Laura's Letter to Children

February, 1947 Dear Children: I was born in the "Little House In the Big Woods" of Wisconsin just eighty years ago the 7th of February. Living through all the Little House books, as told in those stories, I came fifty years ago with Almanzo and our little daughter, Rose, to live on our farm in the Ozarks. Rose, now Rose Wilder Lane, grew up and went away. Her home is in Connecticut. Almanzo and I still live on the farm but are not farming now. We care for our pet bulldog, our comical Rocky Mountain burro and our milk goats. We no longer keep horses but still go driving together in our car. Schoolmates and friends of the "Little Town on the Prairie" are scattered. Perhaps you would like to hear about them. Ida married her Elmer and went to California, where her children and grandchildren are now. Mary Power married the young banker and did not live many years. Nellie Oleson married in the East; later separated from her husband and died long ago. Cap Garland was killed in an explosion of a threshing machine soon after Almanzo and I were married. Sister Mary lived at home after graduating from College. She never recovered her sight but was always cheerful and busy with her work, her books and music. Carrie married a mine owner in the Black Hills. Her home was near Mt. Rushmore where statues of our presidents are carved in the solid rock of the mountain top. Grace married a farmer and lived only seven miles from De Smet. Pa and Ma died years ago and Mary soon after. Grace followed them several years ago and Carrie died last June, so I am the only one of the family left. Pa's fiddle is in Memorial Hall of the museum of the state historical society at Pierre, South Dakota. And every year at their public concert someone will play on it the songs Pa used to play. The Little House books are stories of long ago. The way we live and your schools are much different now, so many changes have made living and learning easier. But the real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong. With love to you all and best wishes for your happiness, I am, Yours sincerely

This similar letter was written in the 1950s. Although much of the information is contained in the previous letter, there are a few added bits which you may find interesting.

Dear Children, I was born in the "Little House in the Big Woods" of Wisconsin on February 7 in the year 1867. I lived everything that happened in my books. It was a long story, filled with sunshine and shadow, that we have lived since "These Happy Golden Years"... After our marriage Almanzo and I lived for a little while in the little gray house on the tree claim. In the year 1894 we and our little daughter Rose left Dakota in a covered wagon and moved to a farm in the Ozarks. We cleared the land and built our own farm house. Eventually we had 200 acres of improved land, a herd of cows, good hogs, and the best laying flock of hens in the country. For many years we did all our own work, but now almost all of the land has been rented or sold. For recreation we used to ride horseback or in our buggy -- later on, our Chrysler. We read and played music and attended church socials. In 1949 Almanzo died at the age of 92. We had been married 63 years. Our daughter, Rose Wilder Lane, the novelist, now lives in Connecticut. You may be interested to know what happened to some of the other people you met in my books. Ma and Pa lived for a while on their homestead then moved into town where Pa did carpentry. After Mary graduated from the College for the Blind she lived at home. She was always cheerful and busy with her work, her books and music. Carrie worked for The De Smet News for a while after finishing high school, and then she married a mine owner and moved to the Black Hills. Grace married a farmer and lived a few miles outside of De Smet. All of them have been dead for some years now. Several years before Almanzo's death he and I took a trip back to De Smet for a reunion with our old friends. Many of the old buildings had been replaced. Everywhere we went we recognized faces, but we were always surprised to find them old and gray like ourselves, instead of being young as in our memories. There is one thing that will always remain the same to remind people of little Laura's days on the prairie, and that is Pa's fiddle. Every year at a public concert, someone plays on it the songs Pa used to play. The "Little House" books are stories of long ago. Today our way of living and our schools are much different; so many things have made living and learning easier. But the real things haven't changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong. Great improvements in living have been made because every American has always been free to pursue his happiness, and so long as Americans are free they will continue to make our country ever more wonderful. With love to you all and best wishes for your happiness, I am Sincerely Your Friend,

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Frontier Girl
http://www.liwfrontiergirl.com
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Rebecca Brammer & Phil Greetham
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