Fall 2023
by J.Y. MILLER
Fall may be my favorite season. It brings relief from the summer heat and a return to school and school events. As a youth, growing up on a Missouri farm, it was a time for hayrides, repairs on fences or machines and some time to relax. Those days are long behind me now, but I still enjoy my fall pleasures, including some travel in our great state of Missouri. A lot of my travel is now through the screen of my computer in the form of cyber trips.
To help plan those cyber trips, I have searched for some fall travel locations.
I was particularly interested in this site about Alley Mill: www.nps.gov/ozar/learn/historyculture/alley-mill.htm. The mill, located near Eminence, is a beautiful structure that was used to grind farmers’ grain into flour and corn meal. The page describes the lengthy process in good detail. My name, of course, is Miller. My grandfather, Addison Lewis Miller, actually owned and operated a mill and produced these products. I have some of the “Miller’s Fine Meal” bags.
Weston Bend is a beautiful state park near Weston, close to Kansas City. It is a great place to hike and to enjoy views of the colorful foliage that we can enjoy during a Missouri fall. This site at OnlyInYourState.com/missouri/kansas-city/state-park-near-kc-must-visit/, includes pictures of those trails and views. One of the photos is of an old tobacco barn. We raised tobacco on our farm and took it to Weston to sell. Tobacco is a labor intensive crop. I spent many Christmas school vacations stripping tobacco. We pulled the leaves from the stalks and sorted them by grade. It was hard work.
Fall usually reminds us of cider and pumpkins. Here in Glasgow, we have a pumpkin festival called Pumpkin Daze that takes place on September 30. Details about it and many other events in Glasgow can be found at VisitGlasgowMo.org/events-local/. We put on a pretty good party here in Glasgow. If you enjoy Pumpkin Daze, you will love the lighted old time Christmas parade the weekend after Thanksgiving.
If you visit St. Louis, you really should see the Gateway Arch. It is pretty imposing. You can visit it virtually at GatewayArch.com/. It is much more than the tram ride to the viewing room 630 feet above the riverfront.
ArchPark.org/visit/points-of-interest/museum-at-the-gateway-arch provides online details about the Arch and the museum below it. While you are downtown, see the old courthouse (Archpark.org/visit/points-of-interest/old-courthouse), Busch Stadium and much more.
Many years ago, when I began teaching math in Warrenton, I smoked cigars and pipes. I gave that up long ago when my 5-year-old son said, “Daddy, why do you smoke? I don’t want you to die.” I put my pipe in the pipe rack and never lit it up again. That was nearly 50 years ago. But, during my smoking days, I enjoyed an IRL visit to the corn cob pipe factory in Washington. My Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipe was one of my favorites. With 150 years of history, Missouri Meerschaum Company is the only surviving corn cob pipe manufacturer in the world. You can make a virtual visit at CornCobPipe.com/our-museum/. The Washington factory includes a museum that explores the company’s history and a store that sells pipes, hats, shirts, tobacco, and more. Even if you, like me, no longer smoke, I think you will enjoy this website. It is a part of history.
I hope you enjoy all these sites and that you have a great Missouri fall. If we should cross paths IRL while visiting the Gateway Arch or checking out Glasgow’s Pumpkin Festival, be sure to wave and say hello. It is always good to connect with a friend.
J.Y. Miller lives in Glasgow and is a regular contributor to Show-Me Missouri. His e-mail address is jymiller@ShowMeMissouri.net.
Fall may be my favorite season. It brings relief from the summer heat and a return to school and school events. As a youth, growing up on a Missouri farm, it was a time for hayrides, repairs on fences or machines and some time to relax. Those days are long behind me now, but I still enjoy my fall pleasures, including some travel in our great state of Missouri. A lot of my travel is now through the screen of my computer in the form of cyber trips.
To help plan those cyber trips, I have searched for some fall travel locations.
I was particularly interested in this site about Alley Mill: www.nps.gov/ozar/learn/historyculture/alley-mill.htm. The mill, located near Eminence, is a beautiful structure that was used to grind farmers’ grain into flour and corn meal. The page describes the lengthy process in good detail. My name, of course, is Miller. My grandfather, Addison Lewis Miller, actually owned and operated a mill and produced these products. I have some of the “Miller’s Fine Meal” bags.
Weston Bend is a beautiful state park near Weston, close to Kansas City. It is a great place to hike and to enjoy views of the colorful foliage that we can enjoy during a Missouri fall. This site at OnlyInYourState.com/missouri/kansas-city/state-park-near-kc-must-visit/, includes pictures of those trails and views. One of the photos is of an old tobacco barn. We raised tobacco on our farm and took it to Weston to sell. Tobacco is a labor intensive crop. I spent many Christmas school vacations stripping tobacco. We pulled the leaves from the stalks and sorted them by grade. It was hard work.
Fall usually reminds us of cider and pumpkins. Here in Glasgow, we have a pumpkin festival called Pumpkin Daze that takes place on September 30. Details about it and many other events in Glasgow can be found at VisitGlasgowMo.org/events-local/. We put on a pretty good party here in Glasgow. If you enjoy Pumpkin Daze, you will love the lighted old time Christmas parade the weekend after Thanksgiving.
If you visit St. Louis, you really should see the Gateway Arch. It is pretty imposing. You can visit it virtually at GatewayArch.com/. It is much more than the tram ride to the viewing room 630 feet above the riverfront.
ArchPark.org/visit/points-of-interest/museum-at-the-gateway-arch provides online details about the Arch and the museum below it. While you are downtown, see the old courthouse (Archpark.org/visit/points-of-interest/old-courthouse), Busch Stadium and much more.
Many years ago, when I began teaching math in Warrenton, I smoked cigars and pipes. I gave that up long ago when my 5-year-old son said, “Daddy, why do you smoke? I don’t want you to die.” I put my pipe in the pipe rack and never lit it up again. That was nearly 50 years ago. But, during my smoking days, I enjoyed an IRL visit to the corn cob pipe factory in Washington. My Missouri Meerschaum corn cob pipe was one of my favorites. With 150 years of history, Missouri Meerschaum Company is the only surviving corn cob pipe manufacturer in the world. You can make a virtual visit at CornCobPipe.com/our-museum/. The Washington factory includes a museum that explores the company’s history and a store that sells pipes, hats, shirts, tobacco, and more. Even if you, like me, no longer smoke, I think you will enjoy this website. It is a part of history.
I hope you enjoy all these sites and that you have a great Missouri fall. If we should cross paths IRL while visiting the Gateway Arch or checking out Glasgow’s Pumpkin Festival, be sure to wave and say hello. It is always good to connect with a friend.
J.Y. Miller lives in Glasgow and is a regular contributor to Show-Me Missouri. His e-mail address is jymiller@ShowMeMissouri.net.