It’s mother’s day, and we all woke up at 3 am to Brittany getting sick again. I guess that’s the epitome of being a mother. J Ugg . . . that is the hardest part about being in such small quarters . . . being sick! Thankfully, again I don’t think it’s the stomach flu, I think it’s Brittany’s funny tummy. I don’t know what she ate to set it off, but I know she ate A LOT of spaghetti last night because she was so hungry. Poor thing!!
So once again, while we went to see Camp Debois, where the Lewis & Clark expedition began and they camped out for six months the winter before they began up the Missouri River, Brittany stayed in the back of the camper sleeping!! L
The wonderful thing is that we hit the jackpot today because the visitor center was doing their annual celebration of Camp Debois because Lewis & Clark left the camp on May 14th, 1804. Every year they put together a reenactment of the camp near the anniversary of the expedition with costumes and tents with every kind of crafter you could imagine.
They had a man making brooms by weaving all the straw together; a lady spinning wool; a lady making candles & the kids got to make one;
a shoe maker making leather designs on shoes; a cooper making wooden barrels and he showed us how to put them together;
several ladies doing embroidery; a lady making baskets; in the fort they had all the soldiers, including captain Lewis manning the fire and guarding the quarters.
They also had a cabin that was replica of an actual family cabin and they were building an overhang and a porch on it. It was fascinating and such a blessing to hit it on this weekend. We stayed 2 hours later than we thought we would, but it was well worth it. We just had to get going so we could see Lincoln’s Home in Springfield, Illinois.
Before we left the park though, we had to see the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. It’s right here in Missouri that the 2 biggest rivers in the United States meet together. It was awesome to see the 2 large rivers flowing together.
I made Brittany get out of the car to come see Lincoln’s home because she was feeling a little better and I didn’t want her to miss it. We first went through the visitor center and watched the 20 minute movie about Lincoln’s life. Then we went on the tour of his home in Springfield. Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, in a log cabin on the Kentucky frontier and came to Springfield on April 15, 1837 at the age of 28. Lincoln was not formally schooled but taught himself to read and write, and eventually taught himself to become a lawyer. Though Lincoln was a new resident of Springfield, he was not a stranger to the town. Since 1834, Lincoln had represented Sangamon County in the Illinois General Assembly and helped move the capital from Vandalia to Springfield. The prairie city was growing rapidly. For Lincoln, the young lawyer and up-and-coming State legislator, Springfield gave him many opportunities which could only help his already promising future. Here Lincoln could meet politicians and local leaders from all over the State. One was Stephen A. Douglas, a State senator who would defeat Lincoln in the 1858 election for the U.S. Senate. And here, too, he met his wife, Mary Todd. Abraham Lincoln believed in the ideal that everyone in America should have the opportunity to improve his/her economic and social condition. Lincoln’s life was the epitome of that idea. We know him as the sixteenth president but he was also a spouse, parent, and neighbor who experienced the same hopes, dreams, and challenges of life that are still experienced by many people today. We toured his house and walked around the neighborhood listening to the cell phone tour as we stopped at each house. It was fascinating to learn about the history or his neighbors, most of which completely supported him as president, and others continued to mock him. When Lincoln was assassinated, his body was brought back to him home town of Springfield and they had a funeral procession around town. This log wagon was used in the procession commemorating where he came from and what he accomplished.
His body, along with all his family members, are buried at the Springfield cemetery. We went to look at the tomb and it was huge, with and obelisk and 4 statues at each of the 4 corners, representing a branch of the military. It was amazing!!
As we drove downtown, everything was “Lincoln”. The train station where he left fro his political campaign and presidency is still in use today with several statues of Lincoln in the front. There was also the Lincoln Presidential Library, Lincoln Museum, and Lincoln Ave. Too bad Starbucks didn't have a "Lincoln" Springfield, Illinois mug!!
After finishing looking at “Lincoln’s Springfield” we went to the nearest Walmart to shop. At the checkout stand we got a very nice but very ditsy lady who totally messed up our bill. Needless to say, we were at the check stand for an extra 45 minutes. Walmart is a love-hate relationship. . . we love it because it’s everywhere and convenient, but it’s not always the best food or help. Finally we got it figured out and we drove to our KOA, which was way out in the middle of nowhere. We drove by a beautiful lake to get to it. Unfortunately, we were in late and out early so we didn’t get to see much of it!!
We left St. Louis, MO and had to drive about 95 minutes north to the little town of Springfield, Illinois. It was a beautiful drive with fields of grass everywhere and the road was an adobe color instead of the typical cement color. When we arrived in the town of Springfield, the town we dead . . . probably because it is a Sunday and everything is closed like the olden days. We went right to the National Park site of Lincoln’s Home and signed in for a tour.
Lincoln’s house had many of his original items such as his shaving mirror, his desk, and the expensive stove that they bought for $100. An average farmer at that time made $600 a year . . . Lincoln as a lawyer made $5000 a year so he had some very nice things in his house!!
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