Pepin in Pepin County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Laura Ingalls Wilder
In the 1870s her parents moved the family to Kansas Territory, then to Minnesota and finally to South Dakota. At 15 Laura was teaching school and three years later married Almanzo Wilder. They lived for awhile in South Dakota before settling on a farm near Mansfield, Missouri.
Mrs. Wilder began her writing career when she was sixty-five. First in the series of eight books was "Little House in the Big Woods," describing her experiences here in the Pepin area. The book was an immediate success.
The author was surprised at her success and told an interviewer after writing her first book, "I thought that would end it. But what do you think? Children who read it wrote to me begging for more. I was amazed because I didn't know how to write. I went to little red schoolhouses all over the West and I never was graduated from anything." She died in 1957.
Erected 1962 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 118.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Women. In addition, it is included in the Wisconsin Historical Society series list. A significant historical month for this entry is February 1972.
Location. 44° 26.552′ N, 92° 9.145′ W. Marker is in Pepin, Wisconsin, in Pepin County. Marker is on The Great River Road (State Highway 35) north of Washington Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is in Laura Ingalls Wilder Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 806 3rd Street, Pepin WI 54759, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Anchor from the "Phil Scheckel" (a few steps from this marker); The River of Rafts (approx. 3.2 miles away in Minnesota); Lake Pepin (approx. 3.2 miles away in Minnesota); a different marker also named Lake Pepin (approx. 3.2 miles away in Minnesota); Site of Fort St. Antoine (approx. 3.9 miles away); A Very Old Fish Story (approx. 5.4 miles away in Minnesota); Historic Lake Pepin: Birthplace of Waterskiing (approx. 5.4 miles away in Minnesota); Louis McCahill Memorial Park (approx. 5˝ miles away in Minnesota).
Credits. This page was last revised on February 22, 2021. It was originally submitted on August 8, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 3,040 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 8, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Craig Swain was the editor who published this page.