Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth Williams mention in IrishTimes.com

The work of Garth Williams and Laura Ingalls Wilder received a mention in a list of time honored classics in an IrishTimes.com article titled Bedtime tales--of past, present - and future.

Also mentioned were Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little--two other books illustrated by Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams, and many other well known books.

You can read the article here.

December Featured Books of the Month

We're getting ready for Christmas here. The trees are all up and only one is waiting for decorations. The porch and the front of the house are strung with lights and the stockings are hung by the fireplace, so St. Nick can come anytime.

We're going to feature two books in December because I can't think of one without the other.

A Little House Christmas complies some of the Christmas stories from Laura's Little House books into a lovely, large hardcover that collectors will certainly enjoy.



From Christmas in the Big Woods of Wisconsin to the day Mr. Edwards delivered presents so that Santa didn't have to cross the creek, to the chapters of Christmas on Plum Creek where Laura received red mittens, the white china box, and the fur cape and muff off the tree at church, each story is just as special as when you first read it in the Little House books.

The illustrations by Garth Williams have been colorized to make this book an extra special treat for Little House fans, and also includes the words and music to Merry, Merry Christmas! by Mrs. T.J. Cook.

The jpeg of the cover art can't possibly do it justice, as Williams's illustration of Laura receiving her rag doll, Charlotte is encircled by a wreath of holly.

While A Little House Christmas shares the Christmas stories of Laura's early days, A Little House Christmas, Volume II travels east to Malone, New York to share the story of Christmas at the Wilder farm when Almanzo was a boy and the aunts and uncles and cousins were coming to dinner.



Then the book travels to the shores of Silver Lake, where Laura and her family are living in the surveryors' house, and on to Christmas in De Smet, SD, where the blizzards seem like they will never end and the trains won't run again until spring. And finally, we get to read the story of Almanzo's surprise return visit on Christmas Eve in These Happy Golden Years.

Again, collectors will find this large hardcover a welcome addition to their Little House library. The green cover is even more striking than the red from the first one and the holly wreath encircles a picture of Ma fastening the little blue coat with the swan's-down collar on Grace and tying the swan's-down hood over her golden hair.

Little House fans will enjoy these books year after year, and remember why Laura Ingalls Wilder's books continue to gain new fans so many years after they were first published.

A Conversation with Dean Butler--Part 3

Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura is a documentary about Almanzo’s childhood before he met and married Laura Ingalls. What made you decide to focus on this period of Almanzo’s life?

Well, I had been invited in September 2006 by the Wilder Homestead to be their special guest for Almanzo’s 150th birthday celebration the following year. During that year I had been making all this bonus content for the series and I started wondering what I could do for the Wilder Homestead that would really be meaningful and helpful to them in their mission to share Almanzo’s life experience with visitors. I decided to create a documentary for them about Almanzo and his life on the farm.

You and your crew traveled to New York several times for filming. Can you give us a preview of what viewers will get when they purchase this story of Almanzo’s early life?

The challenge is we had very few days to shoot. You can never shoot enough in four days to really tell the full story, especially when we didn’t have four uninterrupted days. We had four days with crowds there and autograph sessions and then there were breakfasts and dinners; all the things you do when you make an appearance. So, we shot two days last September and another two days this last June. In an effort to try and get as much of the farm experience as we possibly could out of those four days, we’ve come up with two separate pieces.

The core of Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura is Almanzo’s connection to the farm where he as raised as presented in Farmer Boy. That’s what our story is about. The fact of the matter is there isn’t a great deal written about Almanzo as a child beyond Farmer Boy so the book was obvious source material.

