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| The books by Laura Ingalls
Wilder are historical fiction based on her life during the homesteading
era of America. Those who read Laura's book often finish them yearning
to learn more about her real life. |
75th Anniversary of Farmer Boy!
The celebration of the 75th Anniversary of the publication of Farmer Boy will take place on Saturday, June 21 at the Wilder Homestead in New York.
Plans
include appearances by author, William Anderson and Barbara Walker, author
of The Little House Cookbook. (Dean Butler will be on the grounds filming
additional footage for their documentary DVD to be released in August or September.)
Also scheduled are perfomances by the Morgan
horses from the Miner Institute, Chazy, NY and a team of oxen. There will be
food for purchase from the Moira Methodist Church Ladies Auxiliary and music
by the Trumble Band.
What a great time to visit the
Wilder Homestead!
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Support the Sites!
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PrairieMania is a Long Legged Snipe, a
member of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Literary Society.
PrairieMania is also a proud member of the following: Little
House on the Prairie Association, Independence, Kansas; Laura Ingalls
Wilder Memorial Society, De Smet, Douth Dakota; and, a
lifetime member of the following: Laura Ingalls Wilder
Memorial Society, Pepin, Wisconsin; Spring Valley Community Historical
Society, Spring Valley, Minnesota; Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder
Association, Malone, New York; Wilder Home Association, Mansfield,
Missouri; Laura Ingalls Wilder Friends of the Museum, Walnut Grove,
Minnesota; and Laura Ingalls Wilder Park and Museum, Burr Oak, Iowa.
Please visit Ingalls
Wilder Sites to learn how you can become a member
of these sites!
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Other
news and links...
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Have you read Laura's books
endlessly and dreamed of seeing the prairie sky Laura lived beneath? If
you have ever wanted to learn about her as a wife, a mother, a farmer,
a thinker, a writer, and a historian, The Homesteader
is for you! Click
here to learn more and subscribe today! |
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By John Miller:
Here is your chance to get an Autographed copy of Becoming
Laura Ingalls Wilder The Woman behind the Legend and Laura
Ingalls Wilder's Little Town Where History and Literature Meet!
Order them directly from author John Miller.nia
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Congratulations to the
Ingalls - Wilder - Lane Historic Alliance on placing a historical
marker in Westville, Florida, on October 8, 2006. IWL has been the
driving force behind markers being placed in Brookfield, Wisconsin,
(commemorating the birthplace of Laura’s Ma, Caroline Lake
Quiner Holbrook Ingalls) in 1996; and Rothville, Missouri (where the
Ingalls family lived for a year, after leaving Pepin, Wisconsin and
before moving to Kansas) on October 12, 2003. In 2003, IWL also
presented an engraved plaque to the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving
School in Vinton, Iowa, where Mary Ingalls attended from 1881-1889.
(Photo of marker supplied by Ingalls - Wilder - Lane Historic Alliance) |
The Horn Book Virtual History Exhibit presents a
scanned image of a letter from Laura.
AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF
ROSE WILDER LANE compiled by the WPA
Visit purplehousepress.com
to see covers of the Little House books illustrated by Helen Sewell.
Laura Ingalls Wilder's
Family tree and genealogy.
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Great Gifts
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This 23-minute video was
created by Barb Hawkins, owner of Little House Site Tours LLC. Since
the mid 1980s Barb has been to the sites almost two dozen times and
here she shares her adventures with you! A teacher for over 35 years,
Barb used the books by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her classroom. She
narrates this video that includes images of the sites from her personal
collection. This video is a great reference tool for educators,
home-schoolers and those who want a trip to the Laura Ingalls Wilder
sites from their couch!
Order Visting the Homesites of Laura
Ingalls Wilder on DVD or VHS for just $19.95 from Little
House Site Tours! Click Here.ri
Looking for a great gift for
yourself or a friend this year?
The Ingalls Family of De Smet is what you need!
"Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society exclusive!
