Laura’s Life on Rocky Ridge Farm
Rocky Ridge Farm holds such profound significance on Laura’s life. One could say, had it not been for this inspired and pivotal time with Almanzo and Rose at their beloved homestead, we may have never known about her at all.
If you’re a fan of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books, then Rocky Ridge Farm here in Mansfield, Missouri is a destination that should be near and dear to your heart. Rocky Ridge Farm holds such profound significance on Laura’s life. One could say, had it not been for this inspired and pivotal time with Almanzo and Rose at their beloved homestead, we may have never known about her at all. But the fact remains, her writings from the perspective of a pioneer life have created a following around the globe. It’s only fitting that we preserve and cherish the place where the Little House books were written.
It’s in Mansfield where the pioneer girl would blossom into a contemporary woman of her time. When Laura, Almanzo and Rose moved to Missouri in 1894, she began giving back to her community and eventually the world. Laura excelled as a parent, teacher, cook, journalist, farmer, activist and a staunch Democrat. She also served as the secretary treasurer of the Mansfield Farm Loan Association, processing more than a million dollars in government loans. But it is also here at Rocky Ridge Farm where Laura would become an internationally-acclaimed author. Laura’s amazingly accomplished life in Mansfield serves as an essential foreword to the stories she would come to tell about the pioneering life she led in her Little House books.
I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.
– Laura Ingalls Wilder
There is so much to take in on Rocky Ridge Farm. The New York Times is quoted as saying “The house is bursting with treasures – a must detour for lovers of the Little House books.” From touring the last of Laura’s homes, experiencing the restored homestead, to visiting the museum that contains the most comprehensive Ingalls and Wilder family collections in the world, one can truly say they have walked the pages of history.