Laura Ingalls Wilder An Inspirational Woman

All of us admire different people for varied reasons. I find Laura Ingalls Wilder to be a most remarkable woman because of what she achieved during her senior years. Laura Elizabeth Ingalls was born to Charles and Caroline Ingalls on February 7, 1867. The Ingalls' home in Pepin Wisconsin was the setting for her first book, Little House in the Big Woods. Laura Ingalls was a descendant of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a third cousin, once removed, of President Ulysses S. Grant. To obtain the true nature of this pioneer woman’s remarkable life, I suggest reading any or all of her Little House books. The made for television movie, Beyond the Prarie is more accurate of what is written than the popular television series Little House on the Prairie.

I find Laura Ingalls Wilder to be an inspirational woman who was ahead of her time. When she was five years old the family moved from Wisconsin in 1869. They settled in the Indian country of what is near modern day Independence, Kansas. The real Laura helped her father in the fields as good as any son or ranch hand. When lightening set fire to the hay, Lsura helped her dad make burrow in the ground to keto the fire from spreading and also got water to pour on the flames. She availed herself to whatever was needed to be done because she had no brothers. The family returned to Wisconsin where they lived for the next three years. Laura’s experiences there were the basis for uthe novels Little House in the Big Woods (1932) and Little House on the Prairie (1935).

I am inspired by her total recall of events if her youth when she was 50 plus years remove ftom them. I relate to this and see it as a trait of natural born writers. I can give details from 1965 but may not be able to recall what I said five minutes ago. I have observed that a lot of people such as entertainers, preachers and sports figures have books that they have written, but in Laura Ingalls Wilder I find a kindred spirit of one who has many stories within her soul to tell and at the right time they can be revealed. Most people might believe she penned all those books over many years of her life but it was in her sixth decade that her stories began to be put in books. !

Somewhere around 1874 the family moved to Walnut Grove, Minnesota when Laura was about seven years old. This potion of her life is what television series was based upon. She became a teacher at age 16 but her career and academic studies ended when 18-year-old Laura married 28-year-old Almanzo Wilder on August 25, 1885. From the beginning of their relationship, the duo had nicknames for each other: She called him "Manly" and he, referred to her as Bessie. Their first child, a daughter named Rose was born on December 5 1886, In 1889, Laura gave birth to a son who died when he was only 12 days old.

Laura was 60 years old when her writing career took off and she and Almonzo used the income to supplement their retirement. I am 61 and believe I am only at the beginning of what I can give to the world. I have discussed with my husband how I want to earn enough writing to mske our senior years easier. Laura and Almonzo were married for over 60 years, He died at age 90 and she passed away 9 years later at 89. In addition to the death of their infant son, the Wilders lost crops to bad weather, almost went bankrupt and had a home to burn down. They both had diphtheria and Almonzo was left partially paralyzed for a number of years. I admire Lsurs’s strength to endure these hardships and appreciate that she penned her trials so that other women can learn about endurance.

Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder is an inspiring woman because she grew up in a time when women did not have the rights they have toda but stood her ground . She was outspoken and headstrong and according to the movie, Beyond the Prarie, she asked that the word obey be removed from her marriage vows. Women in those days did not do such things. She worked alongside Almonzo as his equal and they were blessed to live to ripe old ages. After his death, their daughter Rose was a great comfort to her mother and it’s believed that she assisted her in collecting her thoughts as related to having her books published. Rose Wilder Lane also became a published writer who was successful in her own right.