St. Joseph, Missouri....Cracker Barrel

We and the Creans traveled 121 miles from Pender to Omaha, Nebraska.  We had an uneventful trip. We did stop to rest once and to fuel once. We watched a crop duster type plane land on the side of the interstate along the way. pictures will tell its story. FB chatted with Bubba and that was wonderful to get to hear from him. He is just waiting for time to pass. We arrived at our AOK campground and got set up. Bruce and I then went to Cracker Barrel for an Old Timer's breakfast. Resting because we are only here for one night stop and tomorrow is a looong day!!! Pete and Jean went sightseeing in downtown, St. Joseph. There are two historical places here that they brought back brochures that we could read about.  Jesse James Home and the Pony Express Stables. It was so nice of them to share the information with us!!

pulling out

the Base Lake as we left this morning

yes, $4 to cross this bridge

another part of the Lewis and Clark Trail

this is the second city by the name of corning on this trip

Its a plane!!!

its going to land

and its down

appears to be a 'pit stop'

 
 
 

there's your sign!!

 Our Rand McNally GPS has been telling us that we were going to be traveling a dirt road all along this road trip. Well today, we traveled one. Do you think the Rand McNally had the audacity to warn us???? NO!

checking in

clubhouse

our sites for one night!!

Notorious outlaw, Jesse James was shot and killed in his house on April 3, 1882. He was killed by Bob Ford, a member of the James gang, to collect a $10,000 reward offered by Governor Tom Crittenden. Jesse died at the age of 34 after living a lawless career for 16 years. He was living with his wife and two children under the assumed name of Tom Howard at the time of his death. Jesse was shot from behind while he stood on a chair to straighten a picture in his own home.

The original pony Express Stables, formerly known as the Pike's Peak Stables, is one of St. joseph's most historical landmarks. The stable was built in 1858. in 1950, m. Karl Goetz established The Pony Express Foundation to restore the stable and open it as a museum in 1959. The original Pike's Peak Stables could hold 200 horses. The Pony Express, the Patee Hotel  and other businesses used the facility as their livery stables. in 1888, a brick shell was built around the existing wood. The brick in the main entrance is original to 1888.
On the trail would see the rider begin his streak across the prairie in what is now Elwood, Kansas to the Cottonwood Station which is about 80 miles from St. Joseph. Riders braved buffalo stampedes, thunderstorms and prairie fires set off by lightening. At South Pass, wagon trains could be observed setting up camp and resting. Pushing on through the Salt lake Desert could be a challenge, but not as bad as coming up on Paute Indians.  Only one Pony Express rider was killed by Indians. The mountains could also slow up a rider especially during the cold, snowy winter months. Oxen blazed the trail but the rider would have to dismount and walk down the side to let the oxen wagons pass. There were relay stations built ever4y, 10-15 miles apart. As a rule, riders had 2 minutes to get a drink, go to the bathroom and change the mochila over to a fresh horse. Two men usually manned the relay station, a station keeper and a stock tender who were paid about $40/month. The riders changed at the home stations which were 75-100 miles apart and were usually larger structures located at a ranch, hotel or a town livery stable. The completion of the transcontinental telegraph October 24, 1861, ended the Pony Express after only 18 months of operations

More later