Little House Discussed

Genevieve Masters.  From the first time she disdainfully muttered " country girls " to new girls Mary and Laura Ingalls, the name Nellie Oleson has become synonymous with the ultimate playground antagonist. However, readers of the original "Little House" books might be surprised to learn that the girl Laura Ingalls described was not actually one person. Instead, the character of Nellie Oleson was a composite super-villain created by Laura Ingalls Wilder, who blended the traits of three different girls she encountered during her childhood on the frontier. Nellie Owens The first and most significant inspiration for Nellie was a girl named Nellie Owens. Much like the character in " On the Banks of Plum Creek ," Nellie Owens was the daughter of a local shopkeeper in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Her father, William Owens, ran a general store that competed with other local merchants, and the Owens family enjoyed a level of relative luxury that the Ingalls family la...

If you grew up watching Little House on the Prairie on a heavy wood-framed TV, you probably remember Albert Ingalls as the plucky kid who brought a new spark to the show in the later seasons. But if you dig into the actual historical records of the Ingalls family, you’ll find that Albert was a total invention, a fictional addition created by Michael Landon to shake up the script. The true story of the only Ingalls son is much shorter, quieter, and honestly, far more heartbreaking.  Meet Charles Frederick Ingalls. Charles Frederick "Freddie" Ingalls In reality, Charles and Caroline Ingalls had one biological son named Charles Frederick "Freddie" Ingalls, born in late 1875 while the family was living in Walnut Grove. For a father like Pa, who spent his life breaking ground and building homesteads, having a son to carry on the family name was a massive deal. Even a young Laura was reportedly thrilled to finally have a baby brother in a house full of sisters. Unfortuna...

It’s been a few years since I last posted here. Sorry about that, Laura Ingalls Wilder fans. Life simply got in the way. Between starting a new job and the general busyness of the last few seasons, my Little House research ended up on the back burner. But even while I was away, revisiting this blog was never far from my mind. I’ve spent a lot of my hiatus thinking about the real history of the Ingalls and Wilder families especially the parts that didn’t always make it into the books or the classic 1970s TV show. Curiosity About the Real-Life Ingalls and Wilder Families When I started rooting around in this blog again, I noticed something through the comments and search queries: people are still deeply curious about the real-life history of these families. Over the years, I’ve lent my copy of Pioneer Girl to many family members and friends. Most of them are genuinely surprised to learn just how much the TV version differed from reality. Now, I’m not a Laura Ingalls Wilder scholar by ...

Got a spare $439K lying around? Rose Wilder Lane 's former home in Danbury, CT is up for sale! The private 2 acre property located at 23 King Street was built in 1879 and boasts 3,505 square feet. We know Rose liked a bigger home so we can see how this rambling home appealed to her. There's an eat in kitchen, 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, balcony, French doors, mud room, study (of course!), formal dining room, pantry, and sun room, and the patio is just lovely. Oh, and it's located near a golf course. If you click through to the realtor you'll see the decor is definitely very "old & country." Not that there's anything wrong with that. If you're a writer like Rose was, you're sure to be inspired by this lovely home. If you're a Laura Ingalls Wilder buff like I am, you might wish you could have this property if only for its historic significance. Interested? The Rose Wilder Lane home is listed with Southeby's, you can check it...

I'm easy going, Laura Ingalls Wilder fans. I don't complain a lot and I try to take life as it comes. But with all of the publicity surrounding " Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography " there's something that's been happening a lot lately and it's sticking in my craw. Images of the wrong family are being used to portray the Ingalls family in articles and reviews.  For example, this article from The Guardian : And this article from The Express about " the rea l" Laura Ingalls Wilder. Come again? That's not "the real" Laura Ingalls Wilder. The problem isn't exclusive to reviews of "Pioneer Girl," though. For example  this blog post discussing racism in the "Little House" series of books: People. This is the REAL Ingalls family: Ingalls Family L-R: Caroline, Carrie, Laura, Charles, Grace, Mary This IS NOT the real Ingalls family: When talking about the rea...

I'm always on the hunt for Laura Ingalls Wilder books and memorabilia - mostly books and photos of places she lived throughout her time. I also enjoy learning about the people Mrs. Wilder met throughout her life and travels. Sometimes I like to find older copies of Mrs. Wilder's books to give to friends, especially young people like my nieces. I look for books that are in good condition, but that are old enough to have character so that the recipients will treasure them for years to come and pass them down to their favorite young people. I was on Ebay yesterday seeing if there were any interesting bargains and I came across several First Edition copies of the "Little House" books. In fact, there were so many I did a search and went down a bit of a rabbit hole. Mind you, most of the books are too rich for my poor blood, but I find this to be a discussion-worthy topic so I'm sharing some finds and commentary with you here. You can see the complete results ...