Customer Reviews

Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Iowa Story

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This is the definitive book of facts about Laura's time in Burr Oak, Iowa. This book tells about how the Ingalls family came to Burr Oak, what their time in Burr Oak was like, as well as providing an account of the restoration of the Master's hotel and information on other Ingalls ties to Iowa. If you want the complete account of Laura's time in Burr Oak, this is the book to read. This is an easily read book, althoigh it is more a collection of facts than entertaining. Old town in the green groves is the story version of Laura's time in Burr Oak. Laura lived in Burr Oak as a nine year old for a year, from the autumn of 1876 to the autumn of 1877. Although Burr Oak was a short period in Laura's life it was an important and interesting one. Laura never wrote about Burr Oak in her Little House books, because of four reasons. The most important of these is that it was not the happiest time for her and her family. Yet the adult Laura still had some fond memories of her time in Burr Oak:''I have thoughts of Burr Oak as a lovely place''. Laura's baby brother ,Charles Frederick Ingalls (Freddie), had just died before they arrived in Burr Oak, at the age of only nine months,and the Ingalls where coming from Walnut Grove, where the grasshopers had destroyed their crops. Thus, their time in Burr Oak was not off to an auspicious beginning. Nor did it get any better: by the time they left in the autumn of 1877 they had moved three times within the town of Burr Oak. One thing they did gain in Burr Oak-Laura's youngest sister Grace Pearl Ingalls was born there on May 23, 1877. Of all the Laura sites today,Burr Oak is probably the one that has changed the least.It is still possible to feel the atomsphere of the town as Laura felt it. Laura's time in Burr Oak was both happy and sad, and although she never wrote of it in her books, the time she spent there was always memorable to her. This book is the best source of facts on Laura's ''lost years''. If you are interested in Laura's time in Burr Oak, this is the place to start. Of course the best thing to do is to actually visit Burr Oak. It is as well worth visting as this book is worth reading. I am Laura's eighth cousin and I was a tour guide in Burr Oak two summers.

This small book describes the year that Laura Ingalls Wilder lived in Iowa and other ties that she had to Iowa. The year in
Iowa was not included in the books that Laura wrote. We find out that that year was not a happy year, particularly when they were actually "backtracking" east, when they are trying to move on west. We find out more about that year, Mary Ingalls'
time in Vinton, Iowa, and about other friends from Iowa.

The facts presented in this book was very interesting. I am from Iowa and lived in the town where Mary Ingalls went to
school (my grandparents lived right up the road from that school).

If you want to know more about Laura Ingalls wilder, this and The story of the Ingalls are the books to read. William anderson does a great job of giving more details that werent in the books.

The Iowa story was written to cover the 2 years missing from The Little House series. It is very interesting and includes clear photos. Before this book, very little was known about this period of time. This was after the Ingalls family moved from Walnut Grove. They would return to Walnut Grove 2 years later. In that 2 years they lost their son and had a daughter (Grace Ingalls). Mary also returned to Iowa after she became blind to attend the college for the blind. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Little House.