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Latest Episodes:

A Little House 50th Anniversary Special! Aug 29, 2024

We’re back for a very special episode! It’s been a year since you last heard from us and so much happened. Thousands of people have listened to the show and continue to keep the dialogue about Laura’s life and legacy alive. Glynnis and Jo published books. But perhaps most importantly, the Little House on the Prairie TV show turned 50! To prepare for this momentous anniversary in early September (and Glynnis’ 50th birthday), Glynnis and our producer Emily got together to share memories from the road and reflect on the lessons we learned from making this show that we still think about every day. Plus, they share never before heard clips from the road trip that started it all and from interviews with some of the most beloved Little House actors who still play a huge role in keeping Laura’s legacy alive.

Buy Glynnis' book, I'm Mostly Here to Enjoy Myself, and Jo's book, The Sicilian Inheritance!

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BONUS: "Oh, that Nellie Oleson!" with Alison Anrgrim Oct 20, 2023

Surprise! We’re back to share our extended interview with Alison Arngrim, aka everyone’s favorite mean girl: Nellie Oleson. She’s a powerhouse when it comes to keeping the Little House legacy alive, from her marathon re-read of the books on Facebook Live during the pandemic, to attending events at the Laura Ingalls Wilder homes and fan conventions across the country, to using her celebrity for meaningful activism. Beyond all that, she’s simply a delight and we hope you enjoy the interview!
Read Alison Arngrim’s memoir, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch

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10. “It can never be a long time ago.” Aug 31, 2023

As we talked about in our very first episode, the last line of Big Woods reads, “Now is now, it can never be a long time ago.” That line might be the most accurate description there is of the Little House series. Little House on the Prairie might be about another time, but Laura’s stories are very much alive in our time. We can't seem to let her go. But of course, some of the ways in which Laura is relevant are painful to consider. The story she tells is narrow, contributing to a long held mythology of the American West that prioritizes white narratives. For a final look at Laura’s impact, Glynnis and Wilder producer Emily drive further west, beyond Laura’s homesteads, to understand what we’re missing when we hold on too tightly to one narrative. Could it be time to let Laura go?

Go deeper:
More on Mount Rushmore and the Black Hills
More on the Gordon Stockade
More on the Battle of the Little Bighorn
More on Buffalo Calf Road Woman
More on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

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BONUS: Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires Aug 17, 2023

In all of our research for this show, one of the scholars who has most influenced our thinking on Laura and her work is Caroline Fraser, author of the Pulitzer Prize winning biography, Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura obsessives know that Prairie Fires is the motherload when it comes to understanding Laura’s life. It provides a detailed historical account of her childhood and takes a holistic look at the fraught personal and working relationship that Laura had with her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. As we put together our final episode, we’ve been revisiting Caroline’s book and the amazing interview we did with her. Today, we wanted to share the extended interview with you, as a deeper dive into Laura’s life, and to help set the scene before Glynnis comes to some big conclusions in our series finale.

Go deeper:
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires

We want to hear from you! If listening to Wilder has changed your thinking on Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House books, send a voice memo to wilderpodcast@gmail.com. You might be featured in our final episode ;)

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BONUS: A chat with Melissa Gilbert Aug 10, 2023

We’re nearing the end of our series, but before we go we have a surprise for you. Is it tin cups and peppermint sticks? A pig’s bladder? No! It’s our extended interview with the one and only Melissa Gilbert! No one knows what it’s like to shoulder the legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder quite like Melissa. 50 years ago, she was cast as Laura Ingalls on the Little House TV show at just 9 years old, which means Melissa has spent close to a lifetime with Laura and all of her complications. She talked to us about that experience, as well as what it was like working on the TV show, finding agency as a young actor, her business Modern Prairie, her activism, and even her thoughts on Rose. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did!

Go deeper:
Melissa Gilbert’s memoirs Prairie Taleand Back to the Prairie
Modern Prairie

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9. The Business of Laura Aug 03, 2023

Laura Ingalls Wilder probably couldn’t have imagined the multi-million dollar media empire that would emerge from her books. From the television show to prairie chic dresses to dolls to tin cups bearing her name, Laura is a brand, a business and, dare we say it, an influencer. Her stories have spawned industries large and small, both directly and indirectly for nearly a century. How exactly did the simple prairie life get sold to millions around the world?

