The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder

by William Anderson

  All the time I am wishing for you

  In 1915, Laura and Rose were publishing regularly. Laura’s audience was the farm family; her scope, regional. Rose, who married Claire Gillette Lane, known as Gillette Lane, in 1909, was a staff writer for the San Francisco Bulletin. Her career flourished, but her six-year marriage to Gillette crumbled. She longed to show her mother the splendors of the world’s fair—officially named the Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Laura traveled by train to California. For two months she wandered through the fair, visited local beauty spots, and worked with Rose to improve her writing. Laura wrote Manly often; the full collection of letters was published in 1974 as West from Home (edited by Roger Lea MacBride, Harper & Row). Excerpts printed here demonstrate Laura’s expertise in describing the people, places, and events she encountered.

  AUGUST 25, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  I wish you were here. Half the fun I lose because all the time I am wishing for you.

  We passed through the most desolate country this morning—the first desert I’ve seen. The mountains were around the edges and as the sun rose they showed the most beautiful soft colors. There were miles and miles and miles of sand dunes without a spear of grass or a green thing, only now and then where there was a tiny ranch and a ditch of water from the river. We are climbing up out of the desert now through the encircling rim of mountains. They are simply frightful. Huge masses and ramparts of rock, just bare rock in every fantastic shape imaginable. They are not like I thought. I had supposed there were forests among the rocky peaks, but there is only once in a great ways a stunted pine. The mountains look like those pictures of old castles in Austria we were looking at, and such wonderful fortified places they would make—such castles could be made on them!

  I have washed my feet in the Pacific Ocean

  San Francisco

  AUGUST 29, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  I arrived safely in San Francisco. As I walked down the walk from the train toward the ferry, Rose stepped out from the crowd and seized me.

  On the ferry we sat on the upper deck and well in front, but a fog covered the water so I did not see much of the bay except the lights around it. . . . Gillette met us as we stepped off the ferry and we took a streetcar nearly home and climbed a hill the rest of the way.

  . . . Yesterday afternoon I went with Rose and Gillette down to the beach. At Land’s End I had my first view of the Pacific Ocean. To say it is beautiful does not half express it. . . . The water is such a deep wonderful blue and the sound of the waves breaking on the beach and their whisper as they flow back is something to dream about. . . . We walked from Land’s End around the point of land and came to the Cliff House and Seal Rocks but the seals would not show themselves.

  . . . I wanted to wade. Rose said she never had but she would, so we took off our shoes and stockings and left them on the warm sand with Gillette to guard them and went out to meet the waves. . . . The Salt water tingled my feet and made them feel so good all the rest of the day. . . . In other words, I have washed my feet in the Pacific Ocean.

  One simply gets satiated with beauty

  SEPTEMBER 4, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  . . . Gillette and I went to the Fairgrounds in the afternoon while Rose wrote on her story. Then Rose came down in time for the illumination and fireworks and we stayed until twelve o’clock. One simply gets satiated with beauty. . . .

  The coloring is so soft and wonderful. Blues and reds and greens and yellows and browns and grays are all blended together into one perfect whole without a jar anywhere. It is a fairyland. We went through a large entrance gate and were in the Zone, which is a long street of attractions like the side shows in a circus. . . .

  The buildings are built like those of a city and the streets and the four corners of streets form the courts. One goes through beautiful archways in the buildings into the courts where fountains splash and lovely flowers and green things are growing. There are life-like statues and figures of animals and birds. The foundation color of the buildings is soft gray and as it rises it is changed to the soft yellows picked out in places by blue and red and green and the eye is carried up and up by the architecture, spires and things, to the beautiful blue sky above. I have never imagined anything so beautiful.

  I saw the Southern Pacific Railroad exhibit in their building which is a life-like reproduction of California scenes, even to the waterfalls and the blossoming orchards in the Santa Clara Valley.

  We went into the Navajo Indian village, regular cliff dwellings. It is built to be a rocky cliff and one climbs up by steps cut in the solid rock all along the way. After you get up the cliff, there are holes dug into the rock, smaller or larger where the Indians live, making baskets and pottery and weaving rugs. . . . The Indians are very friendly and good-natured.

  We went back to the Zone and went to the Samoan Village. . . . There were several girls and men dressed, or rather undressed, in their native costume. . . .

  Rose and I went downtown in the morning

  SEPTEMBER 8, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  . . . Rose and I went downtown in the morning and Rose turned in her copy at the Bulletin office. We had a few errands to do and then we had a cup of tea and some muffins at “The Pig ’n Whistle”—a tea room. . . . After that we walked to the top of “Telegraph Hill.”

  . . . From the top of Telegraph Hill we looked down on the bay and boats and ships of all kinds going in every direction. . . . Across the bay we could see some of the cities of Oakland and Berkeley. In other directions we could see nothing but water. When we tired of this we went down the hill on the other side of the waterfront, among the docks. . . . This is a wonderful harbor, so large and quiet, with room for so many ships to anchor safely, and such a narrow, well-protected entrance: the Golden Gate.

