In 1869, the Ingalls family moved to Montgomery County, Kansas, 12 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas. They stayed there for about a year before returning to their earlier home in Pepin, Wisconsin. The opportunity to settle in Kansas in fall 1869 lured them to Montgomery County, Kansas, where they lived for about a year. The family’s cabin was on the Osage 4. 8 million acre tract called Osage.
The Ingalls family did not immediately move to Walnut Grove, Minnesota after leaving Independence. Instead, they arrived in Kansas with a large tide of other squatters in the summer and fall of 1869, a point at which relations between settlers and Osages were most strained. Wilder wrote that the Ingalls family racked up around 2, 000 miles of travel over 20 years, much of it done with horse-drawn wagons and simply walking on foot.
The family moved from Wisconsin to land that belongs to the Osage Indians, as the US government announced that they would be opening up the Indian Territories. After leaving Pepin, Wisconsin, in late 1868 or early 1869, the Ingalls family lived in Chariton County, Missouri, for several months to a year before moving to Montgomery County, Kansas. Negotiations between the Osage and the federal government dragged on, and Ingalls chose to leave to avoid being forced off the land for squatting.
The Ingalls family moved on after federal troops threatened to remove them and other illegal settlers from Osage land. The most of the Osages left Kansas in late fall for their annual winter buffalo hunt on the plains and did not return, staying instead in Indian Territory. Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer Caroline Fraser writes that the family stories about their brief residency in Kansas later became the basis of Laura’s second novel, Little House on the Prairie.
The Ingalls family went through sheer hell, like a lot of covered wagon settlers did. They moved out on rent and seemed to have food and family support in Wisconsin. It must have taken the Ingalls family an incredibly long time to travel to Kansas, as they had to navigate the harsh conditions of the Osage reservation.
| Article | Description | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Selective Omissions, or, What Laura Ingalls Wilder left out … | Yes, the Ingalls family was definitely illegally squatting on the Osage Diminished Reserve — Laura pretty much comes right out and says so in … | americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com |
| Little House on the Prairie – historical perspective | Most likely, a misinterpretation of the orders of settler removal combined with the request to return to Pepin led to the family leaving Indian Territory. The … | pioneergirl.com |
| White Savagery – “Little House on the Osage Prairie” | Most of the Osages left Kansas in late fall for their annual winter buffalo hunt on the plains and did not return, staying instead in Indian Territory. Laura … | osagenation.s3.amazonaws.com |
📹 The Real Story of Laura Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder Is Just Tragic
Did you know that the beloved “Little House” series was rooted in a life filled with both love and hardship? Were you aware that …
What Happened To The Ingalls Family In 1869?
In the fall of 1869, the Ingalls family relocated to Montgomery County, Kansas, drawn by the promise of free land amidst the Osage Diminished Reserve, a tract not open for white settlement. Laura later recounted their challenging winter in her writings. The family resided in a cabin located about 12 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas, for approximately one year before returning to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in late summer or early fall of 1877.
Although they settled illegally on Osage land, the Ingalls hoped that federal authorities would soon open the territory to homesteaders. Their journey began after leaving Pepin, Wisconsin, in late 1868, briefly residing in Missouri before moving to Kansas. The Ingalls’ experiences in Kansas influenced Laura's narratives about interactions with Native Americans and cattle drives. However, the family faced challenges, including threats of removal by federal troops, which eventually prompted their departure.
In later adaptations, such as the NBC TV show, the family's connection to Walnut Grove became more prominent, contrasting with their actual transient lifestyle during this period. Laura’s childhood experiences inspired her "Little House" series, with her home in Pepin serving as a significant backdrop for her storytelling. Overall, the Ingalls family's move to Kansas was a pivotal chapter in their journey, marked by both hope and hardship.
Where Did The Ingalls Family Live After Kansas?
The Ingalls family's journey, as depicted in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series, began in Pepin, Wisconsin, before moving to Independence, Kansas, in 1869. They settled near Montgomery County, living in log cabins and experiencing the challenges of pioneer life during a tense period with the Osage tribe. Their stay in Independence lasted until early 1870, after which they briefly lived in Chariton County, Missouri.
Eventually, they returned to Wisconsin before making their way to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, which is featured in Wilder's "On the Banks of Plum Creek." The Ingalls family faced numerous relocations, ultimately homesteading in various locations across Kansas, Iowa, and Minnesota before establishing a more permanent home.
