Searching for Mormon Grove

I've felt very strongly that I need to teach my children the stories of their ancestors as a way to develop their character and resilience.  Look around- people are crazy out there!  You know what I mean!  I was on familysearch.org looking for stories to share with them, when I stumbled upon a great-whatever grandfather who died and was buried at Mormon Grove, Atchison, Kansas.  WOW!  This was crazy!  Atchison was only 20 miles from our home in Leavenworth.  I anxiously read the stories about John and Ann Bird and shared them with my family.  Then I set out to find where Mormon Grove was, in hopes that we could visit it.  I quickly learned that Mormon Grove is about 4-5 miles west of Atchison and that there is a historical marker on the side of the road, but outside of that, the actual site is on private property.
Interested in actually visiting the cemetery, we drove up to Atchison to look for the property owner.  After knocking on several doors in the area, many of the residents didn't know anything about a cemetery, but did know of the highway marker.  Finally though, an older lady told us to drive back to another road, follow it for a half mile, then knock on the door of the white farmhouse.  We did so, but nobody was home.
A month or so later, we were back in Atchison and decided to try again.  This time we were successful.  The man there managed the land for his father-in-law, who was the actual land owner, but gave us permission to go on it and look for the cemetery.  He said "I haven't been there, but go ahead and look.  You have more of a claim to it then I do."

We drove back to the marker, then west for a quarter mile, and parked at a red gate then walked in to look for where my however-many-great grandpa was buried. We didn't have a location, other then knowing it was there.  Interestingly enough, when the Kansas Highway Department was surveying for the highway, they learned about the cemetery, did some archeological surveys, then re-routed the highway to avoid going over the top of it.

We spent a delightful hour or two wandering the fields and hills looking for a cemetery.  We didn't find anywhere definitive that we could say "This is it", but just the same, the search was really fun, and it was unique to look at the same hills that my ancestors had 150 years before, knowing that John Bird was buried somewhere close by.  Although to the world this English emigrant lays unknown and forgotten, buried in an unmarked grave in the Flint Hills of Kansas, learning of him and his life has been an inspiration to me.

Nearest City: Atchison, KS
Location: N° W°
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The Atchison Visitor Center and Rail Museum

In November we visited Atchison.  We stopped by their Historical Society Museum and Rail Museum, located conveniently in town along with their visitor center.  The kids liked the rail museum best.  There were old train engines and cars that had been retired.  We walked along the tracks and looked at each one.  We climbed up on a flat car, looked at the controls of an engine, peeked in the window of a caboose, etc.

We learned about their mini engine and train as well.  They have a mini train engine and track that they run on summer weekends.  The kids would have loved, taking rides on the little train.  I wish we would have known they had it earlier so we could have brought them up for rides!

We also stepped inside the visitor center (the old Santa Fe Railway Station) and went through the Historical Society's museum.  We learned a little about Amelia Earhart, Atchison's most famous past resident, and more about the town and area.  The gun collection they had was pretty neat.  We also learned about a guy who had something wrong with his legs who was responsible for many of the streets in Atchison being bricked.  It's a great little stop.  If you have kids, be sure to visit on a summer weekend so they can ride the train!

Nearest City: Atchison, KS
 Location: 200 10th St, Atchison, KS
Time Needed: 30-90 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Atchison Rail Museum and Atchison Historical Society

The Remington Nature Center

After visiting the Pony Express Museum, we went to the Remington Nature Center.  The Remington Nature Center is a mile or two northwest of downtown St Joseph, right on the banks of the Missouri River.  We really enjoyed the Remington Nature Center and their fantastic exhibits.

They had animal displays, a baby mammoth, and an aquarium.  Where the museum really shined though was their arrowhead display.  They had an abundance of arrowheads, spear points, stone axes, and other items that had been discarded by the tribes of the area.  

