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Finding Your Park in Your Own Backyard, #13…A President From the Neighborhood and Ozark Pudding

05 Saturday Nov 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Find Your Park, Missouri, Photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

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Find Your Park, Missouri, photography, Sweet Treats, Travel

  • Adventure #12–Harry S. Truman National Historic Site

On an absolutely gorgeous October morning in our home state of Missouri…

Traveling north on US 63 as the fog lifts off the Gasconade River.

Traveling north on US 63 as the fog lifts off the Gasconade River.

—my husband, Jim, and I started out for Independence, and the home of our 33rd President, Harry S. Truman, and his wife, Bess. It was a beautiful drive across the center of the state, through farmland and small towns.

We were on our way to visit the last of our Missouri National Park sites as listed on the NPS website.  As our nation celebrates the 100th anniversary of our National Park Service, we decided to find our national parks…in our own backyard, our own state. What an experience it has been. We have learned so much, had so much fun, and have come away from our journeys with so much more appreciation of our nation, its natural places, its history, and its impact here and on the entire world.

When we arrived in Independence, we stopped for lunch at Cafe Verona on the city square. The grate on the front windows was very intriguing, adorned with dozens of locks. I took a picture of them and posted them to my Facebook page. I was surprised when a friend commented that there is actually a tradition to locks on bars and fences. The lock is put on by loving couples to signify that their love is for no other, and will never end.

Tokens of love on the window gates at Cafe Verona in Indepependence, MO.

Tokens of love on the window gates at Cafe Verona in Indepependence, MO.

Harry S. Truman NHS Viaitor Center

Harry S. Truman NHS Visitor Center

Our next stop was the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site Visitor Center. The Visitor Center is located at 223 N. Main St. There we viewed a film on Truman’s life in Independence and picked up our tickets to tour the house itself.

219 N. Delaware St.

219 N. Delaware St.

The Truman home is at 219 N. Delaware St. My first impression as we drove up to the curb in front of the house was how much the area reminded me of the Midwestern neighborhood in Michigan in which I grew up, and how much it reminded me of the Midwestern neighborhood in which we raised our own five children. The house looked, and felt warm and inviting, like a place where a family really lives.

Though Harry Truman and Bess Wallace had been acquainted since childhood, it was on a day in 1910, when Harry returned a cake plate from his cousins, who lived across the street from the Wallaces, to Bess’s mother that he fell head over heels in love. After a courtship of nine years, they were married on June 28, 1919, and moved into her family’s home.

While living in the Wallace house in Independence, which became the Truman home after the death of Bess’s mother, Harry Truman opened and lost a men’s clothing store, was elected to two judgeships in Jackson County, lost one re-election bid, was elected to serve as a US senator from Missouri, and in 1944, was elected to be Franklin Roosevelt’s Vice President.  While living on N. Delaware, Harry and Bess also welcomed a daughter, Margaret, their only child.

Less than three months after assuming the Vice Presidency, and following the death of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman was sworn in as the 33rd President of the United States on April 12, 1945. It would be many years before Harry and Bess could return to their quiet, Midwestern home in Independence, MO.

But return they did, to the place they both loved best. It was amazing to me how normal a life the former first family was able to lead, though it did have its challenges. There had always been people who wanted to see the place “where the President lives.” The biggest intrusion on their quiet life had been the installation of a security fence to keep out the sightseers, especially those who thought it was okay to walk into the garden and pick one of Bess’s prized flowers. Some had even torn boards off the house. On one occasion, Bess discovered two “visitors” walking through the house!

This fence was installed around the yard to keep "visitors" at a distance.

This fence was installed around the yard to keep “visitors” at a distance.

Until 1963, and the assassination of John F. Kennedy, former Presidents were not given Secret Service protection…and Harry Truman, citizen, did not like it when it did come! Secret Service agents were installed in a house across the street, which is privately owned and inhabited today. They did not come into the Truman home without an invitation, and that was rarely extended.

When you visit the Truman home today, you will see it just as it was on the last day Bess lived there. Their daughter, Margaret, helped the park service set the dining room table as her parents would have it set when the entire family was there to eat together. The same appliances, dishes, wallpaper, and furniture are just as they were. As you look into the library you will see the books each of them enjoyed. The yard has been kept as the Trumans preferred it… natural, with no fancy, formal gardens. And in the garage sits Harry’s last car, a Chrysler Newport.

Each and every day, Harry Truman took a two mile walk around Independence. You can still follow in his footsteps as you follow the signs that mark his route. You can also visit the Noland Home across the street, where Harry Truman’s cousins lived.

You can walk the streets of the neighborhood, just as Harry Truman did each and every day.
You can walk the streets of the neighborhood, just as Harry Truman did each and every day.
The Noland House
The Noland House
Inside the Noland House, you will find displays relating to the lives of Harry and Bess Truman, and their Midwestern roots.
Inside the Noland House, you will find displays relating to the lives of Harry and Bess Truman, and their Midwestern roots.

A visit to the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site would not be complete, however, without a stop at the Truman Library, just a couple miles away.

The Truman Library

The Truman Library

The library is a marvelous place, with displays depicting the times of the Truman Presidency. Here are a few of the memorable things you will see on a visit to the library….

A replica of the Oval Office as it looked when Harry Truman was President...
A replica of the Oval Office as it looked when Harry Truman was President…
You will find an exhibit pertaining to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan, ordered by Harry S. Truman in an effort to bring an end to World War II...
You will find an exhibit pertaining to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Japan, ordered by Harry S. Truman in an effort to bring an end to World War II…
An exhibit dedicated to post-war challenges in the United States...
An exhibit dedicated to post-war challenges in the United States…
Oe of the exhibits explains the challenges, and the horrors of the Cold War...
Oe of the exhibits explains the challenges, and the horrors of the Cold War…
The Garden where both Harry and Bess are buried...
The Garden where both Harry and Bess are buried…
An eternal flame in honor of our 33rd President.
An eternal flame in honor of our 33rd President.

You can learn more about the Truman Home and the Truman Library by visiting their websites at:

http://www.nps.gov/hstr/index.htm for the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, and

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/ for the Truman Library

This year spent visiting the national park sites in our own state of Missouri has been so rewarding. It has reminded us of how fortunate we are to live in this country, this place we call the United States of America. America is a homeland to cherish, even as we take stock of who we are as a people, learning from our mistakes, taking pride in our successes, and forever moving forward to create a better country, a better home for all of us, and all who want to become a part of us.

So go on, get online, find the national park sites in “your own backyard”, and then get out there and discover your America. Have a great time while you are traveling, exploring, and learning, gaining a new understanding of your backyard, your own state, that one that you call home!

Bess’s Ozark Pudding

It is said that when Harry felt homesick for Missouri and their house on N. Delaware Street, Bess would make him some Ozark Pudding. She would also often serve it for dessert to visitors at the White House.

I must say, it is really easy to make, but tastes like it takes a lot more time than it does. It is not like a real pudding, but rather a gooey, puddingy cake (not sure about that word, puddingy, but it fits the dish perfectly. The top is like a crusty, browned meringue. When you break into it, it falls immediately, but don’t worry, that is what it is supposed to do. Bess would have served it warm with fresh whipped cream with a bit of rum added. We ate it warmed with vanilla ice cream, and it was absolutely delicious. There was something about it that tasted very homemade and comforting. It reminded me of my childhood, eating at my Grandma’s house…love!

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Bess’s Ozark Pudding

  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 c. chopped apples
  • 1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Beat egg well with an electric mixer. Gradually add sugar, beating constantly until light and creamy. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to egg mixture, blending well. Lightly stir in apples, nuts, and vanilla. Pour into a greased and floured 1 qt. baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

 

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Finding Your Park in Your Own Backyard #12…”To Keep Missouri in the Union”, and Harvest Tomato Soup

03 Monday Oct 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Civil War, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Photography, Soups and Stews, Travel

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Civil War, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Soups and Stews, Travel

  • Adventure #11-Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

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As we have traveled around our state of Missouri, I have often wondered at the absence of the state’s history in the history books of our school systems across the nation. My husband and I both grew up in Michigan, went to college in Illinois, and taught in schools in Michigan, Indiana and Missouri. In all those places, in all those years, we never happened across curriculum that would inform our students, or even us personally, about the history of the Civil War as it related to Missouri. Nor was there any way for students to learn of the experiences of ordinary citizens within the state as they dealt with the consequences of the great divide between the North and the South. I have always believed that the failure to include the story of Missouri during the Civil War deprived us all of the opportunity to learn how the war affected Americans far-flung from the eastern states and eastern battlefields. The Civil War was fought across the nation with consequences still being felt today…across the nation.

As we seek to visit all the national park sites in Missouri during the Park Service’s 100th anniversary year, we find ourselves at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in southwestern Missouri. We have taken our children there many times, helping them to better understand some of the things that happened in this state they call home, and to help them understand some of the things still happening in Missouri…both good and bad. We always sought to teach them that they did not simply live in a “fly-over” state, but one that was, and is, a vital part of America.