Again, shooting in four days you couldn’t do the book. You can’t get the seasons; you could never shoot enough to do that. Focusing on the book and through the life at the homestead—the house, the barn, the land—we selectively chose a number of events from the book and recreated those events using excerpts of text from the book and the Garth Williams illustrations to support the material we shot. In addition, we did a little bit about Almanzo’s family and where they came from; we talk contextually about what was going on in the world that Almanzo grew up in; the things he had, and maybe what’s more to the point for the audience who is going to see this, what didn’t he have that we have. In terms of technology and equipment Almanzo’s family had very little compared to what we all have, and yet, they survived, they flourished. As Laura wrote it, Almanzo had a fantastic, rich, abundant life as a child in Burke, NY; nothing compared to the struggles that she had to endure growing up. She wrote her life in this semi-optimistic way, but reading between the lines, this was not an easy time. Almanzo didn’t have an easy time either, but he lived in one place. He wasn’t moving around in Farmer Boy. This was a boy’s life on his farm as he’s growing up trying to convince his father that he is mature enough to raise and train his father’s beautiful Morgan horses. That’s really the central thrust of what carries us through this book. It’s about Almanzo wanting to be a man. I’ve thought about it, Farmer Boy is not a coming-of-age story; it’s a getting ready to come of age story. At the end of Farmer Boy when his father gives him Starlight, he is beginning to come of age. That’s the jumping off point. His life adventure really begins. Farmer Boy is all about what he had to go through to get to the point where his life is ready to begin as an adult. It established who he was as a person and it established the values he was raised with. We tried to capture that.

We’ve animated pictures from the book, we’ve re-imagined historic photos and we’ve composed a very lovely musical score for the program. One of the challenges that you have with something like this is that so few pictures of the Wilder and Ingalls families exist. There are literally two pictures I’ve seen of Almanzo as a boy. One of him standing with his sister Alice in a formal portrait and a separate one when he’s a little older—well past the age we’re talking about in this program—when he’s with his entire family. So, we had to find ways to use these pictures to help us tell the story, by essentially recreating the picture contextually in different environments. We’ve done the same thing with Laura, where we’ve taken her out of the picture of her as a little girl—the one where she’s with Mary and Carrie—and put her alone on the prairie. It’s a wonderful way to make a point about her life.

In addition to talking about Almanzo, I thought it was also important to set up how they (Laura and Almanzo) met. We hear about Laura and Almanzo’s meeting, we learn about them coming to De Smet, we go through their romance, get them married, and 47 years later she writes Farmer Boy.

We’re covering a large range of material: from Farmer Boy to These Happy Golden Years and Little Town on the Prairie. I handled their first meeting differently than Laura wrote it, so it will be interesting to see how fans react to that. It needed to be something I could shoot very simply and quickly. I alluded to it in the trailer when we say that Laura first saw Almanzo behind a team of Morgan horses. I think it’s nice and it’s a good way to step in since we had these beautiful Morgan horses.

We invited three people to participate in the documentary as experts. William Anderson is our on-camera expert. There is no doubt about it, when Bill speaks about Almanzo Wilder and Laura Ingalls, homesteading and life in that time, Bill tells a great story. So I think people are really going to enjoy his insights. We also had Barbara Walker, who wrote the Little House Cookbook. We have her on-camera talking about food and the role that food played in the writing of Farmer Boy. Then we have a woman named Karen Lassell, who is the equine manager at the Miner Institute in Chazy, NY. She’s there to talk about the Morgan horse, the training of the Morgans, and the Morgan breed. With Bill, Barbara, and Karen we have three people who can communicate about some of the important parts of Almanzo’s life.

I’m putting together a trailer now that I’m going to be putting up on YouTube and I’m going to make a trailer for the Wilder Homestead to run in their store. People are going to see that we got some really good stuff. [Author’s note: You can view this trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zq0HbQ7Kd0g]

Can you tell us a bit about the talented actors who helped with the reenactments?

A very lovely young woman named Kylee Disotelle played Laura Ingalls for us. She could’ve come right off our set – very sweet and eager to play. We had three boys who played Almanzo doing different things on the farm. I took the position that Almanzo is a state of mind. Almanzo is not just one boy, but that he is a representation of boyhood. There’s a little Almanzo in every boy. All three of our boys were terrific.

