Illinois, Part 4

And now for something completely different....

Leaving behind any semblance of modern times, our visit today was to the Cahokia Indian Mounds outside Collinsville, Illinois. This is the largest collection of mounds in North America, and the "Monks Mound" (at right), the crowning structure, is the biggest Native-built mound north of Mexico. It's actually named after the Trappist Monks who were living near it between 1809 and 1813, when writer Henry Breckenridge published an account of the area.

Cahokia itself is not named after the original inhabitants, but after a tribe of natives who moved into the area around 1600 and who were still living there when the French arrived around 1699.

So, now that we know what this place wasn't, here's some of what it was. Around 700 A.D., natives began to arrive and settle in the area. They eventually developed what's known as the Mississipian culture. Cahokia developed into a city -- one of the largest of the world at the time (the population was estimated at around 20,000 people). The city flourished between 1050 and 1200 A.D. In the years following, however, the population declined, and the area was basically abandonded by 1400. There are a number of theories of why this happened, including failing agriculture, diseases, internal unrest, and depletion of resources.

The Cahokia site hosts over 100 mounds. Some of these were burial mounds, others were the foundation for buildings. Some have yet to be excavated.

The people who lived here apparently had an extensive trade network, as a number of "exotic" items and materials have been found buried here. These are things not found in this area, and were presumably brought in from elsewhere.

The Visitors' Center has a large exhibit detailing the types of houses, food, tools, games, and other characteristics of the Missippian culture at Cahokia. For example, at left is a display of stone artifacts and tools, including spear and knife points, axe heads, small figurines, and the shaft of an atlatl (rear left), which was used as a javelin-thrower.


At right is a display of weaving. Some of the items are belts, some are cords, some are baskets.




Examples of entertainment. The drum is obvious, but other items include gaming discs (tossed and read like dice), whistles, and heavy discs for playing "chunkey", in which the discs are rolled along the ground, and players throw spears at the spot where they think the discs will stop. (Yes, I know, it sounds odd, but it stilll beats watching television....)

And the librarian in me has to note that I found a children's book in the gift shop, written by a local author, about Cahokia. It's a fantasy novel called Fishbone the Potter, and features a librarian who is really a dragon in disguise. He and a couple of local youngsters apparently go in search of lost literature dealing with the Mississipian culture in the area. I haven't had a chance to start it yet. It is supposedly the first of two books (I can't find any mention of book two, which does not bode well).

Illinois, Part 3

Returning to Springfield, we once again examined a part of Abraham Lincoln's life. New Salem State Historical Site is a reproduction of the town where Lincoln lived as a young man, taught himself law, and went on to be elected to the state legislature. Only one building in the village is the original structure; the rest are copies, based on archaeological evidence and other sources.

There are nearly 30 buildings and stops along the walking route in New Salem, so I'm only going to list some of the highlights. The link above will provide you with a "virtual tour" of the village and you can explore that as well.

At left is the cooper's home and shop. Henry Onstot was the cooper when Lincoln lived in New Salem. His job, of course, was to build barrels, buckets and tubs for various uses. The shop is the only original building here.



At right is the first store that Abraham Lincoln owned and operated in New Salem. He and co-owner William Berry eventually moved to a larger building across the street in 1833 (seen below). However, they didn't seem to have done well, as a competitor also operated a shop next door.

At right is the tavern. This was one of the buildings in which I found a staff member who would discuss the furnishings, the culture of the time, and the historic figure she was portraying. She would also talke about a number of other "out of character" topics.

While my parents were waiting for me at the Visitors' Center, they told one of the volunteers that I was in the tavern drinking. Taverns at the time, however, did not serve much alcohol, as the owner needed a special license. You would be able to get a meal and a bed for the night, however. I was told that lunch had been a potato pancake with applesauce, all for 25 cents.

At right is the local grist mill, which is some distance from the central part of the village.

New Salem features a number of other homes and buildings, including a blacksmith's shop, the local school house and church, and carding mill and wool house. Throughout the year, volunteers and paid staff are available to answer questions and provide a period-accurate feel to the experience.

Illinois, Part 2

From Rockford, it's a fairly short drive to Galena, Illinois. We took a break from sites about Abraham Lincoln, and spent an afternoon visiting the former home of Ulysses S. Grant and family.

The Grants moved to Galena in 1860 and rented a brick house for the time before the Civil War started. After the war ended, Grant returned to Galena, but ended up with his own home, purchased for him by 13 local men in gratitude for his work during the war. The house is open to the public, and many of the furnishings are original to the home or the time period.