De Smet was journey's end for the Ingalls Family. Ma, Pa, and Mary
lived out their lives in the home that Pa built in 1887 on Third Street
in De Smet. Laura and her sisters grew to adulthood in De Smet, their
lives soon to be separated by many miles and the passing of time."
Order this wonderful book for just $12.95 from the
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society Book Store! Click Here. Proceeds from the sale
of this book go towards continuing restoration and preservation of the
Ingalls Wilder heritages in De Smet, South Dakota.n
Create an Almanzo's Breakfast Gift Basket
by arranging breakfast items Almanzo enjoyed in Farmer Boy
in a gift basket! Place Buckwheat Pancake Mix, Strawberry Jam, jellies
(grape, crabapple or cranberry) and plum preserves in a basket. For an
added touch, include Spiced Hot Cider and a
Farmer Boy Mug. Click here to order a Farmer Boy mug from
the Wilder Farm Gift Shop!
Arkansas Traveler features
performances by Western music treasure RIDERS IN THE SKY, Grammy
award-winning banjo player ALISON BROWN, ANDREA ZONN, JOHN COWAN (New
Grass Revival), DAVID OLNEY, and more!
Great American songs include: “Old Dan Tucker,”
“The Blue Juniata,” “Dixie’s
Land,” “Sweet By and By,” “The
Devil’s Dream,” “The Gum Tree
Canoe,” “Barbara Allen,” and 30 more!
Order your CD now at the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum giftshop
in Walnut Grove.
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Collector's
Corner...
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Collecting
Laura Ingalls Wilder and Rose Wilder Lane items has been a hobby of
mine for some time. I have been to all of the official homesites and
even some of the unofficial ones. At times I have been asked "Where do
I buy that?" or "How rare is this?" I do not consider myself an expert
but I do share what I know.
There is large number of books and items available
at many of the homesites:
Farmer
Boy General Store
Malone, NY
Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House BookStore
Mansfield, MO
Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum Store
Walnut Grove, MN
Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum
Gift Shop
Burr Oak, IO
Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society
De Smet, SD
Ingalls Homestead Gift Shop
De Smet, SD
Even
those books that are out-of-print may be found at used bookstores
online. When buying these books or items, the buyer should take into
consideration whether the item is really rare and the condition of the
item. Factors that also affect the price include the desirability of a
particular item.
I
have seen many new and used items on eBay that are overpriced and sell
double, triple, and even four times what they are available for. Buyers
often do not know this and do not know where to go to find these items.
However, there are reputable sellers who provide these items at a
reasonable cost and who donate their profit to the Laura Ingalls Wilder
homesites. Know your seller!
Just a few of the antique treasures that can be
found reasonably priced:
- The Youth's Companion (from the late 1800s) usually
included stories, games, puzzles, advertisements and more geared
towards children. Laura mentions The Youth's Companion
in The Long Winter.
- Mother, Home & Heaven was published in the late
1800s and Almanzo gave Laura a copy of this book in 1884. This book is
beautiful - full of prose, poetry, and illustrations. The original is
on display in Mansfield, Missouri.
- Published in the late 1800s, Millbank
is mentioned in On the Banks of Plum Creek.
- The Independent Fifth Reader is mentioned in the The
Long Winter and is full of speeches and poems. (The original
5th Reader was donated to the Detroit Public Library by Laura in 1949.)
- The family knew all the songs by heart that are
found in the Pure Gold for the Sunday School
hymnal. This hymnal is mentioned in By the Shores of Silver
Lake.
- Pa's copy of General Butler in
New Orleans is on display at De Smet. The
inscription reads: Charles P. Ingalls, Dec 25, 1864, Wisconsin.
- Laura received a copy of Tennyson's
Poems for Christmas in Little Town on the
Prairie.
- In 1863 Ma received a copy of The
Land and the Book by WM Thompson for Christmas.
(This book is on display at De Smet.)
The Auk mentioned in Pa's Big Green Book, The
Polar World
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