Day 14 of 117 on our “Go West, Young Man” Two Lane Adventure – Tuesday 7/10/18

We enjoyed our overnight at Big Spring Campground, but the heat and the bugs forced us to move on earlier than we had planned. While on US 60 W, we crossed the Current River. The Current River is approximately 184 miles long and in 1964, over 134 mi of the upper course of the river and its tributaries were federally protected as the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park in America to protect a river system. The Current River may be floated at almost any time of the year, there is access at Van Buren Riverfront Park and the US highway 60 Bridge.

USDA – Irish Wilderness. I saw this sign and it made me think of Bob & Marie and I needed to learn more about it. The Irish Wilderness is a dense forest of oaks and hickory. Wilderness is set aside by Congress as a natural area affected primarily by the forces of nature with little evidence of man’s works. No two individuals share the same meaning and values of the wilderness experience, but it is primitive and challenging, and people must be self-reliant. In the mid 1800’s a Catholic priest dreamed of a place where Irish immigrants could escape the oppression of urban live in St. Louis. 

In this wild area of the Ozarks, Father Hogan established a settlement that would forever bear their name, Irish Wilderness. The Irish Wilderness, caught in the middle of the Civil War, became a “no man’s land” and was raided by both Union and Confederate troops as well as bushwhackers. It is not certain what happened to Father Hogan’s Irish immigrants, but after the war they were gone.

On US 60, we passed through the town of Birch Tree. Their sign indicated that it has a population of 679. A post office called Birch Tree has been in operation since the 1860s. It is a unique name for a community, it was named for a grove of birch trees near the original town site.

Cabool sits at the heart of dairy country and is known as the deer capital of Missouri and lies among the rolling hills. Highways 60 and 63 intersect in Cabool, making it a prime location for commuters. But Cabool is a unique name for a community. The name Cabool was coined by Ralph Walker, a surveyor employed by the Frisco Railroad. The scenery reminded him of the town of Kabul, which is in Afghanistan, where he had served with the British military forces. Cabool is the English spelling of Kabul and is the only city in the world with this particular spelling. Some believe there is a legend behind the name Cabool. The poem Legend of Cabool was written by Tug Wilson and Ben Durnell in 1903. The poem tells the story of an Indian chief named Cabool and his star-crossed lover who meet a tragic end.

We came through Houston Missouri and I found it funny, that Houston is in Texas County. Texas County is the largest of Missouri’s 114 counties. It covers almost 1,200 square miles. When you think Texas, you think BIG, like the same name as the second largest of the fifty states. Well Texas County in Missouri is BIG, it is bigger the smallest state, Rhode Island.

The springs of Brushy Creek north of the city were a popular gathering place in the early founding of the community. The location on the north edge of Houston was the site of many picnics, gatherings and baptisms in Houston in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Houston's written history dates to 1846, June 1846 is Houston's official birthday. The selection followed a pattern set by all early settlers - the need for water. There were several springs along Brushy Creek. Following the Civil War, Houston was reorganized in 1872.

This is the first picture I am sharing with you … but I have taken a unique chicken statue picture in each state we have been in. I hope my luck holds out as we continue to crisscross the states!

Licking, Missouri or "The Settlement of Lick" takes its name from a buffalo lick that was located about a quarter mile east of the center of the present town of Licking.  The salt lick was a wet weather spring that would flood the area around it.  Later in the year the spring would dry up, leaving the salt for the animals and the Indians of the area to use. 

In 1826, just five years after Missouri became a state, "The Settlement of Lick" had the first homes established.  By 1833, other families had settled in the area and in 1857, the first store was opened and a postmaster was appointed.  On August 8, 1878, a petition was presented to the Texas County Court requesting the incorporation of the "Town of Licking". During the Civil War, the countryside was scoured by armies of both sides.  When the war was over, few homes were left standing.  The town also survived a tornado in 1880 which almost completely destroyed the homes of the people living here.  These events did not destroy their pioneering or theirs spirits.  They soon began to rebuild as they once again took up the job of making a living.  By 1889, Licking was once again a thriving little community. Today, Licking is known as one of the states best locations for deer and turkey hunting.