In Walnut Grove, they lived initially in a dugout by Plum Creek. Wilder’s accounts reflect the family's migrations and challenges from 1868 to 1874, including the birth of Laura's sister Carrie during their time in Kansas. Throughout their experiences, they encountered hardships, but also moments of community and resilience. The historical society continues to honor their legacy with attractions like Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum, highlighting the Ingalls family's significant impact on American pioneer history.
Why Did The Ingalls Family Stay In One Place?
The Ingalls family's history is marked by frequent relocations driven by both Charles Ingalls's "wandering foot" and financial challenges. Their time in Walnut Grove ended due to crop failures from the grasshopper plague of 1875 and 1876. Following this, they temporarily moved east to Wabasha County to stay with relatives. After leaving the Indian Territory due to local conflicts and shifting government policies, they traversed to Minnesota and further to Dakota Territory.
They encountered significant poverty, and while the Little House series depicted their experiences, it often overlooked their struggles, such as their brief stay in Iowa where Laura’s brother passed away. By 1870, the Ingalls family had migrated to Montgomery County, Kansas, likely drawn by land opportunities. Odd jobs supplemented their income, and young Laura contributed to the family's support. They faced eviction threats while homesteading on the Osage Indian reservation, prompting further moves.
Ultimately, despite Charles's promise to Caroline for stability, it wasn't until 1879 that they seemed to settle in De Smet, Dakota Territory, continuing to seek desirable farmland and better living conditions amidst constant upheaval.
Did The Ingalls Family Move To Walnut Grove?
Contrary to the narrative in the "Little House" series, the Ingalls family did not directly move to Walnut Grove, Minnesota, from Independence. Instead, they returned to their former home in Pepin, Wisconsin, at the Little House in the Big Woods. In "On the Banks of Plum Creek" (1939), set around 1874, the Ingalls move from Kansas to Plum Creek, near Walnut Grove, settling in a dugout. Later, in "There's No Place Like Home," both the Ingalls and another family return to Walnut Grove, only to find the town in worse condition than before.
This refers to the television adaptation, not the real-life story. Charles Frederick Ingalls was born in Walnut Grove in 1875. By August 1876, the family sold their land and relocated to Burr Oak, Iowa, where Charles managed a hotel for a year. They temporarily left Plum Creek and Walnut Grove due to financial pressures. The Ingalls built a comfortable home near Plum Creek and enjoyed good weather, expecting an excellent harvest.
Over the years, they moved frequently, spending time in Burr Oak before returning to Walnut Grove in 1878. Despite their many relocations, the Ingalls family would ultimately become symbolic of Walnut Grove, and the museum there commemorates their legacy.
When Did The Ingalls Family Come To Kansas?
The Ingalls family arrived in Kansas during the summer and fall of 1869, amidst heightened tensions between settlers and the Osages. They settled 12 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas, in a large land area referred to as the Osage Diminished Reserve, staying for about a year before returning to Pepin, Wisconsin. Their move to Montgomery County was inspired by the opportunities in the region. Laura Ingalls later recounted the harsh winter weather they faced.
During this period, the family welcomed a new member, Caroline ("Carrie"), born in August 1870. The Ingalls family was part of a wave of squatters, and their time in Kansas, particularly in Independence, would significantly contribute to Laura's narrative in the "Little House" series. Within a year, government mandates forced the family to vacate their cabin. The Ingalls’ experience in Kansas is central to Laura’s early childhood memories. The site is now a destination illustrating pioneer life, and a replica of their cabin exists for visitors.
What Happened To The Ingalls In Kansas?
Independence, Kansas, was where the Ingalls family settled on the Osage Diminished Reserve from 1869 to 1870, serving as the backdrop for Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House on the Prairie." Despite their efforts to establish a home, the government required them to vacate within a year, and they never returned. The Ingalls likely realized they were encroaching on Indian lands, yet Wilder's narrative portrays them as victims of an overreaching federal government.
The family, consisting of Charles, Caroline, and their daughters, Mary and Laura, intended to seek a better life in Kansas, prompted by the allure of free land. However, Charles did not file a formal land claim, as the area was still under Osage jurisdiction. After their brief stay, the Ingalls returned to Pepin, Wisconsin, and later migrated to Montgomery County, Kansas.
Wilder's experiences as a white settler shaped her autobiographical writings, capturing their struggles and resilience during those formative years. Eventually, they settled in De Smet, South Dakota, where Charles filed a homestead claim in 1880. Laura married Almanzo there. The Ingalls family's story, including their time in Kansas, remains integral to the legacy of Wilder's "Little House" series, reflecting the complexities of frontier life in America.
