Character Profile of Charles Ingalls

 

Having covered Laura Ingalls Wilder, Mary Ingalls Kendall, and Caroline Quiner Ingalls in previous character profiles, it seems high time that Charles Phillip Ingalls got his turn. Though the Ingalls family are historical figures, just one family who symbolizes the American pioneers who traveled west in search of new opportunities, these character profiles focus on the fictional lives brought to life in the late 70s and early 80s on Little House on the Prairie. In case you haven't seen all the seasons yet, please know:

CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!

Michael Landon, who portrayed Charles Ingalls on the show, was a household name by the time Ed Friendly brought the idea of Little House on the Prairie to NBC. You can read more about how Landon came to play Pa in my conversation with Kent McCray. Landon appeared in more than 185 episodes of the show and two of the three movies that aired after the series ended. Please enjoy my profile of Michael Landon's version of Charles (Pa) Ingalls. Comments appreciated. 

Viewers meet the rugged yet sensitive Charles Ingalls in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, as his wife Caroline bids farewell to their families. In their covered wagon, Charles, Caroline, and their three daughters (Mary, Laura & Carrie) embark on a southwestward journey to find a place with fewer people and more game to hunt. 

From the very beginning, it is clear Pa and Laura, who he calls Half-pint, have a special relationship. He understands she is hurting when it appears their dog Jack drowned as they crossed the Mississippi into Kansas. They both are eager for the adventure of traveling to new places and meeting new people. And they share special and touching moments throughout the series, like: 

• Their happy reunion when Pa finds Laura after she runs away ("The Lord is My Shepherd, Part 2"),
• Letting her know that Almanzo might be in love with her ("Sweet Sixteen"),
• Reconciling after their argument over when Laura can marry Almanzo ("He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not"),
• Laura helping Charles figure out what best to do when Caroline learns she can't have more children ("I Do, Again"),
• Charles agreeing to help so Almanzo and Laura don't lose their home ("Days of Sunshine, Days of Shadow"),
• Their touching last moments in the little house on Plum Creek before Pa leaves to join his family in Burr Oak, Iowa ("Times Are Changing, Part 1"), 
• Helping Laura accept that her beloved brother, Albert, is going to die ("Home Again, Part 2").

The Ingalls family builds a tiny cabin outside of Independence, Kansas, after leaving the Big Woods. They befriend a rough bachelor named Isaiah Edwards while there. But one day, soldiers arrive to tell them they have to leave. A distraught Charles, faced with starting over, leaves the plow behind, gives his cow and calf to Mr. Edwards, and loads up the family again. 

This time, they arrive in the town of Walnut Grove, Minnesota, which allows Charles to fulfill Caroline's desire of being where the girls can go to school and the family can attend church. Charles makes a deal with Mr. Hanson to trade work at the mill for lumber, and builds a little house on the banks of Plum Creek. Clearing a place to plant crops, however, will be a harder chore. 

Throughout the series, Charles symbolizes how challenging it is to make a living as a farmer, whether it be because of the elements ("The 100-Mile Walk" and "Going Home") or struggling finances ("The Long Road Home," "As Long As We're Together," and "Times Are Changing"). Luckily, he often gets by thanks to the frugalness of his family, the help of friends, or work--in town or far away--that supplements his income. 

Charles is a man who believes that faith and family are of the utmost importance. While he expects his children to treat others the same as they would want to be treated, he's not afraid to defend his family when necessary ("The Bully Boys," "The Aftermath," and "As Long As We Are Together, Part 2"). His strong faith carries him through many trials and tribulations, like the loss of his infant son ("The Lord is My Shepherd"), Mary going blind ("I'll be Waving As You Driving Away"), the loss of his first grandchild in a fire started when his adopted son Albert is smoking in the basement of the blind school with a friend ("May We Make Them Proud"), and his adopted son James's life-threatening injury ("He Was Only Twelve").

Luckily, Charles has many friends to see him through the bad times. After the Ingalls family settles in Walnut Grove, Charles runs into Isaiah Edwards in Mankato and brings him back to Walnut Grove with him ("Mr. Edwards' Homecoming"). After Isaiah moves his family to California, Charles finds Jonathan Garvey to be a good friend. Jonathan helps him save Mary when she is held hostage by the James brothers ("The Aftermath"), and Charles is able to help Jonathan mend fences with his wife Alice ("The High Cost of Being Right" and "Crossed Connections"). And though these friendships can sometimes be tested ("A Promise to Keep"), these lifelong friends bring Charles a great deal of joy. 

