Frank Baum’s Life as a Boy

Frank Baum was born in Chittenango, NY in 1856. In the 1860’s, in a country torn with conflict, children were taught obedience, hard work, education and self control. Boy’s stories of the time often focused on heros making their fortune in a hard world. This was not a time for fantasy. But Frank was a sickly boy who preferred daydreaming.

Frank’s father was a successful businessman, and the Baum family lived on an estate. To Frank, the estate was a childhood paradise. His father had even bought him a printing press and he and his brother published the Rose Lawn Journal.

Soon after the end of the Civil War, Frank’s parents sent him to the Peekskill Military Academy. It was very popular for sons of wealthy families to attend military school during the 1800’s. But, Frank was miserable at school. After 2 years and more illness, he returned to his beloved home.

By 17, he was working on his second publication, The Stamp Collector. The 11 page pamphlet helped him to start a stamp dealership with friends.

Life on the Stage

In his early 20’s, Frank Baum had a love of theater and the performing arts and wished to be an actor. But theater in those times was not a dignified profession. Before the Civil War, theater had been considered a cruel occupation, mostly made up of traveling shows full of gypsies and vagabonds. Theater in the late 1800’s was rapidly changing, thanks to the railroads, making it possible for larger theater companies to travel to smaller towns. Actors were slowly getting more respect and more pay. This surely appealed to a young Frank Baum.

Frank’s father built him a theater in Richburg, NY, in 1880, where Frank could write plays and music, and learn stagecraft. He made a local success of himself for a time, and took some of his plays on tour. Unfortunately, the theater caught fire, destroying many of his early scripts and ending his theatrical career.

The Dakota Territory

Frank married and moved to the Dakota Territory in 1888. This was a particularly rough time to move to the Dakota territories.  Lower wheat prices and a drought created hardship for the fledgling state.  Frank Baum and his wife, Maud, lost their store because Frank, sympathetic to the settlers’ struggles, often gave wares on credit when the settlers could not afford to pay.  Frank’s family was soon forced to move to Chicago, where Frank took a variety of writing jobs and was forced to work as a traveling salesman.

Sucess

In 1897, a 41 year old Frank Baum finally managed to find success.  His book Mother Goose in Prose was published, allowing him to quit his salesman job.  It was the best selling children’s book of the year!  His artwork was done by a man named  W.W. Denslow. Together they wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was published 3 years later.  

In total, Frank Baum wrote 14 novels about the Land of Oz.  But these were not his only works for children.  He also wrote about the Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Father Goose, and other childhood fantasy tales.

Interesting Fact:  Frank Baum published under several pen names, including some women’s names!  Frank Baum is also known as Floyd Akers, Laura Bancroft, John Estes Cook, Capt. Hugh Fitzgerald, Schuyler Saunton and Edith Van Dyne.