The United States is a nation deeply committed to the proposition that “all men are created equal” and that all lives matter. We are captivated by the stories of individuals willing to take big risks for big rewards, confident in their ability to achieve their dreams, and willing to constantly reinvent themselves in the pursuit of success and personal fulfillment. Laura Ingalls Wilder is such a person. As a young pioneer on the Western frontier, she lived a very risky life, forcing her and her family to rely almost entirely on their own ingenuity and efforts to survive. In her later years, she again took big risks and reinvented herself as a children's writer, sharing her stories of the American frontier with new generations. Laura Ingalls Wilder became an American icon because of her willingness to take risks, practice self-reliance, and repeatedly reinvent herself. Laura Ingalls was born the child of Charles and Caroline Ingalls on February 7, 1867 ("Laura Ingalls Wilder Timeline"). During her early years, the Ingalls family joined the growing number of pioneer Americans on the Western frontier After leaving Wisconsin, they lived in Indian Territory, Minnesota and Iowa. The family eventually settled in DeSmet, South Dakota ("About Laura"). These moves, the family was at the forefront of a wave of settlers moving west. As they did so, they faced the dangers of an unfamiliar frontier, including potentially hostile Native Americans, blinding blizzards. in winter, scorching heat in summer, and a degree of isolation that meant that any illness within the family or failure in planning or preparation could spell their undoing. Yet Laura, along with her family, suffered. savored these...... middle of paper ......ek Associates, 2012. Web. October 17, 2012. “All About Laura Ingalls Wilder.” Monster Fact/Information please. Pearson Education, Inc., 2007. Internet. October 17, 2012. “Laura Ingalls Wilder.” WisconsinHistory.org. Wisconsin Historical Society, 1996. Web. October 17, 2012. “Laura Ingalls Wilder Timeline.” Discoverlaura.com. Laura Ingalls Wilder Memorial Society, Inc., nd Web. October 17, 2012. “Little House on the Prairie.” IMDb. IMDb.com, Inc., and Web. October 17, 2012. “‘Little House on the Prairie’ Movie in Talks,” HuffPost, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc., October 1, 2012.Web. October 17, 2012. Swanke, Sharon. “Historical Overview of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the BigWoods,” University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, November 14, 2004. Web. October 17, 2012. Wilder, Laura Ingalls. The first four years. New York: Harper Collins, 1971. Print.