What would the world be without women who have taken action to help their families make it through hard times? Laura Ingalls Wilder is one of them, and she is a Flamboyant Gray! She pulled herself and her family out of financial misery after facing hardship. Laura Ingalls wrote Little House on the Prairie, a children’s book narrating her own life in the rural US late 19th century. Her Little House books were sold in many countries, and inspired the Little House on the Prairie series.
However, Laura Ingalls wasn’t the usual suspect when it came to writing. She didn’t have much formal schooling, and she was over 60 when publishing her first book. This led to some controversy. As she became successful, doubts rose: was she the main author of her books? Well, she was. So today Flamboyant Grays celebrates International Women’s Day, highlighting Laura Ingalls. She is a role model, successfully publishing her first book in her 60s.
Moving to find prosperity
Laura Ingalls had an early life filled with moving until her family settled down in De Smet, South Dakota. Not yet 16 years of age, she took on her first teaching job. Teaching was one of the few jobs that women were allowed to practice at the time. At least, until she got married. Once married, women were expected to leave their teaching job and attend to their family. At 18 years old, Laura retired. While working on the farm, she kept picking up additional jobs. She worked as a dressmaker, which resulted in enough money to buy a small farm. And in 1911 Laura started writing a column called “As a Farm Woman Thinks”, published in the Missouri Ruralist. The columns were mainly on farm-related stories, but also included feminist ideas, for instance on equal partnerships in marriage, or voting based on your own beliefs and not just following your husband’s advice.
While living on the farm, life was hard. The family faced multiple setbacks. After a serious illness, her husband needed a cane for most of his life. They overcame a plague of locusts eating their crops. And their farmhouse burned down twice. On top of that, they had to cope with uncertain rainfall and droughts. After these setbacks, the Ingalls Wilder family was in debt. So, they moved once again to look for new opportunities. They relocated to Mansfield, Missouri, where they set up a new home. Having learned from the past.
Writing to find a new income
She wrote columns for the Missouri Ruralist for over 10 years. This sharpened her writing skills, capturing audiences. A few attempts were made for more extensive articles, but that didn’t take off. Although mildly prosperous for a couple of years, after the stock market crash of 1929 the family was broke once more. All their savings were gone. They needed to come up with a solution to generate money. What would you do in such a situation? Like all of us, you try out every possible angle and see how this might lead you to some sort of solution.
Laura Ingalls brainstormed and came up with the plan to write an autobiographical manuscript narrating her childhood. Just imagine, knocking on the doors of publishers. Trying to sell a manuscript on which your family’s life is depending upon? It must be nerve-wracking.
Connections help you to change lives.
Her first attempt at a book was rejected by multiple publishers. So she started a new manuscript after the great depression. Luckily, Laura’s daughter Rose Wilder worked for Harper & Brothers a publishing agency at the time. Rose helped in expanding and editing the manuscript and in 1932, Rose managed to get the manuscript of her mother published.
Laura Ingalls wrote Little House on the Prairie, which was first called ‘Little House in the Big Woods’ and … it took off. She started writing the book in her 60s, soon after the idea of a book came to mind. When it was published, Laura was 65 years of age.
Laura Ingalls supported Women’s rights, and educational reform. She lived to become 91 years. Up until 1956 – just a year before her death – she wrote books and correspondence.
Under schooled & older than 60? Controversy!
When publishing her first book, Laura’s daughter Rose was already a known journalist and article writer. This led to some doubts about whether Laura Ingalls was the real author of her books, and not her daughter. Sometimes limited schooling levels and an advanced age result in people doubting your capacities. Which is ludicrous, as we all know the effects of lifelong learning. Surely, Laura had taught herself over the years to become a great writer (starting with her columns), she was a school teacher, and a hard worker! Luckily, she left a heap of diaries and correspondence, as well as her handwritten manuscripts. So after some dispute, the conclusion was that she effectively wrote her books.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder. (2023, February 28). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Ingalls_Wilder