Laura, circa 1885 at the time of her marriage to Almanzo. via Wikicommons
Fifteen years ago, in only our second episode, we covered beloved author Laura Ingalls Wilder. Since the 1930s, her Little House book series brought life on the American prairie to millions…and that was before the TV show! Rolling prairies! Gingham bonnets! Half Pint! The books were based on the real life of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but “based on” is carrying a lot of weight here. What was the true story?
When we talked about her in 2011, we were newbie podcasters, and we used the materials and skills we had available at the time. While we have learned a few things over the years, that’s not the biggest difference in Laura’s story. Over those years, there have been A LOT of new studies and biographies about her that shine a light on the darker edges of her story. We decided to cover her again with the materials available to us now in 2026. The basic story is the same, but the details of it? The stories behind the well-known ones? Well, give a listen and find out for yourself.
Part One will cover Laura’s life beginning in Colonial America, through her parents’ story, and all the way to the beginning of her marriage to Almanzo Wilder. We hit all the times and places where her books were set, and the story is far darker than Laura shared in her beloved children’s book series.
TIME TRAVEL WITH THE HISTORY CHICKS
Here are a couple of media recommendations to tide you over until the next episode:
Beckett has a new fascination with whatever this historical fiction genre is. By Sarah MillerAn expert on Laura talks with other experts on Laura. Susan binged the series. Find this show on your favorite podcatcher
All the rest of our media recommendations will be listed in the second part of this series
“Boadicea and her daughters” statue in Westminster, facing Big Ben. Bronze statue created by Thomas Thornycroft, finished in 1883, installed in 1902
Boudica (formerly known as Boadicea ) was a first‑century Celtic queen of the Iceni tribe in what’s now eastern England. After the Roman Empire seized her late husband’s kingdom and brutalized her family, she rallied a massive coalition of tribes and led one of the most famous uprisings in Roman Britain. Her forces burned several Roman towns, including Londinium, and for a brief moment in history, she shook the empire’s confidence. Boudicca’s fame endures as a symbol of resistance, leadership, and fierce defiance against oppression.
We wanted to celebrate both International Women’s History Day on March 8th, and Women’s History Month covering all of March, but how could we possibly pick one or even 31 women to honor? Then we remembered that every month is Women’s History Month here at The History Chicks, so we put together a mini-episode that will lead you from our podcast history to all of women’s history in our catalog and beyond.
We hope that you honor the women who came before us all, and teach the women of the future, however you think is best. Have a listening party, share a woman’s story with people you know, or learn and act on lessons from women’s history in your own life and trust that the ripples will reach far beyond it. xo Beckett & Susan
End song clip: Daughters of History by Morning Sky used with permission
Dovey Johnson Roundtree grew up in the Jim Crow era South and carried her grandmother’s philosophy of “find a way or make one” as her armor into every challenge she faced. She became one of the first Black women in the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II, then earned her law degree at Howard and built dual careers as a civil‑rights attorney and as a minister in the AME church. In 1955, she helped win a landmark bus‑desegregation case before the Interstate Commerce Commission, which was a quiet but powerful blow to the concept of “separate but equal.” She spent decades fighting for justice in Washington, D.C., and lived to 104, leaving behind a legacy of unshakable purpose and inspiration for future generations.
With Mary Bethune 1943 in Iowa, via Library of CongressEarly 1950s, via Smithsonian
Dovey talking about dealing with a segregated legal system:
Time Travel With The History Chicks
Books!
Dovey’s memoir with Katie McCabeMemoir Junior editionBiography, middle grade by Tanya BoldenDovey and Katie McCabe, children’s bookBy Juan WilliamsFor insider info on the Towpath Murder
Like true crime podcasts? There is a series with journalist Solidad O’Brien called Murder on the Towpath that covers that case Dovey argued (and won).
If you haven’t yet listened to our 2023 coverage of the life of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, now might be a good time to fix that! We covered her in two parts: Episode 223 and Episode 224!
The Visionary Project has a series of interviews with Dovey from 2010 (as well as with other African American leaders from the 20th century.)
There was a series in the 90s that starred Cicely Tyson who let Dovey inspire her character:
There is a movie, we can’t give it a review because neither of us saw it, but we do know that Dovey’s story needs a big-budget, high-production-value film.
End music: Baby Get Up by Louna Used with permission from Epidemic Sound
