We finish up our do-over coverage of the (very long) life of Laura Ingalls Wilder! This episode covers the years when she was writing her iconic Little House series- from conception within the pages of a memoir, to the business of writing the books, to the many years it took her to write the series. And we talk about the involvement of her daughter, the prolific writer Rose Wilder Lane, in the creation of the books.
In 1932, when Laura was 65, her first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published. For the next 11 years, a total of eight books were written for the very popular series. Laura’s life changed in some ways; for instance, her house and land were finally paid in full, she didn’t have to fret over every penny, and her daughter built Laura and Almanzo a new, updated house on their property. But Laura still lived at Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri, and she was still active in her community. Oh sure, there was increased traffic as her fanbase grew, but Laura’s frugal ways and simple lifestyle remained intact.
Almanzo passed away in 1949 after the series was fully published. Laura had written a draft for an adult-aged book about the first years of their marriage, but she put that story away, and it wasn’t published until long after her death in 1971.
Laura Ingalls Wilder died on February 10, 1957, at the age of 90. She, Almanzo, and Rose are all buried in the Mansfield Cemetery in Mansfield, Missouri. Her books, however, live on. They are still in publication, still attracting visitors to the six home sites dedicated to her, and one to Almanzo, and still touching the lives of readers around the world.
Time Travel With The History Chicks
Books!
Rose Wilder Lane’s Innocence is online, It sounds an awful lot like the Wilder family trip to Florida. The other book she wrote that sounds an awful lot like Laura’s Pioneer Girl, Let the Hurricane Roar is also online.
Web!
Every house has a story! There are six Laura Ingalls Wilder homes that have some sort of museum. The one that we visited is in Mansfield, Missouri, on the grounds of Laura’s beloved Rocky Ridge Farm.
For articles and information written by a group of experts on the Laura Universe (including Caroline Fraser and Land of Laura host Sandra Hume: Little House on the Prairie (dot com.)
The Laura Ingalls Wilder Legacy and Research Association website has all kinds of information as well as links to all of the homesites, and information on the as-yet-not-announced Laurapalooza.
An article on Laura, Rose and their politics, Time Magazine, and one on Rose Wilder Lane in Albania (the song is going through your head, isn’t it?) and why did Mary go blind?
If you’re interested in a (very) deep dive into Rose Wilder Lane, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library has her papers (she was a fan of his work.) Have fun!
Land of Laura podcast: great source for all things Laura- an expert talking to other experts! Find her wherever you get your podcasts or her YouTube channel! https://www.youtube.com/@LandofLaura1867
Here’s a fun rabbit hole: Sears Houses. The Stone House is a modified “Mitchell” style.
Moving Pictures!
The original television series (that got us all pronouncing Almanzo’s name wrong) is available on Amazon Prime.
There is a PBS American Masters documentary on Laura. That link takes you to a page where writer Roxanne Gay talks about Laura’s racist depictions in her Little House series.
Ken Burns’ Dust Bowl is a very moving documentary.
And this is coming to Netflix July, 2026!