The downstairs portion was the family area; upstairs were bedrooms. At right is a portion of the parlor, which was used for entertaining guests and not much else. At this time of year, it's decorated for Christmas, as is the rest of the house. President Grant declared December 25th as the official date for Christmas. Decorated trees became a Christmas tradition in American homes in the years that followed.




At left is the kitchen. Mrs. Grant appears to have done most of her own cooking.






At right is the library, also decorated. There are bookshelves against the wall opposite the windows; the shelves belonged to the Grants when they lived in Galena. The table is set for a typical family holiday dinner for the time period.






At right is Ellen "Nellie" Grant's room. The Grants had four children, three sons and one daughter.



Outside the home is a garden, and this statue of Mrs. Grant was erected there a couple of years back. The staff at the Grant house suggested the idea, and sought donations from companies and individuals. The staff's reasoning was that there were plenty of statues of the General, but Mrs. Grant deserved to be honored for some of the things done while she was First Lady, and afterward when she and her husband returned to the area.

Galena also has a display on the Grants at the Old Market House in the historic area.

Illinois, Part 1

Because I have a whole week of vacation time left....

Since the Virginia trip ended early and most of what we had wanted to see seems to close on October 31st, we're now off to Illinois. Specifically Springfield, the "land of Lincoln". Reservations had to be made on short notice (which made for some very interesting and creative online maneuvering at the Amtrk website for me to get seats and sleeper car arrangements). However, after a fairly uneventful trip by train (ask me about the two obnoxious "teenagers" who sat in front of me in coach), we arrived in Springfield.

In the middle of a downpour. The weather for the last two days has been rather miserable at worst, overcast at best. Add to that the fun of trying to find our way around in the dark, driving a rental car I've never seen before, and you can guess what some of the trip has been like.

Fortunately, the attractions have been good. Our first stop was the Abraham Lincoln Home Historic Site. This is the home the Lincolns owned and lived in during the 17 years they were in Springfield. The home is open to the public through guided tours, on which the guide points out items actually owned by the family that are still on display. The tour takes about 20 minutes. The house is at left.

At right is a "parade float" from Lincoln's campain in 1860. A team of horses would pull this during parades, accompanied by marching bands and walkers and other mobile displays.

Since the Lincoln Home is a National Park site, I got my National Park Passport stamped while in the Visitors' Center. I've started collecting the stamps and cancellations this past year. I'm surprised at home many of these places I've already been. I probably shouldn't be....

Our second stop was the Lincoln Museum and Library in Springfield, which was well worth the visit. The woman at the ticket counter suggested about 2.5 hours for the whole thing, but we ended up taking nearly four hours.

The museum consists of two walk-through displays, two theater shows, Mrs. Lincoln's Attic (a place for children to play with Lincoln-era toys and try on period clothing), a gift shop and a cafe. The show "Ghosts of the Library" was particularly well done. I've often suspected that the library back home has a few ghosts of its own, although not necessarily like this.

At left is the entrance to the "log cabin years", a walk-through display of information on Abraham Lincoln's early life, up until he took office as president. The "tour" is a series of rooms, hallways, and video screens. As you enter the cabin, there is a statue of Lincoln reading by the fireplace, with a dog asleep at his feet. Someone in the room is snoring (there are a couple of beds with lumps under the blankets that suggest the rest of the family is sleeping). Other sections show Lincoln debating Stephen Douglas over slavery and states' rights, working as a shopkeeper, and reading in his law office while his two sons create havoc. A series of computer screens in another room presents the campaign of 1860 as it would have been televised 100 years later. (The late Betrand Russel provided the commentary.)

At right is the entrance to "the White House Years", which deals with Lincoln's presidency and assassination. Beginning with a display of the gowns worn by Mary Lincoln's Washington, D.C. "rivals", the tour takes you through a room of political cartoons blasting the presidents policies and personal character (while a soundtrack of voices criticizes him on every imaginable subject). The frames on the cartoons start out as rectangular; by the end of the hallway, the frames are noticeably slanted.

Another scene of a kitchen has the voices of several Aftican-Americans debating the Emancipation Proclamation, followed by statues depicting Lincoln's advisors as the first draft is read to them, and then followed by a series of faces (suspended in air) offering comments and criticisms of the idea. A large screen in another room shows "the Civil War in Four Minutes" -- each second of the show = one week of the war. The colors of the Northern and Southern armies expand and contact on a map, as the names of battlefields literally explode on the screen. The tour wends its way through the end of the war, Lincoln's assassination, and a room depicting his coffin lying in state in the Old State Capitol Building.

