10 Things You May Not Have Known About Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder super fans weren't surprised by many of the reveals in "Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography. "  Those of us who have read many of the biographies and other writings of Mrs. Wilder knew, for example, that the family spent a bit of time in Burr Oak, Iowa where they helped to run a hotel and that the Ingalls sister had a beloved little brother, Charles "Freddie"Frederick Ingalls who died in infancy.

There were other items I learned from "Pioneer Girl," and a few other books that were surprising, even to me. For discussion sake, that is, if anyone is reading at all, I thought I'd share some items I found surprising or that others told me surprised them.


Warning: Spoilers ensue:

1.  Jack didn't go on Plum Creek with the Ingalls family

Brindle Bulldog (Not Jack)

The story about Jack the faithful Brindle Bulldog following the Ingalls family all around the Midwest until he eventually "went to his reward" when Laura was a tween? That was a bit of an embellishment.

The real Jack didn't even make it out of Kansas, at least not with the Ingalls family. When Charles sold the family ponies to have money for their move back home, Jack was sold right along with them. Jack was fond of those ponies he walked all those miles behind, and would rather go with them then with the Ingalls family.

Some of the stories about Jack in the "Little House" books are fiction, as he wasn't with the Ingalls family after Laura was three or four. I often wonder if the Ingalls had another dog who was as loyal  and devoted as Jack because Laura looks back with such fondness in her books.

2. Laura may not have been old enough to really remember Jack, anyway

Laura Ingalls Wilder - Long after Jack was "sold with the ponies."

When you consider Laura was only about three or  four when the family was squatting on the Kansas Prairie, she probably wouldn't have been old enough to remember much about Jack. Indeed, Laura relied on family stories to fill in a lot of the details of the Kansas Prairie and the Big Woods of Wisconsin. I think it's wonderful that there are so many wonderful stories to pass down to the generations. While some families' history is lost forever, Laura ensured her family's legacy lives on forever.

3. Laura's rag doll wasn't named Charlotte

The original "Little House"

Remember Laura's beloved ragdoll, Charlotte? Her name wasn't Charlotte, it was "Roxy" or "Roxey" - both spellings were used in Pioneer Girl. Roxy was a gift for Laura's fifth birthday and it was the first time she had a doll of her own.

When Laura was living On the Banks of Plum Creek , a much younger neighbor girl, Anna Nelson, had a bit of a tantrum over Roxy. She borrowed the doll one day when she and her mother were visiting the Ingalls family and didn't want to return her. Caroline told Laura she was too old for dolls and Laura reluctantly gave the doll to Anna. (I felt so bad for Laura when I read that, didn't you?)

Roxy went home with Anna - and Laura found her in a puddle the next time she visited the Nelson's. As Laura wrote that she kept Roxy "so carefully that she still looked nice" you can imagine what it would have been like for her to find poor Roxy face down in a puddle, a victim of the elements and an ungrateful child.

4. Mr. Edwards (or whatever his name was) didn't hold off an angry mob so Charles Ingalls could claim his land.

The grave of Edmund Mason, the man rumored to be the real Mr. Edwards.

We'll probably never know who the real Mr. Edwards was or how many times the Ingalls family encountered him during their lives. However, one thing that was revealed in Pioneer Girl's annotations is that Mr. Edwards never held back an angry mob so Pa could stake his claim in DeSmet, SD. Laura said that was a made up element of her family's sago to illustrate that such things happened all the time in the untamed West. Pa was actually able to file his claim without incident.

5.  The Ingalls family had a house guest when they wintered at the Surveyor's House

Now, I knew the Ingalls family had house guests during the The Long Winter but one thing that surprised me was that they also had house guests while they stayed at the Surveyor's House. When Pa was offered the job of caretaker for the Surveyor's House, family was happy to oblige. It was a good call as their claim shanty wasn't equipped to handle the winter and they didn't want to move away like everyone else.  What I didn't know is that another man lived in the house with them, a Mr. Walter Ogden.

Mr. Ogden asked if the Ingalls wouldn't mind putting him up during the winter and allowing him to keep his oxen in their barn. Charles Ingalls felt it wouldn't be a bad idea to have another man around out there in the middle of nowhere, just in case.

There would be a third man around that winter as well. Mr. and Mrs. Robert Boast also had a claim just outside of DeSmet but had no where to winter. There was another one room structure included with the Surveyor's House and so the Boasts and all their possessions stayed there, and the families visited often throughout the winter. In fact "Pioneer Girl" tells a fun story about how the Boasts had everyone over for New Year's dinner and the dinner guests had to go out the front door and to the back door to get to their spots at the table, since room was so tight what with a bed and chairs and tables and all.

The Boasts' were Ingalls' friends for life. They seemed to be best friends not only for Charles and Caroline but the entire family.

6. Charles Ingalls skirted the law when it suited his purpose

I always hesitate when adding information that may be a little controversial. Even though I formed a few not so favorable opinions about Charles Ingalls and the choices he made, I am the first to admit he had a solid work ethic, and his choices were mostly made for what he felt was for the good of his family. He was a devoted father and husband, and did what was needed to survive.  With that said, it's equally important to note Pa did skirt the law from time to time, when it suited his purpose. That's not a judgement, but it is a fact. I will let you draw your own conclusion about Charles Ingalls' character.