After moving his family to Burr Oak, Charles returns three more times to Walnut Grove: once in the hopes of rehabilitating his son Albert who has fallen in with a dangerous crowd ("Home Again"), again with Albert when Charles is sent to Minnesota on business ("Look Back to Yesterday"), and with Caroline when they take a trip to see Laura, Almanzo, and Rose ("The Last Farewell"). 

When Charles returns to Walnut Grove for that final time before the town is blown up, sending a message to Mr. Lassiter who has gained title to all of Hero Township, we see a man who remains committed to his family and who is willing to fight for what's right. He understands how his former neighbors feel when they stand to lose everything they have spent their lives building. He supports them, he stands alongside them, and he helps them look forward to a future different than what they've known, but with the final victory over land developers being theirs. In so many ways, this Charles Ingalls is the same man we meet in the "Pilot," a man of principle, great faith, and a sense of adventure that carries him through whatever comes his way. 

More character profiles:

Almanzo James Wilder

Nels Oleson

Caroline Quiner Ingalls

Mary Ingalls Kendall

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Need Your Feedback: Which Character Should I Profile Next?

Character profiles tend to be popular at Laura's Little houses. So far I have profiled:

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Mary Ingalls Kendall

Almanzo James Wilder

Caroline Ingalls

Nels Oleson

Help me decide who to profile next.

Charles Ingalls

Harriet Oleson

Reverend Alden

Doc Baker

Eliza Jane Wilder

Nellie Oleson Dalton

Leave a comment on this post to let me know. Thanks for your feedback!

Changes: LHOP Inspired Fan Fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Changes

LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little House on the Prairie television series, book series, or any of the characters. 

 Charles and Caroline had just finished moving Carrie up to the loft.  Now, only Baby Grace would be downstairs with them.

“Would you like some coffee?” Caroline asked Charles.

 “Sounds good,” he replied, glancing up at the loft. 

 Caroline’s knowing smile told him she knew what he was thinking. “It seems strange without her, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does.” Charles walked over to the kitchen window and looked out, as if he expected Laura to walk down the road at any minute. “We already went through this with Mary. You think it would be easier this time.”

Caroline shrugged. “It never gets easier, no matter how many times it happens. It’s just not the same when one of your children leaves the nest.”

She brought Charles his cup of coffee and motioned for him to sit down with her at the table. Caroline brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “She married a good man.”

“I know,” he said with a nod.

Caroline reached over and put her small, white hand on top of Charles’s much larger and darker one. “Once again, we know how our parents felt when we packed up and left the Big Woods. We’ll get by it…just like we did when we left Mary in Winoka.” 

After drinking his coffee, Charles stood. “I need to do some work out in the barn.

His feet shuffled along the floor before he opened the door and walked outside. He only stayed there for a few minutes before he strolled down to the creek.

***

From the kitchen window, Caroline saw him cross the yard. She spied him as he sat down in Laura’s favorite thinking place. Her heart ached for him. Laura and he had always been so close. She prayed God would help him accept the changes life had brought. 

***

 Charles sat along the creek bed for about twenty minutes. It was no accident he sat in Laura’s special thinking place. He would often join her when she was younger and share fatherly advice. Now, he was replaced by Almanzo Wilder. She would go to him for the advice she needed. He admitted he felt sorry for himself.

He knew he was being silly. It was natural for a young girl to grow up, fall in love, get married, and cleave to her husband. But somehow, he had hoped Laura, his Half-pint, would wait a little longer. 

Charles looked up at the sky searching for guidance. “You know, Lord, it was hard for me to admit Mary had become a woman who could survive on her own without her Ma and me. But after a while, I accepted it.”

He felt tears forming in the corners of his eyes but blinked them away.

“With Half-pint, I fought the battle against her growing up every day. I always wished I could keep her a little girl forever. But before I knew it, she was a young woman and a teacher. An older man courted her.”

Charles stopped praying to let the tears flow. When the last tear fell, he stood and grabbed a smooth, flat stone from the ground. He skimmed it across the creek. Laura loved to do that when she was younger, he thought.

“Lord, I feel like I’ve lost my little girl. We have always been kindred spirits. I always understood how she felt…and she understood me, too. I am going to miss those picnic lunches and fishing trips. Lord, please help me to accept these changes in my life and help me learn to appreciate the grown Laura as much as I love the young one.  Amen.”

Charles sat back down and looked out over the cold flowing water. A few moments later he felt a small, familiar hand on his shoulder.