Why Did The Ingalls Move Away From Walnut Grove?
Their time in Walnut Grove was abruptly ended due to crop failures caused by a grasshopper plague in 1875 and 1876. Moving east, they briefly settled in Wabasha County with relatives, where they faced tragic circumstances with the death of their youngest child, a son born in Walnut Grove. The family returned to Walnut Grove in 1878 but relocated again a year later to De Smet, Dakota Territory, after Charles Ingalls secured a railroad job. During this period, they lived a challenging life marked by economic difficulties, leading them to move multiple times.
Charles Frederick was born in Walnut Grove on November 1, 1875, but due to financial pressures, the family sold their land and headed to Burr Oak, Iowa, in August 1876. In 1877-1879, they returned to Walnut Grove again but eventually moved to Winoka due to ongoing struggles, finding the town's chaos unsuitable for them. Charles sold their property again, and the Ingalls sought a better life elsewhere.
The real Ingalls family experienced a nomadic lifestyle rather than a stable existence, contrasting with their portrayal in media adaptations. Their resilience led them to meet various challenges, shaping a legacy that resonated through the stories told about them.
Why Did Laura Ingalls Wilder Leave Kansas?
The Ingalls family never had legal rights to their homestead in Kansas, as it was situated on the Osage Indian reservation. After hearing rumors of potential eviction, they left in the spring of 1871. Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was only three during their time in Kansas, drew from the memories of her family members—Pa, Ma, and sister Mary—when writing the "Little House" series. Tensions between the settlers and the Osage were high, prompting government intervention with soldiers in February 1870.
While the Ingalls left Wisconsin later in Laura's childhood, their actual journey was complicated, involving stops and adjustments before arriving in Kansas. They initially settled near Independence, Kansas, after a journey involving a covered wagon. Their stay in Independence was brief but impactful, with Laura's sister Carrie being born there in 1870. Wilder's portrayal of their experiences, particularly of Native Americans, has been met with criticism. Laura Ingalls Wilder, an influential American author, published her first book in the "Little House" series at the age of sixty-five, reflecting her pioneering upbringing.
Why Do The Ingalls Leave Kansas?
Negotiations between the Osage and the federal government continued, prompting the Ingalls family to leave their cabin in Kansas in spring 1871 to avoid being forcibly evicted. Their brief residency in Kansas inspired Laura Ingalls Wilder's second novel, Little House on the Prairie. The Ingalls settled in an area that was part of the Osage Native American reservation, which was not legally open for homesteading by non-Native settlers. Although the U. S. government sent soldiers in February 1870, settlers were not immediately required to leave. The Ingalls family faced financial difficulties, illness, and a locust plague, which also contributed to their decision to depart. They first moved to Montgomery County, Kansas, in 1869 but returned to Pepin, Wisconsin, after about a year. Despite Laura being only three years old during their time in Kansas, those experiences influenced her writing, ensuring the town holds a special place for Little House fans. Although the family's journey from Wisconsin to Kansas is portrayed as straightforward in her books, their actual movements were more complex. Ultimately, after leaving Kansas, the Ingalls settled in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, which later became the setting for her stories. The family's attempt to homestead in Osage territory occurred amidst broader migration trends, drawing them to Kansas for the promise of land.
📹 The Real-Life Story and Tragic Ending of Carrie Ingalls – Laura Ingalls Wilder’s sister
The Real-Life Story and Tragic Ending of Carrie Ingalls – Laura Ingalls Wilder’s sister. Carrie Ingalls, born on August 3, 1870, was …
As a child I was always very interested in “how things were done”, and Laura’s books are full of descriptions of so many things – building a house, raising crops, farming, cooking, food preservation, dealing with cold, etc., without modern conveniences. Although, as a children’s writer, Laura did leave out much of the sadder and seamier side of life on the frontier, she was an amazing storyteller. She brought the 19th century to life in a very relatable way. She showed us that people are people, no matter what era they lived in, and that hard work is worth the effort.
The life, travels, and ideological impact of their daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, is every bit as fascinating as the lives of her parents. Rose went to Russia as a young woman and even went to Vietnam at age 78 to report on the war. Rose Wilder Lane through her writings and her 1943 book, “The Discovery of Freedom” became one of founders of the Libertarian moment in America. Her life was amazing.
Apparently it was common for everyone of the Ingalls girls to journal while growing up. Laura’s younger sister, Carrie’s life is even more intriguing to me. She moved west to Wyoming and South Dakota as a young woman. She went on to manage several small local papers and didn’t marry until later in life. She raised the children of her husband and his deceased wife and even looked after her older sister Mary in the town of Keystone, SD.
