Our long streak of dry, sunny weather came to an end last night when it began to rain, and then poured throughout the day. We chose not to travel on the river and continued our exploration and enjoyment of Paducah, starting with breakfast at the Gold Rush Cafe. Those in the know will recall that this is the name of the adult hockey team that I played on for 16 seasons. Go Gold Rush!
We next visited the Inland Rivers Museum, a very nice display of the waterfront history in Paducah and the Four Rivers area that is housed in an old bank building. The exhibits include a simulator where you can test your skill as a tow boat pilot and the second floor is preserved as the banker’s residence it was in the mid-1800s. The museum covers the good and bad of river development and steady westward expansion. There was a large display on the devastating flood of 1937 that left all of Paducah under water, and another describing how this part of Western Kentucky was on both the land and water routes of the Trail of Tears, the forced displacement of tens of thousands of native people from their homes between 1830-1850.
We also visited the Paducah Railroad Museum, a smaller exhibit that is worth a look, especially when it’s pouring rain. It made me think of my late father, a train aficionado who never passed by a railroad museum without stopping, and dragged us kids into more than a few.
Today’s photo journal: Here’s what a red channel buoy looks like up close. And a pic of a calliope, those happy-sound steam organs popular with riverboats and circuses (and one of my favorite instruments). It’s interesting to see that there were creepy clowns back in the 19th century!
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