“Hi, Half-pint.” Charles turned his head to look back at her. 

“Hi, Pa.” Laura pulled up her skirt and sat down next to her father. “What are you doing out here?”

“Thinking.”

 “About what?”

 “How grown up you are?”

 Laura smiled wide. “I never thought I would hear you say that.”

Charles cupped her chin in his hand. “As much as I hate to admit it Half-pint, you’re a woman now.” He gazed at the ground to hide his tears. 

Once he recovered from his emotions he looked up and said, “What are you doing here? I thought you and Almanzo would be busy at the house.”

“We just finished getting Eliza Jane’s things together. She’ll send for them once she’s settled in St. Louis.” Charles nodded. “Almanzo had to go into town, so I figured I would come out here and spend some time with you. Almanzo will pick me up on the way back.”  Laura paused. “Pa, can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

 “How long did it take you and Ma to get used to being married?”

Charles smiled. He had thought his days of passing out fatherly advice to Half-pint were over, but here she was once again looking for him to share his wisdom. “Quite a while. It’s a big change going from being your own person to being a couple. You’re not having problems already, are you?”

“No, it’s just that Almanzo and I have different opinions on things and sometimes I feel I have to give in so we don’t argue.”

Charles let a laugh escape from his lips. “I know you have strong opinions Half-pint, but there’s nothing wrong in giving in occasionally. Marriage means a lot of compromises...if you want it to work.”

Laura reached over and hugged him. “I’ll try to remember that. Thanks, Pa.”  She reached for a smooth, flat stone and stood. She tossed it toward the creek and watched it skim the water. 

Charles had been so preoccupied with all the changes in his own life, he had forgotten how many changes his daughter was going through. And he found even though she was a grown, married woman, she still needed him. Charles glanced skyward and silently thanked God for answering his prayers. 

***

Caroline watched them from the kitchen window. “Thank you, Lord,” she said as she wiped away tears of joy.

Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos – All Rights Reserved.

I Feel Your Pain Charles Ingalls

In the episode "100 Mile Walk," a hailstorm destroys Charles Ingalls' wheat crop. A devastating event for the family, months of work tending his wheat crop has been destroyed in a matter of minutes.

This week, Tropical Storm Isaias traveled up the east coast leaving destruction in its path. You can see photos of downed trees and power lines from around us in these photos. We were without power for a little more than 24 hours, but the arbor fell into the garden and uprooted the grape vine I've been tending. The branches had finally gotten large enough to start wrapping around the arbor, so I figured within the next couple of years we might have grapes. My tomato plants took a beating, too, but it's the destruction of the grape vine that breaks my heart. Thankfully, it doesn't mean I can't feed my family, like it did for Charles.

I can admit that I'll never be a master gardener. I don't have enough time to dedicate to the daily tasks of tending the plants, nourishing the soil, and  weeding. I think of working toward becoming self-sustaining, but don't know how I would manage it by myself. I've even started looking at chicken coops--which I swore would never happen.

It's hard, however, to be so susceptible to the whims of Mother Nature. How did Charles Ingalls and Almanzo Wilder do it? How do today's farmers do it?

Investors Business Daily Article on Michael Landon

In the Leaders and Success section of Investors Business Daily you'll find this article on Michael Landon and how his largest role was in fostering family values on TV. Check it out at http://www.investors.com/news/management/leaders-and-success/michael-landon-parented-family-values-on-tv/

LHOP Adventure Day 7

Hard to believe we are almost done. Thinking back on my trip more than a year later, I can't believe I did it. The girl who rarely travels and who is petrified of flying got on a plane all by herself and traveled across the country to meet a bunch of women she had only known online. I ever learned to use a map. Wow!

Day 7 started with a quick breakfast at the hotel in Spring Valley. We knew we had a lot of driving ahead of us, so we got on the road early and headed to Burr Oak, Iowa. Laura fans will remember that after leaving Walnut Grove, the Ingalls family spent some time with Uncle Peter and his family in South Troy, Minnesota before making their way to Burr Oak, Iowa to help their friends manage the Master's Hotel.

Now a museum, this is where I am fairly certain I purchased not only some note cards, but t-shirts for my girls. 

After eating lunch at The Family Table in Decorah, we drove back to Wisconsin. To do that, we took a nice scenic route and crossed over the Mississippi. Oh, my gosh, how scary it was going up the bridge. I like bridges about as much as I like flying, so my knuckles were so tight around the steering wheel, I was afraid I might crush it. In the seat next to me, Dorothy kept asking, "Are you all right?" I couldn't look sideways or down because that bridge just kept going up, and up, and up. It was well worth the view once we were down on the other side. Check out the neat boats.

