Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center
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Foxfire Museum and Heritage Center . Here you can imagine what it must have been like to live in the Appalachian mountains in the days of no electricity and running water.
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Deadwood, South Dakota
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I mentioned on Friday our family had a planned one day road trip on Saturday. With the snow and bitter cold, I knew we would probably not be able to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park. When we came out in September, we stopped at the top of Painted Canyon for pictures and saw some of the wild bison. We've been wanting to go back and see them in the snow, but dealing with a -40 degree windchill makes the phrase "when you've seen one buffalo, you've seen them all," all too real.
Living in the southeastern corner of a state where everything that is educational or fun is about four hours away and trying to decide where to go and face the frigid weather and seasonal closings can be a little discouraging. My husband mentioned visiting Spearfish Canyon in Spearfish, South Dakota on Friday when he came in from work; a fellow co-worker told him about it. I did a little internet research and found that Spearfish is not too far from Deadwood, South Dakota. Yep, the real Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok was killed. We were able to see both places.
Of course, Deadwood is like many tourist towns through out the area where many of the establishments close for the winter. There are somethings that a family can enjoy even in the off season, but not much. Deadwood is known for its bars and casinos, but if you look over that, a history loving family can spend the day there and experience what life would have been like in the 1870/1880's. HERE is a link to the attractions that are offered in Deadwood.
I fall in the categories of Wild West History and Westward Expansion lover; I even have a soft spot for gunslingers. I know, crazy! My husband has helped feed my addiction over the years by stopping off in St. Joseph, Missouri, Sundance, Wyoming, Little Big Horn, Boot Hill in Billings, Montana (local history) and Garnet, Montana. Of course, my list of planned trips are in the works now that we back in Montana.
Deadwood is nestled in the Black Hills. The area is beautiful! Oh, the snow on the hillside makes the scenery just mind blowing.
Deadwood was a mining town during the 1870's Black Hills gold rush. Being a gold mining town, there was wildness that lived here. Sadly, the first pioneer preacher to the area, Henry Weston Smith was murdered on the hill right outside of Deadwood. There are two speculations as to who did the horrible deed; Indians and miners. The Mount Moriah Cemetary information leans towards the murder being committed by Indians.
The most memorable act that happened in Deadwood, was the murder of Wild Bill Hickok. History tells that anytime, Hickok entered the saloon he sat at a poker table beside a huge fireplace with his back against the wall. On August 2, 1876, when he sat down at the table, he sat with his back towards the door; leaving him in a vulnerable position.
This is the chair Wild Bill was sitting in when he was shot.
These are some original photos and drawings of Wild Bill.
Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are buried beside each other in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Jane's grave is the one with yellow and red flowers.
The cemetery is beautiful, it is located on a hillside looking down on the city; it is definitely rough terrain.
One thing that really stood out to me about this resting place are the walk ways. Each one that we saw were named after people or places from the Bible.
If you know anything about Wild Bill and Calamity Jane, then you know "wild" is perfect for Bill. As for Jane well, she was no Dale Evans.
If you are a history loving family, you really don't want to miss Deadwood, South Dakota. Just remember they are a casino and bar tourist site.
I'll post about Spearfish Canyon later this week. I'm spending time with my sweet husband since he has today off from work.
Living in the southeastern corner of a state where everything that is educational or fun is about four hours away and trying to decide where to go and face the frigid weather and seasonal closings can be a little discouraging. My husband mentioned visiting Spearfish Canyon in Spearfish, South Dakota on Friday when he came in from work; a fellow co-worker told him about it. I did a little internet research and found that Spearfish is not too far from Deadwood, South Dakota. Yep, the real Deadwood where Wild Bill Hickok was killed. We were able to see both places.
Of course, Deadwood is like many tourist towns through out the area where many of the establishments close for the winter. There are somethings that a family can enjoy even in the off season, but not much. Deadwood is known for its bars and casinos, but if you look over that, a history loving family can spend the day there and experience what life would have been like in the 1870/1880's. HERE is a link to the attractions that are offered in Deadwood.
