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We camped at the State Park near Ft. Kearney last night. It was a very large camp ground amidst several small lakes. Adjacent to some of the lakes was a small cabinet in stilts at the water's edge. The doors at each end wee louvered, presumably to adjust air flow through the cabinet. There was an electrical socket inside and some two pieces of black tubing that disappeared into the ground under the cabinet. We speculate that this may be something for drying fish, or ?? We did not see anyone we could ask. The the morning we took off to find the grave sight of Mary Haile which is located a few miles of the paved road. As we traveled to the grave site we saw these huge piles of what appears to be sawdust, some of which had the ends of logs exposed with most of the log buried in the sawdust - another mystery. We have no idea what this is for. Mulch? Press board? Decoration?
As we drove along we saw some typical country sights, including the inevitable automobile and farm equipment graveyard. This is such a staple of agricultural economy that it is hardly deserving of a photograph because 100 yards from this rusty assemblage was a very nice, modern house with several relatively new outbuildings and vehicles parked around. But I guess you never know when you'll need the piston rod from the '49 Chevy to keep the farm in operation.
We found the grave site of Susan Haile - one of the thousands of tragic stories along the trail. Susan was a 35 year old mother of 6 children who died at this location. According to the markings on her gravestone, she died after eating water that had been poisoned by the Indians. Maybe, but I'm betting on cholera - the scourge of the overland trails. With thousands of people and more thousands of animals traversing the same pathways, cholera was an ever present danger. Stories abound of people becoming violently ill and dying within a few hours. There was not much that could be done - people did not understand the nature of the bacterial infection, nor how it was spread. Calomel, bleeding, and various patent medicine potions were all that could be offered when there wasa, by chance, a physician available. It seems to me more likely that cholera was Mary Haile's enemy - not the Indians.
Mary's children were adopted by a relative who was on the same wagon train, and apparently all arrived safely in Oregon after the death of their mother.
As we wondered around in these rather remote roads we saw some interesting sights. I was driving and at one point I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a HOUSE coming at me from behind - with a tow truck leading the way. I pulled well to the side of the road and there were not one, but two, houses being moved down this rural road. In the same area, we saw a house that looked like something right out of the Deliverance, including the Confederate flag - I decide not to stop and get their view on the current political situation.
We found another site we were looking for in the area - the site of the Smith-Simonton attack. In the attack in 1864, 6 teamsters taking a group of wagons along the Oregon trail to Denver were killed, apparently by marauding Indians. The Indians were taking advantage of the US Army's involvement in the Civil War to make an attempt to drive the newcomers from their lands. This situation, and other attacks during the period, are described on a Oregon Trail marker in the area. The trail in this area is also the Pony Express route and the riders are remembered in some metal silhouettes on the hilltops in the area.
As we contiues east through the land of cornfields and silos we fouind ourselves, not entirely by accident, in Dechler, Kansas. I was lunch time, so I went across the street to a place called the Bar & Grill. When I walked through the door I almost caused serious injuries to the old boys sitting at the bar and some others playing cards at a table. They turned around so quickly I was afraid there would be a sprained neck or a fall from the bar stool. They stared. I said, "A stranger just walked in." They chorused."Yup." Luckily the bar is right next to the Rustler, the Dechler weekly newspaper, so these strange events could be widely reported for the edification of the natives.
I inquired if it might be possible to get a meal. They said, "We don't have food." I wondered why then they had, or said they had a grill, but did not ask. They said they used to have a cafe in town, but, after some discussion, the general consensus was that it had closed, and moved to Circle J (or some such name) gas station "on the highway."
So we continued on to Beatrice (pronounced Bee-a'- trice (the "a"as is "ant")where we found a campground and spent the night.
We camped at the State Park near Ft. Kearney last night. It was a very large camp ground amidst several small lakes. Adjacent to some of the lakes was a small cabinet in stilts at the water's edge. The doors at each end wee louvered, presumably to adjust air flow through the cabinet. There was an electrical socket inside and some two pieces of black tubing that disappeared into the ground under the cabinet. We speculate that this may be something for drying fish, or ?? We did not see anyone we could ask. The the morning we took off to find the grave sight of Mary Haile which is located a few miles of the paved road. As we traveled to the grave site we saw these huge piles of what appears to be sawdust, some of which had the ends of logs exposed with most of the log buried in the sawdust - another mystery. We have no idea what this is for. Mulch? Press board? Decoration?
As we drove along we saw some typical country sights, including the inevitable automobile and farm equipment graveyard. This is such a staple of agricultural economy that it is hardly deserving of a photograph because 100 yards from this rusty assemblage was a very nice, modern house with several relatively new outbuildings and vehicles parked around. But I guess you never know when you'll need the piston rod from the '49 Chevy to keep the farm in operation.
We found the grave site of Susan Haile - one of the thousands of tragic stories along the trail. Susan was a 35 year old mother of 6 children who died at this location. According to the markings on her gravestone, she died after eating water that had been poisoned by the Indians. Maybe, but I'm betting on cholera - the scourge of the overland trails. With thousands of people and more thousands of animals traversing the same pathways, cholera was an ever present danger. Stories abound of people becoming violently ill and dying within a few hours. There was not much that could be done - people did not understand the nature of the bacterial infection, nor how it was spread. Calomel, bleeding, and various patent medicine potions were all that could be offered when there wasa, by chance, a physician available. It seems to me more likely that cholera was Mary Haile's enemy - not the Indians.
Mary's children were adopted by a relative who was on the same wagon train, and apparently all arrived safely in Oregon after the death of their mother.
As we wondered around in these rather remote roads we saw some interesting sights. I was driving and at one point I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a HOUSE coming at me from behind - with a tow truck leading the way. I pulled well to the side of the road and there were not one, but two, houses being moved down this rural road. In the same area, we saw a house that looked like something right out of the Deliverance, including the Confederate flag - I decide not to stop and get their view on the current political situation.
We found another site we were looking for in the area - the site of the Smith-Simonton attack. In the attack in 1864, 6 teamsters taking a group of wagons along the Oregon trail to Denver were killed, apparently by marauding Indians. The Indians were taking advantage of the US Army's involvement in the Civil War to make an attempt to drive the newcomers from their lands. This situation, and other attacks during the period, are described on a Oregon Trail marker in the area. The trail in this area is also the Pony Express route and the riders are remembered in some metal silhouettes on the hilltops in the area.
As we contiues east through the land of cornfields and silos we fouind ourselves, not entirely by accident, in Dechler, Kansas. I was lunch time, so I went across the street to a place called the Bar & Grill. When I walked through the door I almost caused serious injuries to the old boys sitting at the bar and some others playing cards at a table. They turned around so quickly I was afraid there would be a sprained neck or a fall from the bar stool. They stared. I said, "A stranger just walked in." They chorused."Yup." Luckily the bar is right next to the Rustler, the Dechler weekly newspaper, so these strange events could be widely reported for the edification of the natives.
I inquired if it might be possible to get a meal. They said, "We don't have food." I wondered why then they had, or said they had a grill, but did not ask. They said they used to have a cafe in town, but, after some discussion, the general consensus was that it had closed, and moved to Circle J (or some such name) gas station "on the highway."
So we continued on to Beatrice (pronounced Bee-a'- trice (the "a"as is "ant")where we found a campground and spent the night.
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