They also had an exhibit of local history, which included bullets and other items lost in some Civil War skirmishes in the St Joseph area.  It was fascinating to learn about the history and see the artifacts.
One of the connections I was able to make concerned Fort Buenaventura in Ogden, Utah.  Joseph Robidoux was a fur trader and the founder of St Joseph.  Joseph Robidoux and his family were uniquely tied with the settling of the west, because many of them were early trappers and mountain men.  In fact, the Robidoux clan founded a string of forts and trading posts across the inland west, including Fort Buenaventura, later to become Ogden, Utah.

Nearest City: St Joseph, MO
Location:1502 McArthur Dr, St Joseph, MO 64505
Time Needed: 2 hours
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Remington Nature Center

The Pony Express Starting Point in St Joseph, MO

In late October, we took a short trip up the Missouri River to St Joseph.  We stopped by the Pony Express Statue on the north side of downtown first.  

Then we went to the Pony Express Museum located in the Pony Express Stable.  The Pony Express was an exciting and colorful part of US history, although it only lasted for 19 months, at which point the telegraph line from coast to cost was completed.  

Inside the museum, you learn about Russell, Majors, and Waddell, who founded the Pony Express with the idea of rapidly reducing the amount of time it took for mail to get from California to the earstern US and vice versa.  They did so by getting rid of wagons, and employing young boys to ride fast horses between stations, each rider only carrying the mochila (mail pouch) and gun.  The riders were usually in their teens or early 20's.
The Pony Express Stable was a fascinating stop.  We spent several hours learning about the trail, different terrains the riders passed through, experiences some of the riders had, what mail stations were like, and many other things.

Nearest City: St Joseph, MO
Location: 914 Penn St, St Joseph, MO  64503
Time Needed: 2+ hours
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: ponyexpress.org

Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, and Hannibal, MO

On our drive home from Nauvoo, we made a short sidetrip to Hannibal, Missouri.  The downtown is cute, with lots of little shops along the sidewalks,  Most famous for its tie to Mark Twain, and the hometown of fictional Tom Sawyer, Hannibal is a place to visit if you're a fan of great American writing.  

Just off the north end of Main Street is a full block of Tom Sawyer related sites.  The kids wanted to take a turn "painting" Tom Sawyer's fence.  

There were also several buildings spoken of in Tom Sawyer, such as Aunt Polly's House and Becky Thatcher's house.

Nearest City:Hannibal, MO
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: 2 hours
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: more for older kids
Additional Info:

Autumn visit to Nauvoo

We had a good visit to Nauvoo this fall.  We made a point to visit several of the buildings that we didn't see on our January visit.  We visited the Lands and Records office and learned where some of our ancestors had lived here in Nauvoo.  We stopped by the Nauvoo Temple.  It was a beautiful trip and a great time to visit.  

One morning we drove up the road, I think it was Parley Street, from where we were camping in Nauvoo State Park to visit the Old Nauvoo Burial Ground.  

Across from Brigham Young's house there were several chestnut trees, and the missionaries gave us permission to pick some up and bring them home.  You could tell they were real chestnuts because the husk was prickly.  Poisonous false chestnuts do not have the prickly husk.

Another thing we really liked was the persimmon trees behind the Pendleton Schoolhouse.  The ripe and wrinkled persimmons were delicious!  I accidentally picked one that wasn't quite ripe, and it was anything but good.  We had a great time on our visit.  On Monday morning we picked up camp, toured two more houses, then headed home.

Nearest City: Nauvoo, IL
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
 Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

We left Chase County Fishing Lake, stopped in the cute little town of Cottonwood Falls, then continued up the Flint Hills Scenic Byway to Tallgrass Prairie.  The heart of the location is the old ranch, with headquarters on site.  They have  hikes and a ranger-driven bus ride as options that you can do.  We missed the bus tour because of a discrepancy between the time posted on the website and times posted at the visitor center.

We went on a short hike out among the prairie grasses.  The NPS only owns 35 acres of the preserve, with the Nature Conservancy owning the difference.  I heard 10,000 acres as a number, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.  Lets just say it's a lot of land and wide open sky out here.