No literature has touched me as deeply as the work of Laura Ingalls Wilder. It fostered my interest in history, genealogy and all things “old fashioned”. I majored in history in college and worked as an assistant in county museums. In 2019 I was able to visit De Smet, South Dakota, fulfilling an item from my bucket list. It was incredible to stand in the tiny town and visualize all of the stories Laura told of her life there.
Living in Missouri I loved visiting Mansfield. The stone house that you show was not Rocky Ridge Farm but a home that The Wilder’s daughter, Rose, built for them when she became quite successful as an author. They did live there for some years but eventually moved back to their farm because of the memories and work they put into it. The Rock House that Rose designed is a short distance from Rocky Ridge Farm. RRF is amazing because of how long it took Almanzo to built it (around 15 years because of his lame leg) plus he was an incredible weaver and painter. He also was wonderful with woodworking and expanded the kitchen which was considered a marvel over 100 years ago.
I’m shocked the program didn’t mention “Pioneer Girl,” Laura’s rough drafts/initial tale of her life. Although it can be hard for adults who grew up on Little House to read, Pioneer Girl really offers a more realistic look into Laura’s and her family’s life, including a little about Laura’s baby brother who lived only a short time. The challenges these people faced, and overcame, were truly incredible.
Oh my gosh. I love Laura Ingalls Wilder. Went to Mansfield MO. to see the Laura I Wilder museum which sits on 185 acres (her land) . It was so great. If you go you will get the house he built for his wife Laura. You will also see the Sears and Robucks house that Rose had built for them. I absolutely loved it. It was a great stop. I have actually been there twice. I also did go to the Wilders grave site. Rose is buried there, too. FYI I am 63 years old.
Charles Ingalls claimed a LOT of land. He was one heck of a man. Caroline must have REALLY loved him to go through all of the hardships and moving from place to place. Once you start having children, you are supposed to grow where you are planted. Moving from place to place via a covered wagon dodging arrows in the freezing, windy weather with children requires a certain kind of strength and stamina. I have nothing but admiration for the entire Ingalls family.
My Great great grandfather homesteaded close to Fedora South Dakota in 1884, which is about 35 miles from Desmet. I was born in the same county so I know this land well as well as the stories of my ancestors. My great grand father was born in a sod house with an artesian well. I have a family picture from Fedora with a member of the Ingalls family. I do not know the circumstances of the picture. The Little House series of books is absolutely an accurate account of Pioneer life in the Dakota’s. The last time I was in DeSmet the cottonwood trees that Charles Ingalls planted were still thriving, that was 40 years ago. I don’t know if they still are.
Growing up on “Little House On The Prairie” helped shaped me into the person I am today! I read all Ms. Wilder’s books as a child and watched the show till its end and I still watch re-runs on Stream T.V.. I know the actual show’s stories are mainly fictional but Laura Ingalls Wilder’s message on Love of Family, Life Struggles growing up in that era and Neighborly Care and Respect for each other were evident. I try my Best to reflect this in every aspect of my life.
My grandmother was born in 1895 in South Dakota, close to DeSmet, also from a pioneer family. She had an amazing life and spent 25 years in the Holy Land. My sister wrote a book about her entitled “From Prairie to Palestine” She died age 94. We used to talk with her about the huge changes she saw in her life from a time when there were no cars, radio, TV or airplanes … to all of this now. Entertainment was prose, poetry, the spoken word, plays and musical instruments, like in her stories.
I highly recommend the non-fiction book “Prairie Fires” which combines the history of Laura’s life together with the political and social climate during those times. Of course the real stories of Laura and her family were not as idyllic and romantic as her books were. The author won a Pulitzer Prize.
My oldest daughter and I read the whole series of books together. Then when she was 10, my husband and I took her to Mansfield to see the farm and museum. We also bought flowers from a local florist and put them on Laura’s, Almanzo’s and Rose’s graves. I think Laura led a wonderful life for the most part. The loss of her son was tragic, but it didn’t define who she was and what she could accomplish.
I didn’t read the Little House books until my mother gave my 5-year old daughter The Little House in the Big Woods, Mom gave it to her while we were on a family gathering, a weekend in a cabin in the woods!. I will always remember reading it to her there! That was the beginning! We both read all of them, and I kept reading them through the years. I never liked the TV series, though. It just seemed phony. In the 1980s I went to Missouri to Rocky Ridge to see the museum and house. What was most emotional for me was seeing Pa’s fiddle.
