Little House Discussed

Grace Ingalls Dow kept a small journal that coverd several years Laura Ingalls Wilder isn't the only Ingalls family member to write down the family history. Grace Ingalls Dow , Laura's youngest sister, kept a journal. Granted, the journal is not a work of great literature and there are so many grammatical and spelling errors it hurts one's eyes, but there's history here, people. If you're like me and look for different information about the Ingalls family, information that goes beyond the books you overlook things like misspellings to dive into the deeper picture. Grace's journal is a goldmine. What follows are some of the highlights of Grace Ingalls Dow's journal. An interesting fact about the journal - it was found among Carrie Ingalls Swanzey 's step daughter's possessions after she had passed away. 1. In February 1887, Charles Ingalls was Deputy Sheriff in DeSmet, SD Excerpt: Feb. 9th Wednesday To day is very warm day, on...

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...

Pa and Ma Ingalls might frown on such frivolity, but if you have upwards of $639.00 to play with, you too can be the proud owner of a coveted First Edition of " Little Town on the Prairie ." Laura Ingalls Wilder superfans take note: as of today, Amazon.com has three copies of this historic book listed and prices range from $639.00 to $795.00. So? Who is going for it?

Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Ingalls Wilder began working for a living at age 11 as a live in babysitter for a family who lived near her home in Walnut Grove, and she was paid .50 cents a week for her effort. And so began the pimping of Laura Ingalls Wilder to help make up for Charles Ingalls' mistakes. Yes, I'm going there. Laura Ingalls: A Product of Her Environment If Laura Ingalls minded going to work at any early age, she never mentioned it, at least not when she was 11. By her own admission Laura found being a live in babysitter to be an easy job and when she wasn't playing with the child, she was able to read and relax. However, let's not pretend it was a good life. She was in the company of unsavory people thoughout her life and this particular job ended after a local drunk came to her bed at night and told her to "lie down and be still."  I think we all know where that would have gone if Laura didn't threaten to scream. To her cr...