Jarod Ball, who is on-camera most of the time, particularly with the horses, is going to remind people of a young Brad Pitt. I was sort of amazed as I watched Jarod on screen He has a very nice, honest quality—which is what you want.

A great horseman named Don Sayward played James, Almanzo’s father. He had a beautiful team of Morgans that he drove for us and he worked very well with Jarod. The setting was just gorgeous and we got beautiful pictures of the horses.

Are these local actors?

Yes, absolutely, they are all from right there. The key to casting Jarod was that he was comfortable with horses. He was referred to me by Karen Lassell at the Miner Institute. It was very important to the handlers of the Morgans that our Almanzo be at ease around large animals because they can sense nervousness and discomfort. I feel so lucky that Jarod was one of our boys. In a few shots he actually looks like Almanzo as we see him in the picture with Alice. A great deal of our show features Jarod and Don Sayward as Almanzo and James, but everyone who worked on-camera with us was great.

Can you tell us a bit more about the musical score for the documentary?

I hired a composer friend of mine, Jay Asher, who has a wonderful feel for this material. He’s a romantic spirit. The cues are touching and very much in keeping with the feeling that Little House evokes. His music adds greatly to the impact of the program. I’m happy with what Jay did and I hope audiences enjoy it too.

Will this documentary be eligible for any awards?

Our show is a direct to DVD documentary. There are award programs to which it could be submitted. I have not made any decisions about whether I will enter the program in any awards competitions yet. I’m more concerned about getting it out there.

What is the release date for the DVD and where can interested viewers purchase a copy of Almanzo Wilder: Life before Laura?

The program will available for sale at the Wilder Homestead in Burke, NY for $21.95 on September 25, 2008. This DVD can only be purchased at the Wilder Homestead. [Author’s note: The Wilder Homestead has received these DVDs and is working on filling the pre-orders. Be on the lookout for more information coming soon.]

Do you ever see your website being set up to handle Internet sales?

We’re looking at an online component and they’re (Wilder Homestead) doing an online component too. People will be able to buy it online there, if they choose to do that. The Wilder Homestead and I are talking about other online sales opportunities too. I’ll keep you posted.

Does your wife (Katherine Cannon) do a lot of the narration on this documentary?

Katherine did all the reading of the Farmer Boy excerpts and she was great. She’s a wonderful actress and she really brought great warmth to these excerpts and they worked beautifully. She’s been very supportive of this process.

The continued popularity of the show and Laura’s books generates new interest in the historical sites where Laura and her family lived. Should fans expect to see more from Peak Moore Enterprises and Legacy Documentaries about Laura and the members of her family?

I think that the next one will be about Laura. That’s all I want to say about that right now.

What about Laura’s daughter Rose?

I think Rose is the great wild card element in all of this. Rose’s skill and capabilities as a writer made it possible to craft these stories that allowed them to be taken seriously when they hit a publisher’s desk. It’s one thing to have the story; it’s another to be able to tell it in a way that is going to be compelling, touching, personal and engaging to an audience. Bill Anderson talks a little bit about what an important role Rose played working with her mother. I think Laura was lucky to have her daughter Rose on hand to offer moral support while she was writing.

We’ve talked about a lot this evening. Is there anything you would like to add?

I’m just gratified by the ongoing love affair people have with Little House: the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, our series, the historical sites, and the new musical. I’m very grateful and so honored to be a part of it because it speaks to so much that is good about people. To be connected to that in a real way is very rewarding. I thank everybody who loves this material and I am so honored to have the opportunity to share my passion for the Laura Ingalls Wilder experience with people all over the world.

Thank you for spending time with us today, Dean. Little House and Laura fans applaud your commitment to keeping Laura’s legacy alive.

We would also like to remind our readers that Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura would make an excellent holiday gift for the Laura Ingalls Wilder fan in your life. Go to http://www.almanzowilderfarm.com/index.htm to place your order today!