I fall in the categories of Wild West History and Westward Expansion lover; I even have a soft spot for gunslingers. I know, crazy! My husband has helped feed my addiction over the years by stopping off in St. Joseph, Missouri, Sundance, Wyoming, Little Big Horn, Boot Hill in Billings, Montana (local history) and Garnet, Montana. Of course, my list of planned trips are in the works now that we back in Montana.
Deadwood is nestled in the Black Hills. The area is beautiful! Oh, the snow on the hillside makes the scenery just mind blowing.
Deadwood was a mining town during the 1870's Black Hills gold rush. Being a gold mining town, there was wildness that lived here. Sadly, the first pioneer preacher to the area, Henry Weston Smith was murdered on the hill right outside of Deadwood. There are two speculations as to who did the horrible deed; Indians and miners. The Mount Moriah Cemetary information leans towards the murder being committed by Indians.
The most memorable act that happened in Deadwood, was the murder of Wild Bill Hickok. History tells that anytime, Hickok entered the saloon he sat at a poker table beside a huge fireplace with his back against the wall. On August 2, 1876, when he sat down at the table, he sat with his back towards the door; leaving him in a vulnerable position.
The original site does not house the items any longer. They have moved them across the street to a larger building which is a real bar and casino. During the day, the gaming establishments are open to families since so many of them are full of museum artifacts, like this one.
This is the chair Wild Bill was sitting in when he was shot.
These are some original photos and drawings of Wild Bill.
Wild Bill and Calamity Jane are buried beside each other in Mt. Moriah Cemetery. Jane's grave is the one with yellow and red flowers.
The cemetery is beautiful, it is located on a hillside looking down on the city; it is definitely rough terrain.
One thing that really stood out to me about this resting place are the walk ways. Each one that we saw were named after people or places from the Bible.
If you are a history loving family, you really don't want to miss Deadwood, South Dakota. Just remember they are a casino and bar tourist site.
I'll post about Spearfish Canyon later this week. I'm spending time with my sweet husband since he has today off from work.
Makoshika State Park
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Montana’s Makoshika State Park is home to badlands. A look at this wonderful state park.
When we drove out here for my husband's job interview in September, we ended up having to spend several hours waiting on our hotel room to be ready. So we decided we would go some place where we could wander around without a lot of people seeing how we looked after being in the truck for 2 days straight. Yeah, we looked horrible!
We knew there was a state park in the area that we wanted to see, so we headed to Makoshika State Park.
The wind was blowing that day and we were able to walk out to the edge (with no railing). Of course, we didn't walk to the edge edge because of the wind and the ground being soft. Standing above the canyon and the huge clouds blowing over head was... how can I say this... it left me speechless! We couldn't talk, it was so amazing.
While we were sitting and taking pictures a park ranger came through and began making noise so they would not get too close to vehicles and become easy access to visitors.
We learned the dark stripes in the hills are layers of coal. I can't remember what the other layers are right off the top of my head and I can't find my notebook, where I wrote things down. But any way, I've been wanting to share our first field trip pictures and now's a good time to do just that.
When we drove out here for my husband's job interview in September, we ended up having to spend several hours waiting on our hotel room to be ready. So we decided we would go some place where we could wander around without a lot of people seeing how we looked after being in the truck for 2 days straight. Yeah, we looked horrible!
We knew there was a state park in the area that we wanted to see, so we headed to Makoshika State Park.
The name Makoshika (Ma-ko'-shi-ka) is a variant spelling of a Lakota phrase meaning 'bad land' or 'bad earth'.
Today, as Montana's largest state park, the badlands of Makoshika are set aside for visitors to see and enjoy. In addition to the pine and juniper studded badland formations, the park also houses the fossil remains of such dinosaurs as Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops.
We were quite surprised by all the beauty we found in this park. When we topped the hill and saw the "canyon" (badlands) it was amazing.
