After spending a lot of time driving and enjoying Missouri Botanical Garden we finally arrived in Independence, Missouri. We stopped for the night at last. That was a lot of driving for one day.
The next day we made a few stops. First we visited the Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. I did not get any pictures there unfortunately. Again, couldn't remember how to turn off the flash on my film camera.
The Truman Library was really interesting. President Truman had a big hand in the development and building of his library. There is a replica of his oval office in which is the globe that was given to him by General Eisenhower. It is the same globe that Eisenhower used on the battle fields in Germany to plan his progress. When General Eisenhower became President Eisenhower the original globe was returned to him.
Something that really struck me about the library and museum was all of the letters to his wife, Bess. From reading these letters it is obvious that he not only was madly in love with her, but he respected her opinions, he valued her support of him through all of his years in government, and he saw her as the anchor in his life. She seemed to be the one who helped him hold onto his humanity through all he had seen and done.
Among the vast collection of documents, pictures, posters, and newspapers you will see support and dissent of his positions and actions. There are comics and letters. Among the many handwritten letters from the people of the country one stands out. Truman was a pianist. I didn't know this, but it was apparently common knowledge around the world. This particular letter came from a woman who survived her time in a concentration camp (I can't remember which). When she was sent to the camp she was able to keep one thing with her from her former life. It was a small tin piano figurine. That little piano provided such hope to the people encamped with her. She would tell the people around her that President Truman would rescue them and then he would play the piano for them in celebration. She was finally liberated from the horrors she experienced, and she was able to move to America to live a new life. All this time she had kept that little piano. When she became an older woman, she saw fit to share this with the president. Not only did she write the letter, but she also sent him her little tin piano so that he would know the joy and hope he brought to her and the people in the camp with her. The letter in its entirety and the little tin piano hold a proud place among the letters from the people on display in the library.
After the Truman Library we hit the road. We had intended to stay on I-70, but then as we were driving along we saw a sign for the Tallgrass Prairie National Preservation, so we decided to take a little detour. Little did we know that little detour was 45 minutes out of the way. It was so nice to get off of the expressway. The landscape is so much more dynamic than people think.
Nestled in the Kansas Flint Hills is nearly 11,000 acres of land that is incredibly beautiful. These lands are protected and devoted to the preservation of the animals and plant life native to the Flint Hills. When you stop in the visitors center and speak with the Rangers on site you will be warned that the land is home to a lot of wild animals. They are not docile! It is a common thing to come across a herd of Buffalo while hiking any of the trails. When you come upon these beautiful beasts you have three choices. You can stop and wait until they move on, you can try to go around them, or you can turn around and leave them. Regardless, don't upset them.
Among the landscape is the Spring Hill Ranch. It is a three story home that you can fully explore. There have been several owners and therefore not everything is original. For example, there is an indoor bathroom and a modern kitchen. It is absolutely worth walking through. There is an outhouse that seats three. One of the seats is meant for children. It's actually enduring. There is the ice house where ice would be cut and stored in the winter months to keep the household food safe during the summer. There is a carriage house and a large, beautiful barn. I can easily close my eyes while sitting on the front porch of this grand home and imagine the horses and carriages passing by. Occasionally, one stops and the rider climbs the staircase to the house for a visit or perhaps rations and place to rest a head for the night.
Nestled in the Kansas Flint Hills is nearly 11,000 acres of land that is incredibly beautiful. These lands are protected and devoted to the preservation of the animals and plant life native to the Flint Hills. When you stop in the visitors center and speak with the Rangers on site you will be warned that the land is home to a lot of wild animals. They are not docile! It is a common thing to come across a herd of Buffalo while hiking any of the trails. When you come upon these beautiful beasts you have three choices. You can stop and wait until they move on, you can try to go around them, or you can turn around and leave them. Regardless, don't upset them.
Among the landscape is the Spring Hill Ranch. It is a three story home that you can fully explore. There have been several owners and therefore not everything is original. For example, there is an indoor bathroom and a modern kitchen. It is absolutely worth walking through. There is an outhouse that seats three. One of the seats is meant for children. It's actually enduring. There is the ice house where ice would be cut and stored in the winter months to keep the household food safe during the summer. There is a carriage house and a large, beautiful barn. I can easily close my eyes while sitting on the front porch of this grand home and imagine the horses and carriages passing by. Occasionally, one stops and the rider climbs the staircase to the house for a visit or perhaps rations and place to rest a head for the night.
No comments:
Post a Comment