Free Land by Rose Wilder Lane: A Review

Blizzards, droughts, fires, cyclones - that's life for a homesteader. Many of us grew up with a rosy-hued view of pioneer life, courtesy of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books. But Free Land, by her daughter Rose Wilder Lane, depicts a harsher reality.

The Homestead Act Offers Free Land

In Free Land, written in 1938, Rose chronicles David Beaton and his new wife, Mary, as they struggle to make good on their Dakota homestead. Rose is uniquely qualified to write this tale as her own parents, Almanzo and Laura Ingalls Wilder, homesteaded in Dakota during the 1880s as well.

America's Homestead Act, in place from 1862 to 1935, aimed to settle western lands by giving pioneers "free land" on the condition that they would farm and "tame" it for five years. The promise of free land lured thousands from the east to the west, although most were unaware of just how harsh this free land would be.

Free Land Draws on Almanzo Wilder's Life

Laura Ingalls Wilder fans will recognize many things right away. David has sisters named Alice and Eliza, just as Almanzo Wilder did. Eliza is even depicted as a bossy schoolteacher, as she was in Laura's books. Early in Free Land, David's we learn that David's great-grandfather has opined, "My life has been mostly disappointments" - a quote originally attributed to Almanzo Wilder late in his life.

Free Land: Unvarnished Pioneer Reality

While reading the Little House books gives one a feel for the harshness of pioneer living, Free Land is much harsher. It's Little House with the nice, polite veneer stripped away. When Mary Beaton cries at the primitive nature of her new home, a friend "consoles" her: "Don't cry, Mary. People get used to things they can't stand."

We also see a relationship between David and Mary that is far from sugar-coated. David once tells Mary to "shut up" and later says, "Put that in your pipe and smoke it." Can you imagine Pa Ingalls speaking to Ma that way?

The overall feel I got from reading Free Land was one of anxiety. And that's not necessarily a bad thing; perhaps that helped me share a bit of what the homesteaders must have felt every day out on their claims. Whether it was a blizzard, a cyclone, or a gang of horse thieves, there was always something ominous around the corner, threatening to destroy what you'd worked so hard for.

A recurring theme in Free Land is debt. Rose Wilder Lane, as an early libertarian, was vehemently opposed to government aid and highly valued independence. This comes through in her writing, as David and Mary constantly struggle to pay off the debt they must incur to begin their farming venture.

When they harvest 15 acres of turnips, which they joyfully sell for 14 cents per bushel, David offers Mary half the proceeds to spend as she pleases. Does she wish for a new dress or glass windows? No: "All I want on earth's to get rid of the debts so we can draw a free breath."

One can't read Free Land without being truly impressed with the amount of work the pioneers did. David worked 26 hours straight one day, trying to get the wheat harvest in before yet another disaster would strike. For a rare social outing, an oyster soup supper, one pioneer woman had nothing nice to wear and so she totally re-made an existing dress, turning every ruffle inside out and sewing it together again. Add that to the hours spent twisting hay for fuel in winter, and cooking meals for threshers, and you begin to see just how difficult life was 150 years ago.

Free Land: Non-PC

Free Land obviously wasn't written recently, because parts of it would never get past the politically-correct police in today's society. Indians (no "Native Americans" back then!) were described as making a row about something, "as if they had human feelings." It's amazing to think that some pioneers apparently saw Indians as a different, sub-human species.

I recommend Free Land highly as an interesting way to learn more about our country's history. I guarantee you'll come away with a renewed appreciation for our forefathers (and mothers) and their work ethic.