The
Little House on the Prairie books series is a children’s literature classic that’s not only entertaining, but provides a unique snapshot of life in the Midwestern United States at a time when that area was rapidly changing.
Little House on the Prairie has a special place in the hearts of Americans and many others around the world. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s stories, based on her real-life experience of growing up amid the hardships of the Midwest during the late 19th century, have struck a chord with generations of readers and viewers.
Though the book series and the popular TV show based on it are fictional, they draw heavily on author Laura Ingalls Wilder’s real life and family. Take a look at these rare photos of the people behind the timeless stories...
1. 1860: The Real "Ma" and "Pa"
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Charles and Caroline Ingalls, the original "Ma" and "Pa" from Little House on the Prairie, on their wedding day on February 1, 1860. |
Charles was born in 1836 and spent the majority of his youth in the tallgrass prairie of Campton Township, just west of Elgin, Illinois. He met and quickly married a 21-year old Caroline Lake Quiner, who was working as a schoolteacher at the time, and they made a home in Pepin County, Wisconsin. They had their first daughter, Mary Amelia, in January, 1865, followed by the birth of Laura in February, 1867. Despite being a high-spirited, outgoing man, Charles wasn't much for people, and he had an insatiable wanderlust. In 1869, before Laura was two years old, he packed up the family and moved to Missouri, then to a town near what is now Independence, Kansas, where their third daughter, Carrie, would be born in 1870.
2. Carrie, Mary, and Laura Ingalls, ca. 1882
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From left to right: Carrie, Mary, and Laura Ingalls around 1882. Mary had lost her sight three years earlier. |
The young family would soon realize that the Kansas land wasn't open to settlers, so over the next few years, they spent time in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Grace Pearl was born in May, 1877, and the family was struggling to make ends meet. In 1879, Charles accepted a job as a clerk and bookkeeper with the railroad in Dakota Territory, which sparked the move to the town of De Smet in 1880. The following winter's terrible storms and conditions would be the basis for the novel,
The Long Winter.
3. Laura in De Smet, 1884
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Laura in 1884 at age 17 |
Laura quickly got involved with life in the newly-formed (and growing) town of De Smet. She attended school, made friends, and obtained her teaching certificate, which enabled her to begin teaching in 1882, a full two months before her 16th birthday!
At the same time, she began courting Almanzo Wilder, a young homesteader whom she called "Manly". Though 10 years her senior, Almanzo fell deeply in love with Laura and would drive her back and forth between De Smet and the town where se was teaching 12 miles away. They married in 1885 and settled on the Wilder's claim and began their life as farmers.
4. Laura and Almanzo, ca. 1885-86
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Laura and Almanzo in their first year of marriage, likely 1885 or 1886. |
5. The Ingalls Family in 1891
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From left to right: Caroline ("Ma"), Carrie, Laura, Charles ("Pa"), Grace, and Mary. |
The family took 1890 and 1891 to rest and recover, and the photos from a studio session in 1891 shows that Laura was of good health and vitality at the end of her rest.