I enjoyed their resilience, suffering from a house fire, destruction of their farm by drought, and Almanzo`s disease of diphtheria also the hard work they had to perform in the day to day farm production of the food supply. Commitment to each other and the recovery they enjoyed during the respite from all of these things from their relatives shows that the love was rich throughout their extended family too. Fine qualities we see too little of these days.
Reading the Little House series a few time, it becomes clear that Pa’s itch for More & Better only got him deeper and deeper in debt–which caused the family to live mostly without him–as he worked at distant jobs–his returns always prompted yet another move, as he chased his own dream. Yet the Ingalls books are great, even if smarmy re native people. Their lives were hard just like that of most pioneers’ but not tragic. Everyone’s ancestors, somewhere along the line, lived like them.
Many people don’t know or realize the show and books are fictional. Yes, Laura based her books on her childhood thus the show was based on her childhood also; however, many parts were fabricated. One major difference was Mary and her blindness. Mary was blind but she never moved away from her parents and she never married. Here’s a snippet from Wikipedia: “At age 14, Ingalls suffered an illness – allegedly scarlet fever – thought at the time to cause her blindness. A 2013 medical study concluded that viral encephalitis actually disrupted her eyesight, based on evidence from first-hand accounts and newspaper reports of her illness, as well as relevant school registries, and epidemiologic data on blindness and infectious diseases. Between 1881 and 1889, Ingalls attended the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton, Iowa. The historical record doesn’t show why Ingalls did not attend school during one year of that time, but she did finish the seven-year course of study in 1889 and graduated. She then returned home to her parents in De Smet, South Dakota and contributed to the family income by making fly nets for horses. After her father died in 1902, she and her mother rented out a room in their home for extra income. Following her mother’s death in April 1924, she lived for a time with her sister, Grace Ingalls Dow in Manchester, South Dakota. She then traveled to Keystone, South Dakota to live with her second youngest sister Carrie Ingalls Swanzey. There she suffered a stroke, and on October 20, 1928, she died of pneumonia at age 63.
My third grade teacher read to the class the little house books after lunch every day. That was 60 years ago. I have reread the books and enjoyed them as an adult and have the set in my homes library. I also have Rose Wilder Lains book on needlepoint. A wonderful read for children of what American life was like before the 20th century.
I’ve watched LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE so many times. If I were stranded on an island with only one box set, it would be this. My estranged husbands family live in a village in turkey. Their lives are more or less the same. The men work in the fields or travel for work. The woman cook everything from scratch. They have a horse and cart, a couple of cows, which they milk for themselves, chickens for fresh eggs and food. Once a month they buy bulks of flower and rice and seeds. A complete sence of community. Everyone helps each other. Kids play outside with whatever they can find. One tv in the family room and one or two shops. An outhouse. Stone oven in the garden. One mosque. Fresh fruit and vegetables. Water pumped from a well. Some have washing machines but others wash by hand. A neighbours house caught fire and all the men ran there with hoses pumped from the well to put it out. If someone was ill, everyone would go visit. Some would bring food. Literally, the men worked and women tended home. Even the kids did chores. Milking the cow. Collecting eggs. Feeding the cattle and horses. One school. It was a complete culture shock to me and my children who were 11 and 6 at the time but I loved it. Shame I separated otherwise I would have gone there at least twice a year.
The Wilder farm in Brainardsville, New York, was about a mile from my great grandparents’ potato farm. I went to visit both locations about 5 years ago. I grew up in a small town close by but never took the opportunity to visit until my parents passed away. It’s a lovely area, and I loved the Wilder homestead! It is open to the public during the summer months.
I think it was quite sweet how Almanzo and Laura started their courtship in the books. Laura mentioned that in the ‘Long Winter’ it was Almanzo and Royal that risked their lives to save everyone by getting supplies. In ‘Happy Golden Years’ Laura gets a teaching job despite technically not being old enough. I think she was fourteen or fifteen. She didn’t like it, and the family she lived with was miserable. Anyway, Almanzo used to picked her up on Friday and drive her back to her parents’ house and take her back on Sunday so she could get some time with her family. It was during those rides that Laura got to know Almanzo.
Rose Wilder Lane probably suffered from undiagnosed bipolar disorder. She would go on wild spending sprees, making making improvements to homes she didn’t own. She had another home built on her parents property and her parents live there, while she lived in the house that Almanzo built, with the kitchen to fit Laura’s rather short stature. She convinced her parents to invest all of their savings into the stock market, when the crash of 1929, Laura & almanzo were left nearly destitute.
