In the very first Little House book, Laura is just four years old. Did you know that she didn’t start writing books until she was in her 60s? No publisher would buy her first book, Pioneer Girl. Little House in the Big Woods was published when Mrs. Wilder was 65. And Pioneer Girl? It didn’t go into print until 2014, 57 years after Mrs. Wilder died. Now she is one of the most beloved authors in American history.  

Mrs. Wilder’s books are semi-autobiographical novels. That means they’re based on her real life. They’re part fact. But they’re also part fiction. In such books, authors may change the tale to make it flow better as a story or to protect the privacy of people involved. 

If you’ve read any of Mrs. Wilder’s books, you know she moved around . . . a lot. Moving was the story of her life. Have you visited any of the places she lived? 

Pepin, Wisconsin. Laura was born in a log cabin near Pepin in 1867. This book tells the story: Little House in the Big Woods. 

Independence, Kansas. Laura’s family settles near Independence in Native American territory. Building a home is challenging. You can read about that in Little House on the Prairie. 

Walnut Grove, Minnesota. The Ingalls family makes a new home near this town in a dugout—a shelter dug into a hillside. In the book about this place, On the Banks of Plum Creek, Laura is seven. 

De Smet, South Dakota. The stories set here begin with sadness for the Ingalls family—loss, money troubles, and illness. But the pioneering characters persevere through it all. It’s no wonder De Smet’s people value Laura’s history. Five of Mrs. Wilder’s books take place in this town: By the Shores of Silver Lake, The Long Winter, Little Town on the Prairie, These Happy Golden Years, and The First Four Years.