Go Back to Part 2

Almanzo Wilder: Life before Laura--New Video Trailer on YouTube

Dean Butler and Legacy Documentaries are getting ready to release Almanzo Wilder: Life before Laura at the end of the month. Dean recently uploaded a new video trailer on YouTube to promote the upcoming release of this highly anticipated documentary.

While I have been waiting for months for the release of this DVD, I don't think I realized just how wonderfully done it would be. Garth Williams's illustrations from Farmer Boy have been animated, passages from the book are narrated by Katherine Cannon (Father Murphy and Beverly Hills 90210), and there are interviews with Little House historians William Anderson and Barbara Walker.



You can view this trailer here. Almanzo Wilder: Life before Laura will be available exclusively at The Wilder Homestead in Burke, NY.

New Survey!!!

Dean Butler and Peak Moore Enterprises is releasing a Legacy Documentaries production titled Almanzo Wilder: Life before Laura. This DVD that will be sold exclusively through the Wilder Homestead in Malone, NY covers the life of a young Almanzo before he met and married Laura Ingalls. Dean visited the Wilder Homestead several times with his crew to shoot scenes depicting Almanzo's early life and this DVD promises to be a great collector's item. Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer William Anderson also contributed to this documentary and some of Garth Williams's illustrations from Farmer Boy have been animated to provide a real look into Almanzo's childhood. Dean spoke highly of the talented actors who portrayed Almanzo and his family in the reenactments for this documentary and original music was composed that perfectly matches the time that Almanzo spent growing up on his father's farm.



Stay tuned to Laura's Little Houses to read my upcoming interview with Dean where he'll talk about Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura, his passion for keeping Laura's legacy alive, and new projects that are sure to be a big hit with Laura Ingalls Wilder and Little House on the Prairie fans!

Featured Book of the Month

Well, I totally missed June and we'll be gone to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for part of July, so this will be June/July's featured book of the month. Discussion came up at the Dean's Divas Yahoo Group about Nellie Owens--one of the three girls Laura Ingalls Wilder used to create the character of Nellie Oleson in On the Banks of Plum Creek. This led me to dig out the William Anderson booklet, The Walnut Grove Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Once again, Laura Ingalls Wilder historian William Anderson brings his readers right into Laura's world with a short booklet about one of the places Laura lived during her life. Actually, thanks to a map included in the front of this booklet, readers discover that the Ingalls family lived in Walnut Grove two times during their travels before settling in De Smet,SD.

The booklet begins with an introduction to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Almanzo, and their daughter Rose. On Page 11, we find out that Laura had no plans to write another book after These Happy Golden Years. Laura and Almanzo were enjoying a modest, but comfortable life on Rocky Ridge Farm, venturing out in their Chrysler when it suited them.

Then it moves on to Plum Creek and Walnut Grove when Laura lived there, talking about how the railroad caused an influx of homesteaders into Walnut Grove, including the Ingalls family. Anderson shares all about their lives in Walnut Grove, the churches and businesses, and some of the townsfolk. During their time in the area, the only son of Charles and Caroline Ingalls was born, Charles Frederick.

Anderson follows the Ingallses travels to Burr Oak, IA and back to Walnut Grove after the death of their son, mentions the new people who had moved to town, and the old acquaintances they caught up with upon their return. This is where the reader hears more about Nellie Owens and her family.

As in numerous other accounts, we hear about Pa's itchy feet and his desire to move west. The Ingalls family is stricken with another tragedy: Mary becomes ill and is left blind. So Pa moves to De Smet, SD. The final words from this section coming from Laura's own hand that were recorded in On the Banks of Plum Creek.

The last three sections of this booklet are dedicated to how Laura took her memories and turned them into the classic children's book, On the Banks of Plum Creek, how Walnut Grove pays tribute to Laura, and illustrator Garth Williams's visit to Walnut Grove and Plum Creek.

Following the format of his other booklet, The Story of the Ingalls, Anderson includes an Appendix with additional information for the reader.

