I’ve often heard it said that you’re never too late to write the story of your heart. It’s a good thing that Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867–1957) didn’t let her age of 65 hold her back from writing hers. Encouraged by her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane (1886–1968), Laura wrote the first four books of the Little House on the Prairie series in the Rock House on Rocky Ridge Farm.

Rocky Ridge Farm Rock House

We drove to Mansfield, Missouri, on April 2, 2023, and joined a docent and several guests at the front door of Rock House on Rocky Ridge Farm. We learned Rose built the house for her parents, Laura Wilder and Almanzo Wilder (1857–1949, birth year disputed). Our tour guide crammed us all into the small rooms, not allowing us to wander or linger behind, so interior photos were impossible to snap.

She regaled us with stories about the family, much of which I’ve forgotten, as she ushered us from one small room to another. I should record these presentations, but I’m usually so enthralled with the tour guide’s presentation, I forget to ask permission.

Rose had the Rock House built upon her return from travels in 1928. The home included many of the modern conveniences of the day as a gift to her parents. Laura and Almanzo moved in at Christmas time that year.

The couple lived in the home until 1936 when they moved back to the Rocky Ridge Farm farmhouse. I guess living in the farmhouse was more to their liking than the modern conveniences afforded them at the Rock House.

A portion of the property and Rock House was eventually sold and passed through a few owners before the Wilder Home Association could repurchase it. Amazingly, many of the original fixtures and design features remained intact.

Rocky Ridge Farm farmhouse

The farmhouse was our next tour with a different guide. The process for the tour was the same in the farmhouse as at the Rock House. The guide crammed us first into the kitchen area and then into each subsequent room. However, this time I could take a few quick photos by lagging behind a bit.

Arriving in Mansfield, Missouri, from South Dakota in August 1894, Laura and Almanzo purchased a forty-acre farm with a one-room log cabin near a spring and ravine. A year later in 1895, they built a room onto the side of the house and the next year they moved the new room to the present historic house location where it is now the kitchen. Additional add-ons included a two-room house with an attic bedroom for Rose. Construction on the home was completed in 1913.

The home remains as it was in 1957 with the same furnishings, dishes, and pictures. Conservation projects began in 2018 to preserve the furniture. The rose-colored armchair in the photo below was the first piece of furniture to be preserved under the Save America’s Treasures National Trust for Historical Preservation. Additional preservation projects are underway.

Museum at Rocky Ridge Farm

Our final stop was the Museum at Rocky Ridge Farm. Here is where the Ingalls and Wilder family collections are displayed. Artifacts include: The Little House on the Prairie books, Pa’s fiddle, handwritten manuscripts, keepsakes, tools, and objects Almanzo made.

There is also a section dedicated to the life of Rose Wilder Lane, who was a writer. Her writing career, the objects she used, and her clothes are on display.

City of Mansfield

Before leaving Mansfield, we stopped at the town square to take in the town where Laura, Almanzo, and Rose called home. In 1881, F.M. Mansfield, a Hartville attorney, and George H. Nettleton, a Kansas City surveyor, purchased land that would become the City of Mansfield, Missouri, “Where the Little House Books were written.”

As you might have noticed from the photos, the city downtown area could use revitalization. I’m sure it’s hard to have a thriving downtown area with a population of approximately 1230 people. Wouldn’t it be nice to return in a year or two and see the stores filled with businesses?

I found the City of Mansfield’s website interesting. It has a detailed historical timeline listing dates such as when the first post office opened, or when the first school was built. Mining was an economic driver in the 1880s until the boom ended in 1920, then the dairy industry took over and remains strong. Instead of listing out the entire timeline, I’ll let readers visit the website on their own if they are interested.

Let me close out this post with quote:

I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all. — Laura Ingalls Wilder

Has Laura Ingalls Wilder inspired you to write the story of your heart?

Next up: Green County Botanical Center and Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden in Springfield, Missouri

Safe Travels