And so, this is Missouri during the Civil War, and Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield…

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A stop along the auto tour of Wilson’s Creek battlefield-Sigel’s Final Position.

In 1820, Missouri applied for statehood as a slave state. In 1821, under the conditions of the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was admitted as a slave state, while, to maintain a balance between free states and slave states, Maine was admitted as a free state.

But as time went by, and by the time the Civil War began, a majority of Missourians had voted to stay in the Union, and were willing to fight to preserve the Union. The governor of Missouri, Claiborne Jackson, however, sympathized with the Confederacy, and was in favor of secession. The Missouri State Guard, under the command of Maj. Gen. Sterling Price, was charged with the task of moving Missouri into the Confederacy. The stage was set for hostilities, and these hostilities would break out in battles near towns, as well as on fields and farms throughout Missouri.

At the beginning of August, 1861, Maj. Gen. Price and his troops were camped just outside Springfield, MO. They were preparing to attack and capture Union troops positioned at Springfield.

At the same time, Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, commander of the Union troops at Springfield was planning to attack and defeat Price’s troops in order to save Missouri for the Union.

On August 10, 1861, Lyon and his combined forces of around 6,400 men attacked the State Guard forces, 12,000 strong, at Wilson’s Creek. While Lyon and his force of 4,200 men quickly overtook Price and his men, the follow up force of around 1,200, led by Col. Franz Sigel, was unsuccessful in its assigned flanking action.

The ensuing battle lasted for more than five hours, on a field that would forever after be known as “Bloody Hill”. The advantage went back and forth between the Union and Confederate forces, but in the end, Sigel and his men fled, and Brig. Gen. Lyon was killed on the battlefield, the first general to be killed in battle in the Civil War.  All totaled, the Union lost one of every four soldiers in the battle.

"Bloody Hill", where Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, along with 1,700 Union and Conferate soldiers lost their lives during the Battle of Wilson' Creek.

“Bloody Hill”, where Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, along with 1,700 Union and Confederate soldiers lost their lives during the Battle of Wilson’ Creek.

Victory in the Battle of Wilson’s Creek went to the South, but the Confederate forces were unable to pursue and totally defeat the Union army. Under the command of Maj. Samuel Sturgis, the Union troops were able to withdraw and maintain a position for the Union in the state of Missouri.

The Battle of Wilson’s Creek has been called the “Bull Run of the West”,  yet very few have ever heard of it. To further understand the impact that Missouri had in the War, it should be noted that Wilson’s Creek was not the only battle fought in Missouri during the Civil War. Missouri ranked third among all the states in the number of Civil War battles within its boundaries. The battles to preserve the Union were indeed not fought only in the eastern states.

When you visit Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield, you will be able to take a 4.9 mile auto tour of its important sites. You will also be able to get a feeling of what it would have been like to be a civilian living in southwestern Missouri, confronted with a terrible war in “your own backyard”. Here are some of the sites you will see, and what you will learn from them.

This is the site of Gibson's Mill. One can only imagine the turmoil people in the community felt when Southern forces set up camp next to the mill, and Union forces crossed over the creek at the site of the mill.
This is the site of Gibson’s Mill. One can only imagine the turmoil people in the community felt when Southern forces set up camp next to the mill, and Union forces crossed over the creek at the site of the mill.
We followed the same path along Wilson's Creek that visitors to Gibson's Mill would have traveled in the days leading up to and following the Civil War.
We followed the same path along Wilson’s Creek that visitors to Gibson’s Mill would have traveled in the days leading up to and following the Civil War.

For years, the area around Wilson’s Creek had been home to many pioneers. They had come from the East, from the states of Kentucky and Tennessee to start a new, and hopefully prosperous, life on the fields of southwestern Missouri. The people living in the community would have walked to Gibson’s Mill for supplies, to learn of news from the outside world, and to visit with friends. It would have been a gathering place. Children of the area would have played outside, helped in the fields, and traveled to school. Families would have traveled to church services, and planned outings and picnics with other families of the area. One can only imagine the horror that filled them as they saw war break out around them, and the bodies of dead soldiers on their fields as a result of the battle.

The John Ray House
The John Ray House
The beautiful and peaceful view from the front porch of the Ray house. The view would be marred by war.
The beautiful and peaceful view from the front porch of the Ray house. The view would be marred by war.
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This small springhouse down the hill from the house was where the Ray's would get water. It also served their needs for refrigeration.
This small springhouse down the hill from the house was where the Ray’s would get water. It also served their needs for refrigeration.
John Ray's cornfield
John Ray’s cornfield

John Ray owned a house along the Wire Road, where he lived with his wife and nine children. Part of the battle was fought in his cornfield. During the battle, his wife, children, his slave Aunt Rhoda, and her four children all hid in the cellar of the house. During the battle, the Ray House became the field hospital. It was here that the body of Brig. Gen. Nathaniel Lyon was carried following his death on the battlefield. The events of that August day would live in the minds of this family for as long as they lived.

The site of the Edwards Cabin/Price's Headquarters

The site of the Edwards Cabin/Price’s Headquarters

Maj. Gen. Sterling Price set up his headquarters near William Edward’s cabin. The cabin you will find at the site is not the original, but one that was found about two miles down the Wire Road. It was uncovered when a house that had been built over it was being raised to make room for the construction of a new home.

There are eight stops in all along the auto tour. In addition to pointing out the ways in which the battle affected civilians, you will find stops that explain the battle as it was conducted on the surrounding landscape.

I hope you will take an opportunity to visit Wilson’s Creek if you ever find yourself in southwestern Missouri. It gives tribute to an important event in the Civil War, most of us know too little about. The Civil War was a fight for the survival of a nation, and it was a fight that was fought across the whole nation. You can find more about Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield at its National Park Service website.

Harvest Tomato Soup

As I thought about the recipe I would use for this post, and as I stopped at the John Ray house and learned about his family, I could not help thinking about the time of year we have just begun. It is autumn, and with autumn comes harvest time. I could not stop thinking about the mountain of tomatoes I had left sitting on my kitchen counter when I left on this little trip. It made me think of Mrs. Ray, and the vegetables she would be getting out of her own garden.

When I returned home, I decided to find a soup in one of my vintage cookbooks that would use many of my tomatoes, and thought maybe Mrs. Ray would have done the same with some of hers. I found one in “An Army Wife’s Cookbook”, a favorite of mine for many years. The recipe I am including in this post is adapted from that soup I found in the cookbook. This soup is not as thick as that you would get from a can, but it is oh so very tasty…Jim loves it, and that says a lot, because he is a very fussy eater. Served with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and a salad, it makes a wonderful autumn meal.

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Harvest Tomato Soup

  • 1 qt. homemade beef stock*
  • 2 qt. fresh tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 turnip, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 carrot, cut into pieces
  • 1 onion, finely cut
  • 4 ounces butter
  • 2 Tbsp. flour
  • 1-2 tsp. sugar
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Boil the cut tomatoes, onion, carrot, and turnip together for about 1 hour. Strain. I pressed it a bit to get as much of the tomato pulp into the soup as possible. This should give you about 1 quart of tomato mixture. Put the tomato mixture and the beef broth together in a pot. Set aside.

Melt the butter in a small pan, add the flour, and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is brown and has a nutty odor. Add this mixture to the tomato and broth mixture. Add the sugar, the salt and pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes.

*I make my own beef stock for this soup, because it does not have the dark color of store bought beef stock. This lighter broth allows the red of the tomatoes to be a beautiful characteristic of the soup.

Enjoy!

 

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Find Your Park in Your Own Backyard #11…”The Boy Who Loved Plants”, and Peanut Cookie #1

07 Sunday Aug 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Cookies, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Nature, Photography

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Tags

Cookies, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Nature, photography, Travel

  • Adventure #10-George Washington Carver National Monument

“To those who have not yet learned the secrets of true happiness, begin now to study the little things in your own dooryard.” George Washington Carver

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“The boy who loved plants.”

When I first began this journey to visit all the places in Missouri that are listed on the National Park Service website, I did so because I believed that, as important as it is to learn about our nation and its magnificent places, it is equally important to learn about that special place each of us calls “home”. My husband’s and my latest trip took us to the birthplace of George Washington Carver (my daughter asked me if he was the Peanut Man), in the little town of Diamond, population, 902. It is now one of my favorite national parks, and I can not figure out why I had not found it earlier. It is also special because I immediately related to the Carver quote above, about learning of your own “dooryard”.

George Washington Carver was born in or around 1864, to Mary, the only slave of a farmer named Moses Carver, and his wife Susan. For the first two weeks of his life, he lived with his mother in a small cabin on the Carver property. Our ranger guide agreed to stand inside the reconstructed layout of the cabin to give an idea of just how small this cabin was.