The Flint Hills are prime grazing land.  The shallow soil isn't good for farming, which led to much of the prairie grass not being plowed under and replanted in corn or soybeans like much of eastern Kansas is.

Lots of grass out here.  If you miss the bus tour like we did, your only option is to explore on foot.  They do have a pasture with a buffalo herd that the bus tour drives through the middle of (the pasture, not necessarily the herd).  The bus fills up fast, at least the weekend we were here.  We were surprised how many people were out here. Like anywhere else, call ahead for your best options.

Nearest City: Strong City,KS
Location: 2 miles north of Strong City
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
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Frogs and Waterfalls at Chase County Fishing Lake

We took a camping trip out to the Flint Hills on Friday.  My wife wanted to visit Tallgrass Prairie, and the nearest free camping was at Chase County Fishing Lake. We left after work on Friday, and pulled in to camp after dark.  We missed the exit from the toll road at Emporia (there's only one exit at Emporia, so if you missed it you're hosed), so we were pretty much stuck for the next 30 miles.  We arrived after dark, and since this weekend is a full moon, I found a place with plenty of tree cover to set up camp under.

In the morning, I took the kids down to the lake to let my wife sleep in a little bit, but also to look for frogs.  There were frogs all over the place.  I grabbed our nets and the kids had a grand morning wading in the mud and netting leopard frogs.

We finally went back to camp to cook breakfast.  As we were finishing up, a passel of cars pulled up and parked.  A few ladies got out, wandered over to the bank and proceeded to pull out their easels and painting supplies.  I guess there was a Flint Hills artists competition, so artsy folks were all over the place making paintings.  While I was picking up camp, the kids watched the painters paint.  

We drove down to the dam, parked, then hiked over to the south side. There's a series of waterfalls just below the dam.  Since it's late in the year, the falls were small, but they are supposed to be very picturesque when more water is flowing.

On the way back across the dam, the kids ran right by this red-eared slider.  I called them back and they all enjoyed looking at it.

Nearest City: Cottonwood Falls, KS
Location: 2 miles west of Cottonwood Falls
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: varies
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

Winter Quarters Visitor Center and Pioneer Cemetery

While we were in Omaha, we also visited the Winter Quarters visitor center.  There's a lot of information at the center!  We learned all about pioneers crossing Iowa after they were forced by mob violence to leave Nauvoo, Illinios, preparations for their continued trek to Utah, and what made them unique when compared to other emigrant groups.  They were organized.  Rather then remain bunched together, they made about 200 settlements in the Winter Quarters vicinity to decrease their impact on the area.  They planted crops, established ferries, and did all they could to make it easier for the groups that followed them. The Mormon Trail Center gave a great overview into many facets of their lives, including transportation methods of wagon, handcart, ships, and railroads.

Across the street is the Winter Quarters pioneer cemetery and Winter Quarters Temple.  Most of the people buried in the cemetery were babies and children.  I have a relative buried there.  It's a place that encourages introspection and quiet reverence.  I am grateful for the sacrifices that were made by so many who have gone before.

Nearest City: Florence, NE
Location: 3215 State Street, Omaha, NE
Time Needed: 90 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:Mormon Trail Center Website

The Kanesville Tabernacle

While we were in Omaha, we drove across the river to Council Bluffs to visit the Kanesville Tabernacle.  The tour was pretty cool.  The original tabernacle was built in 1847 out of green cottonwood logs.  Because the logs were green, the walls warped and the building was demolished within a few years of being built.  In 1997, the replica was built on the site out of cottonwood logs by a historical society in Council Bluffs to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Mormon's arrival in Utah.  It was then donated to the Church.

The tabernacle has a small Mormon Battalion exhibit, since Council Bluffs was where the Mormon  volunteers came from before reporting to Ft. Leavenworth to begin their epic march.

Two notable events happened at the Kanesville Tabernacle.  The first one was Brigham Young being sustained as 2nd Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in December 1847.  It changed my perspective of Mormon history a little bit, since I had always assumed that Brother Brigham had led the Saints west to Utah, then stayed there in Salt Lake City, except for when he went to St George for the winter.  Nope.  He led them to Utah, then quickly turned around and went back to Iowa.