On the atlas, we use as we travel there was a notation that said “Population Center of US.” I learned that the population center of the US is determined by the United States Census Bureau from the results of each census. The Bureau defines it to be: the point though which a north-south line and an east-west line each divides the total population of the country in half. This figure is calculated every 10-years. The interesting data is, the Population Center of the US keeps moving further west. In 1980 it was in Jefferson County, Missouri - 0.3 mile west of DeSoto. In 1990 it was in Crawford County, Missouri - 9.7 miles southeast of Steelville. In 2000 it was in Phelps County, Missouri - 2.8 miles east of Edgar Springs and in 2010 it was in Texas County, Missouri, along Route 63 - 2.7 miles northeast of Plato.

In Rolla, we crossed the intersection of Route 66. We were on Route 66, 2 summers ago as we headed to see our son in Arizona.

In Rolla, we found the Missouri University of Science and Technology, MO S&T. Most of its 9,000 students study engineering, business, sciences, and mathematics. Known primarily for its engineering school, it offers degree programs in business and management systems, information science and technology, sciences, social sciences, humanities, and arts.

I found what looks like a miniature Stonehenge. I was right! It is a partial reconstruction of the original Stonehenge monument in southern England. Their version of the ancient structure was dedicated over 30-years ago during the summer solstice. It features a 50-foot diameter ring of 30 stones around a horseshoe of five trilithons through which various sightings of sunrise and sunset can be made. About 160 tons of granite were used to construct the monument. After completion, Missouri S&T Stonehenge received an award from the National Society of Professional Engineers for being one of 1985's Ten Outstanding Engineering Achievements.

The university developed a new way to make deep cuts in granite and worked with artist Edwina Sandys who used the method to create the Millennium Arch sculpture. The Arch is a single trilithon with the stylized silhouettes of a man and a woman cut from the two uprights. The figures cut from the uprights stand nearby as freestanding statues. The work, which is located on 10th Street facing Castleman Hall, was developed as a project of the High Pressure Waterjet Laboratory of the Rock Mechanics & Explosive Research Center at Missouri S&T.

Outside of Vishey Missouri, we saw what looked like a blue chimney. But, as we got closer we decide it was a tall straight water tower. We have never seen this style water tower, but thinking about it … less weight at the top than a water tower with a big bulb at the top!

Westphalia, Missouri was heavily influenced by the German heritage of the majority of its inhabitants. Many of the early settlers of the area came from the Westphalia region of Germany, hence the name. Many buildings are influenced by nineteenth-century German architecture, and streets are labeled in both English and German. The center of population of Missouri is located in Westphalia. If you have read this whole blog, you know what a center of population is! We could see the steeple of St Joe's Church a long ways away.

I love historical markers and this one is a big one! It shares information about Osage County. In 1857, the Missouri Pacific Railroad began to cut into the rolling Missouri countryside, in turn developing the northern section of the county along the Missouri River — Bonnots Mill, Chamois and Morrison. Many communities in rural Missouri grew up around “railroad towns” built to service freight and passenger traffic along the rails. Bonnots Mill was the County Seat’s rail link for transportation and shipping.

We traveled on US 63 / US 50 which is also known as the Louis & Clark Trail. The Lewis and Clark Expedition passed the future site of Jefferson City on June 4, 1804. In 1826, the state capital was moved from St. Charles to a more central location along the Missouri River and the city was named in honor of the president that dispatched Lewis and Clark to explore the vast new tract of land.

We skirted the edge of Jefferson City, Missouri. We have 5 days here, so you will learn more about this city in later blogs.

We ended the day at Binder Lake Campground a city of Jefferson City facility. We heard about the park from a lady on the Facebook group, Living the RV Dream. Our first impressions are WOW!