Maud Hart Lovelace's Deep Valley

Minnesota Heritage Publishing has partnered with the Betsy-Tacy Society to help raise much needed funds to preserve Betsy and Tacy’s childhood homes in Mankato.

Maud Hart Lovelace’s
Deep Valley
A Guidebook of Mankato Places
in the Betsy-Tacy Series
By Julie A. Schrader

Step into the pages of Maud Hart Lovelace’s “Deep Valley” during the early 1900s. Maud Hart Lovelace was born in Mankato in 1892 and lived there until 1910. The author of six novels and eighteen children’s books, Maud often remarked that she always felt destined to become an author. She is best known for her beloved series of Betsy-Tacy books, which to a great extent depicts her childhood days in Mankato, Minnesota, the fictionalized “Deep Valley.”

Maud’s books have created a historical account of life for one little girl growing up in the Midwest at the turn of the century. Her stories of small town life, family traditions and enduring friendship have captured the hearts of her fans over the years.

This guidebook is designed to take you on a tour of the Mankato places Maud so accurately describes in her Betsy-Tacy series books. Some of the many places included are the Carnegie Library, Pleasant Grove School, the High School, Lincoln Park, Saulpaugh Hotel, Front Street, the Opera House and the Majestic Theater as well as the homes of her characters.

The Immortal Trio during their high school years, circa 1908. L to R: Marjorie Gerlach (Tib), Maud Hart (Betsy), and Frances Kenney (Tacy).
[Photo courtesy of Betsy-Tacy Society]

SOME OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS CONTAINED IN
MAUD HART LOVELACE'S DEEP VALLEY

This photograph of the trio was taken in Mankato in 1961.
L to R: Frances Kenney Kirch (Tacy), Maud Hart Lovelace (Betsy), and Marjorie Gerlach Harris (Tib).
[Photo courtesy BECHS & Mary McComb]

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