Fall 2016
It has been a hot summer here in Glasgow this summer. Plus, we have had high winds and some flooding. My wife, Mary, had her pacemaker replaced, and we had a major auto repair. In other words, life has been pretty much going on as usual.
We are ready for fall and some cool days and nights. Colorful foliage, football, apple cider and the promise of some quiet evenings looking into a campfire. Teachers, like my wife and sister-in-law, have worked during the summer to prepare for the first days of school. I look forward to November when my phone will finally stop ringing with political “surveys”.
Fall can be a wonderful time to travel in Missouri. The weather is almost always nice with comfortable temperatures, and we welcome some time away from our usual cares. To help you plan some fall trips, I’ve searched the Internet for places to go and things to see. If time is really short, you might prefer to simply visit online and see the sights through your computer screen.
A nice place to visit in any season is St. Charles. The city’s informative website at HistoricStCharles.com offers a lot of local and Missouri history accompanied by many stunning photos. St. Charles is just west of St. Louis and is easy to reach. I’ve visited there many times starting back in 1966 when I was a teacher in nearby Warrenton. However, I did not know that the original name of the city was Les Petites Cotes when it was founded in 1769. You’ll have to research the definition, but one of the city’s premier events is the Festival of the Little Hills.
St. Charles was the first state capital and the home of Daniel Boone. I think ol’ Dan lived almost everywhere. In fact, one of his homes is not too far from St. Charles at Defiance. You might be surprised at the house; it is pretty far from a log cabin. Check it out at DanielBooneHome.com. As pretty and impressive as the limestone home is with two-and-a-half-foot thick walls, Daniel spent a lot of time away on long hunting trips. The home actually belonged to Daniel’s son, Nathan. Daniel did much of the work on the construction, however, and he died in the home in 1820.
When you visit today, you can also tour Lindenwood University’s reconstructed historic town in front of the Boone house. It is all well worth a visit.
Way down in Southeast Missouri, Iron County was the site of the Battle of Pilot Knob (Missouri-vacations.com/missouri-festivals-events/reenactment-battle-pilot-knob.htm) which is reenacted every three years. The website shows events from the last one in 2014 and plans for the 2017 event. Gen. Sterling Price suffered a loss in that battle as he attempted to win Missouri for the Confederacy. His troops eventually won a battle in my town of Glasgow. Price went on to lose at Westport, Missouri, and then took the remainder of his troops south to Mexico. You can read more about the story at Missouri-vacations.com/missouri-civil-war/index.htm.
You can read more about Price and the Battle of Glasgow on the website of the oldest continuously-operating public library west of the Mississippi at LewisLibrary.org/BOG.html. The library was originally a college and was funded by the estate of Benjamin Lewis who died due to injuries received from Bloody Bill Anderson after the Battle of Glasgow.
Regardless of where you travel this fall, I know that you will find lots to see and enjoy. You will also meet some friendly people, and, perhaps we will cross paths either on the information highway of the Internet or on the IRL highways. If we do, don’t fail to say hello. That is how we roll in Missouri.
We are ready for fall and some cool days and nights. Colorful foliage, football, apple cider and the promise of some quiet evenings looking into a campfire. Teachers, like my wife and sister-in-law, have worked during the summer to prepare for the first days of school. I look forward to November when my phone will finally stop ringing with political “surveys”.
Fall can be a wonderful time to travel in Missouri. The weather is almost always nice with comfortable temperatures, and we welcome some time away from our usual cares. To help you plan some fall trips, I’ve searched the Internet for places to go and things to see. If time is really short, you might prefer to simply visit online and see the sights through your computer screen.
A nice place to visit in any season is St. Charles. The city’s informative website at HistoricStCharles.com offers a lot of local and Missouri history accompanied by many stunning photos. St. Charles is just west of St. Louis and is easy to reach. I’ve visited there many times starting back in 1966 when I was a teacher in nearby Warrenton. However, I did not know that the original name of the city was Les Petites Cotes when it was founded in 1769. You’ll have to research the definition, but one of the city’s premier events is the Festival of the Little Hills.
St. Charles was the first state capital and the home of Daniel Boone. I think ol’ Dan lived almost everywhere. In fact, one of his homes is not too far from St. Charles at Defiance. You might be surprised at the house; it is pretty far from a log cabin. Check it out at DanielBooneHome.com. As pretty and impressive as the limestone home is with two-and-a-half-foot thick walls, Daniel spent a lot of time away on long hunting trips. The home actually belonged to Daniel’s son, Nathan. Daniel did much of the work on the construction, however, and he died in the home in 1820.
When you visit today, you can also tour Lindenwood University’s reconstructed historic town in front of the Boone house. It is all well worth a visit.
Way down in Southeast Missouri, Iron County was the site of the Battle of Pilot Knob (Missouri-vacations.com/missouri-festivals-events/reenactment-battle-pilot-knob.htm) which is reenacted every three years. The website shows events from the last one in 2014 and plans for the 2017 event. Gen. Sterling Price suffered a loss in that battle as he attempted to win Missouri for the Confederacy. His troops eventually won a battle in my town of Glasgow. Price went on to lose at Westport, Missouri, and then took the remainder of his troops south to Mexico. You can read more about the story at Missouri-vacations.com/missouri-civil-war/index.htm.
You can read more about Price and the Battle of Glasgow on the website of the oldest continuously-operating public library west of the Mississippi at LewisLibrary.org/BOG.html. The library was originally a college and was funded by the estate of Benjamin Lewis who died due to injuries received from Bloody Bill Anderson after the Battle of Glasgow.
Regardless of where you travel this fall, I know that you will find lots to see and enjoy. You will also meet some friendly people, and, perhaps we will cross paths either on the information highway of the Internet or on the IRL highways. If we do, don’t fail to say hello. That is how we roll in Missouri.