Our Journey To See History Over The Last Few Months

It has been awhile since I have posted anything but that is going to change. I had debated on shutting this blog down since I hadn't kept up with it lately and just didn't think it was of interest to anyone but me. Then I listened to rootstech livestream and they talked about the importance of  a journal and leaving the written word for our family to have, so I decided if for no other reason I will try to keep this blog going. It will be a journal of our trips, my thoughts and what is going on. I will still write a few devotions also along the way and maybe even share some of my poems from my booklet I have copyrighted and sent to the Library of Congress. We will see, but I sure would like to know if anyone is following along with me here on this blog. Just leave a comment or something so I know you are there.

My husband Mike and I have been doing what I like to call Journey's To See History and Find Ancestors. We have been traveling on Historic RT 66 in Missouri, Kansas and a small part of Oklahoma. Traveling the back roads and finding ghost towns along are journey has been interesting. We have found places we never new existed and yet wish we had found them sooner. It has been so much fun to go along to see things in the surrounding area going for a day or two. We have visited places our ancestors lived as well as did cemetery sleuthing of their final resting places. We have taken pictures of old buildings, some in places that our ancestors lived and would have seen when they were live, as well as courthouses, parks and the road we are traveling on. It has been a wonderful journey but it isn't done yet. We try to at least once a month if not once a week go on our journey to see history or find ancestors and their stomping grounds. I hope you enjoy traveling with us through pictures and comments and if you have any suggestions of places to see leave a comment.

I am sharing some of our earlier trips in pictures here today and will try to once a week share what we have been seeing.

Today is some of our first journeys when we went on. In July 2016 we went to Baxter Springs KS and drove the RT 66 through there. We went to the museum also which if you ever get a chance to do it is a wonderful museum, probably one of the best little museums I have been too.


We drove RT 66 from Baxter Springs KS to Miami OK.



This is an old RT 66 filling station that is now a RT 66 Museum

 Fort Blair Baxter Spring KS Where the Baxter Springs Massacre happened Oct 6, 1863

 National Cemetery Plot # 2 in Baxter Springs KS

 A few of the many displays at the Baxter Springs KS Museum

Downtown Baxter Springs KS
Downtown Miami OK and RT 66 Sign over road

I will continue to catch you up on our Journey's To See History in the next few days.

Our Weekend Day Trip to Lamar MO

It has been a whirlwind of things going on. We bought a new car then took it out for a drive this weekend. I Saturday afternoon started having a sore throat and could hardly talk by end of the day. It was really weird because I felt great  but then it just hit me. I think it must be allergies going into a head cold but still with taking the cold meds I have been sleepy and not very productive. I hope that it will be better and trying not to take meds today so that my foggy head is gone.

We just did one of our pick a direction and head in it on Saturday. We headed down 69 highway and stopped at the Downstream Casino in OK no luck there then headed over to Joplin Mo and drove around the city then headed up I 49 and stopped off at Lamar MO where Pres. Harry S Truman was born. We drove by the house but didn't go into it maybe another time. I just love looking at old homes and buildings. I know that if the walls could talk they would have a great story to tell. The house is a Missouri State Historic Site and even though we didn't take the time to go in the house we enjoyed stopping and taking pictures of the outside.

 This is a picture from across the street of the house.

 This is a side view of the house from the west side

 This is a east side view

 Memorial of Harry S Truman and jobs held on top and memorial on bottom

 Picture from back where you see the well, outhouse and smoke house

Another view from across the street from the house.

If you would like more information on this historic site check out

https://www.mostateparks.com/park/harry-s-truman-birthplace-state-historic-site

We enjoyed seeing it and will go back sometime.

We then went to Osage Village State Historic Site  It was the village of Osage Indians but it is just a walk and marked with markers to tell you what was there at one time. Though it would be a nice little hike it is only about .8 mile. It is a nice walk but was disappointed there wasn't more to see we didn't walk the whole thing because when we left home we weren't planning on doing any walking and I just had slip on shoes and the ground was saturated from the earlier rains. We will go back sometime and do the whole walk maybe but it isn't high on the list of things to do.

There are so many things to see and do in Missouri and Kansas that I think many weekend day trips are in the future.

Until Next time