How many of you loved the character of Mr. Edwards, played so beautifully by Victor French in the 1970’s television series Little House on the Prairie?
How many of you loved reading about the character of Mr. Edwards in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books?
He was one of my favorites in both the series and the books.
I was in second grade when Michael Landon’s Little House on the Prairie television movie—the premiere for the highly anticipated upcoming series—first aired. My mother bought me the book Little House on the Prairie, the first of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s writings I had ever read, and I immediately fell in love with her stories. I enjoyed reading about the Ingalls family’s lives and I loved the chapters that included their kindhearted, fun-loving neighbor, Mr. Edwards. I so enjoyed his pioneer spirit and his caring heart. He pitched in to help the family build their cabin. When Pa was away, he came over twice a day to do the chores so Ma wouldn’t have to. Laura’s love for him was evident in the way she wrote about him. I never imagined that decades later a weekend road trip would bring me face to face with his family tree.
My friend Kay and I took a drive last Saturday over to the Little House on the Prairie Museum near Independence, Kansas. It is the homestead where Charles and Caroline Ingalls settled with their family back in the 1870s. I’ve been over there before – I love visiting all the Ingalls’ homesites. I wanted to go back to do a bit of research and take some photos for a little story I’m working on, and I was so excited to see it again. If you’re a fan of the books and you’ve never been, it’s a great place to visit!
I was excited when we got there and took a few pictures before we went inside the gift shop to buy tickets for the tour. The young lady behind the register was helping some other folks, so I decided to shop a bit before paying my admission. As I was walking around, a pleasant looking gentleman in a bright T-shirt came up and asked me what had happened to my arm. He told me that he had trouble with his own arm back in the day and warned me to be careful with mine while it healed. We struck up a warm conversation. He had a bright, warm smile, a beautiful twinkle in his eyes, and he was a delight to visit with… He said that his name is Gary Mason, and he’s 90 years old. He proudly told me that he is the great-grandson of Edmund Mason—a gentleman who lived on a piece of land right behind the Ingalls family and served as an inspiration for the character of Mr. Edwards. (While some scholars believe Mr. Edwards was actually a composite character made up of a few different neighbors Laura knew, most agree that Edmund Mason was definitely one of the primary influences.)
Mr. Mason proudly showed me a case hanging on the wall in the gift shop containing an old hand-forged axe that had belonged to his great-grandfather. He told me that the axe had spent years on his farm before he decided to donate it to the museum so people could enjoy seeing it. He also mentioned that it’s entirely possible – even probable – that this very axe was used to help build the original Ingalls’ cabin. Seriously, that’s pretty cool!
I visited with Mr. Mason for a while and then asked if he would mind if I took his picture. He was happy to oblige, asking if I’d like for him to pose next to the axe. (Of course I would!) Before I left the gift shop, I bought a copy of Little House on the Prairie and asked if he’d sign it for me.
He opened the book cover carefully and started flipping through the pages while asking, “Now… I sign it inside the story if that’s okay?”
As I said, I’m a pretty big student of these books and I also love Garth Williams’ beautiful pencil illustrations… so I smiled at him and replied, “Are you going to sign it right by the picture where Mr. Edwards dances?”
He instantly looked up with a happy smile, his eyes twinkling even more. The young lady behind the counter beamed right along with him. “Yeah,” Mr. Mason grinned proudly, “that’s exactly where I sign it!”
I loved my day at the Prairie Museum, and I’m going to write more about it soon. But I have to say, meeting Mr. Mason was the highlight of our visit. He spends a lot of his weekends at the museum because he loves greeting visitors, sharing his stories, and keeping his family’s pioneer legacy alive. If you ever find yourself near Independence (Kansas, not Missouri!), stop by. You might just get to meet him yourself and shake hands with “Mr. Edwards” family tree. How cool is that!