Author shines light on ‘Little House’ truth

     Many of my generation, known Generation Y or the Millennials, remember reading the “Little House of the Prairie” book series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Or, maybe you watched the ever-popular TV series with the same title, based on the biographical books.

     I was glued to the show every week. Now, my mom and I have the entire TV show on DVD, allowing us to watch it over and over again.

     The books and the TV show gave us a glimpse into the lives of those who lived and worked on the Midwest prairie. We saw the struggles they went through during the harsh winters. We saw the heartaches when the baby brother died shortly after birth. We watched the Ingalls children grow up to become well-known actors today, particularly Melissa Gilbert. It was a learning tool into the past, both the books and the TV show.

     So after years of reading and watching the series, I assumed I knew all there was so know about the Ingalls family, as well as the Wilder family whom Laura married into and had a daughter of her own. That was until last week when I attended an event at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City.

     Author Christine Woodside spent nearly 40 years researching the Ingalls and Wilder families for her book “Libertarians on the Prairie.” She spoke about her research in Iowa City last Friday evening.

     Who knew the Libertarian Party has its roots as far back as the “pioneer days?”

     Another interesting fact, that many “Little House” fans may not be aware of: The book series was written by two women: Laura and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane. Laura had the memories and Rose had the literary background to put it into a novel. While Laura told her stories of growing up on the prairie to Rose, she then transcribed them into the books we see and read today; books that many generations have come to enjoy. In a way it’s like playing the classic game of telephone. Laura may have shared her stories with her daughter, but that didn’t mean Rose recreated those stories with 100 percent certainty.

     And, it was understood that Laura’s name would be on the cover of the books, as they were her stories.

     Rose also knew their target audience would be children. So she padded Laura’s stories a bit to appear more optimistic. Laura’s tales of Native Americans murdering people on the prairie and others robbing families at gunpoint were replaced with stories about swimming in the creeks and running through the prairie to school.

     This wasn’t the first time I had heard that Laura’s daughter assisted in the writing of the books. So no secret there. But, what took me by surprise was learning of the women’s political backgrounds.

     I asked Woodside if the libertarians of the 1930s, as in pioneer days, were the same as the libertarians of today. Is one more conservative than the other? She said it’s the same party today as it has always been.

     If you read the books, you can find times when the Ingalls family’s libertarian views come to light.

     During the Great Depression, Laura and Rose began to oppose President Roosevelt’s “New Deal.” They felt less government was better. Rose had declared herself a Democrat until this point and began to feel as though her party was too dependent on the federal government. As farmers, the Wilder family didn’t want the government coming in to tell them what they could or could do with their land.

     “They thought the government was interfering in people’s lives, that individuals during the Depression were becoming very whiny and weren’t grabbing hold of their courage. The climate of America was really irritating them,” said Woodside.

     Rose became one of the early motivators of the Libertarian movement.

     In fact, in her later years, she formed a connection with the politically active Koch brothers (Charles and David).

     Suffice to say, what I knew of the “Little House” family has obviously changed, but not for the worst. It’s funny that something like this, hearing from a researcher and author like Woodside, could drastically change one’s way of thinking. I love having a passion of reading and learning because it constantly changes.

     As Woodside said of her four decades of research: “I didn’t want to let go of this story. I also didn’t want to burst the bubble of little girls everywhere who fell in love with the books.”