I only wish’d the show had stayed truer to the real life Ingalls family rather than playing to Michael Landon’s ego on how he wanted the direction of the show to go. Like even in the final season when the family left Walnut Grove, they could’ve used that as a jumping off to then move Laura and Almonzo to Florida or elsewhere to jumpstart into a series of their own.
Great article! I’ve loved Laura’s books since my third grade teacher began the series in the half hour after lunch recess, when she read to our class. Since then, I’ve read everything I could get my hands on about her and her family. I didn’t watch much of the TV show though. I was excited at first, and loved the two hour movie that introduced the series. After that, it just got kind of silly and veered too far away from reality. Plus, Michael Landon seemed to think taking off his shirt all the time was necessary, when Charles Ingalls was a deeply religious man, and modesty back then included both genders. Thanks for an interesting article.
I have read many factual books about the real family and it is nothing like the books or TV show. I have very little admiration for them at all. Even Almanzo was miserable. He told Rose that his “life was a series of disappointments”. They should never have tried farming in S Dakota. All of the towns where the family lived have smaller populations now than when Laura lived there. The railroads and govt made up BS to entice people to move and farm and develop land and agriculturally it was next to impossible. The weather and soil sucks. The whole family moved 14 times in about 10 years. They lived in poverty. Laura started working as a child to support her family. They all worked 2 and 3 jobs at a time. This is not a fairytale, this is a story of poverty and child labor. Parents were exhausted and had little energy or time to spend with their kids.
Rose was more successful than her Mother in earlier years. Rose paid for the stone cottage to be built. Rose married, also had a son who died an infant, then divorced never to remarry. Rose has two published books. These women of the Ingall family faced hardships but kept picking themselves up and carrying on.
As someone who has read the Little House books as a child along with some of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s other writings (and her daughter’s writings too) I am pleased that you kept to the historical truth rather than using the television show for your facts. I personally find it annoying when a YouTube article about the real life history of Laura Ingalls Wilder uses fictionalized stories from the television show and presents it as fact. For example in real life Laura’s older sister Mary never gets married or became a teacher. In the television show Mary becomes a teacher after she gets married. I realize that the television show was trying to make the show seem contemporary by the current standards in the 1970s but this was supposed to be set almost a hundred years ago. As an example (and I mean no disrespect) I’m sure the majority of the people around the world would be outraged if someone created a television show or movie that presented Hitler as the savior of the Jewish people.
I read a book that used legal documents to trace Pa Ingall’s businesses and farming. They were squatters! They never owned the lands they lived on. When they tried their hand at a little store, they went bankrupt. While they were farming, Pa would run up a huge debt and then the family would skip out of town on it. It was really eye-opening on the ‘real’ story. And Rose Wilder was quite…..’wild!’
You are comparing her life to lives of today. She lived and grew up almost 100 years ago when life was much different. My grandmother was born in 1894 and died in 1978 she saw much of what Laura saw and then some. There were two more books after the Little House series. The other two were The First Four Years and On the Way Home.
Everyone always speaks of Rose as if she was just a literary writer. No one ever mentions her accomplishments with real estate, working for Western Union, being a world traveler, a journalist and newspaper woman, an editor or the fact that she was a friend and adviser to President Herbert Hoover. Rose Wilder Lane in her own right, was a pioneer for modern women of today. Laura wrote for farm and women journals and the local newspaper. She assisted during WWII. She saw changes such as wagons to trains to cars to airplanes in her lifetime. She also witness the telephone and Western Union telegraphs. She saw nation become modern. Her descriptions of pioneer life has helped modern homesteaders today.
Pioneers were tough people. Women on the Oregon Trail would give birth and keep walking the next day. No hospitals or 7-11’s or Walmarts out there. Everybody who lived during the Great Depression experienced “tragedies.” My grandmother lost a child in infancy, as was common then. No shoes, no phone, no TV, no electricity or indoor plumbing. They once had nothing to eat in the winter but Mason jar cabbage for 3 months. Tough people. No public welfare.
The age difference was supposed to be better in the show? Cuz she’s like 12 and he’s like 25. In real life there was only a 9-year difference. I think they made it worse in the show. It’s the one thing I always found creepy about Little House On The Prairie. That Laura was being groomed! Their story isn’t just tragic. It’s a life. A life will lived. A life will lived will have tragedy. There is no avoiding that. And during the time that they lived losing children and fires were calm in place. Why are we painting normal life as tragic?
