Discovering unexpected treasures on the road
In late September, my husband and I traveled to Missouri to attend a family wedding. We scheduled time to explore the southern area of the state, near Springfield, because that’s where some of my family settled.
My grandfather went to school in the small town of Mountain Grove. The school is gone, but it was fun to be in the place where he spent so much of his young adulthood, especially since I only knew him as an older man. My grandmother taught school in a town called Cabool, Missouri. Cabool, originally named Cedar Bluff, is an English spelling variation of the city of Kabul, Afghanistan. The town was renamed after the Second Angol-Afghan war because a railroad engineer from America who had worked to construct a railroad in Kabul, Afghanistan, thought the region in southern Missouri looked similar. It is the only “Cabool” in the United States.
As we wandered, we drove past a sign on the highway advertising Wilder Days in Mansfield, Mo. I knew Laura Ingalls Wilder had lived in this part of Missouri, so we took the exit and headed for Mansfield.
Wilder Days is an annual celebration of the author Laura Ingalls Wilder, who settled in Mansfield in 1894 with her husband, Almanzo. Laura lived in Mansfield for 63 years, until her death on February 10, 1957.
Downtown Mansfield was blocked off for the festival. After several attempts to find parking, all ending in failure, we headed to the museum dedicated to Laura Ingalls Wilder.
At the museum, we toured Rocky Ridge Farm, where Laura and Almanzo built their home. It sits on a high hill above the museum. The museum itself is home to many treasures of the well-loved pioneer girl’s life, beautifully preserved and presented to the public. We also visited The Rock House, built for Laura and Almanzo by their daughter, Rose Wilder Lane. Laura wrote the first four of her Little House books in the Rock House, beginning her author journey at the age of 65.
I have a fun family tale involving Mansfield and Laura Ingalls Wilder told to me by my mother, who grew up in Springfield, Mo, about 50 miles from Mansfield. When Mom was a young girl, her mother took her to meet Laura Ingalls Wilder in Mansfield. I’m sure it was a thrill for my mother to meet one of her favorite authors and to have the author sign one of her books. I have the book. It’s a treasured possession, as is the memory of Mom sharing her story with me.
Finding unexpected treasures, like Wilder Days, is common when my husband and I take driving trips around the United States. I will always remember our visit to Mansfield and to Texas County, Missouri.
Sending wishes for wonderful journeys and exciting reading adventures!
Kelley
