L is for Laura Ingalls Wilder, the well-known children’s book author. My hometown of Mansfield, Missouri, is famous for where Laura wrote her Little House Books. Mansfield is home to Rocky Ridge Farm, where here books were written. We even have Pa’s fiddle. Up the road is The Rock House that Rose Wilder Lane built for her parents. The Wilders are buried in our Mansfield city cemetery.
The grand thing about having a well-known author who lived in your town is hearing the stories that the townspeople share who actually knew the Wilder’s. Fortunately, a lot of those stories have also been written down to be shared as most of the Wilder’s friends are deceased, too.
How many of you have read the “Little House” books? I have read them all many times. We even have Wilder Days in the fall to honor Laura. There are many contests that day including a little Laura and farmer boy contest. We even have a play that runs from the end of August to the end of October called Laura’s memories. The cast is made of local people. The audience will be filled with people from all over the world!
For those of you, who would be interested in checking out Laura’s life while in Mansfield, let me know. I would be happy to share!
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The Aggie Hipster
The Aggie Hipster 
Hello, Aggie Hipster. So glad you invited questions about your town. My mother and I are both avid Laura Ingalls Wilder fans. We were there to visit Mansfield many times. Recently this past spring, 2015. Since then, my mother introduced me to the Rose Wilder stories written by Roger Lea McBride which has renewed my interest in the Rocky Ridge Farm. Now I want to go back and find these places mentioned in the book. Albeat, I realize it is a ficticious writing, but could you tell me:
If there is a Patterson Hill mentioned in the book many times? I have looked on Mansfield maps and cannot find it.
Also Fry Creek where they fished and Rose crossed to go into town or school.
Where was the school house Rose attended?
Where was the apple orchard?
Has the spring behind the house dried up? I took a gander down into it this last time I was there and didn’t see any water.
Is the highway that runs by the Wilder house the same route they took to go into town when it was a dirt road?
What happened to the Cooley family that ran the hotel?
Is the hotel building still there?
Where was the Methodist church they attended?
Were Laura and Manly lonely? Especially, when Rose moved away and before Laura became famous.
I appreciate your answering my nosey questions. Just can’t imagine their life there. Trying to. I’m from Southeast Missouri. A little farming community there. Thanks!
I will answer your questions in the next couple of days I have to find the information which will not be hard. I am just at a show and will get your questions answered within the next couple days… also when you are back in Mansfield drop by the historical society we have alot of neat items from the time the Wilders lived here. Thanks
Hey sorry for the delay in getting back to you… so I believe that I have found the answers to your questions.
1. There is a Patterson cemetery and a hill behind that cemetery that would be probably be Patterson hill. It is also near the wilder home. According to my sources.
2. There is a Fry creek too it runs all the down along Hicks cave road and will eventually flow into Bryant… just tiny little creek. If you are curious about the whereabouts type Fry creek Mansfield Missouri on a map.
3. The schoolhouse where Rose attended Is still there on way out to the house. It’s has since quit being a school and is just home
4. The Apple orchard was located on rocky ridge farm where laura could see her apple trees bloom
5. Is a bit complicated no that is not the original road..
6. The spring… springs dry u
p and then get back into business when needed and there was an abundance of osprings
7. The Cooley family moved to Texas
8. No the hotel building had to be town down due to rotting boards
8. No there were not they had their own close group of friends and were very busy in the community
9. The Methodist buildin was near theUTe library