About the Homesteader

The Homesteader is the only publication of its kind about Laura Ingalls Wilder—created by Laura fans, for Laura fans. Twice a year its six pages are laser printed on high-quality paper, bound with jute, and mailed all over the world—France, Germany, Canada, and states in all four U.S. time zones.

The Homesteader was conceived in the summer of 2002 out of a direct desire to support the homesites of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Fans of Laura needed a place to turn on an ongoing basis for something new and fresh and engaging, yet fully Laura. There's just something reassuring about real paper in your hands ... real color photographs to look at ... a genuine publication.

Who is the Homesteader for? It's for those who have read the Little House® books endlessly; who have dreamed of seeing the prairie sky Laura lived beneath; who have wanted to learn about her as a wife, a mother, a farmer, a thinker, a writer, an historian. The Homesteader honors the places she wrote about, from Malone to Mansfield to De Smet. It also honors her fans, sharing contemporary, 21st-century information, research, and insights on her and her family—including her family of book characters.

The Homesteader does not—and will not—claim to be the repository for all that is Laura. We may even occasionally make mistakes. We do promise to be original, and inspiring, and respectful, and as accurate as we can be given the circumstances in which we work.

Because support for Laura's legacy is paramount to our mission, The Homesteader is available for purchase at homesites in De Smet, SD; Burr Oak, IA; Malone, NY; Walnut Grove, MN; and Independence, KS. Purchasing issues in person benefits the homesites, who profit on every issue sold. Subscriptions are also available in one-, two-, and three-year increments.