  Honest fact, I’m homesick

  SEPTEMBER 13, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  . . . Honest fact, I’m homesick, but there are so many interesting things still to be seen . . . that I feel I must see some more of them before I leave. Then I do want to do a little writing with Rose to get the hang of it a little better so I can write something that perhaps I can sell. . . . I am going to do the things I absolutely must do before I come home. There are a few you know, such as going over my copy with Rose and going out to the Fair a couple of times. . . . I am anxious to get back and take charge of the hens again. Believe me, there is no place like the country to live that would lead me to give up Rocky Ridge for any other place. . . . Gee! It will be good to get busy again on my job.

  It was simply glorious

  SEPTEMBER 21, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  . . . I have had a trip on the bay out into the sunset. It was wonderful and the more the boat rolled on the waves the better I liked it. I did not get dizzy at all. We went out to the highest fort in the world and around by the quarantine station on Angel Island and then back to the anchorage. The fog rolled up and came down on us and we could not see the land in any direction. The ocean swell came in through the Golden Gate and rocked the boat. . . . It was just a little steam yacht we were on and Rose and I stood up in the very front and let the spray and the mist beat into our faces and the wind blow our hair and clothes and the boat roll under our feet and it was simply glorious.

  Postcard

  [Exhibit Palace, Carnation Milk Condensery, Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco]

  SEPTEMBER 29, 1915

  I’ll tell you all how they condense milk when I come. Was shown all over this very particularly.

  Bessie

  Almost without breathing, listening

  OCTOBER 14, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  . . . Rose and I went over to Berkeley to hear Fritz Kreisler, the Austrian, play the violin. This you know meant a trip across the bay, which is always such a pleasure, then a streetcar ride through Oakland, for this time we landed at the Oakland pier, then a walk across the campus . . .
to the Greek Theater.

  It was wonderfully beautiful at night. The lights were lit until the people were seated. . . . The stage and walls behind, like wings of a theater, are white marble and the tops of the tall pines and eucalyptus trees showed above it. The hills rise around the amphitheater so that the seats as they rise one above the other have the solid hillside behind them. . . . The moon shone just above the stage and it was all so beautiful that when Kreisler’s violin began to sing it made one’s throat ache. . . . We sat for two hours, almost without breathing, listening to it. [Kreisler (1875–1962) is considered by many to have been one of the greatest violinists of all time. He concertized widely, mostly in Europe and America, where he finally settled. His records were among those in the Wilders’ music collection at Rocky Ridge.]

  I will have my hands full

  OCTOBER 22, 1915

  Manly Dear,

  . . . At last I have a letter from the Ruralist with orders for copy and recommendations that give me passes into the Fair and throws the whole Missouri part of it wide open to me. The men in charge of the Missouri exhibits want me to persuade the Ruralist to issue a special edition at the P.P.I.E. and I have wired them about it. If they tell me to go ahead with it I will have my hands full for a few days getting out the copy for the whole paper. I expect to hear from them tomorrow. If I do the special edition I will not be able to start for home before ten days. . . .

  Do take care of yourself and Inky [the family dog] and whisper to him that I will be there before long. I have so many nice things planned to do when I get home and I am sure the woods are beautiful, but I would not give one Ozark hill for all the rest of the state that I have seen. Oh, by the way, Missouri has SHOWN THEM at the P.P.I.E. Carried off more prizes than any other state except California and beat California on mines. . . .

  Laura wrote two feature stories for the Ruralist based on her San Francisco experiences: “Magic in Plain Foods,” published on November 20, 1915, plus “And Missouri Showed Them,” which appeared on December 5, 1915.

  SURPRISE PARTY

  With no relatives near, Laura and Manly savored gatherings of friends in their spacious parlor. On January 5, 1917, just as the proceedings of the Eastern Star meeting started in the lodge chambers in Mansfield, the couple announced an unexpected party at Rocky Ridge. Everyone headed to the Wilder home. The Mansfield Mirror reported on the party with the headline “An Enjoyable Occasion.”

  One of the most enjoyable of affairs took place Friday night. Mansfield Chapter, Order of Eastern Star, while in session in their hall were surprised by an invitation to adjourn to the home of A. J. Wilder and wife. The usual order of things was reversed . . . the invitation was a complete surprise to the chapter members, who had only expected the regular meeting. Three cars conveyed the merry crowd to Rocky Ridge Farm, where the oak paneled, oak beamed living room was alight from the fire in the large fireplace and the glow of rose shaded lamps from the dining room. Delicious and unique refreshments were served during the evening, The table decorations were in The Star colors, the centerpiece being the regular Star emblem of the Order in the correct colors. The edibles served on each plate were also in the proper colors and design of the Star. After lunch, the guests gathered in the firelight and listened to the wonderful violin music of Fritz Kreisler, Elman, selections from well-known operas, Victor Herbert’s orchestra and Hawaiian stringed instrumentals. The music was furnished by a Victrola, the Christmas gift of Rose Wilder Lane of San Francisco, daughter of the hosts. With music and conversation the time passed without a dull moment and the guests departed, regretting that the evening had been so short.

  I am sure you will be pleased with the terms

  In 1917 eight farmers founded the Mansfield Farm Loan Association, a branch of the Federal Loan Bank. Laura was elected secretary-treasurer, and served as a director. She held the position for over a decade, working at home and in office space on the town square, processing loans and recording minutes at meetings.

  FEBRUARY 24, 1920

  Mr. Ira Young

  Mansfield, Missouri

  Dear Sir:

  Mr. N. J. Craig has asked me to give you information about our Mansfield National Farm Loan Association.

  If you want to get a loan at 5½% interest, with time [to pay] anywhere from five years to 35 years, I am sure you will be pleased with the terms the Farm Loan Association can give you. If you take the loan for 35 years it practically pays itself out, but it can be paid off at any time you wish to pay it.

  Mr. Wilder and I will be glad to show you all particulars about making the loan and I will make out the application for you if you decide to have it made, if you will come to our place. Come any time but if it is convenient it might be a good idea to telephone us you are coming so that we will be sure to be at home. . . .

  One hesitates to make enemies

  MARCH 26, 1920

  Hon. Alexander M. Dockery

  Third Assistant Postmaster General

  Washington

  Dear Sir:

  Our rural mail carrier is in the habit, whenever the weather is bad, of going part of the way on his route and then cutting across back to town leaving off this end of the route. There are eighteen boxes thus left without service and this has been done two days, and at one time three days in succession.

  There is, I believe, a creek where he usually abandons his route. At times the water in this creek is high but there has been nothing at any time to prevent him from starting to town on this end of the route and going one and a half miles, and in this distance he would pass the eighteen mail boxes.

  It would not matter so much to me if it were only my private mail but I am Secretary-Treasurer of the Mansfield National Farm Loan Association and the way our carrier has been doing interferes seriously with the handling of that part of the business of the Federal Land Bank which passes through my hands.

  Complaints to the postmaster have done no good. Complaints of the manner of conducting the post office at Mansfield have been made to the post office Inspector at Springfield and I have been told that these letters of complaint have been sent to the postmaster here and no other action taken. For this reason I am writing to you instead.

  When living in a small community like this, one hesitates to make enemies and if it is possible I hope this letter will be considered confidential, and that someone, other than the Inspector at Springfield, may be sent to investigate conditions at this post office, especially in the overseeing of the rural mail carriers.

  About nine months ago, our carrier lost or broke his key to the mail boxes. My box is some distance from and entirely out of sight from the house, and I cannot trust the valuable papers that go to and from The Federal Loan Bank in it without locking. I have asked several times that another key be gotten for the carrier but so far it has not been done and it is impossible for me to have the proper use of my mail box until he does. . . .

  Please do what you can for us so that the Mansfield post office will give its patrons the service it should. We will appreciate it very much. If an inspector comes and it is possible to do so, I would like to have a talk with him and explain more fully than it is possible to do in a letter.

  Very truly yours,

  Mrs. A. J. Wilder

  The interest is 5½%

  Friends and neighbors recalled that Laura was a persistent ambassador for the Farm Loan Association.

  APRIL 14, 1920

  Mr. O. S. Patterson

  Hartville [Missouri]

  Dear Sir:

  I have waited a few days before answering your letter so I could get these little books to send you for they explain [the loan process] in a letter. You see the interest is 5½%. The payment is made twice a year, which makes it easier than paying the full amount at one time. I am sending you a blank application and if you want to apply for a loan, fill out the application and send to me with $10 membership fee. . . .

  Mr. Wilder and I can hold our own in all arguments . . .

&
nbsp; SEPTEMBER 9, 1920

  Hon. Thomas L. Ruby

  Lebanon [Missouri]

  Dear Sir:

  We would like some information on the present tariff laws such as affect the farmers and not knowing where to ask for it, are imposing once more on your good nature.

  Republicans here are saying that because the Democratic administration removed the tariff on meat animals enormous numbers of them are being shipped into this country from Argentina. Answer: Elect the Republicans and raise the price of livestock. I’ll admit I am weak on the tariff and I would like to know if the laws have been changed in that respect since Republican rule and if so, when and how.

  Mr. Wilder and I can hold our own in all arguments so far except this one of tariff on livestock and we will be very glad of any information you can send us about it.

  Yours very truly,

  Mrs. A. J. Wilder

  Vote for Mr. N. J. Craig

  Noah Jefferson Craig and his family were among the Wilders’ closest friends. During his bachelor days, Craig boarded with the Wilders. When he founded the Farmers and Merchants Bank, they were among his first customers. Later, Rose Wilder Lane used Craig’s life story as the basis for her 1926 novel, Hill-Billy. Laura’s involvement in Democratic politics included stumping for Craig.

  OCTOBER 18, 1920

  Mr. Robert Kinser

  Hartville [Missouri]

  Dear Sir:

  I do not know what your politics are but I am writing to ask you to vote for Mr. N. J. Craig for prosecuting attorney if you can possibly do so. Mr. Craig has been a great help to us in our Farm Loan Association. There is no doubt that without his help we would not have had the Association, and so I think we ought to show our appreciation by giving him our votes.