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| Once again crossing the Mississippi River |
On the last leg of my trip from New York City to
Minneapolis, I drove through the northeast corner of Iowa, my first trip
through the state. In fact, one of the reasons I like taking road trips is that
I get to see places that I have never seen before, and visit states that I have
visited.
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| By Scan by NYPL [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin
My day started in Prairie du Chien. This town, which sits
where the Wisconsin River flows into the Mississippi River, was founded as a
French trading post in 1685, and is the second oldest city in Wisconsin. It was
the site of the westernmost battle of The War of 1812 – the
Siege of Prairie
du Chien, where the British captured Fort Shelby in 1814 and held it until
the end of the war in 1815.
I spent about an hour walking around St. Feriole Island
Park, which sits on the Mississippi River just next to the downtown area. St.
Feriole Island was the center of Prairie du Chien, but after a series of floods
in the 1960’s and 70’s, the neighborhood was moved off of the island, and it
was converted to a park. There are still several original buildings left on the
island, including the
Dousman House, which built by the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad, along the old railroad tracks.
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| The Mississippi River |
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| Dousman House |
The Effigy Mounds National Monument
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| via www.visitiowa.org |
Cross the river from Prairie du Chien into Iowa and head
about 4 miles north on Route 76, and you will get to The
Effigy Mounds National Monument. This
park keeps safe a collection of 200 pre-historic mounds built by “
The Mound Builders,” a
culture that inhabited the center of America from around 3500 BCE to about 1500
CE. These mounds vary in shape and size, and include several that in the shape
of bear and bird fetishes. The Monument was formed in 1949, by order of
President Truman. Today it offers miles of hiking trails to see the mounds.
Vesterheim Museum, Decorah Iowa
The
Vesterheim Museum,
the national Norwegian-American Heritage museum, is located in the town of
Decorah Iowa. This museum is a collection of over 24,000 artifacts and 12
historic buildings that celebrate the history of Norwegians in the United
States. This collection includes artwork, crafts and even boats. I really enjoy
visiting museums that give an insight into the history of different ethnic
groups in the United States. I find that it really helps me understand how the
country developed and why there are such differences between parts of the
country.
One exhibit I enjoyed was “
From
Tradition to Protest: Lila Nelson’s weaving life.”
Lila
Nelson was a fiber artist, and also played a key role in the growth and development
of the Vesterheim Museum. Her work is beautiful and runs the gamut from
traditional Norwegian patterns to her own take on Norwegian traditions from an
American viewpoint. Most interesting were some of the weavings she finished
recently which protested the treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in
Afghanistan.
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| Three Holy Kings - Lila Nelson |
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| Yggdrasil by Lila Nelson |
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| Abu Ghraib by Lila Nelson |
The Vesterheim also has a collection of handmade furniture
both from Norway and made here in the Norwegian style of
Rosemaling, a style of paint the
furniture in colorful patterns of flowers. These are beautiful pieces. The
museum also sponsored a competition and exhibit of contemporary artists and
artisans in these crafts.
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| Cap by Mrs. Halvorson |
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| Trunk by Thomas or Olav Luraas |
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| Cupboard |
Small towns and small museums offer a lot to see. But you
only find them by getting off of the interstates and slowing down your travels.
One of the reasons I am happy to be retired and in the second half of my life
is that I finally have the time to do this.
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