The cabin in which George Washington Carver spent the first two years of his life.

The cabin in which George Washington Carver spent the first two weeks of his life.

George was born during turbulent times in Missouri during the Civil War. When he was two weeks old, George and his mother were “ku Cluckeled”, kidnapped, by a band of guerrillas, and sold in Arkansas. Moses Carter sent someone out to find them and bring them back, but George was the only one he found. George never knew what happened to his mother.

He lived with the Carters until he was between nine and eleven years old. They treated him well, and raised him in their own home. While he was living here, he loved to go out into the woods and the prairies nearby. He loved plants, and took every opportunity he had to gather them, study them, and experiment with them. Some people called him the “plant doctor” because so many plants did so well under his care.

The woods which would be similar to where George played and learned as a young boy.
The woods which would be similar to where George played and learned as a young boy.
Williams Pond, where George spent time playing with children from the extended Carter family.
Williams Pond, where George spent time playing with children from the extended Carter family.
Carver Branch Stream
Carver Branch Stream
George would have spent many hours on the prairie near the Carver home.
George would have spent many hours on the prairie near the Carver home.

Because he was an African American, George was not allowed to attend the school in Diamond Grove, so he left the Carters to attend a school in Neosho, MO. There he lived with the family of Mariah Watkins, who nurtured and encouraged him in his interests, and in his thirst for knowledge.

From Neosho, George went to attend school in Ft. Scott, Kansas, then on to study in Olatha and Paola, before he graduated from high school in Minneapolis, Kansas. He applied to study at Highland College, but was refused because of his race.

George loved plants, but he believed that he loved to paint them even more. He had decided many years earlier that painting the plants he loved was what he wanted to do for all of his life. So, in 1890, George applied to, and was accepted to Simpson College in Iowa as an art major. His art teacher, Etta Budd recognized George’s great ability with plants, and encouraged him to study botany, which she believed would provide him a better standard of living than he would find in the art world.

George enrolled in Iowa State Agricultural College in Ames, Iowa (today the school is known as Iowa State University), where he earned a Bachelor degree in Agriculture in 1894, and a Masters of Agriculture degree in 1896. After receiving his degrees, George accepted an offer from Booker T. Washington to head the Agriculture Department at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.

George Washington Carver realized his life’s dream of serving others during his years at Tuskegee Institute. He understood that growing cotton year after year was hard on the soil, that it made it less productive as the years went on. Through his study and his teaching, he was able to convince southern farmers to grow peanuts and soybeans to rejuvenate the soil, and save their livelihoods. He was an amazing man, with an amazing spirit, an amazing desire to help others, and an amazing understanding of the world around him.

George Washington Carver National Monument

George Washington Carver National Monument Visitor Center

When you visit the George Washington Carver National Monument, you will find plenty to do inside and outside. The Visitor Center is a fantastic place with a museum, a museum store, and a theater which shows a film about Carver, his life, and his legacy. But the place in the Visitor Center that I love the most is the laboratory. It is used by school groups who come to do botanical experiments…George would be so proud! Across from the lab is a 1800’s vintage classroom to which students can come and learn about George Washington Carver and his contributions.

The botany lab in the Visitor Center
The botany lab in the Visitor Center
A vintage classroom setting to help make learning fun!
A vintage classroom setting to help make learning fun!
This wagon, kept in the museum, was used by George Washington Carver as he traveled around teaching southern farmers better farming practices that would replenish the soil and keep their farms producing good crops.
This wagon, kept in the museum, was used by George Washington Carver as he traveled around teaching southern farmers better farming practices that would replenish the soil and keep their farms producing good crops.

And when you venture out onto the grounds, you will find…

A boardwalk leading though the wetter parts of the forest along the mile long Carver Trail...
A boardwalk leading though the wetter parts of the forest along the mile long Carver Trail…
A recreation of the house that Moses Carter built in 1881. George never lived in the house.
A recreation of the house that Moses Carter built in 1881. George never lived in the house.
A home garden just outside the front of the house...
A home garden just outside the front of the house…
The family cemetery that was used by others in the community...
The family cemetery that was used by others in the community…
The prairie just outside the cemetery with...
The prairie just outside the cemetery with…
prairie flowers...
prairie flowers…
prairie flowers...
prairie flowers…
and even more prairie flowers.
and even more prairie flowers.

The George Washington Carver National Monument is an extraordinary place that encourages us to be all that we can be, in the place that we are, with the gifts we have been given. Jim and I always encouraged our children to strive to be the best that they could be; this special place is the perfect place, with the perfect story, to drive that message home.

“Reading about nature is fine, but if a person walks in the woods and listens carefully, he can learn more than what is in books, for they speak with the voice of God.”    George Washington Carver

So go out to a prairie, out to a woodland, into a museum, onto a seashore, up into a mountain, and find your park…or come see our little corner of the world, and the Carver Monument in southwestern Missouri. To learn more about George Washington Carver National Monument, and to plan your visit, go to the NPS website at http://www.nps.gov/gwca/index.htm

Peanut Cookie #1

George Washington Carver was an expert on peanuts. He was an expert in growing peanuts, and an expert in using peanuts. He discovered 300 ways to use a peanut, and in the 1930’s, he used peanut oil to bring comfort to polio patients by applying the oil as part of a massage treatment.

He experimented with peanuts, and created many recipes using peanuts. For this post, I chose Peanut Cookie #1. Because his directions are very general, I had to do some experimenting of my own!

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Peanut Cookie #1

  • 3 cups flour
  • 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups ground peanuts*

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.**

Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the beaten eggs. Measure out the flour and combine with the baking powder. Add the milk and the flour mixture, mixing well. Lastly, stir in the peanuts.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a well greased baking sheet, and bake for 8-10 minutes.

*I used my small food processor to grind roasted, unsalted, and shelled peanuts.

**When I make these again, I will try a 375 degree oven, just to brown them a little more.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Finding Your Park in Your Own Backyard #10…Trail of Tears State Park, an Old Mill, and Cherokee Brown Bean Bread

03 Sunday Jul 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Breads, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Photography, Travel

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Breads, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Travel

  • Adventure #9-The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail
  • Destination #2-Bollinger Mill State Historic Site
  • Destination #3-Trail of Tears State Park

In my last blog, posted on May 31, 2016, I introduced readers to the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. The trail was established in 1987, as a memorial to the suffering of so many Native Americans when they were forcibly removed from their homes in the East to Indian Country, the area we now call Oklahoma. The trail runs through our home state of Missouri, from the Mississippi River in eastern Missouri to the Missouri-Arkansas border on the far western side of the state. We can actually walk in their footsteps, over the same paths they traveled. The trail serves as a reminder of a sad chapter in American history…one the likes of which we can never repeat.

Our next stops take us to Bollinger Mill State Historic Site and Trail of Tears State Park, both of which are on the Trail of Tears, as we continue to visit the National Park sites in “our own backyard”.

Bollinger Mill State Historic Site

Bollinger Mill

Bollinger Mill

In 1800, a man named George Bollinger moved, with a large group of his relatives, from North Carolina to a spot on the Whitewater River in southeastern Missouri. Bollinger built a mill on the site, while the twenty other families in the group built farms along the Whitewater, the Little Whitewater, and the Castor Rivers.

Over the years, a total of three mills have stood at the site.  During the Civil War, the mill was burned by the Union Army to prevent the Confederates from obtaining flour or meal from its operation. Following the war, the mill was rebuilt with brick on top of the stone foundation that had survived the fire. Bollinger Mill went out of business in 1953.

When the Cherokee people were moved through the area, the disbursing agent, John Reynolds, purchased supplies at Bollinger’s Mill. In front of the mill, in the picnic area, you will find an interpretive sign showing copies of receipts itemizing those purchases.

The Burfordville Bridge over the Whitewater River.

The Burfordville Bridge over the Whitewater River.

Next to the mill you will see the Burfordville Covered Bridge. It was built in 1858, and is the oldest of only four covered bridges that still remain in Missouri today. It is 140 feet long and spans the Whitewater River.

The picnic area at Bollinger Mill State Historic Site.

The picnic area at Bollinger Mill State Historic Site.

If you visit the mill today, you will find displays that explain the work of the mill during its many years of operation. You can walk across the bridge, which is now closed to motor vehicles. While walking across the bridge, see if you can find the plastic owl mounted on the ceiling. My husband and I are still wondering why it is there. And when you are done seeing the sites, you can enjoy a pleasant, and peaceful picnic lunch in a beautiful grove of trees along the water’s edge.

To learn more about the mill and the covered bridge, visit their website http://www.mostateparks.com/park/bollinger-mill-state-historic-site.

Trail of Tears State Park

The Mississippi River at Trail of Tears State Park

The Mississippi River at Trail of Tears State Park

Another view of the river as we explored the park.

Another view of the river as we explored the park.