Finally back in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, we had supper at Ponderosa--didn't even know those still existed because we haven't had one around here in more than thirty years. 

It was tough to settle in that night because I knew all of us were flying home the next day. It would be hard to say goodbye to my wonderful friends, but I was also thrilled to know I would see my family again soon.

You can read our Day 6 adventures here.

On This Date in Ingalls History: Charles "Pa" Ingalls Dies

On June 8, 1902 Charles Phillip Ingalls died of heart disease. His pioneering spirit led him across many states and territories before he finally settled his family in De Smet, SD. An esteemed member of the De Smet community, he helped organized the Congregational Church and held a variety of elected positions in town.

Many years later, Laura Ingalls Wilder captured her Pa's pioneering spirit in the opening pages of Little House on the Prairie:

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....Pa said there were too many people in the Big Woods now...Wild animals would not stay in a country where there were so many people. Pa did not like to stay, either. He liked a country where the wild animals lived without being afraid. He liked to see the little fawns and their mothers looking at him from the shadowy woods, and the fat, lazy bears eating berries in the wild-berry patches."

Photo from my visit last summer.

An Unspoken Understanding: LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

An Unspoken Understanding

LHOP inspired fan fiction by Cheryl C. Malandrinos

Disclaimer: I do not own the Little House on the Prairie television series, book series, or any of the characters.

Author's note: I've used some of the dialogue from the episode Wilder and Wilder for this story.

Almanzo glanced at Laura as she smiled and then carried the empty coffee pot back to the house.

"That sure is one grown up young lady ya got there," said Almanzo, sitting down on a bale of hay.

"Not so grown up," replied Charles. He sipped the hot liquid from his cup before continuing. "You know, I like what you did today—forfeiting the arm wrestling competition to save your horse."

Almanzo shrugged. "Well, you were gonna take me anyway."

"Probably…but I still like what you did."

"Thank you, Sir."

Charles's face reminded Almanzo of their earlier conversation and Charles's request to not be called, "Sir." But the wariness slowly disappeared from his eyes. "You're welcome, Son."

Almanzo spotted the smirk Charles tried to hide behind his coffee cup. He somehow knew he was there on approval.

He never understood why Charles was suspicious of his friendship with Laura. She liked horses, he liked horses. She knew about farming, he knew about farming. What was the big mystery? But after their first misunderstanding, which landed Almanzo in a heap on the floor with a bloody lip, he certainly wasn't about to get Charles angry again.

"Something on your mind?" asked Charles.

"I was just thinkin' about how easily Laura handled Barnum. I was tryin' to break him in for days, but within seconds she had him trotting."

"She's always had a way with animals. When she was younger, she had her own horse. She took care of Bunny just as well as I could have. Laura loved that animal."

"What happened to Bunny?"

"Laura was racing her out in a field one day and Bunny got caught up in a barbed wire fence. I had to put her down."

Almanzo's heart squeezed. "That's tough. I still remember the first colt my father gave me. It's somethin' special when you're caring for your first animal." Almanzo knelt down next to Barnum and patted his injured leg. Picking up the ladle, he doused the wrap with cold water. He exhaled deeply. How much longer before they knew if the cold packs would work?

"Where did you grow up, Almanzo?"

"Upstate New York. There was my older brother Royal, my sisters—Laura, Eliza Jane, and Alice, and then me. Perley Day came along after a while." Almanzo slurped down the last few drops of cool coffee. "Mother and Father were strict, but fair. When Eliza Jane and I struck out on our own, Father let us borrow against our share of the estate."

"Why did you settle out here?"

"That was Eliza Jane's choice. Our folks live in Spring Valley now. I figure she wanted to be far enough away to have her freedom, but close enough to get home quick if things didn't work out. Course it helped that you were lookin' for a teacher. She replied right away when she saw the ad."

"And she was the best choice too—pleasant, well-qualified. It's plain to see the children like her."

"Children have always flocked to Eliza. She knows how to handle them, I guess."

A sliver of light brightened the doorway of the house. It widened and out stepped a tiny figure in a white dress. Beth with more coffee. The fire from the lantern reflected off the reddish tint of her hair, making it glow in the cool, dark night. Laura snuck a handful of carrots under Barnum's nose.

"There you go, boy." She patted Barnum and he whinnied. "How is he?"

"No change," said Almanzo.

