The winter 2023 issue of South Dakota History, the quarterly journal of the South Dakota State Historical Society, features articles on illustrator Garth Williams, Grace Ingalls Dow, and photography during the Hard Winter of 1880-1881.
In “Garth Williams and Laura Ingalls Wilder: Combining Words and Images,” William Anderson, a noted expert on all things Laura Ingalls Wilder, explores Williams and the updated 1953 editions of Wilder's classic books. Despite initial reluctance to accept the illustrating assignment, Williams conducted extensive research including visiting with Wilder and her husband, Almanzo, and seeking out the real-life locations of Wilder's youth. The fruits of his labor were the timeless illustrations we all know and love, and astronomical sales for Harper & Brothers publishers.
Next, in "Dakota Resources: Rediscovering Grace: Research Challenges in Finding the Lost Ingalls Sister," Caroline E. Jones and Melanie J. Fishbane detail the challenges they encountered in researching the life of Grace Ingalls Dow. As the authors conclude, the spotty historical record surrounding Dow evinces the historical tendency to dismiss women as unimportant, thereby erasing real people and their stories.
Finally, in "Historical Musings: The Hard Winter of 1880-1881 as Seen through Photographs and Art," Cindy Wilson views the Hard Winter through the lens of photographers sent into the field to record the historic snowfall and heroic efforts to clear railway tracks. Repeated blizzards cut off towns west of the blockade from essential supplies. Wilson also discusses the importance of artwork, such as Garth Williams's illustrations in The Long Winter, for imparting the emotions of the hardship that settlers suffered in that difficult year.