Her Richest Harvest

As Laura suffered from Manly's death, so did America. Fans sent letters of sympathy to her, and friends helped her take care of the house and plan Manly's funeral. Some of the work hands and their families that were hired to help Manly became some of her closest friends on Rocky Ridge, and she cherished them. The following year after Manly's death, Pomona, California dedicated its children's section of its library to Laura and named it the Laura Ingalls Wilder Room. As her personal gift to the library, she sent the original penciled script of Little Town on the Prairie. Mansfield also dedicated its library to her as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Library on September 28, 1951. Throughout her years, fans came to visit and meet the author of the Little House books, she attended book fairs where she signed autographs, and lived at home by herself in her rocking chair. In 1954, when she turned eighty- seven, Laura took her first airplane ride to see Rose's home in Danbury, Connecticut. But, when she got home, she became very ill and the doctors discovered that she had diabetes. Fans from all over the world sent her cards and presents to get well soon, which made Laura feel better, inside and out. But, on February 10, 1957, three days after her ninetieth birthday, she died. It was hard to believe that America had lost one of its oldest pioneers, and a writer at that too. Rose said that the longest lives are short, but their work lasts longer. Laura's books were her richest harvest. "My love will be with you always."- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Home, Family, and Writing

Laura and Manly had lived on Rocky Ridge for thirty- five years when they finally paid what they owed for the land. In 1930, Laura decided to write her autobiography because she thought that her memories were to good to lose. Harper & Brothers decided to publish it in 1931 as a children's book. In June of the same year, Laura and Manly went to visit Grace in De Smet, as Ma died in 1924 and Mary in 1928, and drove through the prairie to see Pa's old homestead, Spirit Lake, and their old farm. Then they drove to Keystone, South Dakota to see Carrie and Mount Rushmore. Laura's book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when she was sixty- five. Harper & Brothers wanted a third story, too, as her books became a big hit, so Laura wrote Manly's story; it was published in 1933 as Farmer Boy. In 1935, Little House on the Prairie was published, and so was On the Banks of Plum Creek in 1937. After Rose left for Connecticut in 1937, Laura was requested to attend a book fair in Detroit to answer questions and sign autographs. In 1939, By the Shores of Silver Lake was published as a Newbery Honor Book. After all of her successes, Laura continued to write until her hand ached.
After Laura and Manly's trip to De Smet for the Old Settlers Day, they traveled no more. The Wilders settled down for quiet, peaceful days on Rocky Ridge where Laura could continue writing and live a fruitful life. The Long Winter was published in 1940 describing Laura and her family's first blizzard in De Smet, and her seventh book, Little Town on the Prairie, was published a year later. Her last book, These Happy Golden Years, was finally published when she was seventy-six, and she told Harper & Brothers, "I want to live my life, not write about it." - Laura Ingalls Wilder. Eleven years of writing sent Laura and Manly into retirement. They enjoyed friends, visits and letters from fans, and said good bye to Laura's family as Grace died in 1941, and Carrie in 1946. Then came the most sorrowful day on Rocky Ridge: Manly died in 1949 at the age of ninety-two from two heart attacks. This devastating event left Laura and her fans heartbroken.

Good Times

Laura and Manly lived on Rocky Ridge for more than a decade. In 1907, Laura started to build a house made entirely of rocks and stones found on the farm, timber, and real glass windows with four porches, a study, and a library. It was completed in the fall of 1913 and the Wilders quickly moved into it. The farm was thriving all around them and Laura was always praised for her eggs. Then one day, the editor for The Missouri Ruralist came to offer a job for Laura because he was so impressed with her writing style. She agreed to take it and started off her career as a writer with her article "Favors the Small Farm Home." She wrote for years and made between five and ten dollars for her articles (she started writing a new one called "As a Farm Woman Thinks" too). Her works even passed through the St. Louis Star Farmer, the St. Louis Post- Dispatch, and the Kansas City Star. Her daughter, Rose, got married in San Francisco (as she became a writer too and her job moved her) and came to visit Laura in 1910. World War 1 slowed business and Laura was desperate to keep her job. Rose saved the day by telling her to write about the Missouri State Fair.
When Laura got home from the fair, she spent year after year writing for The Missouri Ruralist and watching her income grow. In 1916, Laura created The Athenian's, a group devoted solely to provide educational experiences and friendships among the members and to help build a county library. While this was happening, Rose published her first novel Diverging Roads and sailed to France to work in the Paris publicity office of the American Red Cross. She traveled all over Europe and wrote another book called Peakes of Shala. When Rose got home four years later, Laura went with her on a road trip with Manly's new 1923 Buick. Rose again showed Laura how to make more money with her writing, but it never launched. Rose permanently settled down at home at Rocky Ridge with the building of a new house after she sold her Ozark serial to another newspaper and divorced her husband. Laura was so happy to have her home; " We were living good times on the farm!"- Laura Ingalls Wilder

Rocky Ridge Farm

Laura and Manly worked together to transform their Missouri land into a fruit, dairy, and poultry farm. They started slow by clearing the land in winter, then moved on to selling eggs at market and planting the first crops in 1895. Rose went to school and excelled in every subject and became a very epic reader. Laura and Manly still enjoyed riding horses and would usually ride all over their property or on quiet, shady roads. Their farm was growing with six more acres added and the apple orchard prospering with new peach and pear trees. This was the best business that Manly will ever have. They enlarged the log cabin and planted a building site for their new house Laura wanted in 1896. " Good health, good homes, a good living, good times, and good neighbors." Laura Ingalls Wilder; that is how Laura described her first years on Rocky Ridge Farm.
In the 1890's, Mansfield ( the town they moved to ) was booming with newcomers and business. Laura and Manly decided to try and live in town because of Manly's job as a drayer
( hauling loads of anything into town ) and to earn money to invest in their farm. Manly's parents visited them in 1898 which made them all the happier; but soon, Laura's Pa was suffering from heart failure and she rushed to De Smet, South Dakota to say good- bye to her beloved father. He died on June 8, 1902, surrounded by his wife and four girls. When Laura got back, Rose left with her aunt and cousin, Eliza Jane and Wilder, to Louisiana to finish high school. She was the best student there and learned four years of Latin in one. When Rose got back home, the local depotmaster taught her and his daughter telegraphy. She left Mansfield for her first job at seventeen to Kansas City, Missouri as a telegraph operator. While she was gone, Laura and Manly worked hard on their farm and enjoyed every minute of it.