We visited Trail of Tears State Park, just north of Jackson, Missouri, on a beautiful, sun-drenched day in June. It was cooler than a typical summer day in Missouri, so we took a few short walks enjoying the bird song and the summer flora in the park.

But Trail of Tears is also a haunting reminder of the tragic journey of the Civilized Tribes. Just across from the park, on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River is one of the two places the Trail of Tears entered the river to cross into Missouri on the way west to Indian Country.

The Visitor Center has displays about the Trail of Tears and an informative movie on what it was, and why it happened. It is the same movie we saw at Meramec Spring Park, but it was certainly worth a second viewing.

After crossing the Mississippi River, some of the Cherokees camped at Moccasin Springs, which is in Trail of Tears State Park.

After crossing the Mississippi River, some of the Cherokees camped at Moccasin Springs, which is in Trail of Tears State Park, as depicted in this display in the Visitor Center.

A boardwalk takes you to a beautiful view of the Mississippi, and a look back into history.

The sign you see as you approach the boardwalk speaks of Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquete who passed by this place sometimes just after July 4, 1673, in canoes on the river. The purpose of their journey was to explore and determine the course of the Mississippi River.
The sign you see as you approach the boardwalk speaks of Louis Joliet and Father Jacques Marquete who passed by this place sometimes just after July 4, 1673, in canoes on the river. The purpose of their journey was to explore and determine the course of the Mississippi River.
This boardwalk takes you to a panoramic view of the Mississippi River.
This boardwalk takes you to a panoramic view of the Mississippi River.
The view along the boardwalk is stunning. This is sumac, and just beyond it is the view of the river.
The view along the boardwalk is stunning. This is sumac, and just beyond it is the view of the river.
At the end of the boardwalk you will be looking across the Mississippi River to the Illinois shoreline, from which many Cherokee crossed into Missouri.
At the end of the boardwalk you will be looking across the Mississippi River to the Illinois shoreline, from which many Cherokee crossed into Missouri.
There are stunning views of the river in which ever direction you look.
There are stunning views of the river in which ever direction you look.

As we were leaving the park, we visited the Bushyhead Memorial. When ice began to mount up on the river, the crossings were halted for a time. Those who had already crossed, camped in the December cold, waiting for the remainder of their group to join them. They were under the leadership of Reverend Jesse Bushyhead. His sister, Nancy Bushyhead Walker Hildebrand, died during that cold winter, and she was buried in the park. The memorial was placed in the park to honor her life, as well as the lives of all the Cherokee who lost their lives along the Trail of Tears.

The Bushyhead Memorial

The Bushyhead Memorial

Our National Parks are a national treasure. We find in them relaxation, renewal, a call to nature, and sometimes we are called to recall our national history…the good and the bad, the joyous and the tragic. The Trail of Tears National Historic Trail is one of those park sites that should make us stop and think, to reflect on some of our past that is not so heroic, not so commendable. But in so doing, we should not despair, but we should look forward, and pledge to do better, to learn from our mistakes, to become a better people, to make this an even better nation.

You can learn more about Trail of Tears State Park at their website, http://www.mostateparks.com/park/trail-tears-state-park.

Cherokee Brown Bean Bread

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I found this bean bread on a site that featured Cherokee Indian recipes, and adapted it slightly. It is delicious, and makes a perfect meal when served with a big fresh salad, a big pat of butter, and a glass of white wine. Enjoy!

Cherokee Brown Bean Bread

  • 1 cup cornmeal
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup melted shortening
  • 1 beaten egg
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 2-15 oz. cans pinto beans

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees, and put a greased cast iron frying pan in to get it nice and hot.

Drain all the liquid off the beans.

Mix all the ingredients except the beans thoroughly. Fold in the drained beans.

Pour into the hot skillet and bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

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Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #9…Meramec Spring Park Iron Works and Cherokee Blueberry-Honey Cake

31 Tuesday May 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Cake, Find Your Park, Missouri, Photography

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Travel

  • Adventure 9-Trail of Tears National Historic Trail 
  • Destination 1-Meramec Spring Park and Iron Works

The Trail of Tears

One of the saddest and most shameful moments in American history was the forced removal, by the United States government, of the Indian tribes who populated parts of the eastern regions of our nation from the Ohio River into Georgia.

The Cherokee Indians, along with the other Civilized Tribes, the Seminole, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Creek, had for many years sought to heed the invitation of the Americans to live in a civilized manner, just as the American citizens themselves lived. The Cherokee people instituted their own court system, built schools to educate their children, took up farming as an occupation, established their own newspaper, and created their own written language. They were, while also holding true to their own traditions and beliefs, living the typical American life.

But as time went on, the ownership of Native American land was threatened by the insatiable desire of white American citizens to move further and further west, and claim more and more land for homesteads. This desire for land was made even worse for the Cherokee living in Georgia when gold was discovered in the area, and miners paid little heed to those who owned the land, lived on the land, or were sustained by the land. These settlers and miners were attempting to live their own personal American dream, and the Native Americans were in the way!

As more and more land was taken from the various tribes, the Cherokee people went to the United States Supreme Court for help. In spite of the fact that the Court ruled in their favor, the President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, sided with the state government and initiated a forceful removal of the native peoples far to the west, to Indian Territory, in what we now call the state of Oklahoma.

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail-in Missouri

Today, the journey the Cherokee were forced to take is called the Trail of Tears. In 1987, the United States government established the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail to help us remember this important time in our history, to learn from it, and to keep us mindful of the fact that it must never be repeated. Part of that trail runs through our home state of Missouri, and that is our next stop in our effort to visit all the national parks in our state. We begin near St. James, Missouri, close to Meramec Spring Park, and not too far from our home.

The Snelson-Brinker House

The Snelson-Brinker House

The Snelson-Brinker house is the oldest house in Missouri’s Crawford County. Built in 1834, by Thomas Snelson and his son Levi, it served as a trading post, as well as being the first courthouse in the county.

In the years 1838 and 1839, several detachments of the Cherokee people stopped at the house and camped on the property as they moved toward the Indian Territory. The Cherokee family of Richard Taylor, with a total of four members, died while on the grounds, and were buried in the Snelson family cemetery.

Today, you can visit the property, now adjacent of the Woodson K. Woods Conservation Area, on Missouri Highway 8. It looks much as it did when the Cherokee saw it, and my husband I wish that it was a bit better taken care of. It is, however, a haunting place, one that when understanding its history, will not soon leave you.

Meramec Spring Park

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Meramec Spring Park is a little further west along Highway 8. Meramec Spring Park is not a new destination for our family…we simply love the place! I wrote about our family’s history with the spring and park in a blog on May 23, 2014. But it is also a place located along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.

In 1825, Thomas James and Samuel Massey moved to the Meramec Spring area in central Missouri to open an iron works facility. Iron was used in making the essential tools used on the farms, and in the homes of early America. By producing it in the midsection of the growing nation, it could be sold at a much lower price, avoiding shipping costs. The large red rock pit the men found near the spring (a source of water), and the large wooded expanses (a source of fuel for the fires in the furnace they would build), assured the two men that this site was the perfect place for their iron works.

The red rock of the iron pit at Meramec Spring Park.
The red rock of the iron pit at Meramec Spring Park.
In addition to the red rock in the foreground, you can see the deep forested expanse typical of this part of Missouri. The wood from the forest was essential in the production of iron at the iron works.
In addition to the red rock in the foreground, you can see the deep forested expanse typical of this part of Missouri. The wood from the forest was essential in the production of iron at the iron works.

So, from 1827 through 1876, the Meramec Iron Works was in operation at what is now a beautiful park, renowned trout fishing destination, and treasured artifact site of things from long ago-it is a part of our Missouri heritage. When you visit Meramec Spring Park you will see the preserved relics of the iron works, as well as having the opportunity to visit the museum. Exhibits in the museum explain how the work was done, who the people were who lived in and around the iron pit, and information about the natural flora and fauna of central Missouri.

In the most open area of the park you will find many remains from the days of the iron works operation…

These sign posts indicate where individual activities important to the production of iron were located. A map, obtained at the Museum will explain the function of each.
These sign posts indicate where individual activities important to the production of iron were located. A map, obtained at the Museum will explain the function of each.
This furnace is where the ore that was taken from the pit was melted down.
This furnace is where the ore that was taken from the pit was melted down.
The bloomery was where the "pig" iron, taken from the casting beds from the furnace, was remelted to prepare it to be pounded into ingots.
The bloomery was where the “pig” iron, taken from the casting beds from the furnace, was remelted to prepare it to be pounded into ingots.

When you drive the historic trail at the park, you will find not only the open ore pit, but also evidence of the lives of the people who operated the iron works. It is a beautiful, quiet, and memorable drive.

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Meramec Spring Park is included in places to see along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail because the Cherokee people, taking the northern route of the trail, stopped here to rest and camp on their journey from the eastern United States to Indian Territory during the years 1838 and 1839. When you visit the museum, you will be able to see a very excellent film, produced by the National Park Service, on the Trail of Tears…how it happened, what it meant, and how we should learn from it to become a better nation going forward.