Go deeper:
Stay at the Prairie House Manor in De Smet, SD
The Queen’s Treasures
Melissa Gilbert’s Modern Prairie
Stephanie McNeal on the Nap Dress
Sara Petersen’s Momfluenced

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8. Little Landon on the Prairie Jul 27, 2023

This week, Little House goes to Hollywood. In the 1970s, the TV show Little House on the Prairie gave Laura’s books a whole new life. Tens of millions of people tuned in every week to spend time with the Ingalls family. And then, a decade later, every Gen X latchkey kid came home to Laura and Nellie and Ma and Pa. Thanks to endless reruns and streaming platforms, Little House is still airing somewhere right now. Perhaps you, yourself are watching it while you read this. There are a lot of reasons Little House doesn’t quit, but one of the main ones is Michael Landon, the show’s producer, writer, director, and most importantly, Laura’s Pa, Charles Ingalls. As Pa, Landon’s charm and charisma (and hair, and abs, and bare, glowing chest) often eclipsed Laura as the star of the show. And also turned hardcore book fans off. To say the TV show deviated from Laura’s books is an understatement. This was Landon’s prairie. And yet, he still managed to tap into some essential Little House truths, and replicate some of its many problems. But how did this affect Laura Ingalls Wilder’s legacy? What did it mean to put these characters in the hands of a man who would craft their stories into something dramatic and compelling enough to keep people tuning in a half century later? Come home to a simpler time. Come home to Michael Landon crying.

Go deeper:
Alison Arngrim’s Confessions of a Prairie Bitch
Melissa Gilbert’s Prairie Taleand Back to the Prairie
Karen Grassle’s Bright Lights and Prairie Dust
Charlotte Stewart’s Little House in the Hollywood Hills
Michael Landon on the Tonight Show promoting Little House’s first season
Michael Landon on the Tonight Show addressing cancer diagnosis

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7. The Problem of Laura Jul 20, 2023

What is our responsibility to the things we loved the most? One answer is to be brutally honest about who and what we love. That’s what we’re doing in this episode. We’re going to take a long, hard look at the worst parts of Laura: the racism, the violence, and xenophobia present in the Little House series. There’s more than you might think. Even Glynnis, a person who thought she knew Laura all the way through, was surprised and sometimes shocked. We also talk about the harm the books have caused and investigate whether the Little House books should still have a place in our classrooms or even on our shelves.

Go deeper:
On Native American History
Mni Sota Makoce: Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White
Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan
More on government operated boarding schools for Native children

On Native representation and racism in the Little House books
Little squatters on the Osage Diminished Reserve by Frances W. Kaye
Lizzie Skurnick on Little House’s “Myth of White Self-Sufficiency”

On Black prairie narratives
More on Doctor George A. Tann
Era Bell Thompson: A North Dakota Daughter

Alternate children’s book recommendations:
Prairie Lotus by Linda Sue Park
Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich
Forever Cousins by Laurel Goodluck
More recommendations from Dr. Debbie Reese

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6. Outside the Little Houses Jul 13, 2023

At her best, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie books offer a door for readers to walk through to get the full picture of the world the Ingalls were living in. She may not tell you everything in the books (and in some cases, she tells you very little), but ideally she leaves you wanting more. For instance: Who were the Native Americans living alongside the Ingalls? What were buffalo wolves? Do they still exist? In this episode, we’re going to try and paint a bigger picture for you. Imagine you are standing in the doorway of any one of Laura’s Little Houses. You’re looking outside. What might you actually be seeing?

Go Deeper:
More on the buffalo slaughtering of the 19th century
Learn more about the US Dakota War of 1862
Little War on the Prairie (This American Life ep 479), featuring Gwen Westerman
Mni Sota Makoce: Land of the Dakota by Gwen Westerman and Bruce White
Dr. Chris Wells’ work
Dr. Flannery Burke’s work

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5. This American Life Jul 06, 2023

One of the reasons the Little House books are so compelling is because Laura Ingalls was a real person. She lived the experiences she wrote about. These things actually happened. But also? She’s a real person, with serious flaws, problematic family members (oh hey, Pa) and traumas she simply couldn’t face in her writing. This week, we’re fact checking the books. What is actually true? What is made up? And what is left out entirely?

