Laura Ingalls Wilder by Sarah

Do you know what is is like to eat a tail of a pig? Or moved so many times that you were constantly making new friends? Laura Ingalls Wilder was a little pioneer girl who lived many great adventures and as an adult was inspired to write them all down. Her books include stories about her childhood, growing up, and adulthood.

Laura Ingall Wilder’s Childhood
On February 7, 1867 Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder was born in Pepin, Wisconsin the second daughter of Charles and Caroline Ingalls. Wilder was born and raised on the American Frontier and Prairie. She had a older sister Mary, two younger sisters Carrie and Grace who was born later. Her Father loved living a secluded life away from other people, which caused the family to move around a lot. As a result, Wilder was usually self-taught but went to school whenever there was one close enough to attend. In 1874 the Ingalls Family left Minnesota after watching their crops get destroyed by the grasshopper plague. This was a very hard on the family and had to move to another place to settle in. When Wilder was a young girl she jotted down notes of the best memories of her life. Later her mother had a baby boy who they named Frederick, but called him Freddie. Sadly, Freddie died shortly after birth at nine months old (and was never recorded in Wilder’s books, possibly because she was too sad to write about it.) In 1874 Wilder met Almanzo Wilder, who became a friend to the family during a long hard winter. He helped many families by giving them wheat from his storage.

Growing Up
In 1882 (In the State of South Dakota) Wilder passed a test to earn her teaching certificate. Wilder wanted to get a teaching certificate because she wanted to teach other children learn justs as she had learned to read and write. While Wilder was earning her teaching degree Almanzo would drive her back and forth each week to attend school and return home each weekend to be with her family. Three years later she ended up in a church, in front of a Pasture and agreeing to marry Almanzo Wilder on August 25, 1885 still in South Dakota. A year later they had a baby and named her Rose born in December of 1886. Wilder also gave birth to a baby boy who shortly died after only a few weeks (this incident was also never recorded her books.) Wilder's first book was called Pioneer Girl. Farmer Boy was a book about Almanzo in New York growing up as a boy who worked on the farm. These Happy Golden Years is a book about Wilder and Almanzo together and their memories.

Adulthood
When Almanzo and Wilder were adults they made up nicknames for eachother. Almanzo was Manly and Wilder was Bessie. They were best friends and loved to being together. They were perfect for eachother. By 1920, Rose now grown and a reporter, inspired her mother to write down her memories. Wilder completed her last story in 1943 at the age of 76. Sadly, On October 23, 1949 Almanzo died of Diphtheria at age 92. On February 10, 1957s Wilder died in Mansfield, Missouri. After her death, Rose edited and publish another book from untold stories found in her mother’s dairy.

Laura ingalls Wilder was one of many pioneers to write books about life on the prairie. Now today Laura Ingalls Wilder is well know to the world for her wonderful stories of adventure and hardship. Wilder’s books are an inspiration to all who read it.