You can learn more about visiting the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail at its National Park website by clicking on the link. You can find help planning your visit to Meramec Spring Park by clicking its link. As you Find Your Park in this National Park Service anniversary year, I welcome you to visit our sites in Missouri, and I encourage you to visit other sites along the trail…to take some time to learn more about our national history by learning more about the Trail of Tears.

Cherokee Blueberry Honey Cake

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The Cherokee would have made this loaf cake with huckleberries they gathered in the southeastern United States, before their removal to Indian Country. Huckleberries and blueberries are members of the same family, and since we do not have huckleberries here in south-central Missouri, I used blueberries from my freezer, picked last summer just south of my home. Though I did add the extra tablespoon of flour to my batter, the blueberries still sunk to the bottom. But that was okay with me…this bread is very most and absolutely delicious. It is the perfect morning snack while reading, planning a new adventure, or just because I am hungry!

Cherokee Blueberry-Honey Cake *

  • 1/2 c. butter, softened
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1/2 c. honey
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1 1/2 c. plus 1 Tbsp. unbleached flour
  • 2 tsps. baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 cup blueberries or huckleberries, fresh or frozen

Cream together the butter, sugar and honey. Beat in the eggs and the milk. Sift the 1 1/2 cups of flour with the baking powder and salt, and add it to the mixture, combining it completely.

Mix the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour with the berries, and gently fold them into the batter. This is to help them stay suspended in the batter…as noted, it did not work in my cake. Perhaps you will have better luck!

Pour the batter into a 9×5 loaf pan and bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Enjoy!

*This recipe is adapted from a favorite cookbook of mine that I purchased at the Native American Museum in Washington, D.C. It is entitled “Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking” by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs, and was published by Stewart, Tabori & Chang.

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Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #8…Ozark National Scenic Riverways and Pretty Pinwheel Biscuits

21 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Breads, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Photography, Travel

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Tags

Breads, Find Your Park, Missouri, photography, Travel

Ozark National Scenic Riverways

There is no place like Missouri in the springtime, and in springtime Missouri, there is no place any more beautiful than Ozark National Scenic Riverways. So, that is where our next trip takes us as we travel to the special places in our home state that have been set aside to be protected and managed by the National Park Service.

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Deep into southern Missouri you will find a jewel of the Missouri Ozarks, the land where two crystal clear rivers, the Current and the Jacks Fork, flow to make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways. This national park was established by Congress in 1964, and dedicated in 1971, becoming the first river system to be managed and protected by the National Park Service. The establishment of this riverways park would ensure that the two rivers would be allowed to remain in their natural state, and that they would never be dammed. And thank goodness, because they are beautiful, they are inviting, and they are invigorating…a day spent anywhere in the park will just plain put a smile on your face.

One of Missouri’s nicknames is the Cave State…for good reason. There are over 6,000 caves in the state (600 of which are in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways), and in many of these caves you will find underground rivers. The water from these underground rivers finds its way to the earth’s surface through springs, and it is from various springs that the Current and Jacks Fork Rivers get their water. This is a picture of water flowing from Big Spring into the riverways (more on this spring a little later)…

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A few weeks ago, Jim and I traveled to the Ozark Riverways to spend a beautiful spring day at the springs. We began our trip by visiting the park headquarters and the Visitor Center which sits atop a bluff overlooking the Current River in Van Buren, MO.

This bluff at the park headquarters overlooks the Current River.
This bluff at the park headquarters overlooks the Current River.
There is a hiking trail behind the visitor center that runs along the top of the bluff as it follows the river.
There is a hiking trail behind the visitor center that runs along the top of the bluff as it follows the river.
We had a picnic lunch under these very tall shortleaf pines.
We had a picnic lunch under these very tall shortleaf pines.

After visiting with the volunteers in the Visitor Center, we headed out on our day in the riverways. The volunteers were very helpful in suggesting some places to visit we might not have thought of. But, alas, this jewel in the Ozarks can not be taken in in one day, so we picked a few with promises to each other to return again…and again…

Our first stop took us to Big Spring, not too far south of the headquarters.

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Big Spring

Big Spring is Missouri’s largest spring. With an average daily flow of 286,000,000 gallons, it is one of the largest springs in the world. When you approach the spring, you are instantly taken in by its deep aquamarine color. If you would see this color on a television spot, or in a photograph, you would truly believe it was a touched-up rendition. When I first saw it, I thought it was caused by the depth of the spring. But what causes this intense aqua color is actually the minerals within the water.

We took some time to walk around the spring…

The water gushing from Big Spring as it rushes to feed into the Current River.
The water gushing from Big Spring as it rushes to feed into the Current River.
There is a trail that winds through the Big Spring Area, and at one point, goes behind the spring, and then leads up a rocky stairs to the trail atop a bluff.
There is a trail that winds through the Big Spring Area, and at one point, goes behind the spring, and then leads up a rocky stairs to the trail atop a bluff.
The Big Spring Area is visited by a wide variety of animal life. I caught a picture of this swallowtail butterfly.
The Big Spring Area is visited by a wide variety of animal life. I caught a picture of this swallowtail butterfly.

Big Spring has a visitor information center, a picnic area and a camping area. There are also cabins and a dining lodge, built by the CCC in the ’30’s which are presently closed for renovation.

Our next stop took us back north of Van Buren to Rocky Falls…

Rocky Falls

Rocky Falls

Most of the rock you will find in the Ozarks is sandstone and limestone, softer rocks which are dissolved over time by the action of water. But where you find Rocky Falls, the rock is rhyolite, which is harder and dissolves more slowly. So, this slower dissolving rock creates less space for Rocky Creek to flow, and you get this waterfall effect as it moves from one wider valley to the next. This area is called a “shut-in”. Regardless of how you explain it, it is a very pretty spot, especially in springtime, after a good rain.

While at the falls you can hear very few sounds other than the water falling over the rock, the wind rustling through the trees, and the birds in the area. It was very hard to leave this very quiet place. But…

We did move on to our next stop, Alley Spring, one of my favorite places in the state of Missouri.

Alley Spring

Alley Spring

We hiked around Alley Spring, which has an average daily flow of 81,000,000 gallons. It is a pleasant, easy trail, with many different views of the spring and the old mill, which is the focal point of the site.

The waters of Alley Spring rushing out to join the waters of the Jacks Fork River
The waters of Alley Spring rushing out to join the waters of the Jacks Fork River
On the trail, you will pass around and, sometimes, duck under large rock outcroppings.
On the trail, you will pass around and, sometimes, duck under large rock outcroppings.
And, in springtime, you will be rewarded with beautiful wildflowers, such as this Wake Robin Trillium...
And, in springtime, you will be rewarded with beautiful wildflowers, such as this Wake Robin Trillium…
this Spring Beauty...
this Spring Beauty…
some Bellwort...
some Bellwort…
and this Orange Puccoon
and this Orange Puccoon

Alley Spring was once a thriving mill town. The mill you see today at Alley Spring was built in 1894 by George Washington McCaskill. It used steel rollers for grinding wheat and corn for the residents of the community. No other buildings from the original town are still on the national park grounds.

Several years ago, Jim and I visited the Story’s Creek School, which has been moved onto the Alley Spring grounds. It is a one room school house that was used into the 1950’s.

Story's Creek School, which in 1903, had 42 students. Church services were also held in the school.
Story’s Creek School, which in 1903, had 42 students. Church services were also held in the school.
The interior of the school.
The interior of the school.

Our last stop on our trip to the Ozark Riverways was to Round Spring, which is just as the name suggests, round…and it is a very intense aqua blue. As with the other springs in the area, Round Spring maintains a water temperature between 55 and 58 degrees.

Round Spring

Round Spring

Near the spring is a wetland area where you might see birds, ducks, and other creatures who live in a wetland environment

Wood Ducks are prominent inhabitants of the wetland area.

Wood Ducks are prominent inhabitants of the wetland area.

We have come to the end of our visit to the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, and we have hardly begun to scratch the surface of the many things it has to offer. In addition to the sightseeing we did, there is canoeing, hiking, fishing, and camping available. The Current River is noted as being one of the best canoeing rivers in the country, and the Ozark Hiking Trail runs through the park. I do not think you can take in all the pleasures of this place unless you come and stay a while…we will be coming back again…and again…

You can learn more about this national park, and plan your own visit by visiting the park’s website at http://www.nps.gov/ozar/.

Pretty Pinwheel Biscuits

While we were at the visitor center for the park, I picked up a cookbook entitled Secrets of the Great Old-Timey Cooks by Barbara Swell. It is full of recipes from years ago, the ones our grandmas and great-grandmas used to make. This recipe for fancy biscuits is adapted from this book. They are pretty, and when warm, they are absolutely delicious. I cannot wait to make some of them for my grandchildren when they come to visit.

