Meet Our New Intern

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The Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society welcomes Whitney as their summer intern. Whitney grew up in southern Illinois, but currently resides in middle Tennessee. Some of the projects she will  be working on include: maintaining the social media for the Society, helping with special events, giving tours, and learning about the inner workings of a museum. Whitney will spend 12 weeks here in De Smet, SD.

Whitney was first introduced to Laura’s story in fourth grade. Her class was learning about pioneers and her teacher decided to show the Little House on the Prairie movie. Whitney was fascinated with Laura and her life, that she went home and begged her mom to buy her the first season of the television series. Eventually, after buying all ten seasons and binge watching them, Whitney discovered the “Little House” book series. Then, she begged her parents to go to the bookstore so she could buy the books. During the next few years Whitney would research and read about Laura Ingalls Wilder and her life. She found Laura to be an inspiration. This woman had gone through so many hardships, but still managed to look on the bright side of things. One of Whitney’s favorite quotes of Wilder’s only proves how strong of a women she was:

“The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.”  -Laura Ingalls Wilder

As Whitney got older she still had a love for Laura. She continued to read about her life. Two of her favorite books to read about Wilder are Pioneer Girl, Laura’s unpublished autobiography, and Caroline Fraser’s new book, Prairie Fires. Three years ago Whitney saw that the museum in De Smet offered a summer internship. Since then she has worked towards the goal of getting that internship. After two years of college, Whitney was able to apply for the internship. To her excitement she was offered the position and arrived in De Smet about three weeks later.

What book of Laura’s is your favorite and why?

I would have to say my favorite book is These Happy Golden Years. I thought it was interesting to see how Laura grew up and started seeing things differently. She was only fifteen when she started teaching and moved away from her family for the first time. It was a big adjustment for her at such a young age. I’m a sucker for romance novels so I loved reading about Laura and Almanzo’s simple and sweet love story. Laura was completely naive when it came to Almanzo’s intentions, but luckily she saw them in time and the two got married. I liked how the book ended on a happy note and came full circle. I started watching the TV series and reading the books at a young age and was able to grow up with her.

What is your favorite historical building at the Museum?

I really like the First School of De Smet. The building had been turned into a residential home. When the Society was able to purchase it we found that it still held a lot of historical value. Behind the layers of wallpaper we found the original blackboards. I have always loved history so original blackboards and floors are very interesting to me. The school holds a lot of history about Laura and the people who have lived there so I really enjoy sharing with my tour groups.

What book about Laura’s life and legacy is your favorite?

I recently read, Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser and really enjoyed it. It is by far the most in depth biography I have read about Laura and her daughter Rose. I am always wanting to learn more about Laura and her life and this book was filled with details that I didn’t know about beforehand. It went into a lot of detail about the relationship between mother and daughter and how it wasn’t always smooth sailing. I would recommend this book to any Laura fan. It is a book you will want to read more than once.

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3 comments on “Meet Our New Intern

  1. Marilyn says:

    Congratulations Whitney. Wishing you a successful internship. Marilyn,Joan and Marion

  2. Leigh Giglio says:

    Your new intern looks very sweet. I wish her well. I wish I lived closer to your museum. I am a very big fan of the little house books and I have been forever. I,m in my 60,s.

  3. Janice K Corbett says:

    You are having a wonderful summer internship. Thank you for the post and information. I am a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, have read the books multiple times, and am always learning more about her and her writings. Keep up the good work.

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