Souvenirs From The Road: On the Road Again! Texas by way of Michigan!

Today we left our summer home – South Fork CO for a route back home to Texas by way of Michigan. We took Hwy. 160 over LaVita Pass which was horribly burned by wildfire in June after we had traveled over it on our way to South Fork. We were expecting a lot of burned area, but it was already sprouting back in green so wasn’t as horrible as we thought.

On the way to our destination for the day we stopped at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in eastern Colorado. And what an awesome place this was!

Here’s a little history to help you understand…..The Louisiana Purchase was in 1803. The frontier expanded westward. Trappers went into the Rocky Mountains for beaver. Plains Indians showed their willingness to trade buffalo robes. The first wagons rolled between the Missouri River and Santa Fe, initiating regular commerce with Mexico. In 1833 Charles and William Bent and their partner Ceran St. Vrain established a base where they could take advantage of all these trade opportunities. Located on the north bank of the Arkansas River, close enough to draw trappers but near hunting grounds of Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche and other tribes and on the Santa Fe trail.

For much of it’s 16 year history, Bent’s Fort was the only major trading post on the Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and Mexico settlements. The fort provided explorers, adventurers, and the US Army a place to get needed supplies, wagon repairs, livestock, good food, rest and protection in this vast American Desert. During the war with Mexico in 1846, the fort became a staging area for Col. Stephen Watts Kearny’s “Army of the West”. Disasters and disease cause the fort’s abandonment in 1849. Archaeological excavations and original sketches, paintings and diaries were used in the fort’s reconstruction in 1976.

Looking at the fort.

You had to be special to dine here!

Ammunition!

The place is a babel of tongues: English, Spanish, French and many Indian languages. What we saw today was a reconstruction of Bent’s Old Fort, built with similar materials and furnished mostly with reproductions. Bent’s Old Fort NHS was established by Congress on March 15, 1960 and reconstruction was complete in 1976. (my graduation year!)

We spent the night at John Martin Reservoir State Park. Oh my…..it got hot (and we weren’t used to that heat of 100 degrees) but that evening, the stars! They were absolutely wonderful to gaze at! This is a great first night of our road trip.

Our next 2 nights found us in Kansas. We stayed at Cedar Bluff State Park. A very nice park, but geez Louise the wind!!!! While here we celebrated our 39^th anniversary! Some of the more notable sites that we saw while here was Cedar Bluff, located in the wildlife area. This is the picture that makes this park famous. While standing up on the bluff, we could see some pretty big fish swimming in the reservoir. Too windy to launch our canoe though.

See the big fish?

Definitely see the river channel here.

There’s an old church – Emanuel Lutheran Church outside of Ogallah.

Then we took a drive over to Ellis where the Boyhood Home of Walter P Chrysler, the founder of the Chrysler Corporation is. He was born in 1875 and moved to Ellis, Kansas at the age of 3. His father was a soldier and a locomotive-engineer. He grew up milking cows and peddling the product door to door. He worked in a grocery store. He was a champ at marble shooting, playing the drums and tuba, and was a baseball champ. At age 17 he decided to become a mechanic. He hired out as a sweeper in the Union Pacific roundhouse in Ellis being paid $1 a day for 10 hours of hard labor. He forged and tempered steel to make his own tools, these are now on exhibit in the Chrysler Technology Center in Michigan. His career included in 1919 being the vice president of General Motors as well as president of Buick at a salary of half a million dollars! He intended to retire. In 1920 he undertook a job to reorganize the Maxwell Motor Company. He found the opportunity to realize his ambition and create a new company and a new car. This happens in 1924. June 6, 1925, the Chrysler Corporation is formed. He constructed the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. At the time it was the tallest building in the world. After a lengthy illness he passed away in 1940.

Look at all of these famous folks!

Forgot about all of Chrysler's involvement with the space program....

Next stop is Independence, Missouri for a history lesson about Harry Truman. We stayed 2 nights at the Kansas City East KOA which was pretty nice! Enjoyed cooling off in their swimming pool and then went out to taste test some of the famous KC ribs. Have to say we weren’t that impressed. I think Ron and my son-in-law do a much better job!

Independence Missouri has a quaint downtown. Independence is really know for 2 things: (1) the “Great Migrations” of the Oregon Trail and (2) Harry Truman. We definitely will have to come back as we didn’t have time to take in the start of the westward trails. We did enjoy lunch at Uptown Dog which was pretty good! And later shared an ice cream sundae at Clinton’s Soda Fountain, where Harry Truman was once employed.

The other half of my Kansas City Dog - Poppyseed roll, saurkraut and swiss cheese. Yummy!

Beautiful old courthouse and square.

And this is where you get your ice cream! Clinton's Soda Fountain!

After purchasing our tickets for the Truman Home Tour (free with a park pass and we had a 3 hour wait) we headed toward the Truman Library. By the way, you don’t find real library books at Presidential Libraries, in case you were wondering. The library did a wonderful job of detailing the nearly 8 years, 1945 – 1953, (he was Vice President for F. D. Roosevelt who died in office) he was our president. He guided the US and the world through perilous times: the ending of World War II, including the dropping of the atomic bomb, the formation of the United Nations, NATO and the Marshall plan, the successful operation of the Berlin Airlift, the rescue of South Korea from communist aggression, and the beginning of the Cold War. The library was dedicated in July, 1957. Here are some snaps of some of that history that he was remembered for.

Ha! What an assuming press, even back then!

Harry and me!

Harry and Bess are buried here at the library. This is Bess.

Harry Truman tombstone.

Truman's Oval Office. Quite different from LBJ's. I've only been to 2 presidential libraries.

Truman wanted to grow up and be a concert pianist. He read all the books in the library as a youngster. At the age of 6, Harry met Bess, age 5, at Sunday School. In 1910, their official courstship started. She turned him down after his first marriage proposal. In 1917, the 33 year old was in the midst of World War 1 as an officer in the US Army. He lost no man in battle. Bess agreed to marry him in 1919. He moves in with her family after marriage and he and Bess live here with her mother for almost 50 years. After he was no longer president, he and Bess settled down in Independence where he was involved in building his library. The library is where his office was. He enjoyed walking.

We were unable to take pictures inside the home. Only the bottom floor is open for tours. The house is very nice, built by Bess’s grandfather who liked to show off his wealth. Harry and Bess stayed mostly in the comfortable kitchen, the back porch, and the library. What you will notice, especially in the kitchen, the house appears to not have been updated any. He died in 1972, Bess in 1982 but the kitchen looks like a small, cozy 1950’s kitchen. I think our guide said that presidents did not start receiving a pension until 1959. Therefore, they lived pretty frugally on his army pension and any savings they had.