Charles planted a firm hand on Almanzo's shoulder. "Give the cold packs time to work. It will probably be dawn before we know for sure."

Almanzo nodded and held his empty cup out to Laura. "Thanks, Beth. That's just what I needed."

"Are you sure I can't get you something to eat?"

"Naw, I can't eat while I watch Barnum hurtin."

"Pa?"

"No thanks, Half-pint. Just keep the coffee hot and bring it out every hour or so. It's going to be a long night."

"Alright, Pa."

Almanzo watched Laura walk away, trying to figure out how he missed all the changes in her. He felt the heat of Charles's steady glare and knelt down to tend to Barnum.

"Tell me about Perley Day," said Charles.

"Not much worth tellin'." Almanzo drizzled cold water over Barnum's swollen joint. "He never liked rules. He always had to do everything his own way. So, one day he packed up and left. The coward took off while we were sleepin'. All Mother found was a note." Almanzo felt the angry heat rising in his chest. "It broke her heart."

"How does he survive?"

"Cheating, lying, gambling...whatever gets him by. He shows up when he runs outta money. I figure that's why he came here."

"I can't believe I ever thought he would be suitable for Laura."

Almanzo guffawed, garnering a frown from Charles. "Perley Day wouldn't be good for any young woman, and especially not for someone like Laura."

A familiar look of suspicion lingered in Charles's overprotective eyes. Almanzo scrambled to explain. "I don't mean anythin' by it, Mr. Ingalls. It's just, Beth…a…Laura and I are friends. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her, and believe me, everythin' about Perley Day is bad." Almanzo chuckled. "Though I sure would like to see what would happen if Laura unleashed that fiery temper on him. Perley Day wouldn't know what hit him."

Charles laughed too. "Laura certainly has a temper."

"I wonder where she gets it from," joked Almanzo.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, the last time ya got angry at me, my jaw hurt for at least a week." He rubbed his chin, hoping he could lighten the mood.

Scarlet tinged Charles's brown cheeks. "I seem to remember you being ready to teach Bart Slater a lesson when he hassled your sister."

"Yeah, but…" The two men laughed at themselves. "Okay, we both have a temper." Almanzo had lost the wrestling match, he couldn't lose twice in one day to the same man. "But yours is worse," he whispered just loud enough for Charles to hear.

Charles shook his head. "Why don't you try to get some sleep. I'll wake you in a couple hours.

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah. Laura will be out with more coffee soon enough."

The night continued on that way—each man taking a turn tending to Barnum while the other caught a few winks. Laura kept their coffee cups full into the wee hours of the morning.

A little after dawn, Almanzo heard his name and opened his tired eyes.

"Take a look," said Charles. Almanzo crawled over to Barnum and felt his leg. "I say with a bit of rest, he'll be just fine," said Charles.

"How's Barnum?" asked Laura entering the barn with Caroline.

Almanzo jumped up and embraced her. "We did it, Beth. We did it." Laura giggled.

"How's breakfast sound?" asked Caroline.

"Sounds great," replied Almanzo.

"Can I do it, Ma?" asked Laura. "I'm going to do it all." Laura raced away towards the house.

Almanzo screamed after her. "Make plenty, I'm starved,"

"You can go wash up in the kitchen," said Charles.

Almanzo nodded and left the barn. He stopped a few feet from the kitchen door. Had he actually hugged Laura? And those kisses he placed on the top of her head without even thinking about Charles watching them—was it just the thrill of knowing Barnum would mend? One hand on the door knob, Almanzo hesitated, a strange uneasiness washing over him. He swallowed away the lump in his throat. A heavy breeze danced through his hair, bringing him out of his uncertain thoughts. This is silly.

Almanzo stepped into the kitchen and smiled at Laura busy at the cook stove. He had never eaten at the Ingallses' home. Beth's conversation and Charles's unspoken acceptance of him would make it a great meal.

Copyright Cheryl C. Malandrinos - All Rights Reserved.

New Article on Pa's Fiddle

Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder, Little House on the Prairie, NBC) shared this link on Facebook to an article that appeared yesterday about the Pa's Fiddle: America's Music PBS Special. Randy Travis and Ronnie Milsap are part of an all-star band put together by acclaimed musician/producer Randy Scruggs. They worked with Dean and Dr. Dale Cockrell, director of MTSU's Center for Popular Music to create this special tribute.

