Laura Ingalls Wilderedit this page
Little House on the Prairie Wiki
| Laura Ingalls Wilder | |
| Played by | Melissa Gilbert |
| Gender | Female |
| Debut | Pilot Movie |
| Occupation | Teacher |
Laura Ingalls Wilder (often referred to as "Half Pint") is the second daughter of Caroline and Charles Ingalls. When she was young, Laura most of the time was the tomboy of the Ingalls family; preferring to go fishing or play baseball instead of doing more ladylike activities. After moving to Walnut Grove, Laura soon met Nellie Oleson and the two became rivals throughout most of their childhoods. They did make amends when the two were older though.
Laura was a big fan of animals, and had many pets. One of her first pets was Jack, who was her companion for many years. She also had a horse, Bunny, who she sold to the Olesons' in order to buy Caroline a stove for Christmas. Laura did managed to get Bunny back, but Bunny's life was cut short when she fell over a wired fence; ultimately leading to Bunny having to be put out of pain. Jack passed away as well, in the Ingalls' barn and was buried on a hill in Plum Creek. Her next dog was Bandit, who she had throughout the remainder of her teen years.
During the time when Jack past, Laura made a new friend, Andrew Garvey. The two did many things together such as caring for a mother wolf and her babies, and solving a series of burglaries that had happened in Walnut Grove.
When the Ingalls moved to Winoka for a short time, they met Albert an orphan who they would later adopt. Andrew and Laura were also good friends with him. Not long after returning to Walnut Grove, Laura met her future husband, Almanzo Wilder, who was the brother of the new schoolteacher Eliza Jane, who later helped Laura with her teaching exams.
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[edit] Childhood
Laura was born in the big woods of Wisconsin, but soon moved with her family to Kansas. During their treacherous journey, the Ingalls were crossing a stream and did not put Jack in the wagon. Laura mentioned this to Pa when they were crossing, but he said it was too late to go back. Jack later got washed downstream.
While Caroline and the girls set up camp Charles went to look for Jack, but to no avail. Their prayers were answered though when one evening Laura heard a noise from a nearby grassy area and a furry wet head popped up and it was Jack. Eventually the Ingalls settled in the open prairies of Kansas, and one day Charles brought Mr. Edwards with him to help him build their home. Edwards would become a lifelong friend of Laura.
After building a home and turning over a new leaf in Kansas they were ordered to leave by the government, because they were on the "wrong side" as Charles said. Laura and Mr. Edwards said a tearful goodbye to each other, but they would soon meet again. The Ingalls family then traveled and settled in Plum Creek of Walnut Grove, Minnesota. Mary and Laura soon had to attend school, and were dubbed as "country girls" by Nellie Oleson. The teacher of the school was Miss Beadle, who Laura and Mary were both fond of as Miss Beadle was of them. Laura also got her love of Lemon Verbena perfume from Miss Beadle.
Once, when Laura was ill, Charles found Mr. Edwards drunk in a saloon, and offered him to come back to Walnut Grove so he could be rehabilitated, unbeknown to Laura who thought he was just on a visit. Mr. Edwards also took a liking or "took a shine" in prairie talk, to Grace Snider, a widow who worked in the post office. Laura and Grace were also good friends, as was the rest of the Ingalls family with her.
Not long after, Laura had a crush on an older student, Johnny Johnson; who was interested in Mary. This resulted in some sibling rivalry between Laura and Mary, which didn't happen often. Charles later explained to Laura that someday, like Mary, she'll have many boys who are interested in her. Though it might be a coincidence, this also may have been the start of Laura's attraction to older men.
Laura later made a new friend named Olga Nordstrom, at a party held by Nellie Oleson. Because of a birth defect, one of Olga's legs were shorter than the other. Laura told Pa about this, and later he got an idea to build a special shoe for Olga, so that both of her legs could be even. The Ingalls family then threw a party at their house, and Olga showed her father that she could play as the rest of the children.
One day when Laura was playing outside with her glass doll, it accidentally got broke when she set it down to play catch with Mary. When Mary was out with Jack, they found a raccoon, and Mary brought it home to cheer Laura up. Laura named him Jasper, and prided herself on teaching him tricks. When Laura brought Jasper to school, and because of food aggression and the many children at the school, Jasper bite Laura on her finger and also bites Jack, and then ran away into the woods. Laura makes Mary promise to keep it a secret. After a raccoon who the Ingalls think is Jasper, kills some of their chickens, Charles fears that Jack might have rabies and keeps him in the barn.
Mary must then break the news to Pa that Jasper had already bitten Laura, but had promised not to tell. Charles planned to shoot Jack, but before he does a raccoon shows up who is the real Jasper, and the Ingalls find out it was another raccoon who killed the chickens and Jack is untied from the barn, and the Ingalls embraced their furry friend.
Soon after, Charles and Caroline had a son named Charles Frederick. Laura becomes jealous of young Charles and refuses to pray for her brother's good health. Unfortunately, Charles Jr. dies soon after and Laura is crushed by guilt. That Sunday, Reverend Alden has a sermon about miracles, and Laura takes matters into her own hands and decides to run away and pray for a miracle. Laura decides that her late brother meant more to her father than herself, so she pledges herself to God on a mountain to took his place in heaven, so that he may come back to earth to be with her father. Laura soon met Jonathan, a heaven-sent stranger who showed Laura how much she does mean to her father. After endless searching, Charles and Mr. Edwards do find Laura and take her home.
[edit] Behind the scenes
| Michael Landon thought that Melissa Gilbert was a child that anybody could relate to. She wasn't over the top perfect gorgeous, she was a kid. She was a natural kid that loved everything, that wanted to experience everything. And, qualities of warmth and her qualities of honesty made it the part; she became Laura Ingalls, and that's what he [Michael Landon] loved so much about her.
Melissa was the child counterpart to Michael the adult. So the two of them when they would act together you absolutely felt that they were father and daughter, and you absolutely felt the camaraderie between the two of them. They laughed together, they had great fun together, and they really loved each other. | 
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| —Susan McCray, Casting Little House | ||
Laura was portrayed by Melissa Gilbert throughout the series.