Keeping up w/LIW Historic Home and Museum

How wonderful!

Thanks for sharing that!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum


Just today and tomorrow left of regular touring schedules at the the Home and Museum. It has been a good season. Thanks to all our staff and to everyone who visited the site from so many places. Fall is a great time to look at the ravine. As the the house site is improved and returned to its rustic look, the ravine will reconnect us ever more with Almanzo, Laura and Rose.




1900 Laura Ingalls Wilder in the ravine at Rocky Ridge Farm at the age of 33

Beautiful! Glad I was able to be one of the many to visit this season!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"The holiday shopping is on! Don't forget the unique gift items available from the Museum Shop at the Wilder Home & Museum this season."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum

On a cold December fifth in 1886, Rose Wilder Lane was born on her parents' homestead near De Smet, Dakota Territory. Her life was one of adventure, creativity, and staunch support of her ideals of personal freedom. After leaving her hometown of Mansfield as a young woman she became a successful career woman--telegrapher, real estate salesperson, and finally writer--the profession she successfully followed for fifty years. During the 1920s and 1930s she returned to Rocky Ridge Farm where she wrote prolifically, with great acclaim. Among the work she produced on Rocky Ridge Farm was her best known work of fiction, "Let the Hurricane Roar"--still in print after 83 years! Her encouragement and assistance in making Laura's Little House books happen is literary history. Rose's influence was great; a friend remarked: "You have taken me from a lump of dough to a loaf of bread." Happy Birthday, Rose!

Happy Birthday, Rose!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"We are sad to report the death of Leslie A. Kelly, who passed on December 1 in California. Mr. Kelly, a longtime executive at Nissan and gifted photographer, noticed his children's interest in the Little House books nearly thirty years ago. Eventually he became known as the "Little House Photographer"--whose evocative and professional photos appeared in books like LAURA INGALLS WILDER COUNTRY, A LITTLE HOUSE GUIDEBOOK, MUSICAL MEMORIES OF LAURA INGALLS WILDER. Les was the first professional photographer who visited every Little House book site, meticulously recording the landscapes, artifacts, historic homes, sunrises and the natural world described in the Wilder books. No challenge was too great for him. Anticipating and recording a South Dakota blizzard via snowmobile were among his creative adventures. Mr. Kelly served as a board member of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association, and many of his images were donated to the museum for use as postcards and other products in the museum shop. Some of his best work appears in THE LAURA INGALLS WILDER COUNTRY COOKBOOK, which consists of authentic Wilder recipes and a magnificent photo tour through the Wilder home. The Wilder world extends sympathy to Les's wife, Cathy, and his children Erin and Patrick--who accompanied their dad on many Wilder adventures."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"Yes, Laura Ingalls Wilder even sent Christmas cards to her fans! This one was discovered in 2015 in a safe in the Winfield, Kansas Public Library, with a collection of correspondence directed to local readers of the Little House series. Happy holidays to our visitors and supporters of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association."

Laura's birthday is coming up in February and places that she lived in are having celebrations. This one is in Wisconsin. If you are in that area, maybe you can attend. Marshfield will be celebrating at her Rocky Ridge Farm as well. WOW! 150 years!

Happy Birthday, Laura! 150 years old... It only happens once! I WISH I lived closer to a home site.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"Much buzz is heard about Laura Ingalls Wilder's upcoming 150th birthday anniversary on February 7-- but let's not ignore Almanzo. HIS 160th will occur on February 13, 2017. While he spent most of his long life on Rocky Ridge Farm, his birthplace and early life were live on the Wilder farm near Malone, NY--the scene of his wife's second published book. The original house and farm are beautifully restored. If you have not visited there, enjoy this video tour."

"Little House" fans head to Malone, NY | Adirondack Journeys
Tourists may visit the boyhood home of Almanzo Wilder, famous as the "Farmer Boy" in Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series. Produced by Paul Larson. Videography and editing by Ben Carstens of WFFF Local 44.

 I am SO glad that this is happening!  Years ago when I went with my Aunt to Rocky Ridge Farm, we got to walk the trail between the two homes.  When I went to the Grand Opening and Dedication of the new museum, the trail was roped off and I had to drive from the farmhouse to the rock house.  This is the trail Laura and Manly used to get from one house to the other, so getting it fixed and re-opened makes a great impression on history!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"The Wilder Home Association is applying for a Missouri DNR Recreational Trail Grant. This grant would help open up the trail that connected the Historic Farm House on Rocky Ridge to the Rock House. This is essentially the same path that Laura and Rose took between the two homes. This pathway would serve to connect the West end of Rocky Ridge Farm to the East end, giving our visitors the opportunity to experience the grounds without driving between locations."

