🤠This Week in the West 🎙️ Episode 67: Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House Author’s Version of Pioneer Life 📢 Episode Summary: This episode of This Week in The West explores the life and legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder, whose Little House books shaped how generations of Americans imagine frontier life. Born in 1867, Wilder grew up in a constantly moving pioneer family that faced illegal settlement on Native land, brutal winters, crop failures, disease and near-constant financial instability. Far from a romantic adventure, her childhood was marked by hardship, early labor and survival on the margins of the American frontier.   After marrying Almanzo Wilder and enduring years of personal loss and economic struggle, Laura eventually settled in Missouri, where she began writing seriously in her 60s, encouraged by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. Although her first autobiographical manuscript was rejected as too bleak, she reworked her memories into books for young readers, beginning with Little House in the Big Woods in 1932. The series became a cultural phenomenon, later adapted into the beloved TV show Little House on the Prairie.   🔍 What You’ll Learn: How Laura Ingalls Wilder’s real childhood hardships differed from the gentler tone of the Little House books. The late-in-life writing journey that turned pioneer memories into one of America’s most influential book series. Why Wilder’s legacy is both beloved and critically reexamined in modern times. 👥 Behind the Scenes Host: Seth Spillman Producer: Chase Spivey Writer: Mike Koehler   🔗 Further research: Features, timeline and more from PBS, based on their American Masters documentary of Wilder: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/masters/laura-ingalls-wilder/ Laura Ingalls Wilder historic home: https://lauraingallswilderhome.com/ Laura Ingalls Wilder park and museum: https://www.lauraingallswilder.us/ 📬 Connect With Us 🌐 Website: www.thecowboy.org 📖 Read Our Blog: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/blog/ 📩 Email: [email protected] 📲Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/ncwhm/ 📷Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nationalcowboymuseum ❎X/Twitter: https://x.com/ncwhm 💼LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-cowboy-&-western-heritage-museum   🗺️ Visit Us: The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, 1700 NE 63rd Street, Oklahoma City, OK, 73111. See us on the map   🎟️: You can now buy tickets to The Cowboy online, go to https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/tickets/   💡 Support Us:🏅Become A Member of the Museum: https://nationalcowboymuseum.org/support/memberships/   🛒Shop at Persimmon Hill, our Museum store: https://persimmonhillstore.com/ 🎧 Listen & Subscribe: 🔹 Apple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-week-in-the-west/id1776228708 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2KYmd2BumVtQVH1ez1Cr2U 🔹YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFoE2kU21JpX9T6W9NonXuD9UapS1TsmN 🔹Podbean: https://thisweekinthewest.podbean.com/  ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to rate & review!