This one’s for you, Jack the dog.

Go deeper:
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires
Visit the Laura’s birthplace in Pepin, Wisconsin
Visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder Park & Museum in Burr Oak, Iowa

Edit 7/10:Dr. Debbie Reese posted about this episode, specifically commenting on Jack the dog and the phrase "happy hunting grounds" in her blog, American Indians in Children's Literature.

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4. Daughter Dearest pt. 2: Politics and Rose Jun 29, 2023

Who actually wrote the Little House books? For decades this question has loomed over the series. Was it Laura, a 65-year-old farm wife? Or her daughter Rose, one of the country's most successful freelance writers? But that's not the only conspiracy theory these heartwarming, cozy books have spawned. Many people also believe they are a Libertarian fantasy masquerading as tales for children. In this episode we tackle the question: how involved in the writing was Rose, really? And how much of Rose’s sometimes extreme political ideology ended up woven into Laura’s story? And if that weren't enough, we also look into whether Rose was responsible for funding the education of two of the most powerful right-wing operatives in America. While we're on the subject of politics, did Little House bankroll a failed run for President? And, finally, how did a man Laura never met, come to control the entire Little House world? We told you Rose was complicated.

Go deeper:
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires
Visit the Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Historic Homes in De Smet, South Dakota
Visit Laura and Rose’s homes in Mansfield
All About Kids! episode with Roger Lea MacBride, courtesy of Hennepin County Library
Roger Lea MacBride’s presidential campaign ad courtesy of Carl Albert Center Archives

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3. Daughter Dearest pt. 1: The Hurricane Jun 22, 2023

Behind the cozy wholesome sweetness of the Little House books, is a raging mother and daughter relationship that is the stuff of soap operas and tabloid talk shows. Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almanzo had one living child named Rose. That child would go on to be Rose Wilder Lane – one of the most successful, and controversial, freelance writers in the early 20th century. Without her, the Little House books would never have been written. It was also Rose, the world famous writer, scared of being eclipsed by her mothers success, who, overcome with jealousy and resentment, almost derailed the entire Little House series before it even got started. In the first part of this two part episode, we’re going to meet Rose Wilder Lane. Where did she come from? What was her life like? How did she become her mother’s greatest collaborator, and under-miner?

Go deeper:
Visit Laura and Rose’s homes in Mansfield
Caroline Fraser’s Prairie Fires

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2. Heroine with a Thousand Faces Jun 15, 2023

How do you convey how much you loved the things you loved as a child? For lots of people, that thing is the Little House books. For better or worse, the books have shaped children’s lives and influenced how we understand American history. But to truly understand what we love and why we love it, we have to know where it comes from. The books didn’t just spring fully formed from Laura’s mind. There were many people, places, and institutions responsible for getting them published. This week, host Glynnis MacNicol takes us from Mansfield, Missouri to the halls of New York publishing houses to explain how the Little House books got written in the first place and shaped into the books we continue to return to today.

Go deeper:
Visit Laura’s home in Mansfield
The Pioneer Girl Project
Dear Genius: The Letters of Ursula Nordstrom

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1. "Now is Now" Jun 08, 2023

Host Glynnis MacNicol has loved Laura Ingalls Wilder and her Little House books since she was a kid. She’s not alone in this, a lot of people have a strong devotion to Laura. Some travel miles to visit her houses and attend pageants dedicated to Laura and her books. But over the years, Laura, her work, and her legacy have become increasingly controversial. How do we reckon with the things we loved as a child? The stuff that made us who we are? Glynnis takes to the road to find out, driving across the midwest to all of Laura’s houses. First stop: Walnut Grove, Minnesota.

Go Deeper:
Visit Walnut Grove
Keiko Satomi’s article, At The Library: Libraries put 'Little House' series in new light
Dr. Debbie Reese’s blog, American Indians in Children’s Literature

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