You can read the article at http://www.theboot.com/2012/02/22/pas-fiddle-pbs-show/

The picture above comes from: http://www.laura-ingalls-wilder.com/. This is the cover of a CD that includes some of the songs Pa played that were featured in Laura Ingalls Wilder's now classic Little House books. Though the site lists the CD as in Pre-release, it looks like it was released in 2011. I found a seller on Amazon that had one.

I'm excited about this PBS special. It is due to air in June during the network's pledge drive. According to the article, a new CD of this music will also be available on June 5th.

Dean Butler and MTSU Work with Country Music Greats on Pa's Fiddle Project

Just because I haven't mentioned my favorite Little House on the Prairie alum, Dean Butler (Almanzo Wilder, NBC) lately, doesn't mean he hasn't been busy.

He recently worked with some of country music's biggest stars, staff and students at Middle Tennessee State University, and many others on the Pa's Fiddle Project for PBS. It's goal--to bring the old-time fiddle music enjoyed by Charles "Pa" Ingalls alive.

Here's a video that talks about the project. Please note that Pa's middle name is Phillip, not Paul, as the commentator states. I can't wait for more news on when this will air.

You can find out more about this project on MTSU's website.

Can't We All Be Friends?

I'm in the midst of reading a memoir of a person who followed the travels of Laura Ingalls Wilder. I'm enjoying it. Every "Laurafan" seems to have his/her own story and I like learning of how others discovered Wilder and how that impacted their lives.

Spend enough time in Lauradom and you'll find distinct camps of "Laurafans"--those who love the classic family television show, Little House on the Prairie, and those who wish it never happened. At some point, I wish we could all shake hands and get along.

Why do those who don't care for Little House on the Prairie and how Michael Landon and his producers portrayed historical figures and events feel the need to rip it to shreds? Isn't the show just one more way to honor the legacy that Wilder left behind? Despite its historical inaccuracies, didn't the show capture the romantic, little girl view that Wilder portrayed in her books? I feel it did.

The book I'm reading has so far spent two pages decrying how television Laura wasn't anything like real Laura. Reverend Alden, Mr. Edwards and Charles didn't look like the real people any more than TV Laura did, and there was too much "histrionics and tragedy." Maybe the author gets it right about the histrionics, but I'm fairly sure the life in which the historical Laura lived had tragedy up the ying-yang, so is the problem with the show that it's not authentic enough or that it's too authentic? The author compares Little House on the Prairie to a soap opera. I've watched both genres of television. They are only alike in the fact that television allows you to suspend common sense if you're creating a great storyline. Remember in Season 9, Royal Wilder returns to Walnut Grove with a daughter named Jenny in tow and Almanzo tells Laura he hasn't seen his brother in 10 years. I guess he forgot that time right after Laura and he were married when Royal and his wife Millie dropped off their two sons (or should I say monsters) for the newlyweds to watch while they went off on a trip? But, Millie was dead by Season 9 and Royal was dying and they needed somewhere for daughter Jenny who no longer will have any family once Royal passes away (I guess Myron and Rupert died too) to live. Look at all that tragedy.

Perhaps it's because I discovered the books after the show and those books sparked my interest in Laura and Almanzo's real life that it doesn't matter to me that Little House on the Prairie and its creators went off into their own world to celebrate Wilder. Maybe I'm too forgiving of a medium that depends on action more than description and internal thought to propel the plot forward. I think they'll have to figure out peace in the Middle East before we can expect it in Laura World.

New Story at Fanfiction.net

I wrote a new fan fiction story over the holidays. It is titled "A Father's Heart," and it takes place during Laura and Almanzo's engagement in Season 6.

It is Christmastime, and Charles is struggling with the knowledge that next year Laura will no longer be living at the little house on Plum Creek. The relationship between Charles and Laura as she becomes a woman and gets ready to marry Almanzo is ripe with so many storylines, that I often find myself drawn to this period in the show's timeline.

You can find the story here. I hope you enjoy it!

Happy Labor Day!

When the Ingalls family was traveling in their covered wagon from the Big Woods of Wisconsin to Independence, Kansas there was no such thing as Labor Day. Though when you consider the sunup to sundown effort put in by pioneering families, you have to think they sure needed a day off. Perhaps that's part of why keeping the Lord's Day sacred was so important--it not only gave them time to compose their souls, but also to rest their weary bodies.

Charles Ingalls was a farmer--among other things--so the Industrial Revolution might not have meant much to him; but American workers demanded reprieve from long hours and poor working conditions. And thus, the first Labor Day parade was held in September 1882, where workers vocalized the issues they had with employers in the hopes that it would make a difference.