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Pinwheel Biscuits

  • 2 c. flour
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 4 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 c. milk

Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or a fork, combine the butter with the dry ingredients.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with the milk; then add to the combined mixture. You may have to add a little more milk to make a soft dough that can be rolled out.

Roll the dough into a rectangular shape about 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 3 inch squares. Cut each square diagonally from each corner to not quite the center. Then fold every other corner toward the center, as in a pinwheel. Use your thumb to close the center, leaving a large indentation.

Bake on a greased pan at 450 degrees until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Keep and eye on them so they do not burn at the pinwheel tips.

When serving, put a dollop of jam, honey butter, preserves, or anything you can think of that would make these biscuits even better, in the center of each biscuit. Serve with coffer, tea, or milk.

Enjoy!

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Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #7…Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, Clydesdale Horses, and White Haven Rice Pudding

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Find Your Park, Missouri, Photography, Sweet Treats, Travel, Uncategorized

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Tags

Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Sweet Treats

U S Grant National Historic Site

Continuing our quest to visit national parks in our home state of Missouri, we head back to the eastern side of the state and the city of St. Louis. It is time to visit the home of one of our Presidents, and take a peak at the world famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses.

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White Haven

Ulysses S. Grant began his life of public service when he entered West Point Military Academy. Upon graduation, Grant was assigned to Jefferson Barracks Military Post in Lemay, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi river just south of St. Louis.

He had been invited by his roommate, Frederick Dent, to visit his family home, White Haven Plantation, in St. Louis. And so it happened that on one of these visits he met, and soon fell in love with Julia Dent, Frederick’s sister. They were married on August 22, 1884.

Following their marriage, Grant was assigned to many different posts throughout the country, and Julia followed him to most of them. But after all the moves, and all the wars, Ulysses and Julia decided to settle down and raise their family at White Haven. They moved to Galena, Illinois for a period of time, but in 1869, they purchased White Haven from Julia’s family. It was the home they loved, the home with so many sweet memories, the home they wished to live in for the rest of their lives. But, once again, service to the country intervened, and the Grant’s would spend eight years in the White House. During those eight years, Grant managed the plantation through staff he hired to handle its day to day operation.

When you visit White Haven today, you will tour the house with a guide. As you move through the rooms, the guide will share information about the Grants and their life on the plantation. The tour was very interesting, the guide very engaging, but I did wish they had had more period furnishing to “fill” the space to better reflect what life in this house would have looked like.

The study where Grant would conduct his business affairs.
The study where Grant would conduct his business affairs.
A friendly game of checkers is set up in one of the rooms.
A friendly game of checkers is set up in one of the rooms.
And the color...You might have expected White Haven to be, well...white. But after careful research and much careful scraping, historians has determined that the Grants had the house painted Paris Green with a darker green trim in 1874. This was a typical Victorian color combination. Research also verifies the color with the discovery of ledger sheets verifying the sale of the paint from a local store.
And the color…You might have expected White Haven to be, well…white. But after careful research and much careful scraping, historians has determined that the Grants had the house painted Paris Green with a darker green trim in 1874. This was a typical Victorian color combination. Research also verifies the color with the discovery of ledger sheets verifying the sale of the paint from a local store.

Behind the main house is a kitchen house which was built at the request of a cherished servant of the family. It has a kitchen and a wash room.

The kitchen house sits just back of the main house.
The kitchen house sits just back of the main house.
The kitchen
The kitchen
The washroom.
The washroom.

And a little further back on the property you will find a chicken house and an ice house.

The chicken house, in the foreground, alongside the ice house.

The chicken house, in the foreground, alongside the ice house.

When you first arrive at White Haven, you will enter the Visitor Center where you will decide how to visit this interesting place in American history. You will probably want to begin by watching the excellent film on Grant’s life, as a soldier, a husband, a father, and a man with the strong belief that all men should be free.

You will then decide if you will next want to tour the grounds with your guide, or visit the outstanding museum dedicated to Grant’s life, which is housed in the horse stable. Either way is fine.

Learn more about White Haven, and plan your own visit by visiting the website at http://www.nps.gov/ulsg/index.htm

The Clydesdales

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Adjacent to the Grant historical site is Grant’s Farm. Grant’s Farm was originally owned by the Dent family, then the Grant family, and now it is the property of the Busch family, of Anheuser-Busch fame. It is an animal reserve and park. It also has stables for the world famous Budweiser Clydesdale horses. The fifty or so Clydesdales residing at the Grant’s Farm stables range in age from six months to some that are fifteen years and older, and are retired.

While visiting Grant’s Farm you can purchase tickets to tour the Clydesdale facility…or you can do what we often do, which is stop and see them in their pastures from the bike trail that runs along the edge of the park.

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Visiting the Clydesdales while biking the trail adjacent to the park.

Hardscrabble, a house Grant built for his family on the Dent property, is also located in Grant’s Farm, and can be viewed on a tram ride through the park.

You can learn more about planning a visit to see the Clydesdales and Grant’s Farm at their website, http://www.grantsfarm.com/.

Enjoy the journey!

White Haven Rice Pudding with Lemon Sauce

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One of Ulysses S. Grant’s favorite foods in all the world was rice pudding. I played with several recipes I found, and came up with a version my husband and I really enjoy. I hope you will, too!

Rice Pudding

  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 3 c. hot cooked rice
  • 4 eggs, separated
  • 2 c. half and half
  • 2 c. milk
  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 c. slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Put the hot rice into a large bowl. Stir the butter into the hot rice.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks slightly, then mix in the half and half, milk, sugar, lemon peel, vanilla, and salt. Add this mixture to the rice and stir together thoroughly.

Beat the egg whites until they are stiff. Fold the stiff egg whites into the rice mixture. Top with the slivered almonds.

Pour mixture into a buttered, shallow 2 quart baking dish. Place the baking dish into a pan of hot water. Bake for one hour or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. This will make eight warm and delicious servings.

Lemon Sauce

  • 1/2 c. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1/8 tsp. salt
  • 1 c. boiling water
  • 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
  • 3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Gradually stir in the boiling water.

Cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the remainder of the ingredients. Serve over the rice pudding.

And yes, wild violets are edible, and they are delicious. I picked these from our back yard. It makes the dish look so pretty, even if you don’t want to eat them…my husband doesn’t like them much, and so just leaves them.

 

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Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #6…The National Frontier Trails Museum and Colcannon On the Trail

23 Tuesday Feb 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Find Your Park, Missouri, Photography, Side Dishes, Travel

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Tags

Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Travel

  • Adventure 1-The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
  • Destination 6- The National Frontier Trails Museum

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As we come to the end of our first adventure in our quest to visit all the National Park Service sites in our home state of Missouri, Jim and I find ourselves in Independence, a suburb of Kansas City. We have come to visit the National Frontier Trails Museum. The museum tells the story of the major overland trails that left Independence on long, hard, sometimes tragic, journeys to the West.

As you enter the museum, you will see displays dedicated to the journey west of Lewis and Clark, and how the Corps of Discovery sparked the imagination and industry of a new nation eager to spread its influence across a continent.

Artifacts of the Corps of Discovery displayed at the National Frontier Trails Museum.

Artifacts of the Corps of Discovery displayed at the National Frontier Trails Museum.

During the middle of the nineteenth century, thousands of people left their homes in the eastern half of the United States and, along with many newly arrived immigrants, undertook a long and hard journey to set up new homes and new ventures in the great American West. Never before, and perhaps never since, had so many people traveled such distances to start new lives in new places. And almost all of them went through Independence, Missouri, the “Queen City of the Trails”.

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The city of Independence, founded in 1827, was the farthest point west in the United States along the Missouri River. It was here that steamboats and fur traders could unload their goods in the United States, and pick up supplies for their next trip west. Independence was where fur trappers could unload their valuable beaver pelts, used to create beaver hats, so much in demand in the United States and Europe.

Eventually, Independence became the “jumping off” point, and a supply post for three major trails to the West.

The Santa Fe Trail began operation in 1821. It served as an overland route on which supplies could be transported to business establishments, trappers, and government forts in the West, and products could be shipped back to market in the eastern United States. It also carried migrants out to new homes where they would open businesses to serve the trappers, the soldiers, and other adventurers, and where they would set up their own ranches and farms. The Santa Fe Trail was important to the expansion of the United States until the development of the railroad, which was able to ship goods, and carry people, in far less time and in far more comfort.

The Oregon Trail began carrying large groups of migrants west in 1843. It was the trail that 43,000 Mormons used to migrate to Utah, and at a “fork in the road”, you could transfer to the California Trail that led 2000 miles out to its terminus in Sacramento. You can still stand at the spot where so many people left to start their lives all over again in a new, and they hoped, more prosperous place.

