TRAIL OF TEARS PART 2

After Tuesday nights devastatin' tornadoes, today is a little quieter. A small, is there such a thing, tornado touched down in Springfield. Nothin' like what Lone Grove, Oklahoma experienced. Those poor people. The death toll right now is at 9 but there are still people unaccounted for. My blogfriend Darlene who lives about 3/4 of a mile away from the hardest hit area, has a few pictures on her web site if you'd like to check it out, go on over there. Please pray for Lone Grove.

We drove over to my daughters in Springfield yesterday and drove past some of the damage. We saw a business in her neighborhood that had fence post driven through the walls of the buildin'. I guess 'tis the season is here. The last two years we have had twisters go through my neighborhood and destroy homes and take lives. I've never been afraid of severe weather but when it hits that close to home, ya get a little tense.

Well, I'm postin' the rest of the Trail of Tears pictures. I probably should have made three posts out of this because there are a lot of pictures. I so want you to see everything there because it is so neat and I know it won't be there forever. From some researchin' I've done, I have found out the land is for sale.

I have googled about this place and not found much info but one of my loyal readers and friend Mary gave me the location of some web sites to check out. Thank you Mary, it helped a lot.

When I have referred to this place as an amusement park, it wasn't really a park with rides and such. Rather a place, a lot like several places in MO, that you can go to and walk around and see the sites and maybe there would be a gift shop and good food available. But actually, Trail of Tears was a memorial built by Larry Baggett, a local of Jerome, Mo. It was a tribute to the Cherokee Indians plight.

In the Spring of 1838, more than 15,000 Cherokee Indians were forcibly removed from their homes. They were required, or rounded up if you may, by the US Army. They were forced to leave their ancestral lands in North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. They were held in concentration like camps, then they were placed on a death march to Oklahoma. The march lasted nearly a year. Nearly 1/4 of their members perished along the way. They died from cold, hunger and illness.

The Cherokee called the march, Nunahi - Duna - Dio - Hilu - l or Trail where they cried.

So now these pictures show what is left of Larry Baggett's tribute to the memory of one of our saddest times in our American history.

When I came up over the crest of the hill, here's what awaited me.

How cool is this? A stone buildin', octagon shaped!

I looked back over the hill behind me. Doesn't it look like he's chargin' at me? Maybe protectin' his area.

This sign says:

The east, west Osage, Kickapoo Indian Trail. From Vedigess River in Okla. to St. Louis, MO.
Later the pioneer's moved it north 1,000 feet.
Looking south you now see old 66 and new I-44.
Reference book First 200 years.

And behind the octagon shaped house is a larger house.

Old rustin' wheelbarrow just sittin' where Mr.Baggett probably left it. He died in 2003.

Back up the hill I saw this.

The eyes were like little windows with red glass in them. I didn't dare venture inside, but I sure wanted to. It was big enough for kids to go into. I'm sure that's what he built it for.

This was out back too.

This is more of the big house.

Call me crazy but I wanted to go inside sooooo bad!

I want a glassed upstairs room! I could so have a glass roofed bedroom. Can you imagine how cool at night this would be?

This is another buildin' back from the main house.

There's CD standin' in the doorway. WHAT has gotten into the man? He is always holdin' me back and tellin' me to be careful and we're gonna get caught and I turn around for a minute and he goes out there and goes inside for like 5 minutes.

I'm standin' back at the house hollerin' for him. I was gettin' worried. He finally came out and told me to calm down. Ha, I'll calm him down!

You do have to be very careful when you are out in areas like this and for him to just go in there without sayin' anythin' to me, well..........

I said, "I'm goin' in", I meant the big house.
He said, "No way in _ _ _ _.
I said, "You went back in that old rickety barn lookin' thing."
He said, "Yeah, but you're not goin' in a closed up, probably locked door, old house, where we don't know what's in there or what condition the floors are in."

Know it all man! I hate it when he's right.

Over the crest of what had once been a yard was the bank of a pond with a little house sittin' on the bank.

On further inspection, I think it is a dog house.

There's still a little water in the pond or I should say ice.

Neat old stone wall.

Here is a gate way in the old stone wall. I wonder what it use to look like on the other side and where it went to.

Lookin' back down the hill at the entrance to this enchantin' place.

I love this tee pee at the bottom of the hill.

NO, he is not doin' what it looks like he's doin'! I liked this picture and never saw what it looks like what's goin' on until I put it here on my post.

CD said, "Well take it off."

I said, "I can't, I don't know how." hee hee

Can you see the water comin' out of this guys mouth?

The first time we came here I just assumed this was suppose to be Mark Twain, all dressed in white like he normally is. This is actually a self portrait of Larry Baggett. He was an extremely talented man, wouldn't you say? I am sorry Mr. Baggett that you lost your hand.

Goodbye Trail of Tears Memorial. I will never forget you.
Rebel