It would be over a decade before Labor Day became an official holiday, but American workers, like the pioneers before them, made their mark on America. Today we celebrate those contributions.

For a brief history of Labor Day, visit history.com.

Happy Labor Day!

Laura Ingalls Wilder Relative Featured in Beaver Dam Newspaper

The Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Daily Citizen interviewed a relative of Laura Ingalls Wilder for a recent edition of their daily paper. If you click on this link you'll get to read about Beth Ingalls-Leisses, the great-granddaughter of Hiriam Ingalls, Charles Ingalls's brother.

I've had the great pleasure of getting to know Beth over the past few years and I can tell you she is one special lady who has contributed a great deal to keeping Laura's legacy alive.

A Conversation with Dean Butler--Part 1

Joining us today is Executive Producer, Dean Butler. Dean founded Peak Moore Enterprises in 1981 and years later created Legacy Documentaries, which produces customized content and image programming focused on “capturing life’s defining moments”. We’re going to be talking to him about one of his latest projects, the documentary Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura.

Welcome to Laura’s Little Houses, Dean. It’s a great pleasure to speak with you.

Thank you, Cheryl. I appreciate everything you have done in regards to Little House; the fan network is just terrific and the blog is very attractively done, very comprehensive, and thoughtful. You’re all just very strong supporters of what we’ve been doing and I appreciate it very much.

When did your connection with Laura and Almanzo Wilder begin?

It began with my first audition for the show. I had no prior knowledge of Little House. I had never seen it prior to auditioning for it. I certainly had been aware that the show was on the air, but being a guy in college when it was on Monday nights at eight I was watching Monday Night Football. It was one of those things in the early years when it was on that it wasn’t a connection for me. If I had watched it during those early years I have no doubt that it would have touched me but I probably wouldn’t have been willing to say it. I wouldn’t have been comfortable sobbing over a show about little girl and her family in the 1800’s. After I was hired to do the show and I started watching during the summer prior to shooting it, I felt incredibly grateful to have been asked to be a part of this and I have always remained so.

Little House is one of those things that was old when it was new, so it’s never been a fad; it’s always been a little old fashioned, will always be old fashioned and that’s the wonderful charm of it. I like things that are timeless and Little House will always be timeless.

New shows seems to come and go, but here we are many years after Little House has gone off the air and you can watch it 3 or 4 times a day in some places and new fans are drawn to it all the time. It’s simply amazing.

On my first trip to Walnut Grove I was amazed at how many books I signed for little girls that were in fact the books that the mother’s mother had given them. So here I am signing a book that was a grandmother’s book for her granddaughter passed down generation to generation. That speaks volumes about the way this material communicates with people. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote nine of the most successful pieces of children’s literature in publishing history until Harry Potter.

The wonderful thing about the show, because it’s timeless, it has the ability to draw new fans to it year after year after year. There’s a new fan born every minute. If parents are willing to expose their children to it, they will become fans. I hope they expose their children to the television show; I hope they expose their children to the books—which are absolutely charming—and I hope that they take their children to experience the historic sites because I think that brings the Little House experience together. They can see what the whole legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder represents. The people who travel to these places have to really want to because none of these sites are easy to get to. And the people who preserve these places are there because they love what they’re doing. At any of the sites you go to it’s a lovefest between the people who run the sites and those who visit. It’s always a terrific experience.

Had you read Laura’s books before taking on the role of Almanzo on Little House on the Prairie?

I had not read the books before I was on the show. I was not encouraged to read the books. I could not tell you which book I picked up because I bought the whole set when I got hired for the show, but I read probably a little bit of the first book, Little House in the Big Woods, and what I read was just enough of the book to get the tone. And the tone of the book was everything. It’s not as much what it said, as how it said it. And that was important to me in terms of what would translate to our show—which was not strictly following the books, by necessity or choice; and I think it’s a little bit of both. I think most fans of the books and the show would agree that we captured the tone and feeling of the books. Even if the story wasn’t exactly what they read in the books they were in familiar territory when they watched the show because the emotional life was very similar.

What type of additional research did you perform to incorporate the real life of Almanzo into your TV character?