The Jackson County Courthouse in Independence was built in 1837, and would have been seen by the migrants as they started their journey on the Oregon trail from the city.
The Jackson County Courthouse in Independence was built in 1837, and would have been seen by the migrants as they started their journey on the Oregon trail from the city.
Looking south on Liberty St., you can use your imagination to see the hundreds of wagons that traveled along this road.
Looking south on Liberty St., you can use your imagination to see the hundreds of wagons that traveled along this road.
This is a monument on the courthouse grounds that commemorate the many people who left Independence, MO on their arduous trip west to Oregon and to California.
This is a monument on the courthouse grounds that commemorate the many people who left Independence, MO on their arduous trip west to Oregon and to California.
Across from the museum, you can see swales left by the wagon wheels as they moved out on their long journey.
Across from the museum, you can see swales left by the wagon wheels as they moved out on their long journey.

But, as already mentioned, these trips were long and hard. When you tour the National Frontier Trails Museum, you will see exhibits set up to help you see the trails from the point of view of the migrants. All through the displays, you will find quotes from different travelers, some heart-warming, some heart-wrenching. It was from Independence that the Donner Party left on its fateful journey in 1836. It is estimated that one in ten migrants died along the way. But many made it: gold prospectors, trappers, farmers and ranchers, along with their families, who began to fill the wide open spaces of the American West.

A wagon set up to depict the long trip on the Oregon Trail. How important it must have been for a child to have that one doll to remind her that while life was changing, some things would never change.
A wagon set up to depict the long trip on the Oregon Trail. How important it must have been for a child to have that one doll to remind her that while life was changing, some things would never change.
Filling the wagon was hard...you could just not take everything you wanted, but you always had to be aware of all those things you needed.
Filling the wagon was hard…you could just not take everything you wanted, but you always had to be aware of all those things you needed.
And no matter how hard you tried to pack sparingly, sometimes you had to throw things out. This display shows items that littered the trails and were picked up by other travelers, or left for future generations to find scattered across the desert.
And no matter how hard you tried to pack sparingly, sometimes you had to throw things out. This display shows items that littered the trails and were picked up by other travelers, or left for future generations to find scattered across the desert.

You can learn more about the National Frontier Trails Museum, and plan your own trip, by going to its website at http://www.ci.independence.mo.us/nftm.

While in Independence, you can also take a tour in a covered wagon to learn more about the history of Independence and its importance to the western frontier trails.

Combination tickets can be purchased at the museum that allow you to take a covered wagon ride through historic Independence, MO.

Combination tickets can be purchased at the museum that allow you to take a covered wagon ride through historic Independence, MO.

This is a “journey” worth taking, a chance to see and feel some of the spirit that built this country across a very wide continent. I hope you will take the opportunity to experience it with your own family.

Colcannon On the Trail

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Many of the migrants who traveled on the western frontier trails were immigrants from other countries. They brought with them the traditions of their homelands. Some of those traditions were the recipes with which they had grown up. My own children each have a cookbook I made for them with the foods they had as we grew up together in our big. and old house here in south central Missouri.

One of the foods brought to the trail was Colcannon, something I make every year for our family St. Patrick’s Day dinner. Colcannon is also the one and only way I can get my husband to eat cabbage! This recipe for the traditional Irish potato and cabbage dish is one I found in a wonderful cookbook I bought in the gift shop of the museum. It is entitled Frontier Fare: Recipes and Lore from the Old West. It is not only full of great recipes, but the author, Sherry Monahan, shares stories and information about the culture and history of the foods eaten in the Wild West, and along the trails.

Travelers on the western trails did not always have the exact ingredients called for in the recipes they brought with them from their native lands. They often had to make due with the provisions they brought with them, in addition to any ingredients they could find along the way. And so it is in my kitchen…so I made a few changes, tried a few things, and ended up with some of the best Colcannon we have ever eaten.

Colcannon

  • 3 Tbsp. butter
  • 1/2 lb. cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup leek, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped fine
  • 1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 milk

Melt the butter in a pan and cook the cabbage, leek, and garlic until golden, about 15 minutes. In another pan, cook the potatoes until tender.

Drain the potatoes and mash them with the 1/4 c. of heavy cream, and as much of the milk as is needed to make a rough puree.

Fold in the cabbage, and top with a nice, big pat of butter. Colcannon is absolutely the best side dish to have with your St. Patrick’s Day corned beef. Enjoy!

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Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #5….Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark and “Sticky” Chicken

15 Friday Jan 2016

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Photography, Poultry Dishes, Travel, Uncategorized

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Tags

Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Poultry Dishes, Travel

  • Adventure 1-The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
  • Destination 5-Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark

As we enter the National Parks Anniversary year of 2016, we head out to our next stop on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail…part of our plan to visit every national park site in our home state of Missouri. Our destination is Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark.

As Lewis and Clark traveled through present day Saline County in June of 1804, on the Missouri River in what would become the state of Missouri, they noted that the area had many salt springs. In 1805, Nathan and Daniel Boone, sons of the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, set up salt production at these springs. The briny water from the springs was put into large iron boiling pots, and boiled in stone furnaces until the water evaporated, leaving salt crystals. The Boone brothers shipped this salt to St. Louis where it was needed for food preservation and for tanning leather.

This iron pot was used by the salt works at Boone's Lick. You can see it, learn more about the Boone brothers salt operation by visiting Boone's Lick State Historic Site.

This iron pot was used by the salt works at Boone’s Lick. You can see it, and learn more about the Boone brothers salt operation by visiting Boone’s Lick State Historic Site.

At the same time, the area saw many settlers arriving from the Upper South, the states of Virginia, Tennessee, and Kentucky. As more people arrived, and settled permanently in the area, it became known as “Little Dixie”.

The path used by the brothers as they moved their salt east, and by the settlers traveling west from the Upper South became known as the Boone’s Lick Trail. As time went by, more and more settlers, moving further and further west, used the Boone’s Lick Trail after it joined the Santa Fe Trail from where it began in Old Franklin, MO. Settlers also used the Boone’s Lick Trail as they traveled from St. Louis to join other trails to the most western lands of the United States.

Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark

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Along the Boone’s Lick Trail, you will find the small town of Arrow Rock. Many years ago, before it was a town, the Missouria and Osage Indians used the flint from the cliff at Arrow Rock to make their arrow points, and it became known as Pierre a Fleche, the Rock of Arrows. When Lewis and Clark passed by the Rock of Arrows in 1804, they not only noticed the salt springs. They were also stuck with the suitability of the site as a western American settlement or a military fort.

William Clark passed by the Rock of Arrows again in 1808, as he traveled down the Missouri River to establish Fort Osage (Destination #4). George Sibley, the factor at Fort Osage, came and built a new trading post at Arrow Rock when he had to abandon Fort Osage during the War of 1812.

A ferry began to take travelers across the Missouri River in 1817, and in the 1820’s. Arrow Rock became the place where travelers on the Santa Fe Trail crossed the river. Before leaving, the settlers would fill their barrels with fresh, sweet water from the Big Spring on the edge of the settlement.

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Today, there is a small park at the Big Spring.

In 1829, the town of Arrow Rock was founded, the newest port on the river. Its population rose to as many as 1,000 people as more and more people from the Upper South settled in the area, establishing farms and plantations where they raised hemp and tobacco. They brought their slaves with them to Missouri to work in their fields. When the Civil War broke out, the majority of these “Little Dixie” residents, dependent on their slave labor, sided with the South.

Following the war, this once vibrant river town began to decline as the railroads took much of the business that had kept the riverboats along the Missouri River busy for so many years. The town suffered devastating fires in 1864, 1872, and 1901. People left Arrow Rock, looking for work in other parts of the state, in other parts of the country, and Arrow Rock fell upon very hard times.

In order to preserve this piece of Missouri and American heritage, Arrow Rock became Missouri’s first historic site in 1923. In 1963, it was named a National Historic Landmark. Today this small town receives over 100,000 visitors each year who come to enjoy the many activities it offers to the twenty-first century traveler.

George Caleb Bingham, the famous Missouri artist, had his home and studio in Arrow Rock. It is one of the popular places to visit in town. Another popular attraction is the Dr. Sappington Museum. Dr. Sappington developed quinine pills, used to treat malarial fever.

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The Dr. Sappington Museum in Arrow Rock.

One of the most popular stops in town is the J. Huston Tavern. This two-story brick building was built in 1834, and served as a hotel and restaurant for many years. It is, in fact, the oldest continuously operating restaurant west of the Mississippi River…and serves really good fried chicken. It is operated by the Missouri Division of State Parks.

The J. Huston Tavern has been serving delicious food longer than any other restaurant west of the Mississippi River. When the Civil War ended, plantation slaves moved into town to find work. They became the dock workers, the warehouse hands, and the construction workers in Arrow Rock. They built the stone gutters that ran along Main Street, and are still there, and functioning today.