The most interesting part of this booklet for me was being able to view versions of Laura's manuscripts (long-hand and typewritten). As with all of Anderson's books and booklets, The Walnut Grove Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder makes the perfect addition to your Laura Ingalls Wilder library.

Other booklets by William Anderson:

The Story of the Ingalls
The Story of the Wilders
Laura Wilder of Mansfield
A Wilder in the West (about Eliza Jane Wilder)
Laura's Rose: The Story of Rose Wilder Lane
The Horn Book's Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Iowa Story of Laura Ingalls Wilder

And the survey says...

We received a total of 25 votes for our first survey. Here are the results:

84% (21 people) prefer the Garth Williams version of the Little House books

16% (4 people) prefer the new version of the books with actual actor photographs on the front cover

Thanks to all who participated. Look for our next survey coming soon.

A Laura Ingalls Wilder Timeline

This timeline is taken from the book The World of Little House by Carolyn Strom Collins and Christina Wyss Eriksson. A friend of mine posted it at a forum I belong to and I am adding it here for my readers. It covers not only Laura's life, but that of her family and major events that took place during her lifetime.

Enjoy!

1860

Charles Phillip Ingalls and Caroline Lake Quiner are married in Concord, Wisconsin, on February 1.

Abraham Lincoln is elected president of the United States.

1861

Eliza Quiner marries Peter Ingalls

The Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, South Carolina

The Dakota Territory is formed

1862

Joseph Quiner is killed at the Battle of Shiloh.

Congress passes the Homestead Act, which gives 160 acres of land to any U.S. citizen who lives on it.

1863

The Ingallses move to the Big Woods

In September, Charles and Caroline buy eighty acres for $335 with Uncle Henry and Aunt Polly Quiner.

The Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves, goes into effect.

Lincoln delivers his Gettysburg Address.

Lincoln proclaims the last Thursday in November as a national Day of Thanksgiving.

1865

Mary Amelia Ingalls is born on January 10, in Pepin, Wisconsin.

Two of Pa's brothers, Hiram and James, join the Minnesota Volunteers and fight in the Civil War.

General Robert E. Lee surrenders to General Ulyssses S. Grant at Appomattrox.

Abraham Lincoln is assassinated on April 14 by John Wilkes Booth.

Congress passes the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery.

1866

Almanzo, age 9, wins the blue ribbon for his giant pumpkin at the Franklin, New York, county fair.

Alfred Nobel invents dynamite.

1867

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls is born on February 7, in Pepin, Wisconsin.

Almanzo Wilder is ten years old (born February 13, 1857).

1868

The Ingalls family moves to Chariton County, Missouri.

The Osage Indians sign a treaty with the United States government for their land in Kansas Reserve.

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is published.

Congress passes the 14th Amendment, granting citizenship to African Americans.

1869

The Ingalls family leaves Chariton County, Missouri, and settles in Montgomery Coounty, Kansas.

The first railroad linking the east and west coasts of the entire United States is completed.

The first postcards are issued.

1870

Laura is three years old.

Caroline Celestia (Carrie) Ingalls is born on August 3, in Montgomery County, Kansas.

Congress passes the 15th Amendment, granting the right to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

1871

The Ingalls family moves back to Pepin, Wisconsin.

Laura attends school for the first time.

The Wonders of the Animal World (Pa's "Big Green Animal Book") by G. Hartwig is published.

Montgomery Ward opens the first catalogue house.

P.T. Barnum opens his circus, "The Greatest Show on Earth," in New York.

1873

Congress passes the Timber Culture Act, granting 160 acres of timberland to any U.S. citizen who cares for 40 acres for five years.

1874

The Ingalls family moves to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Tom Quiner, Ma's brother, joins the first party of prospectors in the Black Hills of western South Dakota.

The first American zoo is established in Philadelphia.

1875

Charles Frederic (Freddie) Ingalls is born in Walnut Grove, on November 1.

