and arrogance are on the rise. We must share goodness and ethics from writers like Laura, so that generations after us can catch a glimpse of what God intended. We who grew up on the show know what we crave that morality, we must do our part and teach those after us it’s importance. ❤
Know that we crave*
this is a great site for kids also for wax museum
The show strays quite generously from Laura’s real life at many points. I read “The Ghost In The Little House” about Laura and Rose and it really helped me to see more of the real Laura. The picture perfect TV family was not exactly what hers was (Of course no family is picture perfect). Rose had a very helping hand in her mother’s book series. Rose also had a very interesting and well “traveled” life. Hers was at times complicated too. Laura did tell the truth but not the whole truth in characters, names and other information. But still it is Laura’s life, it is very interesting and it is a wonderful reading journey for children and adults alike.
I love the show and I still watch it.
YES! I love Real Life Stories. So Much Are Learned From Them.
Little House on the Prarie was the best show ever made and aired! I just can’t seem to get enough of it. I was blessed with the 55 DVD set and have watched it 13 times. I am now going to watch it for the 14th time. The morales and values of this show, neighbors helping each other, and most of all making God a priority in their everyday lives is what attracted me to this show. Although the hard ships I wouldn’t want I still would love to have lived back in those times.
I have read all of the series, When I was in grade school in the fourth grade, my teacher read from the series every day and I could hardly wait to hear the story, I never wanted to miss school because I loved the story so much,I still read the books today.
This website actually works for my daughters project!!??
I want to purchase all the series of this precious story. I looked forward to this story. Now, Hallmark has replaced it with
another. and I am so wanting to purchase the series now. Help me know where I can order the whole series. thanks, Laura,
and especially to the TV series..So mourned to see “Paw”, and what an awesome character he presented. Michael Landon
will always be missed..I am a Gilbert, and would like to know if I might be kin to Melissa. Gilbert is my maiden name.
My mom got me interested when she was in her last days at the nursing home. Thanks all who brought us some very good
years…of clean, wholesome, and interesting. T.V.
I like the story a lot it is a nice one to se on TV.
The museum in Mansfield is marvelous
I just happened on this site today. I loved Little House on the Prairie and so did my grandmother. She was born in Sweden and I always felt that she connected with this program because it reminded her of “home”.
As I read the words of Keitha Kirk (above) it made me laugh because genealogy is what brought me to this site today. Yesterday,
I received and email that I had “Pioneer ancestors”.
This is a great site! Thank you!
I watched Little House on the Prairie faithfully. Now, after doing genealogy for 20 years I have found I might be kin to the Ingalls family. Seeing all these postings have encouraged me to research her and find out for sure!!!
Are there any family members still alive today?
I’d really like to watch this video, even I haven’t watch it but I know the story by reading. So, where I could watch this full movie?
In the early 1940’s I started reading Laura’s books from the library. I have since bought at least 2 sets of them. I have moved around the country as much as Laura had,and my books didn’t always catch up with me. The work ethic that came through in her books inspired me to emulate her when I married and started a family of my own.
What kind of work have you done? Also a teacher, still today?
I love Laura.
I love this show and watch it everyday.I think it is one of the best shows on TV today.