About
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in a log cabin near Pepin, Wisconsin. Her family moved frequently across the Midwest, finally settling in De Smet, South Dakota. She earned her teaching certificate at 15 and taught in one-room schoolhouses. Married to Almanzo Wilder in 1885, they endured hardships including Almanzo's partial paralysis from diphtheria and crop failures. In 1894, they settled in Mansfield, Missouri, on a farm they named Rocky Ridge Farm. Wilder began writing in her 40s, publishing a column in the Missouri Ruralist. Encouraged by her daughter Rose, she wrote her memoirs, then reworked them into children's fiction.
* 1867-02-07 — † 1957-02-10
Major works
- Little House in the Big Woods (1932)novel
- Farmer Boy (1933)novel
- Little House on the Prairie (1935)novel
- On the Banks of Plum Creek (1937)novel
- The Long Winter (1940)novel
Key milestones
- 1885Married Almanzo James Wilder on August 25.
- 1932Published her first book, Little House in the Big Woods, at age 65.
- 1954First recipient of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award from the American Library Association.
Themes
Pioneer lifeFamilyResilienceSelf-relianceChildhood
Sources: nps.gov · loc.gov · pbs.org