Old Coal Mine Exploration

Cattail Swirl

Entrance to Our Museum

Gravel Road Red-Tail

Thorny Blue

Cattail Sword Fight

After our picnic, we explored my Uncle's farm, where my Dad also lived at some point along the way. Most land around here was mined for coal, and if the land isn't put back together properly, it doesn't support much more than thorns and cattails.

We collected many items and made a museum of our found items. Bones, feathers, metal, glass, pottery, rocks, and a wonderful afternoon.

Spring Creek Cemetery

Mary wife of W.H. Comstock

Died May 9, 1865

Aged 23 years 3 months 10 days

Ida Isabell

Died August 9, 1866

Aged 2 months 5 days

Dayton son of J.W. & E. Coffen

Died May 14, 1865

Aged 5 years 10 months 5 days

John M.

died 1848

aged 19 years, 22 days

Eliza wife of W. Stafford

Died Feb. 25, 1853

Age 26 years

Died April 9, 1856

Aged 13 years

Mary I.

Infant of N. & M.A. Elliott

Departed this life the 20th of the 7th month

1856

My Uncle John's farm was on one side and Uncle Calvin's was on the other. My cousin Laura did a good job of supplying me with scary stories that were accentuated by the creepy trees surrounding it.Unfortunately, all the trees have been cut down and it is quite barren. We had a January picnic in Iowa at an old cemetery. I haven't done that before.

Angie's Mini Cow Farm

My Dad and I were discussing the difference between miniature horses, regular horses, and ponies. And after we solved that problem, he mentioned mini cows. That lead to an internet search and soon after discovered a mini cow farm nearby. So we went to visit and the cows are as cute as they might seem.

Look at her hairdo!

http://www.minicowfarm.com/

Eddyville Dunes Sand Prairie

This is one of the few remaining sand prairies left in Iowa. It is a wonderful place to walk and in warmer weather race runner lizards may be seen.










We found 2 1930's GM automobiles along a prickly fence line.

Cedar Bluffs

My Grandparents farmed this spot of land when my Dad was growing up. They called it the island because it juts out between the Des Moines River and Cedar Creek. There are Indian mounds on the nearby bluff and carvings in the cliff. Apparently Grandpa's name is also carved there.

Jasper near the burial mounds.

Dover School

This one-room schoolhouse is located behind Apple Tree Antiques off highway 27 in Lee County. We pass here on the way up to the farm.

Dover started when the Bonnell brothers, wealthy apple growers out of New Jersey, bought 880 acres of land in the northwest Franklin Township area in 1843. Although never officially platted or even surveyed for a town site, Dover nevertheless became an important trading center which boasted a schoolhouse, a couple of blacksmith shops, the general store, two or three other small businesses and a post office.

The one-room school faces south with a double-door entry with a transom window above and a window on either side. Three windows are on each side of the school to the east and west; the blackboard was on the north wall and measured 18’ by 2 ½’ by 2”, there are decorative wrought iron stars on each corner and above the door. The school yard was surrounded with a post and wire fence, had an 8’ by 8’ coal shed in the southeast corner, and two outhouses toward the northeast corner.

Apple Tree antique owners, Kevin and Cindy Frueh, are working to restore the the old limestone school.

Trapping

Jasper was able to set traps with Grandpa with the hopes that he could make a coonskin cap. The next rainy, muddy, and cold day yielded 3 coon. They were skinned and now someone needs to tan them. Supposedly it takes a very patient person.

Prine One-Room School House

"Prine School was a one-room school house situated just west of Oskaloosa. It opened in 1861 and was named after Henry H. Prine, who donated the property for which the school was to be built. As Oskaloosa began consolidating its one-room school houses around its area in the 1950's and 1960's. The school was officially closed on May 20, 1966. About a year later, the school was moved to the Nelson Pioneer Farm, present site of the Mahaska Historical Society. The school was moved here to preserve the heritage and attitude of school during the middle and late 19th Century and into the 20th Century as well."
-Mahaska County Historical Society

Daniel Nelson Barn

In 1856, Daniel hired A.J. Jewell to construct his barn. The whole barn went up without a nail, each piece locking into place with wooden pegs. A.J. Jewell also the man is the man that homesteaded the farm i grew up in. I hope to write more about him later.

Nelson Pioneer Farm

Three more children were born while they lived in the log cabin, James, John and Martha. In 1852, huge stones were brought up for the foundation. They were quarried from the nearby Skunk River, pulled by wagon ice and snow. The bricks were kilned on the farm, made from native clay from the creek. Most of the wood was cut from timber on the home land and prepared by the Nelson's own saw mill.
After moving into the brick home, another child was born, Sarah. At the age of seven, Sarah came down with chicken pox. Some of the pox settled in her eyes and she was blind for the rest of her life. She attended Vinton School for the Blind, the same school that Mary Ingalls attended.

Littler Log Cabin

Daniel and Margaret Nelson moved from Ohio to Iowa in 1841. They settled in Fairfield and had their first child William. In 1844, they decided to follow Daniels's Uncle to Oskaloosa, but they lost their way and wintered in an abandoned wickiup near Eddyville. It is here that their daughter Barbara was born. She is thought to be the first white child born in Mahaska county. When weather allowed, they homesteaded 230 acres outside of Oskaloosa and promptly built a log cabin. Eventually, this cabin was replaced with a cabin built by Benjamin Littler, which was moved from Bussey.

Bloomfield Cemetery

In this period of transition and travel, the kids and I have explored many cemeteries. This is the one by my parents' farm and where my Mom wants to be buried (under a tree, of course). After a nice afternoon hike, we stopped by for the incredible sunset.

We Are Moving

Bittersweet for us, but we are excited. I will post more later...

Assumption Abbey

Turtle On Moss

Girl On Moss

Bryant Creek

My friend and I have wanted to spend time at Assumption Abbey for quite a while.

Assumptionabbey.org

But the extra effort it requires to get down there has prevented us from doing so. I think it took 4 hours and then some. Of course the drive was lovely, with good conversation and Ozark sunshine.

This Cistercian/Trappist monastery is located outside of Ava in south central Missouri on a large amount of donated land. Brother Francis said it was 5,000+ acres, but the pamphlet said 3,400. Either way, it is a gigantic piece of land with plenty of trails and creeks. I was disappointed there wasn't a map available.

The first ten years, the monks tried farming, an orchard, and vineyards to support themselves. Then they utilized the resources from the land to make concrete blocks. These blocks were also used to build the current monastery in 1970. One of the monks was injured while working at the block plant. While he was in the hospital, he fell in love with a nurse and left the monastery. Then they decided to quit block making and began to make fruitcakes. This is their current means of support.

Others living here include a group of nuns on the western edge, Franciscan monks on the north, and 2 hermits.Apparently, the Franciscans lease their space for a basket of fresh trout and $1.

I love the subtle beauty of the Ozarks Mountains. The smell of fall forest mixed with mist is incredible. We took our time leaving and ambled around down by the creek. It was a soothing end to a wonderful weekend. We left when a half-dressed man with an unleashed pit-bull and a gun pulled up.