What I did was read some books about homesteading. Of course, we weren’t really dealing with homesteading the way homesteading occurred. Laura gave a very romanticized view of homesteading in her books because she was telling it from a little girl’s perspective and little girls have a sunny, open view of the world; at least Laura had a sunny, open view of the world. The book that I read really focused on how incredibly difficult life was for people…how hard it was to survive and how every day was a struggle. As I read and processed that material and then looked at what we were doing on a weekly basis, it wasn’t really the vibe that Michael was trying to create. Michael went for a little girl’s story; that’s what he was focused on. He was looking at the romance of what was in the books and allowing that romance to set the tone for what he was doing…everything from the set, the costumes, the music, and the locations. While not accurate (the locations) to Walnut Grove—they rarely resembled anything that Walnut Grove looks like—he captured the ideal romance of those places and what the imagination might tell you it could be like. That’s what he was able to capture.

I was trying to factor in how brutal and rugged and how desperate these people were to survive. Michael didn’t want people with dirty faces and dirty feet. He wanted food on the table. He wanted people to see a happy, positive life experience in this very rustic, simple environment. And that’s what he focused on. I think that’s what made the show so charming to people. That combined with the emotional life that he brought to it—Michael was a very emotional guy and he had a lot of emotional stories in him. This was the conduit for that place in his life where he could go to that and write about that and then he could fashion those stories to make them appropriate for our show. The emotional stories he wrote were far from the life that he lived as a child. He had a deep well of stories to tell. Between Michael’s stories and David Rose’s music it was sure to be a tear-jerker every week. I think it was David Rose who made audiences cry most of the time. David Rose wrote these beautiful melodies—these gorgeous, romantic, lyrical melodies that absolutely carried people away week after week after week. It was this wonderful cathartic experience. We had sadness but it was not desperate sadness, it was heartfelt sadness. I have a feeling that most of the actual homesteading experience was closer to what Laura experienced at the Brewster School in These Happy Golden Years. I think there were people who were just desperately unhappy being out there. They were just so desperate to get their piece of the American Dream that they were willing to endure everything.

That just wasn’t the show Michael wanted to make every week. We were doing something else. We touched on those themes but that was not the regular diet that we were going to be on. Michael wanted romance, he wanted touching, he wanted heartfelt, he wanted tears, he wanted laughter, and he placed these characters in that kind of an emotional world. The audience loved it then and they still love it today. That’s what I am always incredibly proud to have been a part of.

There are very few episodes of Little House that I can get through without crying. You wanted to be the Ingalls family despite their hardships, despite their struggles. You wanted Pa as your father and you wanted Ma as your mother. You wanted that experience.

You know, it’s interesting because Laura wrote so lovingly and adoringly about her father, but I don’t think that the real Charles Ingalls was the man that Michael Landon portrayed. At least that’s the sort of a sense that you get. Charles Ingalls was forever itchy to move to the next place always thinking there was something better around the corner and never quite content or able to make a go of it where he was. It made it very tough on his family. Yet, you don’t get that from the way Laura wrote it. She wrote it in this adoring way where you never get the feeling that she was anything but utterly, totally, completely supportive of everything her parents did and that she was loved and nurtured. Now, I have no doubt that she was loved and nurtured, but she was loved and nurtured in a very, very tough environment; much tougher than the way she wrote it and certainly much tougher than the way we portrayed it.

When you look at the sunup and sundown and beyond effort that was made by everybody in these families to get the things done; they just used every available minute of time. Yet, I think there is great comfort in that and I think what people respond to so beautifully in the books and from the series is that there is this sense that the families were bonded together. There is a romantic view of the family, that if we’re together, and if we stick together and work hard, we will survive and we will do well. We love each other so we are going to stand up for each other and help each other. That’s an inspiring and wonderful view to have.

We don’t have the life and death daily struggles today, but we are dealing with things that are every bit as challenging. Our comforts have created enormous challenges for us as a society and its led to alienation and isolation in our lives because we can do so much alone that it’s not about the family anymore. Because we are so focused on ourselves, and we can be so focused on ourselves because we can have time for it, it can lead to unhappiness and dissatisfaction because we don’t really have to focus on something that’s bigger than ourselves. It’s a tough circumstance for families and a tough thing for kids to grow up with. Those who are exposed to the Little House series and the books find themselves longing for that kind of life—where you need each other and care about each other and you depend upon each other to survive and to flourish. We’re very lucky if we have that emotional connection to each other today.

If you could go back in time and live when Almanzo did, would you do it?

I don’t know that I would. It’s kind of like asking someone to take someone else’s life, but I think most people would say, “No, I just want to live my life.” My life is now. One of the things I can do with my life is celebrate something that is very meaningful to people and is personally rewarding to people. This is one way I can use the gifts that I have today to help support and nurture something that is very pleasurable, meaningful, positive, hopeful, and optimistic. That’s a great deal of what my life is about as a creative person now.

Continue to Part 2