{"id":1507,"date":"2013-11-21T12:50:47","date_gmt":"2013-11-21T20:50:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.surfnetkids.com\/go\/?p=1507"},"modified":"2013-11-21T12:50:47","modified_gmt":"2013-11-21T20:50:47","slug":"ten-facts-laura-ingalls-wilder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.surfnetkids.com\/go\/1507\/ten-facts-laura-ingalls-wilder\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Facts About Laura Ingalls Wilder"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Entrance
Entrance to the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, Minnesota.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Laura Ingalls Wilder, the American author best known for her \u201cLittle House\u201d children\u2019s books, was born on February 7, 1867 in Pepin County, Wisconsin. She died in Mansfield, Missouri on February 10, 1957.<\/p>\n

1. \u00a0Parents and Siblings<\/b><\/p>\n

Laura Ingalls Wilder\u2019s parents, Charles Ingalls and Caroline Quiner were married in Concord Wisconsin on February 1, 1860. They were known as Ma and Pa in the \u201cLittle House\u201d books. Mary Amelia, their first daughter was born on January 10, 1865 in Pepin, Wisconsin. Laura became the second child of Charles and Caroline, also born in Pepin, Wisconsin on February 7, 1867. After Laura, Caroline Celestia was born on August 3, 1870 in Montgomery County, Kansas. On November 1, 1875, a son was born to Charles and Caroline in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. They named him Charles Frederick but his nickname was Freddie. At nine-months old, Freddie died. The last child born to Charles and Caroline was Grace Pearl on May 23, 1877 in Burr Oak, Iowa.<\/p>\n

2. \u00a0Childhood Frontier Life<\/b><\/p>\n

In 1868, Charles and Caroline Ingalls packed up their belongings and two young daughters, moving to Indian Territory, Kansas. After Carries was born, the Ingalls\u2019 moved to another homestead in Kansas but shortly after settling in, they were evicted because the farm was on an Indian reservation. The Ingalls\u2019 left Kansas, moving back to Wisconsin. They lived there for four years. These four years in Wisconsin are depicted in Laura\u2019s two books, \u201cLittle House in the Big Woods\u201d and \u201cLittle House on the Prairie.\u201d<\/p>\n

3. \u00a0Ma and Pa Move One Last Time<\/b><\/p>\n

Charles Ingalls became the owner of a homestead in De Smet, South Dakota in 1880. One of the most severe winters in South Dakota takes place in 1881 and is mentioned in Laura\u2019s book, \u201cThe Long Winter.\u201d In De Smet, Laura went to school, helped with the chores and helped care for her sister, Mary who went blind after a fever right before the move to South Dakota.<\/p>\n

4. \u00a0Marriage and Children<\/b><\/p>\n

While living in De Smet, Laura met her future husband, Almonzo Wilder. She referred to Almonzo as Manly. They were married on August 25, 1885 when Laura was 18-years old. Almonzo was 10 years older than Laura. The two newlyweds started their own homestead near De Smet. One year later, on December 5, Laura gave birth to her first child, Rose. Laura and Almonzo also had a son, who died a short time after he was born. He was never named.<\/p>\n

5. \u00a0Hardships for Laura and Almonzo<\/b><\/p>\n

Losing their infant son was not the only hardships Laura and Almonzo Wilder endured. During the early years of their marriage, Almonzo contracted diphtheria, which left him paralyzed. Eventually, he recovered but had to use a cane for the rest of his life. Their daughter, Rose, accidentally set the house on fire and the Wilder family lost everything. Harsh winters and summer droughts laid waste to their 320-acre farm, leaving them in debt. Laura describes their hardships in her book, \u201cThe First Four Years.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. \u00a0A New Home<\/b><\/p>\n

Laura and Almonzo Wilder left their South Dakota homestead and moved to Mansfield, Missouri with their daughter, Rose in 1984. They bought a small, rundown cabin and Almonzo earned a living selling firewood. Almonzo\u2019s parents gave the couple a house, which helped Laura and Almonzo save enough money to expand their farmland. It took 20 years for the couple to run a successful dairy farm.<\/p>\n

7. \u00a0Lifetime Careers<\/b><\/p>\n

Laura Ingalls\u2019 first career was a schoolteacher when she was 16-years old. She began teaching on December 10, 1882 in a school with only one room. She taught for three years but never really enjoyed the position. Writing was the career she loved and in 1911, she got her first position as a journalist for the \u201cMissouri Ruralist.\u201d Her column was entitled, \u201cAs a Farm Woman Thinks.\u201d Laura\u2019s daughter, Rose, encouraged her mother to writer her \u201cLittle House\u201d children\u2019s books.<\/p>\n

8. \u00a0First Autobiographical \u201cLittle House\u201d Book<\/b><\/p>\n

The \u201cLittle House\u201d series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder were published by Harper and Brothers and sold for two dollars each. The Minneapolis Journal advertised the first book, \u201cLittle House in the Big Woods,\u201d saying, \u201cThis small saga of pioneer Wisconsin is a satisfying response to the cry, \u2018Grandmother, tell us about when you were a little girl!\u2019 It should be read by all middle border children and by many others. Too few nowadays can tell as real and treasurable a story.\u201d Laura\u2019s first book was published in 1932 and has been in print ever since. Her books have been translated into 40 different languages.<\/p>\n

9. \u00a0Sequels to \u201cLittle House in the Big Woods\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

After the success of her first children\u2019s book about frontier life, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote seven more books for the series.<\/p>\n