WESTBROOK, Minnesota (STPNS) --     Walnut Grove —  Last  Thursday evening authors William Anderson, Melanie Stringer and Nancy Koupla gave presentations at a public gathering in the Wilder Museum.

    Anderson is visiting Walnut Grove to do research on a new version of The Walnut Grove Story. He talked about his latest book Laura  Wilder of Mansfield. Anderson has written over 20 books and has been a regular visitor to the community for many years.

    Koupla, director of the South Dakota State Historical



Society Press shared information about an upcoming book, Pioneer Girl, an annotated edition  of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s original unpublished autobiography.

    The most interesting performance of the  evening came from Melanie Stringer a first-person Laura Ingalls Wilder interpreter.

    At the close of the 19th century, Wilder compares her experiences with a woman’s opportunities in the days of her Ingalls and Quiner grandmothers.

    Stringer, who was properly attired as a woman of the late 19th century and in full character of Wilder posed many questions of the day to the audience. In some  cases people in the audience were confused about a woman asking questions that they knew the answers of the present. But most of the audience answered her period questions, as if they were part of that era.

    She was very articulate and brought forth many issues of the time including women voting, and owning property.  She explained how she held property and operated business to answer the question: did you ever own property?

    She talked about some of the things she had seen as a young lady, and her experience as a teacher.

    After the presentations the guests were treated to refreshments and cookies.