Little House Discussed

Laura Ingalls Wilder fans are passionate about their favorite author. We make pilgrimages to all the places she lived and visited, devour every book that has been written by or about he, and discuss her life and legacy in forums and Facebook groups. Movies and television series have been adapted for her book. Mrs. Wilders books are international best sellers.So excuse me if I come off as a bit surprised by everyone else's surprise. Ever since Laura Ingalls Wilder's autobiography " Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography " was released early last fall, the press has been marveling about the secrets revealed and the demand for the book. Did they not think anyone would be interested? Did they not do their research into Mrs. Wilder's legacy and her vast fan base? Consider this: Hundreds of people pay money each year to attend the Laurapalooza conference, an annual conference for Laura Ingalls Wilder fans. Thousands of people spend their vacation time ...

In " The Long Winter ," Laura Ingalls Wilder shared the hardships endured by her family during an especially brutal season. The family faced starvation in cramped quarters. In fact, there wasn't even any fire wood and Charles Ingalls and family had to twist hay and huddle - all of them- around the stove for warmth. What Mrs. Ingalls omitted from her story was that the family actually had houseguests - Maggie & George Masters and their baby. In fact, to hear Mrs. Wilder tell it, they were the houseguests from hell. At least George was. So who were George and Maggie Masters and why did the Ingalls family take them in during the hard winter? Read on, Laura Ingalls Wilder fans, it's a tawdry tale of a child conceived before marriage, Ma's generous spirit, and the man who took advantage of that generosity. The Ingalls and Masters Families The Masters Hotel in Burr Oak, IA The name "Masters" comes up quite often in the true life tale of th...

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 re...

So I'm reading "I Remember Laura": Laura Ingalls Wilder by Stephen W. Hines and I came across the most interesting item.  At the end of the book there is an  chapter called " Unsolved Mysteries: Sometimes the Question is Who Knows What? Or, Does Anyone Know Anything? " In this section, Hines brings up some items that he (and others) have wondered about. For example, Hines wondered what happened to Mary's organ or whether or not " Pioneer Girl " would ever be published. (We know the answer to that one, don't we?) BUT the item that caught my eye in this chapter is the one called "Has anyone ever found Laura's cave?" Laura's Cave?  Did Hines mean the dugout the Ingalls family lived in on Plum Creek ? Why, we know where that is. It isn't a mystery. However, that isn't what Hines is referring to anyway. Hines is referring to a much older Laura Ingalls Wilder, who, very sick and entering the last days of life t...