On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 [Hardcover]

Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 1962 | Series: Little House

In 1894, Laura Ingalls Wilder, her husband, Almanzo, and their daughter, Rose, packed their belongings into their covered wagon and set out on a journey from De Smet, South Dakota, to Mansfield, Missouri. They heard that the soil there was rich and the crops were bountiful -- it was even called "the Land of the Big Red Apple." With hopes of beginning a new life, the Wilders made their way to the Ozarks of Missouri.

During their journey, Laura kept a detailed diary of events: the cities they passed through, the travelers they encountered on the way, the changing countryside and the trials of an often difficult voyage. Laura's words, preserved in this book, reveal her inner thoughts as she traveled with her family in search of a new home in Mansfield, where Rose would spend her childhood, where Laura would write her Little House books, and where she and Almanzo would remain all the rest of their happy days together.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. She and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Midwest. Later, Laura and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, made their own covered-wagon trip with their daughter, Rose, to Mansfield, Missouri. There, believing in the importance of knowing where you began in order to appreciate how far you've come, Laura wrote about her childhood growing up on the American frontier. For millions of readers Laura lives on forever as the little pioneer girl in the beloved Little House books.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (November 12, 1962)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060264896
• ISBN-13: 978-0060264895
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #531,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. As her classic Little House books tell us, she and her family traveled by covered wagon across the Midwest. She and her husband, Almanzo Wilder, made their own covered-wagon trip with their daughter, Rose, to Mansfield, Missouri. There Laura wrote her story in the Little House books, and lived until she was ninety years old. For millions of readers, however, she lives forever as the little pioneer girl in the beloved Little House books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Happy Ending, January 18, 2001

By 

"midnightrose" - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 (Paperback)

I always wondered what happened after The First Four Years and this book lets us in on what happened to the Wilders. Because of high debts and failing crops, the Wilders lost everything. After a friend visited the Ozarks and told of the fertile land and milder climate, Almanzo and Laura decided to start over. Laura kept a diary of their journey for memories sake. Because so many readers were curious of what happened to Laura and Almanzo, Rose Wilder Lane wrote a wonderful setting leading up to the diary and after they arrived in the Ozarks. The diary was written as a diary for it was never intended to be a book but only as a memory of their travel. It was comforting to know that they were finally starting to move forward with their lives instead of backwards like what happened in South Dakota. The diary was found after Laura's death and Rose had it published to let us know that Almanzo and Laura had a hard but happy life. I didn't expect Laura's writings to be more detailed because it was still seventeen years before Laura started writing for the farm magazines. She only wrote what she found necessary to make sure she had enough paper for the whole journey. The pictures in the book are excellent for then you can see the real Almanzo, Laura and Rose. I consider this book the true ending of the Little House series.

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful mother-daughter collaboration, February 3, 2002

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 (Paperback)

"On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894," by Laura Ingalls Wilder, really brings to life this era in American history. The book is actually a collaboration between Laura and her daughter, writer Rose Wilder Lane; Rose's introduction and concluding chapter "sandwich" Laura's journal entries.

As the author of the "Little House" book series and as the subject of a long-running television series based on those books, Laura Ingalls Wilder is a truly beloved figure in American popular culture. "On the Way Home" offers an excellent opportunity to "hear" her speak directly from a real-life adventure. Her trek with her husband, Almanzo, and daughter Rose is a classic pioneer tale.

The book is well complemented by a wealth of black-and-white photographs of the family, as well as of the architecture, artifacts, landscapes, and animals that were part of their world. There is also a map of their route.

Laura's prose is very engaging. She writes of the natural landscape, plants, and animals they encountered along the way. She also gives a sense of the ethnic and religious diversity of that time and region. Her journal entries capture the excitement of the growing cities and towns.

This is a short book (120 pages), but it is full and fascinating. When Laura writes of such pleasures as wading in a warm river or picking wild blackberries, you can imagine yourself standing beside her. Recommended as a companion text: "O Pioneers!", by Willa Cather.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Wilder family moves, September 18, 2001

By 

V. VanCamp "lovesbookslovesmusic" (Ithaca, New York USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South Dakota to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 (Paperback)

'On the Way Home' is Laura's diary as they traveled from DeSmet to their new home in Mansfield, Missouri. There are pictures included in this book that take you back to Laura's time and can make you feel even more like you know Laura.

This book is very interesting and is a quick read. The book starts with Rose Wilder Lane telling us about the events leading up to the Wilder's move to Missouri in 1894.

The majority of the book is Laura's actual diary. It begins on the day they set out (July 17, 1894) and continues through to the day they arrived in Mansfield (August 30, 1894). Laura includes in her entries things such as the temperature, what time they started in the morning, how many emigrant wagons they saw, what towns they drove through and what rivers and creeks they crossed. Laura also wrote down things that occurred along the way. For example, a lame horse, a lost dog, conversations with strangers and wading in creeks.

Also included in the book is a map of their journey. I found this interesting and referred to it often as Laura named the towns they drove through and stopped at. It was nice to see the route they took. At the end of the book, Rose wrote some more. She wrote about the search for a home, an important thing being lost and then found again, a description of Mansfield, moving into the new home and so on.

This book is not an 'edge of your seat' type, but it is interesting for those who are fans of Laura Ingalls and the Little House books and for those who like to learn about days gone by.