Intro
In a testament to the idea that success can come at any time in life, Laura Ingalls Wilder published her first novel at age 65. "Little House in the Big Woods" and her stories afterward were rooted in 19th-century life on the American frontier. They depicted a pioneering spirit of resilience and individualism but also some of the racist perspectives of the time. The stories became broadly popular as they reached audiences in America during the Great Depression and then worldwide for decades after.
For Laura, she did, in part, what she aimed to do. She told the stories of growing up in that time. As she would say, "I realized that I had seen and lived it all. Then I understood that in my own life I represented a whole period of American history...I wanted children now to understand more about the beginnings of things, to know what is behind the things they see - what it is that made America as they know it."
The following is her story.
Early Years
"A long time ago, when all the grandfathers and grandmothers of today were little boys and little girls or very small babies, or perhaps not even born, Pa and Ma and Mary and Laura and Baby Carrie left their little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin. They drove away and left it lonely and empty in the clearing among the big trees, and they never saw that little house again." - Laura Ingalls Wilder
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born on February 7, 1867, in a little log house in the Big Woods area of Wisconsin near the town of Pepin. Her parents, Charles Phillip Ingalls and Caroline Lake Quiner Ingalls, were part of the wave of pioneers who had moved westward in search of a better life. Charles, known for his restlessness and desire for adventure, was a farmer, hunter, and occasionally a musician, bringing joy and music into their home. More reserved and focused on family, Caroline provided a steadying influence.