Along with the show "Ghosts in the Library", there is another show called "Lincoln's Eyes", which includes smoke effects, explosions, and the actual movement of the seats in the theater. Both shows had impressive special effects. I can see where kids would get a lot out off this entire experience. We were in the museum along with at least one school bus-load of elementary kids, and I didn't seen any behavior problems.

In Mrs. Lincoln's Attic, my mother and I both learned how to roll a hoop with a stick, a common activity during the time of Lincoln's youth. The museum staff member there told us girls/women didn't usually spend much time doing that particular game, and he was impressed. He rewarded us by giving us directions to Darcy's Pint, a pub that offers "horseshoes", a local specialty food.

A "horseshoe", or its smaller version, the "ponyshoe", is made with toast, covered with some sort of meat (chicken and turkey, in our cases), topped by french fries and covered in cheese sauce. If you don't a cholesterol problem before you start, you will have one when you're finished.... They were pretty good, but we all agreed that one was enough.

Despite the weather, the trip so far has been reasonably good. Tonight I'm in Rockford, Illinois; tomorrow we will be off to the Ulysses S. Grant home in Galena, and then it's back to Springfield for more Lincoln history.

Reading material this trip (which has nothing to do with Lincoln): Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, by Jane Austen and H. Ben Winters. It's the original Jane Austen novel (mostly) combined with all kinds of odd oceanic creatures and done for laughs. I don't think this is as funny as Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, but it all seems to flow much more naturally than events in the latter. Plus, it's not a teen vampire novel -- a major bonus right now!

Virginia, Part 3

One of the most notable places to eat around Stuart is the Mabry Mill, a historic site that also boasts a restaurant and gift shop. It's located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is something of an extension of the Skyline Drive. We had planned to come down the Parkway, but ran out of time the day before.

However, we did get on for a while to visit the Mill. At right is a family picture in front of the Mill; below is a short video of the Mill in action. My camera picks up all the noises and sounds around when I'm filming, so in addition to water you'll hear voices. Just kind of tune them out....




Mrs. Wood spent the day showing us some of the sights around Stuart and the surrounding area. We visited Lovers' Leap, a small mall featuring gift shops with local crafts, and a housing development with the homes built right up against the hills. I think it was Elkhorn Acres, but don't quote me.)

We returned to the Woods home and met up with Delano, and the five of us went to dinner together. At right are my parents and Mr. Wood in the carport of the Woods home. Below are all of them on the front porch of the Chocolate Moose, which the Woods had recommended to my parents.


The following day, however, we noticed something odd about the car. Unlike many of our trips, we drove this one ourselves, so it was the family car and understandably my parents were worried. Mrs. Wood gave us the name and location of her mechanic, and we took the car in. The problem was in the transmission -- it wasn't shifting out of third gear into overdrive. The mechanic fixed it, but we decided to cancel the rest of the vacation and head for home.

All was not lost, however. We started back up the Blue Ridge Parkway, so we did get to see a lot of scenic areas we missed the first time. Again, a 35 m.p.h. speed limit. Also, it was rainy and the visibility was poor in places, but it was still a nice area to drive through. We stopped at the Peaks of Otter lodge for lunch, which consisted of mostly sandwiches. At right is the view out the back window of the lodge. We also visited the gift shops and the National Park Visitors Center down the road.

There is a lot of wildlife in the park, and this herd of deer decided that traffic rules were only for humans.

We made reservations via cell phone for a motel in Harrisonburg, Virginia, on route 81 North, which was about as far as we thought we could go that day. From there we drove home the next day, running into snow in the Poconos. The next round of vacation time is in November, and instead of finishing our Virginia trip, we'll save that for some time in the future and will instead be off to Springfield, Illinois, "land of Lincoln". Those write-ups will be on next.

Virginia, Part 2

Left Front Royal, Virginia and headed down the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park. The weather was rather chilly, as we were at a higher altitude, but here the leaves were turning.

We stopped at one of the park Visitors' Centers for a brief movie on the history of the area, and a look out over the valley. Then we headed south on the road. The speed limit was about 35 m.p.h., so no one got anywhere very fast. It was a bit overcast, but mostly dry.

Established as a national park in 1935, Shenandoah contains about 196,000 acres, which are home to many plants and animals, including 66 rare plant species. The Skyline Drive is the only public road through the park. You can pull off and explore 75 scenic overlooks (we only stopped at a few).


Much of the road and stone work was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps, established during the Great Depression to put people to work.

About midway through the park is the Big Meadows area, one of the few fairly flat places along the route. If you look carefully at the picture, you can see a couple of people, which will provide some perspective for the area. This is across the road from another of the Visitors' Centers, which includes a walk-through display of area history.