The J. Huston Tavern has been serving delicious food longer than any other restaurant west of the Mississippi River.
When the Civil War ended, plantation slaves moved into town to find work. They became the dock workers, the warehouse hands, and the construction workers in Arrow Rock. They built the stone gutters, seen here in front of the tavern, that run along Main Street yet today.

The reconstructed courthouse
The reconstructed courthouse
...and if you did not fare well at the courthouse, you might get to spend some time in this one cell stone jail.
…and if you did not fare well at the courthouse, you might get to spend some time in this one cell stone jail.

Arrow Rock served as the county seat of Saline County from 1839 to 1840. You can visit a reconstructed courthouse from the era and learn about how justice was served at that time.

But my favorite place to visit in Arrow Rock is the Lyceum Theater, Missouri’s oldest repertory theater. It has been staging Broadway caliber plays since 1960 in an old Baptist Church building. The play season is from June through September, and people travel from all over the state to see a quality performance on a summer evening, eat a great meal, and maybe even stay the night in one of the bed and breakfast inns in the area.

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The Lyceum Theater

Arrow Rock National Historic Landmark is a gem tucked away along the Lewis and Clark Trail. There are hiking trails in the area, as well as a campground. It is truly worth a visit. You can plan you visit to Arrow Rock by visiting its website.

“Sticky” Chicken

I mentioned earlier that the J. Huston Tavern makes a delicious fried chicken dinner. Unfortunately, the last time we visited, the tavern was closed for the season. We stopped on our way at an historic inn that touted its own fried chicken. It was absolutely wonderful, and reminded me so much of the chicken my mom taught me to make. It is the chicken our children grew up on, and it is the chicken our youngest daughter named “Sticky” Chicken…the name has “stuck” ever since.

So I decided to share my recipe for our favorite family chicken…

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  • 3 1/2-4 lb. cut-up chicken
  • 3/4 c. flour
  • 1 T. salt
  • 1/4 t. pepper
  • 1/3 to 1/2 c. lard or vegetable shortening
  • 3 T. flour
  • chicken broth

Combine the 3/4 c. of flour, the salt, and the pepper in a gallon sized plastic bag.

Heat the 1/3 cup of lard or shortening over med-hi heat in a cast iron skillet. Shake the chicken pieces in the bag of flour to coat them completely, and brown them a few at a time in the skillet, until they are golden brown on both sides…about 6 to 8 minutes per side. As you brown the chicken, it may be necessary to add a little more lard.

Place the cover on the pan a bit off center, and bake in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover, and bake an additional 20 minutes or until the chicken registers 165 degrees at its thickest point.

To make the best gravy ever…

Remove the chicken to a plate and keep it warm. Gradually add the 3 T. of flour to the chicken drippings in the skillet over med-hi heat, stirring for about 2 minutes. Gradually add the chicken broth and cook until the gravy is the thickness you prefer…I use about 3 soup ladles full of broth.

Note…Nothing makes this chicken taste as good as it tastes when cooked in a cast iron skillet.

Enjoy!

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Finding Your Park In Your Own Backyard #4…Fort Osage and Chocolate Spice Cake

03 Thursday Dec 2015

Posted by slvrhawk2014 in Cake, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, Photography, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Cakes, Family, Find Your Park, Food, Missouri, photography, Travel

  • Adventure 1-The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
  • Destination 4-Fort Osage National Historic Landmark

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Fort Osage National Historic Landmark

As we continue on our journey to all the National Park sites in our state of Missouri, our next stop is Fort Osage National Historic Landmark, a reconstructed fort which sits on a bluff above the Missouri River in Sibley, Missouri.

Following the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the United States government wanted to set up a system in which they would interact commercially with the Native Americans encountered by the Corps of Discovery on their long journey west. France and Britain were already involved in trading relations with the natives, as were the various tribes with each other.

At the same time, the United States needed more land for its ever-westward moving population, land that had, for centuries, been inhabited by native peoples. The best way to accomplish this would be to “civilize” the natives…teach them to live as an agricultural society on smaller spaces, dependent on trade and government protection. To these ends, the US government built Fort Osage, and William Clark signed the Osage Treaty of 1808 with the Native American people living in the area governed by the fort. Under the terms of the treaty, the Osage ceded land to the United States, while the government promised to protect the Osage people.

First, let’s take a look at the trading site. The “Factory” was a store, so to speak, where trade with the Osage would be conducted. Furs were the item the Native Americans provided in exchange for such things as blankets, guns, tools, and cookware provided by the Americans. As time went on, the Osage were encouraged to start small business ventures, such as candle-making. The candles would be traded to the factory. The factor, or “storekeeper” would then sell the candles to other retail businesses in the United States. Business with the Osage was conducted by the barter system. All the furs and other items brought in by the Osage were traded for things they wanted. No real money was ever given to the Osage in exchange for any items.

The Factory, the "store", was built inside the main gate of Fort Osage. The factory opened on October 1, 1808. The factor at Fort Osage was George Sibley.
The Factory, the “store”, was built inside the main gate of Fort Osage. The factory opened on October 1, 1808. The factor at Fort Osage was George Sibley.
A view inside the Factory "salesroom"
A view inside the Factory “salesroom”
Inside the Factory storeroom.
Inside the Factory storeroom.
A view inside the living quarters of the factor, the "storekeeper".
A view inside the living quarters of the factor, the “storekeeper”.
The dining area for the factor, his family, and guests.
The dining area for the factor, his family, and guests.
The kitchen inside the Factory living quarters.
The kitchen inside the Factory living quarters.

Now let’s take a look at the military fort. The purpose of the military fort at Fort Osage was to protect a portion of the Louisiana Purchase that sat in the Missouri River Valley, provide protection for the Osage if they needed it, give protection to the United States Factory Trade House within its gate, and to provide a safe place for travelers and settlers to stop, get needed supplies, and rest on their way west. Its commander was Captain Eli B. Clemson.

The fort had a commanding view of the Missouri River from this bluff.
The fort had a commanding view of the Missouri River from this bluff.
Fort Osage flew a 16 foot by 24 foot US flag with 15 stripes and 15 stars from a flag pole that was 90 feet tall. One ship captain, upon arriving at the fort, said he could see that flag from six miles downstream.
Fort Osage flew a 16 foot by 24 foot US flag with 15 stripes and 15 stars from a flag pole that was 90 feet tall. One ship captain, upon arriving at the fort, said he could see that flag from six miles downstream.
The Officer's Quarters at Fort Osage.
The Officer’s Quarters at Fort Osage.
A look at the Missouri River out a porthole in one of the blockhouses.
A look at the Missouri River out a porthole in one of the blockhouses.
Loopholes in the blockhouse... At times the smoke in the blockhouse, from the firing of muskets, would be so thick the soldiers would have to "look for the loophole"...and now you know!
Loopholes in the blockhouse… At times the smoke in the blockhouse, from the firing of muskets, would be so thick the soldiers would have to “look for the loophole”…and now you know!

Fort Osage was in operation from 1808 until it was closed in 1811 in the wake of the War of 1812. It was reopened following the war with George Sibley returning as factor. But by 1822, private traders wanted to conduct all the business with the Native Americans. These private businessmen lobbied Congress to end the Factory System and government competition. This, and the fact that settlers were moving the frontier farther and farther west all the time, resulted in the permanent closure of Fort Osage in 1827.

Fort Osage National Historic Landmark is owned and operated by Jackson County Parks + Rec. It is staffed by site interpreters and volunteers dressed in period clothes who possess enormous knowledge about the site and its history. When we visited, on a late autumn weekday, we did not run into too many other visitors. That was great for us, because the “factor” spent over an hour with us, answering every question we had, offering answers to questions we could not even think of, and providing anecdotes about the fort and the people who once lived there.

The fort is open Tuesdays through Sundays, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., year round. You can learn about the fort and plan your own visit to the fort by visiting its website at http://www.jacksongov.org/fortosage/.

Have fun finding our National Parks…in and out of your own backyard!

Chocolate Spice Cake

This delicious chocolate cake, with a kick of cinnamon, is great with a fresh cup of coffee. While the original recipe calls for the cake to be topped with a creamy white icing, we love it with a very generous dollop of whipped cream. I can honestly say that our two favorite cakes come from old recipes in heritage cookbooks, and this is one of them.

I have adapted the recipe from “An Army Wife’s Cookbook”, compiled and edited by Mary L. Williams, and published by Fort Davis National Historic Site, a part of the Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.

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  • 1/2 c. softened butter
  • 1/4 c. dry cocoa
  • 3 beaten egg yolks
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. cloves
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 c. flour
  • 3 tsp. baking powder
  • 3 egg whites mixed with 1/2 c. cold water

Cream the butter, then thoroughly mix in the cocoa. Add the beaten egg yolks.

Mix the cinnamon and cloves with the sugar and add to the batter. Beat well.

Sift together the flour and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the egg white and water mixture.

Bake in a 9-inch square pan at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

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