Our son and family live in thailand. It is literally on the other side of the earth. Yet we can article chat everyday and travel there in about a day and a half. In Laura’s time missionaries would say goodbye to their families, get on a ship, travel for many months to other countries and never see their family again. We have it so easy.
I wish people would read the authentic books written. I hated he little house television series because pa did not look like the actor portraying him; along either many other half truths . I am sorry to see our children today not reading non-fiction books (or any other book for that matter.). If you read the authentic books you will find out all the small stuff left out like why Almanzo was crippled for life: he disobeyed his doctor and did not stay in bed until he could fully recover etc.
I just loved perusal Little House on the prairie. My mom and I watched it every time it came on tv. We used to cry at the end of each show but their were happy ones as well. And we loved the shows . They can’t do shows like this anymore sadly those days ended. Other then Yellowstone their nothing like perusal good old shows back in the good old days.
What sweet nice people they were,reminded me of my paternal grandparents,also a farming family but in England. A difficult life but not SO tragic. And as the books were a hit right from the start they got to enjoy the benefits of success. The whole idea of trying to farm that land IN THAT WAY was doomed to fail,it was a huge con,on the part of the USA political administration but only one of many,to this very day.
Her dad was a traveler. He was always moving. Kansas was a state not part of indian territory. The lands were already make the lands not osages. In 1871 they already knew the Indians were going to oklahoma. Where they lived in kansas would not been a indian clash spot. Only once a year at best. It was a wide up spot not even on a creek. Not even sure if the buffaloes were running though there.
The books l’ve read about her life tell a far different tale. Her daughter, Rose was insane, willful, bullied her mother into changing the stories of Laura’s own life and ended up writing much of the books herself. In childhood, Laura wrote of the days and days of locust swarms. Where there were unimaginable numbers of locusts who ate clothing off the lines, ate the wood handles of tools, and got into the house in droves. Train engines were derailed because of the slime on the tracks from being run over. Her childhood was extremely difficult as her father couldn’t make enough to keep his family fed and resorted to leaving towns in the night with his family rather than go to jail for his unpaid debts. It was not that he didn’t try, but it seems like bad luck followed him. She did have a tragic life, but she succeeded through very hard work and strong marriage. It’s sad that her daughter became so damaged.
Not tragic.,. Just a human story. We all face suffering in this life. Will you choose to go through it with Jesus or not? Trying to go through suffering without Jesus is indeed tragic but that wasn’t Laura and Almanzo. I tried life without Jesus and it was dark and terrible. I hope you don’t make my mistake. ❤️
Almanzo Wilder died in 1949. Laura Ingalls Wilder herself passed away in 1957. Her only child Rose Wilder Lane died alone and childless in 1967. Laura’s Father Charles died in 1902 of heart failure . Ma : Caroline passed away Easter Sunday 1924. Mary Ingalls blind since age 15 passed in 1927 after a series of strokes . Grace Ingalls passed in 1945. Sister Carrie in 1947.
Everyone’s life was “tragic” in this era if that’s how you want to define it. My great grandmother lost 2 children to scarlet fever one day and had a baby born the next. People didn’t have the time to grieve or brood. They were too busy surviving. My great grandparents were sold land unseen and came from Germany. The land was supposed to have good hickory forest on it that they could log and sell. It ended up not having any but they spent their last money getting here and buying the land. They were stuck farming land that they had to clear of trees and rocks galore. They were so poor they had to eat their seed potatoes and planted the peelings from them instead. It was a hard life. There are countless stories of immigrants with similar stories and horrific stories during the depression era when my parents were born.
Laura’s and Almonzo’s auto trips were often drives back to DeSmet and the surrounding region to research her books. She tried to make sure her memories were coherent stories corrected to what really happened,. Her stories were often then edited into mostly fictionalized stories for the targeted audience’s readability. .