The park is lovely, but it takes about 4 hours just to drive through it. We discovered we would have to change our route if we wanted to make it to Stuart, Virginia that night, where we had reservations. We got back on Route 81 South until we crossed Route 8, and then spent half an hour navigating the narrow and twisting road through the countryside. It was a little like riding Space Mountain at Disney World.

We finally found our accommodations, a Bed and Breakfast called the Chocolate Moose. It's run by a couple who are very much into healthy living -- all of the breakfast food is organic, there is a garden outside the breakfast window for bird watching, and the owners counsel people on maintaining a healthy diet.

Our reason for coming to Stuart was to visit the Wood family. My father met Delano Wood when they both served in Korea, and they've kept in touch ever since. The Wood Brothers have owned and operated race cars for many years, particularly the famous #21. They also maintain a racing museum, which we were allowed to visit during our stay. At left, we're posing with one of the versions of car #21.

More on the Woods, and Stuart, in the next post.

Virginia, Part 1

For various reasons, we decided to stay a little closer to home this fall. Even though we've all been to Virginia several times, we're doing the middle and western part of the state again. Can't complain, though; Virginia's always worth a visit.

This time we're driving the entire trip instead of taking the train. So we left home on Friday night, stayed in Wilkes Barre, PA overnight, and continued on to Front Royal, Virginia the next day. We're staying at the Holiday Inn, and apparently most of the hotels in the area are full, because not only is it Columbus Day Weekend, but two local colleges are having Homecoming/Parents' Weekends, so there are people everywhere. Still, our reservations were made in advance, so we had rooms waiting for us.

Our first "tour" stop was actually the local Catholic church, St. John the Baptist. We actually attended mass in the "new" church (below), right next to the original church (picture left). The original building was erected in honor of John Carroll Jenkins, a young man from Maryland who joined the Confederate Army during the Civil war. After he was killed in battle, his family donated money to build the church; they also donated a number of related items. The above link goes to the parish website. (Note: scroll down a little to find the information. For some reason, the top part is blank.)

The advantage to finding the church is that the historic area is right down the block. The next day we returned and found the Visitors Center, where we picked up a brochure for the walking tour, which took about an hour. The Center is a former railroad station, with a park around it. There is a caboose you can walk around and climb on.





Visitors Center








Gazebo in the park.





Most of the historic buildings date from the Civil War era; the rest are from the early 1900s. At right is Chester House, named for the man who ran a ferry over the Shenandoah River beginning around 1736.






The Petty-Sumption House, so named because of the two owners. Henry Petty purchased it in 1873 for his parents. In 1923, the lot on which the house stood was sold to the local school board. Charles Sumption purchased the house and moved it across the street, where it remains today. The Sumptions were renowned blacksmiths.




The Belle Boyd home. Ms. Boyd is a local heroine for spying on Union forces and aiding the Confederate Army early in the war. She was eventually captured and imprisoned, was later released, and spent time in England. She returned to the US and became and actress.

This building is located just behind the Warren Rifles Museum, which features the largest collection of Confederate artifacts in the country. An entire case there is devoted to Ms. Boyd, including an opera gown on display.

The museum also hosts displays on the Warren Rifles brigade, part of the local militia, which fought in various Civil War battles. Other displays show Confederate money and medals, dolls of the period (which were originally used as "fashion catalogs"), letters and cards from soldiers, and actual surviving Confederate flags.

After the walking tour, I took time out in the afternoon to do some horseback ricking. My steed here is John Henry, and we did reasonably well, except for the one point where I managed to fall off at the end of a jump. (Yes, I am fine, though I was sore in the morning.)

Idaho, Part 8

Guess I'd better finish this up before the next vacation starts. Oops, too late....













Well, let us leave Idaho with pictures that are actually in Montana. No, really, there's some logic behind this. We ended up with most of a day free, and decided to go back to Glacier National Park, in northwestern Montana. We had been there a few years back (yet another reason to never, ever say, "Oh, we'll never see this place again"...), but at that time much of the area had been experiencing wildfires, and the pictures I have are rather murky and foggy. So we thought we'd take a chance and try this park again.

Definitely a smart move on our part. Glacier National Park is one of those places where it's almost impossible to take a bad picture. No, really -- you have to plan to take a bad picture. The only criteria for taking a good picture is to point the camera out the car window, or just straight ahead, and push the button.

I ended up with nearly 50 pictures from this part of the trip alone. I'll only choose a few to post, or we'll be here all weekend....























































And that will about do it for Idaho/Montana. Up next -- Virginia.