Jumping Off: Crossing the Missouri River at Kanesville, Iowa, 1847-1851
Since moving to Seattle, I’ve been researching some of the early pioneers who settled in this area. The first settlers to establish a permanent presence in what is now Seattle were the Denny Party, who arrived in 1851. They left Illinois in April and reached Portland in late August of that year. One thing I’ve […]
Spring Floods and the Oregon Trail
Here in the Midwest, we are experiencing serious flooding this spring. St. Joseph, Missouri, one of the prime “jumping off” points for the Oregon Trail, has had worse flooding this year than in any year in its long history. On March 22, 2019, the Missouri River reached 32.11 feet at St. Joseph, which was higher […]
Breakfast Date: Frank’s of Parkville and English Landing Park
For a year or two now, my husband has been trying to get me to go out to breakfast with him at Frank’s Restaurant in Parkville, MO, not too far from our home. On Saturday, September 29, it finally happened. Our breakfast date was possible because Al didn’t have to row that morning, which is […]