Rose wilder lane son

Rose Wilder Lane was an American journalist, travel writer, novelist, and political theorist as well as a Libertarian spokeswoman. Although her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder, is now the better known writer, Lane's accomplishments remain remarkable.

Rose was born December 5, 1886, in De Smet, Dakota Territory, the first child of Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder. Rose became a big sister in August 1889, but sadly, her baby brother died before he could even be given a name. Just days afterward, little Rose was "helping" Laura in the kitchen, when a fire started, destroying the Wilders' home. These disasters, as well as crop failures, drove the Wilders from the Dakotas.

The family packed their belongings into a covered wagon and moved to Minnesota, Florida, back to South Dakota and eventually to Mansfield, Missouri, in 1894 where they established a farm.

Rose was very intelligent and thought school was boring because the work was far too easy for her. She attended high schools in Mansfield, Missouri and Crowley, Louisiana, graduating in 1904. Her intellect and ambition were demonstrated by her ability to compress three years of Latin into one, and by graduating at the top of her high school class. Despite this academic success, her parents' financial situation placed college out of reach.

After her high school graduation, she learned telegraphy at the Mansfield railroad station and, before the age of eighteen, began working for Western Union in Kansas City. She worked as a telegrapher in Missouri, Indiana and California for the next five years.

While living in San Fransisco, Rose met Claire Gillette Lane and they were married on March 24, 1909. Rose and Gillette moved to Kansas City where Rose worked for the Kansas City Post. In the summer of 1910, Rose gave birth to a baby boy, who died shortly afterward. After moving several times, Rose and Gillette returned to San Francisco where they began selling real estate. Her career flourished, but when World War I decreased land sales, Rose returned to writing.

In 1915, Rose began writing serial stories and columns for the San Francisco Bulletin. In 1917, Rose published her first book, Henry Ford's Own Story. Rose was gaining more and more independence, and in 1918, she and Gillette Lane were divorced. Rose never remarried, although she informally "adopted" and educated several young people throughout her life.

After Rose's marriage was officially over, she quit her job with the Bulletin and started a career as a free-lance writer. From this period through the early 1940s, her work regularly appeared in leading publications such as Harper's, Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, and Ladies' Home Journal. Several of her short stories were nominated for O’Henry Prizes and a few of her novels were top sellers. In the late 1920s, she was reputed to be one of the highest-paid female writers in America. She also easily found work as a ghostwriter or "silent" editor for other well-known writers, who were well aware of her talents in that area.

After World War I, Rose became a reporter for the American Red Cross, and was assigned to write about the conditions in war-torn countries. Her job took her throughout Europe, but of all the countries she visited, Albania quickly became her favorite. She informally adopted an Albanian boy after he saved her life. Many years later, she provided money for him to come to America and get a college education.

Rose returned to her parents’ farm in 1924. However, Rose was not content to stay in Missouri and she returned to Albania, but the unstable situation there forced Rose back to Missouri in 1928. She felt financially stable at last, and she freely spent money on a new home for her parents. She lost most of her money in the stock market crash of 1929 and returned to writing to earn a living once again.

Rose encouraged her mother to try to earn extra money writing as well. Laura recorded the many stories she had told Rose as a child into an autobiographical manuscript. Rose sought a publisher for her mother's work unsuccessfully. However, after reworking a part of the manuscript into a children's book, a publisher was found, and Little House in the Big Woods came into being. It can be said that the Laura’s strengths as a compelling storyteller, and Rose’s considerable skills in dramatic pacing, literary structure, and characterization, resulted in a remarkable collaboration, enabling them to recoup their financial losses from the Depression.

Rose lived on her parents' farm until about 1937, when she purchased a rural home outside of Danbury, Connecticut, where she continued to live until her death on October 30, 1968.

For her work she was awarded the O’Henry Award in 1922. A hall at Freedom School, Colorado Springs, CO is named in her honor. The Rose Wilder Lane Freedom Scholarship prize was established at Harlingen, TX in 1968.