Squatting on Native American land

It's no secret the Ingalls squatted on Native American land just outside of Independence, Kansas. It's speculation, of course, but Charles most likely wanted to get a head start on claiming a good piece of land before the rush was on. However, the fact remains the Native Americans weren't gone yet, and the Ingalls weren't supposed to be there - and so they were asked to leave.

Running out on the rent

There was the incident in Burr Oak, Iowa when Pa packed up the family in the middle of the night to flee the rent. The family had moved to Iowa where Pa was to be partner in running a hotel. However, he never received anything for his work there and when the family moved out of the hotel to rent a home, they just didn't have any money.

When the family moved back to Plum Creek after staying in Burr Oak, they did so without settling up the rent that was due. Mind you, Pa did ask his landord first if he could send him money after they moved and he found work, but the landlord was worried that would never happen and said no. Pa took issue - after all he always paid his debts -and he woke his family in the middle of the night, packed up the wagon, and made it to another county before daylight.

Pa said he'd "be darned if he'd ever pay that rich, old skinflint Bisbee a cent."

Pretending to be the law to collect a debt

There's another incident in which Charles Ingalls acted above the law, though I'm sure he felt it was for good reason. In essence, Charles was fighting crime with crime - and whether one was better than the other is up to the reader I guess.

Pa worked as Justice of Peace before moving to DeSmet (and later on after settling in DeSmet), and I guess he still had some of his official looking papers with him. When workers started clearing out of the area ( just before that first winter was spent in the Surveyor's House), Mr. Boast approached Charles because he had sold a team of horses to a man who left town without paying. (Hmm...that sounds kind of familiar.) So Charles Ingalls, resourceful man that he was, took out his old "Justice blanks," wrote up a summons (that he wasn't authorized to write), gave a fake Sherrif's star to a friend of Mr. Boast, and sent the man to find the horse thief.

Payment ensued soon after.

7. Reverend Alden might not have been so trustworthy

The Reverend Edwin Hyde Alden

I recently came across something interesting on Wikipedia about the Reverend Alden - and it was confirmed in Pioneer Girl. Did you know good reverend had a bit of a bad reputation among the Native Americans? You may recall Rev. Alden as being the Ingalls' beloved pastor on Plum Creek and giving the first church service in DeSmet, SD.  There were also some sketchy episodes in Reverend Alden's past.

According to an article in the New York Times from August 15, 1878,  the Native Americans didn't trust Reverend Alden. He was working as a Native American Agent and committed several acts of fraud. In fact, the Native Americans considered him a "prince of liars" and threatened to kill him if he didn't go away.

 Also according to the article Reverend Alden was a "pious fraud and cheat" who swindled. An annotation in Pioneer Girl goes on to explain he drew money for carpentry work and kept it. He also kept his wife on the payroll. Needless to say, that line of work didn't work out for him and went back to work as a missionary.

What I find interesting is the Ingalls family liked the Reverend Alden much better than the devout Reverend Brown who eventually led the Ingalls' congregation in DeSmet. However, it's not surprising. The Ingalls family was drawn to colorful characters and the Reverend Alden surely had some good stories to tell.

8. Laura and Mary didn't argue over stuffing

Mary Ingalls

I loved the story about Mary and Laura arguing about whether or not there should be sage in The Stuffing That Never Was, because it reminded me of arguments with my sisters that were just so silly and petty. According to "Pioneer Girl," the girls "almost" argued but never actually made it to the argument over stuffing stage.

 Laura created the fake argument to illustrate the stress Laura and Mary were feeling after caring for a house filled with boarders during the spring rush. The house was finally empty, Pa was going to find them a goose, and Laura and Mary were walking away their tension. I probably would have found something stupid to fight over too.

9. Ma wouldn't have let Laura visit the Silver Lake railroad camp with Pa

In "By the Shores of Silver Lake " Laura tells a wonderful story about how Pa took her for a walk to see the railroad camp and explain how it all worked. The reality is, this was something that Laura put in the book so that readers would understand how the railroad was built. In real life, Caroline Ingalls would never have let Laura, a young lady, go to a rough railroad camp, even with Pa to protect her.

10. Laura and Almanzo Wilder may or may not have spent some time living in a cave

I talked about this in my last post - but I still don't know what to make of it. In "I Remember Laura" author Stephen W. Hines mentions the mystery of a cave Laura and Almanzo may have spent part of a winter in. The story is heresay, passed along supposedly by a dying Laura, to a roommate in the hospital, who told a visiting nurse who mentioned it to someone else. Who knows if it's true? It seems to me Laura would have shared this at some point to illustrate her Pioneer spirit. I share it with you here and I will let you draw your own conclusions. I'm on the fence.


The above are some items that will surprise people about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her family. Indeed, many of them surprised me. This is only part one of the surprising Laura stories. I have so many notes from all the Laura books and biographies read over the years, I'll share them all here with you.

I'm really enjoying this exploration of Mrs. Wilder's life. I hope as time goes by, you will use the comments section to add to the discussion as there's nothing I enjoy more than "Geeking Out" about Laura and family with others.

All photos on this page are via Wikimedia Commons and fall under the Creative Commons or Public Domain.