56 pages • 1 hour read
Laura Ingalls WilderBy the Shores of Silver Lake
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1939A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Historical Context: The Homestead Act of 1862
The historical Ingalls were among hundreds of thousands of families claiming land under the Homestead Act of 1862. Enacted by the United States Congress during the Civil War, the act allowed adult heads of families to claim 160 acres of public land in the Western territory. After claimants paid a small filing fee and lived on and cultivated the land for five consecutive years, they were entitled to the property for no additional charge. Although the Homestead Act succeeded in accelerating the settling of the Western United States, the legislation “proved to be no panacea for poverty” (“Homestead Act [1862]"). National Archives, 7 June 2022). Due to the cost of livestock and agricultural equipment, most laborers and farmers could not afford to build farms even with the low price of land guaranteed by the act. Those who could afford these expenses tended to settle in areas near their previous home states. Likewise, the Ingalls, who lived in Plum Creek, Minnesota, moved to South Dakota in 1879. Additionally, the act’s ambiguous wording enabled many fraudulent claims. In the end, the majority of the land was allotted to railroads, miners, and cattle ranchers: “Of some 500 million acres dispersed by the General Land Office between 1862 and 1904, only 80 million acres went to homesteaders” (“Homestead Act [1862]"). Eventually repealed in 1976, the act impacted the settlement of 30 states, including California, Nebraska, and Florida. While the Homestead Act did not fully achieve its intended purpose, the legislation offered life-changing opportunities for families like Laura Ingalls Wilder’s.
Series Context: The Little House Series
By the Shores of Silver Lake is the fifth installment of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s classic Little House series of children’s books. The stories are largely autobiographical and draw from the author’s childhood experiences growing up in the American West in the late 19th century. Laura Ingalls was born in Wisconsin on February 7, 1867. Her family moved to Missouri, Kansas, and Minnesota before eventually settling down in South Dakota. Wilder chronicles her family’s adventures in her fiction, with By the Shores of Silver Lake focusing on how the Ingalls came to claim their homestead on the Dakota prairie. In addition, the fifth book presents the moment that Laura Ingalls first sees her future husband, Almanzo Wilder. The remaining books of the series follow Laura’s life near De Smet, South Dakota, as she begins her career as an educator and her relationship with Almanzo develops.
The Little House series grants insight into the author’s historical period and values. Wilder’s writing shows a deep love of nature and a heart-warming appreciation for life’s simple joys. However, the author doesn’t sugarcoat the dangers and difficulties settlers faced. In By the Shores of Silver Lake, the Ingalls weather scarlet fever, crop failures, blizzards, and wolves, among other threats. Because of the challenges of life on the prairie, hard work, self-sufficiency, and adaptability were among the settlers’ most important values. In addition, people had to rely upon one another to survive in this taxing environment. As a result, settlers placed high importance on familial and community bonds, which serve as themes throughout the Little House series. In By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura’s family offers and receives generous aid from relatives, neighbors, and strangers. Laura Ingalls Wilder’s personal experiences inform the novels’ plot and themes, and her beloved books have taught generations of readers about pioneer life.
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By Laura Ingalls Wilder