That is so wonderful! I wish it had been like that when I was there this fall. That would be a great experience!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"Renee Graef illustrated many of the 'My First Little House Picture Books'--stories of Laura and Almanzo adapted from the chapter books. She is also identified with many other Wilder books as 'artist'."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum


"Here is one of the precious school tablets which Laura Ingalls Wilder used in writing THE LONG WINTER. It is now preserved in the Burton Historical Collection in Michigan."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum


"Laura Ingalls Wilder's 150th birthday month has started! Her birthday week is upcoming. Tuesday, February 7th is the day! What will you do to celebrate? The birthday is being celebrated in innumerable cities and towns all over America this week and through the year. What was going on during Laura's centennial, 50 years ago? A lot. The new Laura Ingalls Wilder Branch Library was dedicated in Detroit. The Pomona Public Library in California held a major week-long celebration. Mr. and Mrs. L.D. Lichty, then curators of the Wilder Home attended, along with hundreds of others. Rose Wilder Lane sent flowers. De Smet marked the 100th and kicked off the project of restoring the Surveyors' House. And schools and libraries held observances. The full page ad below was Harper & Row's tribute to their author. Some things don't change. The Little House books are still popular, and their author is still being honored on a milestone birthdate. (The ad is from the collection of Aubrey Sherwood, editor of THE DE SMET NEWS, a friend of the Ingalls-Wilders, and foremost promoter of Laura's books)"

This is from LIWHHAM.  I went ahead and copied the article since there were so many ads on it, and inserted the picture of the book....Always a good time to start reading Laura's books.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

Winter is a good time to re-read all of the Little House books. This is a ritual of museum director Jean Coday. THE LONG WINTER is an especially gripping read during these cold, dog days of February. This article gives some historical background of that infamous "Hard Winter" described so well by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Remember, the book was written right here in the farmhouse on Rocky Ridge Farm.


"The Long Winter of 1880-1881

The first storm blew in in mid October.
“A terrible snow storm, probably the worst that Southern Dakota ever witnessed, passed over this region of country, commencing on last Friday with thunder and lightning, and continuing until Saturday at midnight,” read an article in the Oct. 21, 1880, Canton Advocate. “It caused a general suspension of business, blowing down telegraph wires, blockading railroads, the snow drifting to the depth of from fifteen to twenty five feet in cuts along the line of roads.”

This storm would have been among the first of many blizzards that hit Dakota Territory in the winter of 1880-81.
In De Smet, Dakota Territory, Charles Ingalls was trying to keep the nine people in his house from starving. The nine people consisted of himself; his wife Caroline; his daughters Mary, Laura, Carrie and Grace; and George and Maggie Masters and their infant son who were staying with the Ingalls.
Supplies in town were short even before a blizzard in January buried the railroad tracks and suspended the running of trains west from Tracy, Minn., according to Laura Ingalls Wilder in “Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Biography.” “Pioneer Girl” was published by the South Dakota Historical Society Press in 2014.
“There was no meat to be had, no butter, the potatoes were nearly gone. The only fruit there had been in town was dried fruit and that was long gone from the stores. We had a little yet and a little bit of sugar. Coffee was gone and tea,” Wilder wrote in “Pioneer Girl.” Wilder wrote “Pioneer Girl” in the late 1920s as a historical recounting of the pioneer era and the Ingalls family’s journey through it. Unable to find a publisher for the manuscript, Wilder rewrote her story for children. The resulting “Little House in the Big Woods” was successful, and more Little House books followed. “The Long Winter” is Wilder’s fictional account of the winter of 1880-81.
The Ingalls twisted slough hay into sticks and burned that after their coal was gone.
When flour was gone, the Ingalls ground seed wheat in a hand coffee mill and used the flour to make bread. Grinding enough wheat to make flour was slow work, and whoever was not twisting hay for fuel was grinding wheat for bread.
With supplies of wheat in town running low, Laura’s future husband Almanzo Wilder and his friend Cap Garland volunteered to travel 12 miles south of De Smet to purchase wheat from a farmer who had raised some the year before. It was a dangerous trip, but necessary if people in town were going to live until spring, Wilder wrote in “Pioneer Girl.” The trip was dangerous because it had to be made in one day between snow storms, and because it could be slow going. Wilder and Garland each took one horse and a sled for hauling the hay. Horses could break through the hard crust on the snow into a pit of soft snow. Snow would have to be shoveled out in front of the horse, steps cut in the hard snow bank and the horse helped out. The sled would be drawn around the hole. Wilder and Garland arrived back in De Smet with 60 bushels of wheat in tow, just before another blizzard hit.
The trains came in May, and with them food and supplies. “The Long Winter” ends with the Ingalls family enjoying a belated Christmas dinner with friends, singing to Pa’s fiddle playing.
“The Long Winter” concludes: “And as they sang, the fear and the suffering of the long winter seemed to rise like a dark cloud and float away on the music. Spring had come. The sun was shining warm, the winds were soft, and the green grass growing.”
If there is a lesson to be learned from “The Long Winter,” it is that life can be tough, but good times will come again.
Wilder turned 14 on Feb. 7, 1881. The 150th anniversary of her birth will be celebrated at a program at 7 p.m. CST on Tuesday, Feb. 7, originating at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre and broadcast to the De Smet Middle School using the state’s Digital Dakota Network. People in other communities who want to join in the program through this video conferencing network may call (605) 773-6006 for more information.