The second notable event was it was where Oliver Cowdry, one of the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon came to a church meeting after being separated from the church for a number of years and began the process of rejoining the church.

Nearest City: Council Bluffs, Iowa
Location: 222 E Broadway, Council Bluffs, IA
Time Needed: 45 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Kanesville Tabernacle Website

The World-famous Omaha Zoo

In late August we took a trip to Omaha.  We wanted to go to the Omaha Zoo since we've heard lots of amazing things about it.  We got there when it opened, and left when it closed.  It's an all-day affair right now, but they're working on their Africa exhibit, which will definitely make it easy to spend two days there if you want to see it all.   I'll only blog about the highpoints of our visit.

We stopped by the desert dome first.  The kids loved the javalinas.  "Just like the ones we saw in Arizona when we lived there!"  

 The gorilla was pretty impressive.  The kids liked the baby orangutan as well.

 The aquarium was the best part of the visit though.  The kids could have watched the fish all day.

We also really enjoyed seeing the penguins swim back and forth.  They would dive under the water, swim really fast, then launch themselves above the water.

The worst part of the zoo was the two idiot kids (and idiot parents and crowd who were standing around watching) who had hopped the fence at the lion enclosure and were taunting the male lion.  He wasn't happy with them.  I yelled at the kids and told them to get back on the right side of the fence.  I had to yell at them twice.  Like I said, some people are idiots.

Nearest City: Omaha, NE
Location: N° W°
Time Needed: all day long
Difficulty: easy-moderate (long day and hills)
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Henry Doorly Zoo Website

The Federal Reserve Money Museum

I had to work one Saturday, so my boss told me to take a day off  to make up for it.  Done and done.  It wasn't hard to decide what to do with the free day.  We went to KCMO to visit the Money Museum, since it is only open on weekdays.  We parked in the visitor parking lot, then went inside.  Nice security guards ask if you have knives, guns, bombs, or any thing of that nature.  We told them no, except for my pocket knife.  They let me keep it, but sent us all through the metal detectors anyway.  They said I looked like an honest guy, so I guess I can trust them.  Trust but verify.  So, after they verified by running my drivers license, they let us all in to the museum.  They really know how to roll out the red carpet and make ordinary folks feel welcome.

Once inside, we saw lots of information about the Federal Reserve.  But really there are four exhibits that are what the money museum is all about.  The first is the Truman Coin Collection.  It shows coins minted during the reign of each president of the USA.  The older coins were definitely the coolest.  They don't use gold or silver anymore, like they used to.  In fact, our government doesn't even trust its own currency. Don't believe me?  Go ahead and look on your tax form when you fill out your taxes before April 15th.  It says to not send cash.

The next one of the awesome exhibits is the gold bar.  The day we visited, it was worth nearly a half- million dollars.

The last two awesome exhibits are at the back of the museum.  Ever wanted to see what a million dollars cash looks like?  You can see it at the Money Museum!  It's a whole lot of paper!  The final awesome exhibit is the counting/sorting/warehousing of some of the money that goes through the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. There were huge bags and bins full of money.  Some of $1s, $5s, $10s, $20s and bags of coins.  Then a computerized/robotized/lazer-guided automated forklift system that brought bins in and out of the ware-safe.  The forklifts were Huey, Dewey, and Louie.  I kept looking for the Mr. McDuck one, but never saw it.

On the way out we picked up a bag of cash.  Approximately $167 of shredded bills stuffed into a bag that fits into the palm of your hand.  Interesting and informative.

Nearest City: Kansas City, MO
Location: 1 Memorial Drive, Kansas City, MO
Time Needed: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: easy, except for the airport-like screening
Kid Friendly:
Additional Info: Kansas City Fed Money Museum

The Grinter Sunflower Field

Early September, one of the Northeast Kansas traditions is the Grinter Sunflower Field.  Every year, the Grinters plant a large field of sunflowers just outside of Tonganoxie.  Every year, news outlets let people know when the field is in full bloom.  There have been advertising campaigns for Kansas that have used the field as a backdrop.  It's a big deal.  Well, at least in a Kansas sort of way.

