A mini-tour of the long-time home of Laura Ingalls Wilder, where her famous book series was written.
Rocky Ridge Farm, the home of Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband, Almanzo, sits outside of Mansfield, Missouri, in the Ozark Mountains. Or, as Laura wrote in one of her diaries (later published as the book "On the Way Home"), The Home of the Big Red Apple.
After Laura's death in 1958, Rocky Ridge Farm has become a mecca for the many fans of her Little House books.
In a building next to the farm house that Almanzo built is a museum that houses many of the treasures of the books. Upon entering the museum, you first see one of Laura's dresses, which gives a good picture of how tiny a woman she was. Then coming into view is Pa's fiddle. Any fan of the books can explain the importance of the fiddle. The fiddle is played during special events at the house. It is also the most poignant reminder that Laura Ingalls and her family were very real. Also on display in the museum are quilts made by Laura and her sister, the family Bible, and the plates saved from the fire in "The First Four Years."
Also included in the museum are various copies of the Little House books as printed all over the world and an exhibit of Rose Wilder Lane's (the daughter of Laura and Almanzo) belongings.
In another building, visitors can view a short video of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Rocky Ridge farm and the popularity of the Little House books. Laura's voice is heard on the video.
The house itself is a huge farm house, circa 1950. The tour begins in the kitchen, which includes the old coal cook stove and the calendar as it hung on the wall the day Laura was taken to the hospital before her death. The kitchen cabinets were built with Laura's shortness in mind. There is a hole in the wall between the kitchen and dining room. The dining room table is pushed up to this hole. It was put there to allow the cook to put the food right through the window to the table, rather than having to walk around.
In the dining room, there is the clock that was featured in "The First Four Years," bought for an early Christmas present. It runs perfectly.
From the dining room, the tour is taken into Laura and Almanzo's bedroom. It is a long room, longer than it is wide, with single beds at opposite walls. Next to this room was a very small room where Laura had a writing desk and a window seat. This is where she wrote most of the books and would sometimes fall asleep on the window seat when she wrote late at night.
Past the little writing room was the living room. This room is much more modern than the rest of the house, and may have been inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright. There is a small alcove called the library, with built-in shelves and many books. The larger room had lots of windows, a spacy airiness, and a stone fireplace. The stone all came from the farm itself. Just off the living room was a music room, with a beautiful organ. This is not the organ that was given to Mary in the later Little House books.
That ended the tour of the house. Visitors left through the front door, to the large porch, where they could then walk around the property.
The price of the museum also includes a tour of the Rock House, a small house built of rocks on another part of the farm. This house was built for Laura and Almanzo by their daughter as a retirement home. The first few books were written from this house, but Laura and Almanzo eventually grew homesick for Rocky Ridge and moved back to the farm house (where the final books were written).