This moment in South Dakota history is provided by the South Dakota Historical Society Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the South Dakota State Historical Society at the Cultural Heritage Center in Pierre. Find us on the web at www.sdhsf.org. Contact us at info@sdhsf.org to submit a story idea."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

February 7, 2017!
The 150th birth date of Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House Books.
In an era when we need the influence of heroes and heroines, Laura is ever an inspiration. She was a stalwart pioneer, a hardworking wife and mother, a dedicated community worker, and a lifelong learner. She was a gifted writer, spinning words into memorable prose, loved globally by millions. Never has one of her books gone out of print. They are American-made treasures.
Recording the rich story of her pioneer beginnings, Laura is truly one of America's historians. She shared the story of the American frontier in a timeless style of storytelling.
Locally, here in Mansfield, Missouri where she lived from 1894-1957, the memory of Laura Ingalls Wilder is still vivid. She is recalled as a pleasant, demure, kindly lady. As one of her friends said, "Mrs. Wilder was a "gentlewoman" in the same way we speak of a true "gentleman." The Wilder home on Rocky Ridge Farm, the Rock House where she started writing her books, and the museum containing her family's treasures---all of these are memorials to a great American writer.
But above all are her Little House books, which continue as ageless classics.
Happy birthday Laura!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:


"Next morning while Almanzo was eating his oatmeal, Father said this was his birthday. Almanzo had forgotten it. He was nine years old, that cold winter morning...'There's something for you in the woodshed,' Father said."--from FARMER BOY.

Today, February 13, is the anniversary of Almanzo's 1857 birth on his family's farm near Malone, New York. Fortunately, Almanzo's first home and his last home on Rocky Ridge Farm are beautifully preserved for readers of the Little House books to enjoy. Each farm is a testament to the type of life Almanzo lived--creative, hard-working, appreciative of the environment and at peace with the world around him.

How fortunate readers are that his wife and daughter saw that his story and values became the stuff of great books. Almanzo Wilder is a true hero of America's agricultural history and literature.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum

"On a wintry February day, this vintage photo of the Wilder Home was taken. After Laura died here in February 1957, Mansfield folks commented on "how lonely Mrs. Wilder's house looks." Following a conference with Rose Wilder Lane about hopes to preserve the Wilder home, the first steps were taken; it was announced on February 24 that Lewis D. Lichty was named the chairman of the newly formed Laura Ingalls Wilder Home Association. A request was made through circuit court to incorporate a non-profit organization. It was stated that "Never before in the history of our town have we had the opportunity to take part in such a venture."

Next week, on March 1, the Wilder Museum and historic homes will open for the 2017 season--the 60th year since a small band of Mansfield citizens was determined to honor the Wilders by preserving their home."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"Good Morning! It's opening day here at the Wilder Home and Museum in Mansfield, MO. We look forward to the start of a great new season. As we begin our 60th season of showing the Historic Home on Rocky Ridge Farm, as well as Mrs. Wilder's possessions, help us celebrate our Diamond Anniversary and the 150th year of Mrs. Wilder's birth!
We are here Monday through Saturday 9-5 and Sunday from 12:30-5. Stop off at the main building first to purchase tickets and get started."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

It is time for maple sugaring in parts of America! Does everyone remember the great chapter in LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS, "Dance at Grandpa's," which celebrated the sugaring season? WISCONSIN MAGAZINE OF HISTORY chose to use Garth Williams' illustration of the event in their Spring 2017 issue. The magazine contains Jennifer Van Haaften's article "Re-Examining the American Pioneer Spirit: The Extended Family of Laura Ingalls Wilder." A very interesting read indeed.

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"Here is the book that started the reading world's long dedication to the people and places of the Little House world. Publication date was on this day in 1932. And, 85 years later, the story still goes on. Thank you, Laura Ingalls Wilder, and thank you, Harper Collins, for keeping this American saga vibrant today."

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

'A few broken pieces of Laura's china were found in the attic. A local jeweler has turned these pieces into beautiful sterling silver works of wearable art. There are no two pieces alike. These are very limited in number. With each piece comes with a signed and numbered certificate of authenticity. Order yours today!'

Be patient, takes awhile to load.....

Wearable Art

Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum:

"The April 1945 cyclone which passed through Mansfield and the Wilders' Rocky Ridge Farm did considerable damage. Laura and Almanzo had a close call...and there was damage done to the farmhouse. They lost many trees on the farm. The photo seen here was taken for insurance purposes after the storm. It shows only the stump remaining from a huge shade tree near the porch. The stump was evident into the 1990s."