Digging Deeper in American History: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder

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As a young girl, I had a real fascination with Laura Ingalls Wilder. I loved Little House books, adored the TV series and for a while resented that one of my sisters got the middle name of Elizabeth instead of me (’cause then I’d have been Laura Elizabeth, too!)  Recently we were digging deeper in American History when we reviewed  Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder on DVD from Legacy Documentaries.

 

About The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder

If you grew up watching the Little House on the Prairie series, then you might recognize the name Dean Butler.  He played Laura’s love and husband, Almanzo Wilder, on that series.  But, what you might now know is that he’s branched out from acting in front of the camera to being the producer of documentaries with Legacy Documentaries alongside Rick Okie who worked  NBS with responsibility for oversight on the Little House series.  The company works to capture “life’s defining moments” whether in the form of biography or a tribute to an individual, group or company.

 

A few of the projects from Legacy Documentaries are related to the Little House experience he had: Almanzo Wilder: Life Before Laura and Little House on the Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 

The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder is an hour long documentary that goes beyond the “Little House” years and touches on the real life of Laura Ingalls Wilder. This was filmed at the various sites that the Ingalls & Wilder Families lived and includes an original music score, majestic cinematography and classis paintings.  The suggested retail price of the DVD is $24.95. 

 

 

You can watch a short preview of this and the other Little House themed videos to get a flavor for them.

 

 

Our Thoughts on The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder

The family had mixed thoughts on this particular educational video.  As I had that love of all things related to Little House on the Prairie growing up, I was excited to learn more about the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Although I’d read the books, watched the show, and even had my own prairie girl costume to wear, I had not really spent time learning more about Laura’s life. 

 

Unlike some documentaries with a voice talking over a barrage of old photographs, Mr. Butler and his company blended those types of historical artifacts with people in period dress filmed on location reenacting through motion (not words) snippets from the life of Laura Ingalls Wilder.  I found this to be a nice way to keep things from becoming ‘boring’ for the modern child used to lots of movement without crossing over into what our family would call a docu-drama where it is all acted out for you.  I know that I loved seeing actual photos of Laura and her family through the years.

 

One of the facts I found interesting from this documentary was that she and Almanzo had packed up the family and moved south for a few years.  I can’t say that I’m surprised that they did not make that their home for too long before returning to the colder climate they knew.  Those hot, humid days of the south are not for everyone. 

 

And, for anyone who takes the TV series or even the books to be an accurate representation of her life, think again.  Even the one character many of us loved to ‘hate’, Nellie Olesen, was a composite of 3 different girls Laura knew growing up.  Plus, Laura’s first teaching job had her living with a couple who nearly had a ‘showdown’ one night as the wife couldn’t stand the isolated prairie life.

 

As for the boys, after watching this documentary I realized that only the eldest son remembered listening to the Little House books in audio format.   So, I’m guessing they had less interest in learning about a ‘girl that grew up in harsh living conditions on the prairie and then wrote about her childhood’ than if they had already read all of the books and watched the TV show like I had.  I think the books will be going on the reading list for them as well as a short chapter about Laura from an American History book we are currently reading.

 

Personally, I thought the documentary was well done and really did a great job conveying not only some of the familiar, but also many things about Laura’s life beyond her beloved stories from childhood.  While her childhood is discussed in this documentary, the focus is more upon her adult life and the writing of the beloved books.  This would make an excellent accompaniment to a unit study incorporating the Little House books or even to give kids a glimpse into one historic figure’s life when studying about westward expansion and homesteading.  And, who knows….some of us aspiring authors might be inspired after hearing she wrote the children’s books later in life and finally get started on our own books!

 

Did you grow up reading the Little House books or watching the TV series?

Do you have a favorite character or ‘scene’ from the books or TV series?