The Wilder family moves from Malone, New York to Spring Valley, Minnesota; Almanzo is eighteen years old.

1876

Baby Freddie Ingalls dies on August 27.

The Ingalls family moves to Burr Oak, Iowa, to help run the Burr Oak House.

The first U.S. patent for the telephhone is granted to Alexander Graham Bell.

The Sioux Indians, led by chiefs, Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, defeat General Custer and the Seventh Cavalry in the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Grasshoppers are declared "Public Enemy #1" in Minnesota, and the government offers children up to fifty cents for every bushel of dead grasshoppers collected.

1877

Grace Pearl Ingalls is born on May 23, in Burr Oak, Iowa.

The Ingalls family returns to Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Thomas Edison invents the phonograph.

1878

Laura wins a reference Bible for reciting 104 Golden Texts and Central Truths perfectly.

W.A. Burpee begins selling seeds by catalogue.

1879

Mary falls ill and slowly loses her sight.

The Ingalls family moves to Dakota Territory and helps settle the town of De Smet.

Almanzo, his brother Royal and their sister, Eliza Jane file homestead claims for land near De Smet.

1880

Laura is thirteen years old.

The Ingallses move into their new homestead, but return to town after an early blizzard hits, and the long winter begins.

Pa becomes Justice of the Peace in De Smet.

Five Little Peppers and How They Grow by Margaret Sidney is published.

Helen Keller is born.

1881

Mary, Carrie and Laura have their first photograph taken.

Ma and Pa take Mary to the Iowa School for the Blind in Vinton, Iowa.

Eliza Jane Wilder begins teaching at the De Smet school.

President James A. Garfield is assassinated by Charles Guiteau.

Billy the Kid is killed by Pat Garrett at Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

Clara Birton founds the American National Red Cross.

1882

Laura receives her teacher's certificate and begins teaching at the Bouchie School (called Brewster School in These Happy Golden Years).

1883

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody organizes the first Wild West show.

Standard time is established. The railroads demarcate the four time zones.

1884

Laura and Almanzo become engaged.

Almanzo and Royal leave De Smet for the New Orleans Exposition.

Oil is discovered in Independence, Kansas; eventually there will be twenty-three oil wells on the land that once surrounded the little house on the prairie.

Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn is published.

The first sky-scraper, the ten-story Home Insurance Building in Chicago, opens.

1885

Laura and Almanzo are married on August 25 in De Smet.

David Swazey, Carrie's future husband, suggests the name Mount Rushmore for the now-famous mountain in the Black Hills.

The Washington Monument is dedicated in Washington, D.C.

1886

Rose Wilder is born on December 5 in De Smet, Dakota Territory.

The Statue of Liberty is unveiled in New York harbor.

Coca-Cola appears on the market in Atlanta, Georgia, and is advertised as a remedy for fatigue.

1887

Pa and Ma, Mary, Carrie and Grace move into their new home in town.

1888

Laura and Almanzo are stricken with diphtheria.

1889

Laura and Almanzo's son is born and dies twelve days later.

Laura and Almanzo's house is destroyed by fire.

Mary graduates from the School for the Blind.

South Dakota becomes a state.

1890

Laura is twenty-three years old.

The Wilders leave De Smet, South Dakota, and spend a year with Almanzo's parents in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

The Seventh Cavalry of the U.S. Army defeats Chief Sitting Bull and the Sioux Indians at the Battle of Wounded Knee. Sitting Bull dies.

Peanut Butter is first introduced in St. Louis, Missouri.

1891

The Wilders move to Westville, Florida

1892

The Wilders return to De Smet, South Dakota

Pa sells the claim and adds a two-story wing onto the house in town.

The United States government purchases the Cherokee Strip from the Cherokee Nation. The 6 million acres of land between Kansas and Oklahoma are made available to white settlers.

1894

The Wilders leave De Smet and travel to Mansfield, Missouri, where they purchase Rocky Ridge Farm

1896

The Wilders begin construction on the first phase of their new farmhouse at Rocky Ridge--the kitchen, a front room, and an attic bedroom.

