Guest Blogger Part 2!

A day full of forts and battlefields means one thing...guest blogger Steve is here!  After one fort and two battlefields in one day Becky is not feeling post writing tonight so y'all are stuck with me!

We started the morning in Fort Scott, KS.  We tracked down the local donut shop for breakfast and Daylight Donuts did not disappoint.  All sugared up we hit Fort Scott NHS just as it opened.  Fort Scott was built in the 1840s when the Kansas/Missouri border was considered the end of the USA and the start of the "frontier".  That all changed in 1849 with the discovery of gold in California.  The fort was closed in the 1850s and sold to the town only to be reopened in the Civil War for use as a hospital and supply depot and closed again in 1865.  The fort itself is mostly replicas and demonstrate well life for frontier soldiers in the mid-1800s.  The standout was an officers' quarters building that is original and has been used as a children's home and municipal building before coming to the NPS in the 1970s.  NPS has left parts of the building in varying conditions to show all aspects of its life.  It's an incredible tour through history!

After Fort Scott we headed to George Washington Carver NM in Missouri.  Even after seeing the Carver museum in Tuskegee, AL, we enjoyed the NPS museum at this site.  There is also a 3/4-mile trail at the park that includes GWC's birth site, the original cabin of his owners when he was a slave, and multiple memorial statues.  The trail itself winds through forests, streams, and ponds that were all familiar to GWC as a boy.  Given the beautiful weather it offered a chance for rest and contemplation.  All in all a very well-deigned NPS site!

GWC as a boy. 

Battlefield time!  Our third park of the day was Pea Ridge NMP in Arkansas (scratch off another new state for both us!).  Pea Ridge was a decisive Union victory in 1862 that kept large scale Confederate presence in Missouri non-existent.  A nine-mile driving tour of the battlefield provided a quality overview of the battle.  The most stunning stop was a high overlook from a mountain that provided perspective for the sheer size of the battle.  This battle included one of the largest mass charges of the Civil War.  Over 10,000 Union soldiers amassed shoulder-to-shoulder for almost one mile before simultaneously charging the Confederate lines.  And we got to visit with a husky puppy, so that was cool, too.

The Union charge came from this field towards our vantage point.  

Our ruthless park efficiency carried us through the day as we found ourselves with enough time to book our way back into Missouri and get to Wilsons Creek NB before the visitor center closed.  We were able to watch the diorama about the battle before completing the driving tour.  The tour road itself was open until 7:00 PM and we were surprised at how many people were taking advantage of the beautiful weather to enjoy an evening in the park.  This battle was nowhere near the scale of Pea Ridge, but gave the USA and CSA a second taste of the horror to come in the Civil War after Bull Run.  More scenic hikes gave way to a setting sun and growling stomachs as we made our way to Springfield, MO.

Marker at the site of Gen. Lyon's death.  He was the first USA general killed in the Civil War.  

Dinner tonight was at Bricktown Brewing.  We understand they are a chain, but the beer and food were both great.  We capped off the meal at Andy's frozen custard.  It gives Captain Sundae in Holland, MI, a run for its money.

Tomorrow brings lunch with a family friend and a return flight home.  After Wilsons Creek NB we are 2/3rds of the way through all 419 NPS sites!  Becky will be back next time, unless I torture her with more battlefields.  Stamps like Champs!!!!