Our next interview is with that darling child of the frontier, Laura Ingalls. Let's hear
what Laura's got to say.
Greg: Welcome, Laura. It's
really great to have you here.
Laura: Thank
you for inviting me. I haven't seen this many trees since we moved away from
the big woods.
Greg: Why
don't you tell us a little bit about that, Laura.
Laura: Why
sure. I was born in the big woods, in Wisconsin. Pa and Ma and Mary and me were
real happy there. We had the best of times, working on the farm, and sugaring
off--that's making maple syrup iffin' ya didn't know. Sometimes, after sugaring
there'd be a dance. I loved the dances. Pa would play his fiddle, and we had a
grand time.
Winters were
cold, but wonderful. At night we'd sit by the fire and listen to Pa play his
fiddle. Mary and I would dance with Ma and clap our hands. Sometimes I'd just
sit quiet and listen. I could listen to Pa play for days on end, if his arms
would let him.
Greg: Sounds
lovely. How did you come to leave Wisconsin?
Laura: Pa
got word that there was land opening up in Kansas. He sold our little house in
the big woods, bought a covered wagon, and took us lock, stock and barrel to
Kansas. Funny thing, he never told us it was still technically Indian
Territory. I suppose he didn't want to worry us. Ma was pretty surprised. She
wasn't partial to Indians, I've since found out.
Pa built the
most lovely little house on that ol' prairie, but even Pa couldn't do it by
himself. Our new neighbor, Mr. Edwards, helped him some. Pa put in the floor,
put on a roof, and dug the well all by himself, though. He was just the
strongest, handsomest and smartest man in the whole Kansas territory was Pa.
Greg: So everything was perfect, I take it.
Laura: Well, no. We had our share of trouble. There was the fever, for
one. Ma called it fever 'n' ague. It nearly done us all in. Ma says we got it
from eating watermelon, although that never made much sense to me.
Once we were better, Mr. Edwards brought us Christmas presents from
Independence. That sure was a nice Christmas, right after being so sick and
all. We were happy there, but we had to move again on account of our land
really still belonged to the Indians and the army was gonna make us leave.
Greg: Oh dear, so it was on the road again, was it? Where did you wind up
next?
Laura: Funny enough, we wound up on the
banks of Plum Creek--that's near Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Our bulldog, Jack,
came with us, and little Carrie. Pa traded our two horses to Mr. Hanson for
some land.
At first we lived in a house dug out of a hill, but Pa built a nice wood
house soon enough. He farmed the land and did all right for himself, all things
considered.
I liked Walnut Grove. I got to go to an actual, real school for the first
time in my life. My teacher, Miss. Beadle, was a real inspiration to me. That's
where we met that old Nellie Oleson. She was so high falutin' calling us
country girls like she was born and raised in New York City. Well, Walnut
Grove, Minnesota is no New York City, I can tell you. I don't know where she
got such strange notions.
Greg: So, did you stay in Walnut Grove?
Laura: Land sakes, no! Things were all right for a time, but after
the plague of locusts wiped out our crops, and Pa was nearly froze to death in
a blizzard, and we all got scarlet fever that made Mary go blind, it was time
to move on again.
After leaving the banks of Plum Creek, we moved on to the shores of Silver
Lake in South Dakota. It was really the idea of my Aunt Docia who had come to
Minnesota on a visit. She said Pa should come and work in my Uncle Henry's
railroad camp in South Dakota. Ma and Pa thought it was a good idea, so we all
up and moved again.
Pa sold out, and took the wagon and the team, while we followed by train,
Mary being so weak still and all. It was exciting travelling on the train, I'd
never been on a train before. It went so wonderfully fast. I didn't know you
could go as fast as that!
So Pa was all set working for the railroad. But, wouldn't you know it, not
long after, the railroad camp pulled up stakes and headed back east. Things
weren't so good. Winter was coming on, and we still hadn't found a place to
stay.
Luckily, Pa was able to find us a place watching the county surveyor's house
for the winter. We were living high off the hog there, I can tell you. In the
spring, Pa found us some land, and we got settled. We stayed there for quite a
spell.
Greg: Well, it certainly sounds like you've had quite an adventurous life
for one so young. Maybe you should write a book!
Laura: You know, I've always thought about writing a book. Maybe
one day when I'm grown I'll up and do it.
Greg: Well, good luck with it. Thank you so much, Laura. It was a pleasure
talking with you.
Laura: The pleasure was all mine, you're almost as nice as Mr.
Edwards, but you don't have an old scraggly beard like him.
