The Month of Love Brings Birthdays Too

In addition to being American Heart Month, the month of February has some very special days, including:

• Wave All Your Fingers at a Friend Day - 7
• Make a Friend Day - 11
• Valentine's Day - 14
• Random Acts of Kindness Day - 17
• Love Your Pet Day - 20

American Heart Month and Valentine's Day definitely remind us of love, so what better month to be host to birthdays for a special couple? Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7, 1867 and Almanzo James Wilder was born February 13, 1857.

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if these two never met? What if Pa didn't move the Ingalls family to Dakota Territory? What if Royal and Almanzo Wilder never left Spring Valley, Minnesota? What if they met, but never courted?

Just think: no August 1885 wedding, no Rose Wilder Lane, and likely no Little House books. That would mean no Little House on the Prairie shows and movies and probably no books on Ma's life or the other novels written about Laura's relatives.

What an awful thought! Thank goodness they did move to Dakota Territory and found each other.

Wishing Manly and Bessie a blessed birthday month.

Little House Events in 2017

For a full list of Little House on the Prairie events in 2017--a busy year considering it is Laura's 150th birthday--please visit http://littlehouseontheprairie.com/little-house-on-the-prairie-events-in-2017/

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.

Trundlebed Tales Looking for Your Laura Related Stories for February 7th

Sarah Uthoff, host of Trundlebed Tales on Blog Talk Radio, is once again celebrating the birthday of Laura Ingalls Wilder on February 7th. She is looking for your Laura related stories. Please see her note below:


"Welcome to our fourth annual on air birthday celebration for author and pioneer Laura Ingalls Wilder. We started out with informational episodes, one year sharing the history of Laura's birthday in particular and one about the history of 19th century birthdays, but last year we tried a different format. Laura fans were invited to call in and share either the story of how they became a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan or their favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder related experience. I was very pleased with the response last year and so we're going to try it again. Please consider calling in and sharing your story and if you missed it in 2014, start working on your story for 2013. If you want to share your story, but don't want to talk on air, you can send a story to me ahead of time or in the chatroom live during the show. Live callers or chat get time before sent in stories."

Visit the link below for more details on time and the number to call in.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/trundlebedtales/2014/02/08/ep-52-laura-ingalls-wilders-on-air-birthday-party

Happy Birthday Almanzo!

Oh, how my life would be different if Laura Elizabeth Ingalls had never met Almanzo James Wilder. I would never have met many of my online chums. Historic sites would never have existed. And television shows and movies about life on the prairie as seen through the eyes of a young girl might never have been inspired by a set of books that might never have been written.

Thankfully, a young Laura Ingalls did meet the dashing hero we read about in The Long Winter. Almanzo Wilder would court her. He would go and fetch her from her teaching job with his beautiful Morgan horses. And a couple of years later, the two would marry.

Now, we have books, televisions shows, movies, and annual events to remember the legacy created by the Wilders. We are grateful for all this pioneer family has meant to us. We are thankful for the small screen portrayals of Almanzo that actors Dean Butler and Walter Goggins brought us.

On Almanzo's 156th birthday, we fondly remember everyone's favorite farmer boy. Happy birthday, Almanzo!

Happy Birthday, Laura!

Happy 146th birthday to Laura Ingalls Wilder! Her work has brought many wonderful people and experiences into my life.

I joined Prairie Talk many years ago, where I met other Laura fans. That led to me creating a Yahoo Group for Dean Butler with the goal of bringing him to the World Wide Web. Once Dean created his Legacy Documentaries website, he also shared with us how he was creating a documentary about Almanzo Wilder, which can me ordered through the Wilder Homestead. Butler's Little House on the Prairie work did not stop there, however. He created a documentary about Laura that has been viewed at Laura Ingalls Wilder events around the country, and worked on the Pa's Fiddle project, which was showcased on PBS during last year's pledge drive, and is now available for purchase.

I'm also part of another LHOP forum, where I talk with fans from all around. The funny thing is that I know them from other forums, too: Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Downton Abbey.

While I came to the books later in life, Michael Landon's Little House on the Prairie was an always watched show in our house while I was growing up. Between reruns, fan fiction stories, and forums, my love for Laura Ingalls Wilder's work continues to grow.

Hope you'll join Sarah Uthoff tonight to celebrate Laura's birthday at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/trundlebedtales. She'll be talking with fans on her show tonight about Laura Ingalls Wilder effected our lives and our favorite Laura related memories and experiences. Show starts at 9PM Eastern/8 PM Central. You can all in at (877) 633-9389.

Happy Birthday, Laura!

The years pass so quickly. Nearly two years after the end of the Civil War, Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin. Growing up, she was jealous of her older sister, Mary, like younger sisters often are. An independent-minded--some would say feisty--girl, she was very much like her beloved Pa. After years of traveling by covered wagon, her father finally settled the family--now including younger sisters Carrie and Grace--in De Smet, SD. Laura enjoyed life in town and made many friends. While living in De Smet, she met her future husband, Almanzo Wilder.

The now classic Little House books chronicle Laura's life growing up on America's prairies. They share her triumphs and tragedies, her gains and her losses; a life lived through years of great progress across the country. On her birthday, we honor the life of our favorite pioneer girl and the books, movies, and television shows that continue to celebrate her legacy.