The lives and careers of Rose Wilder Lane and William T. La Follette are featured in the latest issue of “South Dakota History,” the quarterly journal of the South Dakota State Historical Society.
In “‘It was in Armenia that I learned fear’: Rose Wilder Lane and the Armenian Genocide,” Sallie Ketcham focuses on Lane’s reporting on events in southeastern Europe and western Asia in the early 1920s. As a journalist working for the San Francisco Call and Post, Lane witnessed the murder, starvation, and mass deportation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Lane is best known for her later role as editor of the Little House books written by her mother, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Ketcham is the author of “Laura Ingalls Wilder: American Writer on the Prairie” and “Fairy Tale, Folklore, and the Little House in the Deep Dark Woods” in “Pioneer Girl Perspectives: Exploring Laura Ingalls Wilder,” among other books and articles.
“Fighting Bob’s Brother: William T. La Follette, Populism, and Agrarian Progressivism” by Jeff Wells examines the career of a little-known South Dakota politician in the late 1800s and early 1900s. La Follette influenced the rise of agrarian populism and progressivism in the state, forming a coalition between the People’s Party and the Democrats. His actions also swayed the political development of his more famous brother, Progressive senator Robert M. La Follette of Wisconsin. Wells is associate professor and chair of the Department of History at the University of Nebraska at Kearney and associate editor of “Middle West Review.”
The issue, Volume 50, Number 2, also features a remembrance of historian John E. Miller, who died suddenly on May 1, 2020. A professor of history at South Dakota State University for nearly 30 years, Miller became known as the dean of the state’s history, publishing throughout his career numerous articles and books focused on the region.
“South Dakota History” is a benefit of membership in the South Dakota State Historical Society. For information on membership, call 605-773-6000. To purchase individual issues, call 605-773-6009.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.