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Laura Elizabeth Ingalls
Born
February 7, 1867 Pepin County, Wisconsin, U.S. to Caroline and Charles Ingalls. -
Family on the move
Wilder moved with her family from the Big Woods of Wisconsin in the year 1869, before she was two years old -
Period: to
De Smet, South Dakota
Wilder's father filed for a formal homestead over the winter of 1879–1880. De Smet, South Dakota became her parents' and sister Mary Ingalls' home for the remainder of their lives. -
Young Teacher
On December 10, 1882, two months before her 16th birthday, Wilder accepted her first teaching position. She taught three terms in one-room schools when she was not attending school in De Smet. -
Teaching Career ended when Laura married
Wilder's teaching career and studies ended when she married Almanzo Wilder, whom she called "Manly", on August 25, 1885. -
Children
On December 5, 1886, Wilder gave birth to her daughter Rose Wilder. In 1889, Wilder gave birth to a son who died at 12 days of age before being named. He was buried at De Smet, Kingsbury County, in South Dakota. On the grave marker, he is remembered as "Baby Son of A. J. Wilder". -
Early Trials
Their first few years of marriage for the Wilders were frequently difficult. Complications from a life-threatening bout of diphtheria left Wilder's husband partially paralyzed. While he eventually regained nearly full use of his legs, he needed a cane to walk for the remainder of his life. -
Rocky Ridge Farm, Mansfield, Missouri
In 1894, the Wilder family moved to Mansfield, Missouri, and used their savings to make the down payment on an undeveloped property just outside town. They named the place Rocky Ridge Farm and moved into a ramshackle log cabin. At first, Wilder and her husband earned income only from wagon loads of fire wood they would sell in town for 50 cents. -
Writing Career : Little House Books
Harper & Brothers published Wilder's book in 1932 as Little House in the Big Woods. After its success, Wilder continued writing. The close and often rocky collaboration between her and Lane continued, in person until 1935 when Lane permanently left Rocky Ridge Farm, and afterward by correspondence. -
Later Life and Death
However, her health declined after her release from the hospital, and she died in her sleep, at home, on February 10, 1957, three days after her 90th birthday.
