Bess Streeter Aldrich, born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, was educated at Iowa State Teachers College, taught school in Iowa and Utah, married Captain Charles S. Aldrich, settled in Elmwood, and raised their four children. She wrote novels including The Rim of the Prairie, A Lantern in Her Hand, A White Bird Flying, Miss Bishop, Spring Came on Forever, and Song of Years, as well as stories of family life such as Mother Mason and The Cutters. In A Lantern in Her Hand, her heroine Abbie Deal speaks of love as a lantern in a woman's hand, and the novel about pioneers whose dreams and hard work forged Nebraska became a widely translated and memorable portrayal of prairie life and the development of Nebraska. Aldrich's cheerful realism set her apart from most writers of her time, and her immense popularity rested on her vivid evocation of prairie life and her delicate portrayal of the warmth, feelings, and personality of her characters.