While we were hiking up hills and down into areas, we noticed the evidence of horses being around. We talked about how there were no shoe prints in the dirt. Sure enough we found the wild horses over near the amphitheater at the top. They were grazing in the field and there were three little fellows with their mommas.
While we were sitting and taking pictures a park ranger came through and began making noise so they would not get too close to vehicles and become easy access to visitors.
We learned the dark stripes in the hills are layers of coal. I can't remember what the other layers are right off the top of my head and I can't find my notebook, where I wrote things down. But any way, I've been wanting to share our first field trip pictures and now's a good time to do just that.
Our First Field Trip of the Year
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Last weekend our family visited the Etowah Indian Mounds and the New Enchota Historic Site. I thought these two places would be perfect to visit to gather needed information for the Native American notebook, Jamie will be working on this year.
When I was in high school, we visited the Indian mounds. I'm not sure why we visited and I honestly can't remember anything other than walking beside the river. The trip must have been taken before my love of history days. Truthfully, between the two sites we visited this weekend, it was not my favorite.
The New Enchota Historic Site was a great learning place. It was definitely my favorite place to visit. In the collage below, the book is the New Testament that was printed in the Cherokee language at the print shop at New Enchota. The one original building in the left is of the mission house. Over the years, there had been some damage and remodeling done to it. But it is now as it was during the 1800's other than the indoor staircase. The two cabins (beside each other)are similar to what would have been found at that time.
A lot people in this area profess to have Cherokee blood running through them. While some only have stories backing up this claim, there are many with legal documentation. After visiting New Enchota, I learned there were many intermarried families who lived on the Cherokee land at one time. So, many of the undocumented stories are possible. I also learned that on this historical site began The Trail of Tears. Reading how the people were snatched from their homes, jobs, families and safety was disheartening. Innocent people were taken and put in a "holding camp" until all the details of the removal were in place.
There was one plaque in the museum that told a tiny bit of what happened. The placement on the plaque is in an odd place, and I could not get a good picture of the whole thing but this is what it said-
While we were walking to the mission house, we crossed over the creek that leads down to a pond. We paused for a moment and saw a snake. Once he saw us, he quickly took cover under a rock.(Actually, the poor thing was hiding from the rocks someone was throwing at him.)
I love mushrooms/toadstools out in areas where we visit. My husband knows my love for them and always seems to catch a perfect photo.
When I was in high school, we visited the Indian mounds. I'm not sure why we visited and I honestly can't remember anything other than walking beside the river. The trip must have been taken before my love of history days. Truthfully, between the two sites we visited this weekend, it was not my favorite.
The New Enchota Historic Site was a great learning place. It was definitely my favorite place to visit. In the collage below, the book is the New Testament that was printed in the Cherokee language at the print shop at New Enchota. The one original building in the left is of the mission house. Over the years, there had been some damage and remodeling done to it. But it is now as it was during the 1800's other than the indoor staircase. The two cabins (beside each other)are similar to what would have been found at that time.
There was one plaque in the museum that told a tiny bit of what happened. The placement on the plaque is in an odd place, and I could not get a good picture of the whole thing but this is what it said-
"When the soldiers came to our house my father wanted to fight, but my mother told him that the soldiers would kill him if he did and we surrendered without a fight. They drove us out of our house to join other prisoners in a stockade. After they took us away, my mother begged them to let her go back and get some bedding. So they let her go back and she brought what bedding and a few cooking utensils she could carry and had to leave behind all of our other household possessions." ~ Rebecca Neugin, 1932I did a little research on this Rebecca Neugin and found THIS wonderful page of history.
While we were walking to the mission house, we crossed over the creek that leads down to a pond. We paused for a moment and saw a snake. Once he saw us, he quickly took cover under a rock.(Actually, the poor thing was hiding from the rocks someone was throwing at him.)
I love mushrooms/toadstools out in areas where we visit. My husband knows my love for them and always seems to catch a perfect photo.
