February 7, 1867
For many women I know,
one of the most iconic figures of our childhood was the feisty little pioneer
girl who set out into the great frontier with her family from the big woods of
Wisconsin, heading across the frozen Mississippi River in their covered wagon
with high hopes and their faithful bulldog, Jack. Laura Ingalls Wilder served
as our heroine and our champion, working hard to make ends meet, struggling to
hold back when her sharp tongue threatened to get the best of her, and teaching
us some of the greatest moral lessons of our lives. Laura taught us to be kind,
to be grateful, to be resourceful, and above all, to find the silver linings
that surround us each and every day, despite the circumstances.
Born in the small town
of Pepin, Wisconsin on February 7, 1867, Laura and her family’s adventures
spanned Missouri, Kansas, and Minnesota, finally setting in the Dakota
Territory where Laura became a teacher at the age of 15, and met and married
the love of her life, Almanzo Wilder.
