TRAIL OF TEARS

Well, I spent a lot of time this past week bakin' and cookin' and I had pictures of it all and some really good pictures of area stuff goin' on. I was messin' around with my camera Thursday night and I formatted ,unwillingly, and lost every photo on my camera! I was so mad at myself. Have you ever done that?

So, I dug out some photos I took this past summer when CD and I took a road trip down the old Route 66. I love drivin' that road and I feel very privileged to live near the grand old Mother Road. It has so many old towns along the way and some of them are now ghost towns. It is a piece of our past from a simpler time. A time when the great American dream was in its prime.

These are photos of an old amusement park called 'Trail of Tears'. I remember seein' signs for it when I was a kid and it was probably built in the 60's.



These are some old houses. Probably livin' quarters or old shops.

Now this was a very hot, humid, muggy day and here in the Ozarks when it is a very hot, humid, muggy day, the color is sucked out of every thing. That is why there's no color in the sky and there is an overcast to every thing.

Here are a couple of old buildins' back in the tree's. Lot's of growth so that means lots of chiggers and ticks and snakes, so that means I don't venture off the beaten path.

This was back a ways down a path (other people come here too and they've made paths). It is dark in them woods, you can see the shadow from me havin' to use my flash. I was too busy lookin' for snakes and MoMo to worry about doin' anything with my camera but puttin' it on cruise.

This is a stone arch over the path. Most everything made here is made from local stones. I think MoMo lives back in there.

Here's a better view of arch.

There's also a rock wall that runs along side the path leadin' to arch.

Here's an old buildin'. We thought it might have been a restaurant.

Out in the open is this spout that had water runnin'. Strange. Must have been an artisan well or somethin' for water to just run out of it like that.

Here is a neat gate runnin' up the hill. It was padlocked and we didn't climb over. Too much work involved and I like to be able to make a fast getaway if needed.

Another old house.

I guess this is where the gift shop was located. We didn't go up and look in windows because the porch looked like it was rotted.

Neat split rail fence.

Then we came upon this part of it. My favorite part. Everything in this area made out of rock and water was runnin', coming out of stone fountains. Where was the water comin' from and how long had it been running? Where did it go to? My husband said I had too many questions. I'm just curious like that. I always want to know why and where. The sign hangin' off the arch says Trail of Tears.

Somebody broke the hand of Mark Twain!

Water was pourin' out of this guys hands.

An old fountain and pavilion. Water is runnin' everywhere.

Here's another pavilion with stone seats.

Up on one of the hillsides we saw this Indian girl pullin' the tail of a buffalo! Very brave Indian girl.

Here's a stone tepee with a stone wall around it and it looked like water was in it along with the tall grasses.

There was also another building back up the hill back in the trees but the path wasn't beatin' down leadin' up there.

Closer view of the tepee.

Rock gateway leadin' out.

Here's a look at a house back up in the woods. It looked like it was made out of rock too. It really caught my curiosity but there was no way to get closer. And I just wasn't in the mood to meet MoMo.

Another buffalo.

A photo of arch as we were leavin'.

I want to go back before Spring so I can explore a little farther. We could tell there was a lot more but just couldn't get to it.

Hopefully I'll have more photos to show you of the Trail of Tears amusement park. How anyone could name an amusement park after such a sad time in our history, beats me, but that's just the way it is, sad though.

Rebel