We went out for a visit and an attempt at taking family pictures on the second weekend in September.  A few days before our visit though there was a pretty heavy rainfall, so by the time we made it out, the flowers were past their peak.  It was still worth going to see.  "Worth the price of admission" as my grandpa would say.   Visiting is free, but donations are gratefully accepted- especially if you are a commercial photographer.  Some of our friends had recommended bringing some stools or benches to stand on in order to get a better picture.  We didn't, but could see the value in bringing one.  We still had some good pictures anyway.

As you can see, the field is expansive.  Huge.  Sunflowers beyond sunflowers.  It costs the Grinters roughly $10,000 to plant and maintain it.  The field sure does bring happiness to a lot of people.  Go ahead and plan to visit next year in early September.  Bring a few bucks to donate.

Nearest City: Tonganoxie, KS
Location: Stillwell Road, south of Tonganoxie
Time Needed: 1+ hours
Difficulty:easy
 Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info: Kris Grinter's Blog

The Leavenworth County Fair

At the end of July we went to the Leavenworth County Fair in Tonganoxie.  The fair is pretty small. It's the smallest county fair we've ever been to.  Just the same it was fun seeing the animals and watching a honey demonstration by the Northeast Kansas Beekeepers Association.  Parking was $5 (or was it $4).  After we went, I mentioned going to several people and they all agreed that it's one of those things you do once.

Nearest City: Tonganoxie, KS
Location: County Fairgrounds, 405 W. 4th St.  Tonganoxie, KS
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:Leavenworth County Fair

Catching Fish in Three Mile Creek

I've gone on plenty of walks on the Three-mile Creek Trail in Leavenworth, and although the creek isn't very big, it does have fish in it.  In August I had a free evening with the kids so we went to see if we could pull anything out of it.  Sure enough, I caught a chub!  We also caught a sunfish or two and a bass.  They weren't very big, but sometimes it can be really fun pulling a fish out of skinny water. We also took some time to play in the creek and catch some crawdads and tadpoles.  Time well wasted!

Nearest City: Leavenworth, KS
Location: Three Mile Creek
Time Needed:
Difficulty:
Kid Friendly: yes
Additional Info:

Wild Blackberries in Kansas

July is when blackberries start to ripen in Kansas.  We were out and about over the winter and discovered a patch or two, so since mid summer was here, we headed out to see if we could find them again.  Some patches didn't have any berries, but two of them did! We plinked them into our buckets and mouths.  Blackberries are delicious!  On the way home we picked up some ice cream to make blackberry shakes.  They were so good, we went out and did it again the next week after some more berries had ripened.


Nearest City: Lansing, KS
Location: ???
Time Needed: varies
Difficulty: dodge thorns and poison ivy for to get the goods!
Kid Friendly: yes (tasty treats) and no (thorns and poison ivy)
Additional Info:

July Canoe Trip on the Duckhead

I have a coworker who likes kayaking that I've told about the Duckhead on the Platte River.  We tried to schedule a time to go, but were never able to find a time that worked for both of us until mid-July.  He loaded his kayak and brought it to work with him.  When my workday was done, I rushed home and loaded my canoe and family, then we met up with Joe to drive to Platte City.

We dropped the boats off, drove 100 yards to the takeout, then walked back to the launch.  After loading everyone in, we were off!  We had yet another great float and it took roughly an hour to float the 2.5 miles.  Seriously, this is a great place for beginners, kids, or just if you want to get in a quick float after work.  Joe was pretty excited and convinced that he needs to get his wife out the next time we go.  It seems like the river is a little different each time I make the float.  This time the river was a tad bit higher, so there weren't as many strainers to dodge.  We had a great time.

Nearest City: Platte City, MO
Location: Platte Falls Conservation Area
Time Needed: 90 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Kid Friendly:yes
 Additional Info: