Saline County author had her books praised by First Lady

Carol Raynor of the Marshall Writers' Guild gives a presentation about Loula Grace Erdman, an author born in Saline County in the late 1800s, during the Marshall Public Library's Fifth Wednesday program Wednesday, May 31. [Click to enlarge]

Erdman was the focus of a presentation given Wednesday, May 31, as part of the Fifth Wednesday series at the Marshall Public Library.

The presentation, given by Carol Raynor of the Marshall Writers Guild, talked about Erdman's roots in Missouri, including her birth in western Saline County in 1898 as the eldest of three children of Augustus F. and Mollie Maddox Erdman.

Several books by Loula Grace Erdman were displayed during the Fifth Wednesday program at the Marshall Public Library on May 31. The books will be on display at the Saline County Historical Society's museum and visitor center just off the northwest corner of the Marshall square. [Click to enlarge]

As an undergraduate at Central Missouri State College in Warrensburg, Erdman roomed with a young woman from Amarillo, Texas, whom she developed a close friendship with. She finished her bachelor's degree in 1931 after teaching in rural schools for several years and her roommate's mother helped her get a job as a teacher in an Amarillo schools after graduation.

The move to Texas influenced much of Erdman's writing, with many of her best-known books focusing on the settling of the Texas Panhandle, with four books tracing the fictional Pierce family -- Missourians making the move to a northern Texas homestead.

In her autobiography, "A Time to Write," Erdman stated that she was "8 or so" years old when she first submitted an article for publication. While not published, she said the editor did take the time to write her and urge her to continue writing.

Her first novel, "Separate Star," was published in 1944 and aimed at a subject she knew well -- young women pursuing a career in teaching. Erdman's second novel, "Fair is the Morning," was very well received by critics, including the praise by Roosevelt in her column.

Over the next few years, Erdman continued her successful career as a novelist and author, with her third book, "The Years of the Locust," winning the $10,000 Dodd, Mead-Redbook Award. The book was set in Missouri "about a powerful, wise patriarch" according to biographical information on the Web site of Cornette Library at West Texas A&M University, home of the most extensive collection of Erdman books and memorabilia.

"The Edge of Time," published in 1950, was her first book about the settlement of the Texas Panhandle and focused on a newly-married couple moving from Missouri to Texas to begin life together in a primitive dugout. The book is still in print, being chosen as part of the Texas Tradition Series of classic novels about the state by Texas Christian University Press.

Her trilogy about the Pierce family daughters, Texas homesteaders originally from Missouri, includes "The Wind Blows Free," "The Wide Horizon" and "The Good Land." "The Wind Blows Free" also won the Dodd, Mead-American Girl Award in 1952.

Erdman also had work appear in numerous national magazines including Capper's Farmer, Progressive Farmer, Ladies' Home Journal, American Girl, Christian Herald and Reader's Digest.

A collection of Erdman's novels will be on display at the Saline County Historical Society's museum and visitor center, just off the northwest corner of the Marshall square. The purchase of the collection was made possible by a grant received by the Marshall Writers Guild from the Missouri Writers Guild.

Contact Mark Lile at

marshallbusiness@socket.net