Born on April 25, 1892, in Mankato, Minnesota, Maud Hart Lovelace is beloved in her home state and throughout the United States. Her characters, Betsy, Tacy, and Tib, were first introduced in print in 1940, but girls still read about them today.

In all, there are 12 books written about Deep Valley, Ms. Lovelace’s name for Mankato. Ms. Lovelace sold her first story to the Los Angeles Times at age 18, much like her character, Betsy Ray.

She has written many books for adults as well, including Early Candlelight (1929), a novel set at Fort Snelling. She died in Claremont, California, in 1980.