Happy Birthday, Rose Wilder Lane

Rose Wilder was born in De Smet, South Dakota (when it was still Dakota Territory) on December 5, 1886 to Almanzo and Laura Wilder. Difficulties and tragedy led the Wilders to leave De Smet and spend some time in Spring Valley, Minnesota and Westville, Florida before they returned for a time to De Smet.

In 1894, the Wilders journeyed with friends to Mansfield, Missouri, where they finally settled. Rose attended school in Mansfield, but finished high school in Crowley, Louisiana where her aunt, Eliza Jane Thayer lived.

After graduation, Rose learned telegraphy and worked to support herself. While living in San Francisco, she met Claire Gillette Lane, whom she married in 1909. Having moved to Kansas City, Rose wrote for the Kansas City Post before she and her husband began selling real estate. As the years went by, Rose and Gillette drifted apart, and eventually divorced.

Rose returned to her writing and for decades wrote for major magazine, in addition to ghostwriting and authoring books. It was Rose who encouraged her mother to earn extra money by writing.

Rose Wilder Lane died on October 30, 1968, right before she was due to take a trip to Europe. She is buried in Mansfield, Missouri.

Happy 129th birthday to our favorite bachelor girl.

*

Rose Wilder Lane's home in Danbury, Connecticut was recently up for sale. It sold last month for $400,000. You can see pictures here.

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.

LHOP Adventure Day 6

I'm coming close to the end of sharing my 2014 LHOP Adventure. My last post was on Day 5. It was great meeting the cast members and hanging out in Walnut Grove, but I have to admit it was a bit hectic there too, and we had to stay on a strict timeline to get everything accomplished.

We decided to go back to Red Rooster for breakfast, but before we left Walnut Grove, we made sure to take pictures with the entire cast. Then we made our way to Spring Valley.

For those familiar with the real life of Laura and Almanzo Wilder, Spring Valley, Minnesota is where Almanzo's parents moved their family in 1873. The Spring Valley Methodist Church was built in 1876, and James Wilder (Almanzo's father) contributed to its construction.

After Almanzo's stroke, he and Laura lived in Spring Valley for a year before moving to Florida.

The church is now a museum and holds numerous artifacts, including records that indicate Almanzo and Laura attended the church from 1890 to 1891.

We also visited the cemetery and Wilder barn, which the owner allows people to view from the street. The Wilder home has since been torn down. 

The night ended with supper at Pizza Palace, before we tucked ourselves into bed at the Spring Valley Inns and Suites (perhaps our nicest accommodations of the trip--besides Beth's house).