X-rays are used for the first time in the United States for the treament of cancer.

In Plessy vs. Ferguson, the Supreme Court rules that designating "seperate but equal" facilities for African Americans does not violate the 14th Amendment.

Helen Moore Sewell, the first illustrator of the Little House books, is born.

1897

John Philip Sousa writes "Stars and Stripes Forever."

1898

The Wilders rent out the farm and move into town. Almanzo's parents visit on their way to their new home in Louisiana.

The U .S. battleship Maine is blown up in the harbor of Havana, Cuba, killing more than 260 people. The Spanish-American War officially begins.

1899

James Wilder, Almanzo's father, dies in Louisiana.

1900

Laura is thirty-three years old.

The cake walk becomes the most fashionable dance in the United States.

Dr. Walter Reed of the U.S. Army Medical Corps discovers that the yellow fever virus ("fever 'n' ague") is transmitted by mosquitoes.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum is published.

1901

Grace Ingalls marries Nathan William Dow in De Smet on October 16. They live in Manchester, South Dakota, seven miles west of De Smet.

President McKinley is assisinated by Leon Czolgosz.

1902

Laura returns to De Smet to see Pa, who is critically ill from heart failure.

Charles Ingalls dies on June 8.

1903

Rose goes to Louisiana with Almanzo's sister Eliza Jane.

Orville and Wilbur Wright successfully fly a powered airplane in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

The teddy bear, named after President Theodore Roosevelt, is first introduced.

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin is published.

1904

Rose graduates from high school in Crowley, Louisiana, and takes a job as a telegraph operator in Kansas City, Missouri.

1905

Angeline Wilder, Almanzo's mother, dies in Crowley, Louisiana.

Albert Einstein formulates the theory of relativity with the equation E=mc2.

1908

Henry Ford manufactures the first Model T automobile.

Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery is published.

1909

Rose Wilder, age twenty-three, arries Gillette Lane in San Francisco.

The Lincoln-head penny is issued by the Philadelphia Mint on the 100th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth. It replaces the Indian-head penny.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is founded under the leadership of W.E.B. Du Bois.

1910

Laura is forty-three years old.

Halley's Comet is observed.

The Boy Scouts of America is formed.

The Camp Fire Girls is formed.

1911

Laura Ingalls Wilder publishes her first article in The Missouri Ruralist, titled "Favors the Small Farm Home."

1912

Carrie Ingalls marries David N. Swanzey on August 1.

The Titanic, an "unsinkable" luxary liner making its maiden voyage from Englad to the United States, collides with an iceberg and sinks, killing 1,513 people.

The Girl Guides, forerunner of the Girl Scouts, is formed.

1913

The Wilders add the parlor, library, porches, and separate rooms to the farmhouse at Rocky Ridge.

1915

Laura visits Rose, who is a newspaper reporter, in San Francisco.

1916

Norman Rockwell illustrates his first cover for The Saturday Evening Post.

1917

Laura helps organize the Mansfield Farm Loan Association and serves as its secretary-treasurer.

The United States enters World War I.

1918

Rose Wilder and Gillette Lane divorce.

World War I ends.

1919

Congress passes the 18th Amendment, outlawing transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages and ushering in the era of Prohibition.

1920

Laura is fifty-three years old

Hugh Lofting's The Story of Dr. Doolittle is published

Congress passes the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women suffrage.

1922

Rose receives the second-place O. Henry Award for her short story "Innocence"

1924

Rose gives Laura and Almanzo a new car and teaches Almanzo how to drive

Caroline Quiner Ingalls dies in De Smet on April 20, at age 84.

1925

The Scopes "monkey trial" is held in Dayton, Tennessee. John T. Scopes was arrested on May 5 for teaching the theory of evolution to his students in violation of state law. Scopes was convicted and fined $100.