What do I find surprising? I find it surprising that you blame the Ingalls’ settling on Native American land as the reason they left Kansas. Within 6 months, the Native Americans would be removed and the case of the Ingalls’ and other settlers’ “legitimacy” would not be an issue. The fact that Pa claimed land in Indian country implies that he is not the bastion of morality implied by the books or the tv adaptations. Pa wanted to be FIRST to pick the best land. He wanted to live there free (with no claim staked). He had no trouble stealing from the Natives even though that land had not yet been opened up. You see his Me First philosophy also in On the Shores of Silver Lake. When the Ingalls family left Kansas, the books blame the U.S. government for forcing them to abandon their home and farm. Nothing could be further from the truth. The U.S. government required no one to leave, and, as written in my last paragraph, all of that land was open for settling 6 months later. According to the actual history of the Ingalls family, they had some issues at the same time with their home in Wisconsin, which they still owned, but were renting out. A sibling, who still lived in Wisconsin, was the landlord, and apparently, the renters quit paying rent. So, the family started moving back to Wisconsin. They never returned to Wisconsin but were sidetracked by visits with family and job opportunities in Iowa. I also find it surprising that you are selling the “Laura and Almanzo were self-sufficient and built wealth by hard work.
The saddest thing of all is that Laura intended to bequeath her writing proceeds and book rights to the local library. However, a poorly written will gave it solely to her daughter with the stipulation that upon Rose’s death all reverted to the library. This was unenforceable and a total stranger and friend of Rose’s got it all. Very sad.
Truthfully, I know they were a product of their time and all, however Michael Landon really did take creative liberties. Of course I am happy that he did. It was not until recently that I come to learn how uncool their views about Natives were. M.L. did an excellent job of creating a series that was thoughtful. Having said that now that I am older I do not enjoy it as much. Even back then I did notice, for good or for bad, even had a moral lesson in it.
If you really pay attention to what Laura says in The Long Winter it was horrible! Reminds me of stories of my farmer grand and great grandparents. Some very hard times but good ones too. I always thought it was stupid that country and city/town people made/make fun of each other. It’s not easy to live in the others world.
Whoever named this article didn’t actually read the books… The famine and long winter is described in graphic detail as was Pa taking grain from where the brothers had stored it in their walls to keep people from eating it and causing them to go broke. So was Pa Ingalls nearly dying when he got caught in a snowstorm on the way back to the hut by the river. Mary’s going blind, and subsequent struggling with being blind on the prairie and the beginnings of braille and the faintest start of disability accomodations. The books are filled with conflict and struggle, the ONLY place you see an idealized version is the tv adaptations, namely the 1970s tv show which has little to nothing to do with the real story.
Much evidence that Rose, Laura’s daughter, wrote down stories relayed by Laura to her. Rose gave Laura credit as the author, for many reasons, inc the time period covered in the books, Rose was not alive or was a baby. Laura hadn’t received higher education. Laura’s education was basic and interrupted. Rose had gone to high school excelled at Latin, writing, history. When Rose’s marriage was falling apart she read and taught herself foreign languages. She became a freelance writer, later an editor at San Fran Bulletin. By contrast, her mother never was a writer, nor got paid for writing.Rose took credit for editing the series though not mentioned on the cover of the books. Editing can cover a wide range of contributions: re-writing entire passages, adding chapters, as well as removing.
The tv versions of the Little House stories didn’t do Laura & Almonzo justice. Read her books & the nonfiction articles she wrote as an adult; also her daughter & biographer shine much light on a truly American story. Tragic? Not to my way of thinking, just real, not storybook happy. Encourage everyone to read about the real Laura & Almonzo.
I waited, and waited for the television show to air. I had read all of Laura’s books, including some that were not in the series. I was so disappointed when the show finally aired. They changed everything! When the series portrayed Mary as having sight. I turned it off, and never watched it again. What a let down.
Another article trying to make Laura and Almanzo Wilder’s lives look tragic. When that is no where the truth. They were pioneers. They lived to rightful old age. They survived a lot of hardships as anyone of their time would have. They traveled, had careers, you name it. The title of this article is deceiving. If you read the books you’d prob have a better truer view of their lives. if research had been done of their true lives would make it so much better. I cannot stand article’s like this that make their lives look worse and tragic when they were not. Yes, they had family issues like Mary losing her vision, them losing a son. Laura losing a brother, and so on. Maybe looking into the true facts may help give viewers a better idea of who the Wilders and Ingalls were.
Thanks to my fourth grade teacher, I will ALWAYS LOATHE the LHOTP series in ALL it’s forms. Nothing like FORCING 10 year old boys to listen to about how MEAN Nellie is to really inspire a love of literature. Here’s my entry for what should be the last book. “…and they all got brutally killed by native Americans, who’s land they stole”.
I was subjected to watch LHOTP. Never liked it.still don’t. I think because it was too clean, yet Nellie marrying a jewush boy was interesting. They had yo work out which religion to bring their children up in. The series decided fraternal twins. Boy jewish girl Christian. Still didn’t really like the show although it was a good story here.