Old Number Roads of the Illinoy and Yowa
Map of Old Number Roads of the Illinoy and Yowa, parchment reproduction by Raskesh Halfsilver from pre-Bust papermap
Read More Old Number Roads of the Illinoy and YowaAuthor: Laura Ingalls-Wei
I was born in what was once called Wisconsin, nearly a century after the Great Bust. I have been hard at work setting down recollections of my childhood, growing up on the fringes of civilization during a time of warlords, bandits, and a sickness that turned men into monsters. Some of these early memories will be collected in a forthcoming book aimed at young adult readers, entitled Little House on the Wasteland.
One: The Big Woods
There came a time when they had to leave their little house in the Big Woods of what was once Wisconsin. . . .
Read More One: The Big WoodsTwo: The Handcar
The handcar’s axle was made from strong hickory. Its rims were made from bent splits of white oak and cased in strips of iron that Pa had flattened at his forge. . . .
Read More Two: The HandcarThree: The Great Towers
Pa hacked aside the overgrowth. Then he clanged the flat iron surface beneath with the blunt side of his hatchet. It was an old Merican signpost. . . .
Read More Three: The Great TowersFour: Restrant
Night after night, they camped hidden among the trees. Pa pulled the handcar off the old number road, into the cover of the woods. Then, they would find a clearing where they would make camp . . . .
Read More Four: RestrantFive: Two Nights Under One Roof
It was splendid to sleep indoors for a change. Their fire heated that old creetrock building right up, and Laura slept warm and cozy . . . .
Read More Five: Two Nights Under One RoofSix: A Fine Watchdog
Laura’s eyes were full of tears. They couldn’t leave him, she pleaded. They just couldn’t . . . .
Read More Six: A Fine WatchdogSeven: Showtales
One night, Laura and her family made camp by a lake. They had been following a road called the Ten Road. Or maybe it was called the Ninety-Four Road. Or else it had no name . . . .
Read More Seven: ShowtalesEight: Across the Big River
“Yes, I reckon this is it,” said Pa, as he carefully rolled the map back up. It was not what Laura expected. . . .
Read More Eight: Across the Big RiverNine: Iron Boxes
Pa left the handcar down by the riverbank. Then he climbed up to join them beside the earthen mound surrounded by birch trees where Ma had chosen to wait. . . .
Read More Nine: Iron Boxes
Little House on the Wasteland 