The First Few Years

Laura and Manly moved onto his homestead claim of 160 acres where he raised trees, wheat, and horses. They had debts to pay because of the machinery they bought and had to hire people to help Manly when Laura couldn't. When the debts were paid and the harvest done, Laura and Manly rode across the prairie with their horses, Trixy and Fly. While Laura was expecting her first child in December, 1886, the new couple had to move to a different spot on their claim because they couldn't afford to pay the bills on the house. Manly spent the next few months fixing up the little shanty until baby Rose was born on December 5, 1886. In the summer of 1887, their crops did not make it because of hot winds and little rain, and Manly became partially paralyzed in his hands because of diphtheria. One day, the house caught fire because Rose dropped burning hay on the floor in the kitchen. Another drought was the last thing that encouraged Manly to leave Dakota and move somewhere else. They decided to follow Peter to Florida and took a train there. But the Florida heat was too much for Laura and she became very ill. So they went home and stayed with Laura's family until they got back up on their feet.
On hearing about the Ozark mountains in Missouri, with its lush, green fields and fat cattle, Laura and Manly decided that that was what they would call home. In the summer of 1894, Laura and Manly made the wagon ride to Missouri and immediately liked what they saw. Low hills, green pastures, large trees, and long valleys, they looked and looked for the perfect place to live. Then, they came upon a place that Laura said she would die for to have. It was a rough and rocky 40 acre piece of land; Manly said it didn't look promising, but Laura said firmly that it would work. On September 24, 1894, the Wilders bought the land. Laura named it Rocky Ridge Farm, and it came free of charge from the previous owners with 400 tiny apple trees waiting to be planted in an orchard. They moved into a log cabin by a ravine where Rose helped Laura prepare the house for winter while Manly cleared the land. The Wilders were home. " There is no other country in the world like the Ozarks!" - Laura Ingalls Wilder

A Horse Lover's Wife

Laura continued her days in school and soon turned sixteen in February of 1883, with a surprise for her birthday. Mr. Bouchie from the school board wanted her to teach a two month winter term for a town 12 miles south! It was her dream come true! She accepted and left the house with a teacher's certificate and $20 for the month of January. Laura stayed at the Bouchie home and was miserable because of Mrs. Bouchie, but loved to teach her five pupils. One day, someone strange arrived at the Bouchie residence in a buggy drawn by two beautiful Morgan horses. It was Almanzo Wilder, one of the homesteaders Pa met in Dakota before moving onto his land there. He drove Laura to school and back everyday, and then on Fridays when school was out.
Laura retured to her school in De Smet to resume studying, and Almanzo followed her. He showed up at Pa's door and offered her a ride; she rode with him everyday since. Laura learned a lot about him, like he was 26, loved horses, his parents lived in Minnesota, and he came from New York; the nickname Laura gave him was " Manly." After Laura taught at her second school, the Perry School, Almanzo proposed to her and she agreed. On the morning of August 25, 1885, Laura and Almanzo were now husband and wife. Laura Ingalls Wilder was no longer a pioneer girl, she was a homesteader's wife. " I had a house and home of my own." -Laura Ingalls Wilder

Dakota Territory

Laura Ingalls rejoined her father in Dakota Territory at the Big Sioux railroad camp in 1879. Pa shows her what his job is while they stay there for a couple of weeks before moving to another camp called De Smet; named after a Catholic Priest called Father Pierre Jean De Smet. This town was close to a lake that Ma named Silver Lake from the way the moonlight shone on it. They lived in the Surveyor's House for the winter and were snug and cozy with a pantry to last them months.
Some newcomers came to live with them and paid rent to use some of their extra space. While Pa went hunting, he also saw many new farms and claim shanties around Silver Lake that told him a town was about to form. One day, Pa came home from Brookings and told his family that he purchased a lot of 160 acres near the lake. His face looked so jolly that you could tell he found the perfect place to live. In the spring of 1880, the Ingalls moved to their homestead claim when Laura was 13 and immediately knew that this was their permanent home in the Dakota prairie.
The new homestead owners were glad that they had found the perfect home, but experienced some rough times in the first year. Blizzards hit them on October 5, 1880, forcing them to move to a house in town, and the food supply in De Smet gave out during winter and everyone either left or went hungry; " The wind shrieked and howled like nothing under heaven but a blizzard
wind. " -Laura Ingalls Wilder. But after the snow melted, the Ingalls returned to their farm and decided on sending Mary to school for the blind. Laura worked hard to help earn Mary her college money by sewing in the dry goods store. She felt so eager and happy that nothing stood in her way. After earning a good $9.00, Mary went off to school in Vinton. Laura went back to school in De Smet and made friends such as Mary Power, Minnie Johnson, and Ida Brown. During the summers, she spent most of her time reading. Now Pa got his wish of living in the west.