F. Scott Fitzgerald publishes The Great Gatsby.

1926

Don Juan, the first talking picture presented to an audience, is shown in New York City.

1927

Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr., flies nonstop from New York to Paris.

1928

While visiting Carrie in Keystone, South Dakota, Mary suffers a stroke and dies on October 17.

Rose builds a rock house for Laura and Almanzo on the Rocky Ridge property.

Laura and Almanzo move into the rock house and Rose moves into the farmhouse.

1929

On Black Tuesday (October 29), over 16 million shares are dumped for whatever they could bring, causing the stock market to crash and ushering in the Great Depression.

Academy Awards are presented for the first time to honor outstanding achievement in filmmaking.

1930

Laura is sixty-three years old.

1931

Laura and Almanzo drive to De Smet and then to the Black Hills of South Dakota to visit Grace and Carrie.

The Empire State Building is completed.

1932

Little House in the Big Woods, illustrated by Helen Sewell, is published by Harper Brothers.



Rose Wilder Lane's Let the Hurricane Roar is published by Harper Brothers.

Amelia Earhart is the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic nonstop.

1933

Farmer Boy is published.



In an emergency session that lasts one hundred days, Congress passes legislation to aid farmers and the unemployed.

1935

Little House on the Prairie is published.



Rose Wilder Lane's Old Home Town is published.

Laura and Almanzo celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary.

The Homestead Act is repealed.

1936

Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind is published.

1937

On the Banks of Plum Creek is published.



Laura and Almanzo move back into the farmhouse at Rocky Ridge after living nine years in the rock house.

Laura and Almanzo travel to Detroit, where Laura speaks at a book fair.

1938

Rose Wilder Lane's Free Land is published.

Laura and Almanzo travel with their friends Silas and Neta Seal to the west coast.

1939

By the Shores of Silver Lake is published.



Laura and Almanzo travel to De Smet to the Old Settlers' Day celebration.

John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is published.

1940

Laura is seventy-three years old.

The Long Winter is published.



Walt Disney's Fantasia opens in movie theaters.

1941

Little Town on the Prairie is published.



Grace dies on November 10.

Japanese troops attack Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Congress declares war against Japan. Germany and Italy declare war against the United States.

The Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota is completed after fourteen years.

1943

These Happy Golden Years is published.



1944

Franklin D. Roosevelt is reelected for a fourth time. He is the only president elected to four terms.

1945

Germany surrenders unconditionally to the Allies, ending the European phase of World War II.

The United States drops the first atomic bomb ever to be used in war on Hiroshima, Japan. Three days later, it drops the second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan.

Japan surrenders and the Pacific phase of World War II ends.

The United Nations is formed in San Francisco.

E.B. White's Stuart Little, illustrated by Garth Williams, is published.

1946

Carrie dies on June 2.

1947

Garth Williams visits the Wilders at Rocky Ridge in preparation for his new illustrations for the Little House series.

1949

Almanzo dies on October 23, at age 82.

The Detroit Public Library names a branch after Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman is staged on Broadway and wins the Pulitzer Prize.

1950

Laura is eighty-three years old.

The Laura Inalls Wilder Room at the Pomona Public Library in Pomona, California, is dedicated.

War with Korea declared.

1951

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Library in Mansfield, Missouri, is dedicated.

1952

E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, illustrated by Garth Williams, is published.

1953

The eight Little House books are reissued with Garth William's illustrations.

War with Korea ends.

Puerto Rico becomes the first United States commonwealth.

1954

The Laura Ingalls Wilder Award is created by the American Library Association.

Dr. Jonas Edward Salk announces development of the first polio vaccine.

In Brown v. the Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court declares racial segregation in the schools to be unconstitutional.

1955

Jim Henson creates Kermit the Frog, the first Muppet.

1957



Laura dies on February 10, three days after her birthday, at age 90.

Helen Moore Sewell dies.

Dr. Seuss's The Cat in the Hat and The Grinch Who Stole Christmas are published.