Wednesday, July 9: I took a road trip on my way out to a Colorado wedding. After visiting my Mom in Hopkins, I drove southwest through several towns I’ve never heard of before visiting New Ulm, MN, a town I’ve always wanted to see. My first stop was the Hermann Monument, a 4,000-pound statue standing 102 feet above a beautiful hill overlooking the town and the Minnesota River valley. Called Hermann the German by locals, the monument is dedicated to Hermann (Arminius, in German), a Cheruscan chieftain who defended north-central Germany from Roman invasion in 9 AD and became a symbol of German independence and honor. Begun in 1885 and finished in 1897, the Hermann monument is a tribute to the large number of German immigrants in the area and a source of enormous civic pride. Map Link: New Ulm, MN
Next in New Ulm was a short visit to the August Schell Brewery. It was close to quitting time, so I’d missed the last tour, but I did see the grounds, visitor center and gift shop. Founded in 1860, Schell’s is the second-oldest family-owned brewery in the country, after Yuengling & Son of Pottsville, PA. After acquiring the Grain Belt brand in 2002, Schell’s became the largest brewing company in Minnesota. Fun fact: In 1978, the brewery was facing hard times and cut down a large black walnut tree on the grounds to sell the lumber to make ends meet.
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| August Schell Brewery |
New Ulm was the birthplace and home of children’s book author and illustrator Wanda Gag, and her family’s 1894-built home is a museum and popular tourist attraction. The eldest of seven children, Gag was 15 when her father died of tuberculosis. Resisting family pressure to drop out of school to work, she continued her education, graduating from New Ulm High School and studying art in Minneapolis, St. Paul and New York. Her beloved 1928 book Millions of Cats remains the oldest American picture book still in print.
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| Wanda Gag house |
My last stop in southwestern Minnesota was Kilen Woods State Park, a cozy spot nestled between cornfields and the Des Moines River. I was one of only three campers on a Wednesday and spent a hot, thunderstorm-filled night and morning in my pickup truck tent. Map Link: Kilen Woods State Park
Bonus Question: Can you solve the following? (Answers at end of post)
Example: A, B and C but not X, Y and Z. Answer: Musical notes
- X, Y and Z, but not A, B and C
- He and I, but not she and you
- A+ and B-, but not F
- MA and MS, but not BA and BS
Thursday, July 10: After packing up my soggy camping equipment and showering, I crossed into Iowa and stopped in Sioux City, first visiting the Welcome Center and Sergeant Floyd Museum in an old riverboat along the Missouri River. Charles Floyd was the only member of Lewis & Clark’s 50-man Corp of Discovery that did not survive the two year and four month expedition from St. Louis to the mouth of the Columbia River and back, a journey of over 8,000 miles. Floyd died on August 20, 1804, most likely from an inflamed or ruptured appendix, and was buried on a hill overlooking the junction of the Missouri and Floyd Rivers, the latter named in his honor. Erosion over the years nearly destroyed the grave and eventually a 100-foot sandstone obelisk was erected in 1901 as a lasting memorial. Map Link: Sioux City, IA
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| Sioux City welcome center and Sergeant Floyd Museum |
I next traveled to Omaha, NE, another place I’ve always wanted to visit. With a population of 486,000, Omaha is the largest city in Nebraska and fronts the Missouri River, directly across from Council Bluffs, IA. The city didn’t exist when Lewis and Clark passed by in 1804, and it’s now home to Fortune 500 companies and household names Berkshire Hathaway, Mutual of Omaha and Union Pacific. President Gerald Ford was born here in 1913 and since 1950, the city has hosted the College World Series baseball tournament every June. Map Link: Omaha, NE
I first went to the Mormon Trail Center at Winter Quarters Museum in North Omaha. About 3,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints spent the winter of 1846-47 here after being driven from their homes by angry mobs in Nauvoo, IL. The museum shares an attractive grounds with a park, cemetery and Mormon temple.
My next stop was at the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail Headquarters, near where the Corps of Discovery once landed and part of a 4.900-mile national trail across the Western U.S. following the route of this epic journey. Nearby is the curvy Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge across the Missouri. Known locally as “The Bob,” the footbridge spans 3,000 feet into Council Bluffs and is named for Joseph Robert Kerrey, former Navy Seal officer and Medal of Honor winner, Governor of Nebraska and United States Senator. Omar the Troll, Omaha’s mascot, resides underneath the bridge.
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| Lewis & Clark landing site on the Missouri River |
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| The Bob pedestrian bridge and Omar the Troll |
My last visit in Omaha was at Boys Town, founded by Father Edward Flanagan in 1917. Frustrated by his work with homeless men in Omaha, Father Flanagan opened an orphanage for boys in downtown Omaha. He quickly outgrew the Omaha location and his practice of taking in children of all races, religions and backgrounds was unpopular with many in the community. In 1921, he moved Boys Town to a farm on the outskirts of the city, where it remains today and is one of the largest non-profit child and family care organizations in the country. The facility began admitting girls in 1979 and typically has about 400 residents, housed in single-family homes staffed by married couples. The impressive campus is mostly open to the public and offers a visitors center, school buildings, cafeteria, chapels, athletic complex, hospital, gardens, research center, farm and the world’s largest ball of stamps. The 1938 motion picture about Boys Town starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney was filmed on location and earned Tracy an Academy Award for his portrayal of Father Flanagan. Map Link: Boys Town, NE
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| Boys Town Chapel |
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| Father Flanagan’s tomb; the green is for his native Ireland |
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| World’s largest ball of stamps |
After leaving Boys Town, I headed for Eugene Mahoney State Park, named for a former Nebraska legislator and long-time director of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, where I spent a hot, muggy night in my truck tent.
Bonus Question Answers:
- X, Y and Z, but not A, B and C. (Generations)
- He and I, but not she and you. (Chemical symbols)
- A+ and B-, but not F. (Blood types)
- MA and MS, but not BA and BS. (Postal codes)
