Life on Rocky Ridge Farm
Today, you can go see the Wilder home, Rocky Ridge Farm, as it remains the same it did when Laura Ingalls Wilder passed away in 1957. When you visit today, you cannot see the trails, joys, and struggles the family faced while they were building their home. You also cannot see the time it took for the Wilder family to build their beloved farm. Total, it took Laura and Almanzo about 20 years to get their Rocky Ridge home the way they always dreamed it would be. While you cannot see all these parts of the past, you can see what Laura and Almanzo Wilder built through these struggles and joys.
As stated before, the Wilder’s moved to Mansfield, Missouri for a fresh start in 1894. They purchased land outside of the city to build their new home. While the house was being built, the family lived in the town of Mansfield and Almanzo traveled to and from the farm every day. Eventually, a small one-bedroom log cabin was built on the land and the family moved out to the farm and stayed in the log cabin until the farmhouse was completed in 1913.
Along with the farmhouse, the family planted several apple orchard trees and a place for Almanzo’s horses. Once the house was built, it became the center of Laura’s life. Laura excelled at her life at Rocky Ridge farm, inside and outside the home. She loved being a wife and mom, who cooked and took care of the household duties. She also loved being outside of the home, not only working on the farm but also as an activist and serving on community boards, such as the Mansfield Farmers Loan Association, which processed more than a million dollars in government loans.