Small Town America....More from Montana and North Dakota
One of the reasons we enjoy traveling around this great country of ours is the unique experience found in small towns. We have four such experiences to share from our travels in July through Montana and North Dakota..
Experience #1:
White Sulphur Springs, MT, is east of Helena on US 12. We found a nice enough park in Conestoga
Campground, a Passports America park, on the edge of town. We would definitely return to this campground.
Walking from the campground into town we could see a stone "castle-like" building on a hill, and found two very intriguing older homes.
We were encouraged to take the tour of this Victorian era castle from the office at the RV Park, so we did! We had a great guide who was born and raised in the town, and who had returned to her home town after retirement. She is active on the county historical board, thus her "positioning" as our tour guide this afternoon! And the Castle is now the Meagher County Museum. We were able to tour two floors of the castle and the basement, learning much about the settlers of the area (many relatives of our guide) and the original builders of the two houses we had noticed. You might know a Sherman who is related to Bryon Roger Sherman, the original Castle builder and owner.... A cousin... Know his name?
The red brick house was built by a local doctor. The adobe structure was built by one the Ringling Brothers, John. We would have loved to see the inside of both of these homes! They are both currently occupied. Such rich history!
Sunrise in White Sulphur Springs--smokey skies from the wildfires in Washington.
Experience #2:
Range Riders Museum, established in 1939, was just across the river from our RV park in Miles City, MT.
We just had to investigate (well--Lindy had to investigate, and Mike went along!). We walked across the bridge to the grounds. What a treat! It is a large museum, with many buildings, literally jam-packed with exhibits! What amazed us was the vision persons had in 1939 to establish such a facility to house the history of this area of eastern Montana! The railroad hauled logs down from northern Montana at no charge for the buildings. Volunteers helped build the original structure and continue their support. A gem in our book! Check out their web site!
As we are exploring the area in the Keweenaw National Historical Park, it is the same premise--capture and preserve the history of an area, of a time...a common theme across cultures, peoples, and places, regardless of the scale of the project. The find is expected from a National Park perspective. It is special when found as we did, in Miles City, MT at the Range Riders Museum.
Experience #3: The Hunt for Summer Sausage....
Dickinson, ND: The Wurst Shop in Dickinson, where we bought excellent beef sausages with the best dipping BBQ Sauce ever, along with a big roll of summer sausage! Our neighbors at Valley Camp had remembered a really good sausage place in this town, and we found it! We just finished the last of the beef sausages this week in Houghton. Lindy warmed them on the grill and we ate them with relish, along with that delicious dipping sauce!
We found a shop in Superior, WI where only 2 summer sausages were left. (In this country, they must be VERY POPULAR!) These were unique--shaped like a football complete with the proper lacing. We weren't sure how they would taste, so bought just one....and now we wish we had bought them both! It was delicious as well!
In Houghton, we found a small one to "taste"--from a local shop....We found it lacking....the hunt continues!
Experience #4:
Jamestown, ND, Buffalo City and birthplace of Louis L'Amour was briefly discussed in our entry of August 2. Through the cache we discovered Frontier Village, where original buildings from frontier villages throughout North Dakota have been brought together to shape this village. These buildings have been filled with antiques and artifacts that further enhance the experience of being transported back to those times of the 1800's.
We are enjoying our time in Houghton--and will tell more of these experiences soon!
For now, we are the Roving Riders, SWIRVIN about Copper Country in the Keweenaw of Michigan!
Experience #1:
White Sulphur Springs, MT, is east of Helena on US 12. We found a nice enough park in Conestoga
We were encouraged to take the tour of this Victorian era castle from the office at the RV Park, so we did! We had a great guide who was born and raised in the town, and who had returned to her home town after retirement. She is active on the county historical board, thus her "positioning" as our tour guide this afternoon! And the Castle is now the Meagher County Museum. We were able to tour two floors of the castle and the basement, learning much about the settlers of the area (many relatives of our guide) and the original builders of the two houses we had noticed. You might know a Sherman who is related to Bryon Roger Sherman, the original Castle builder and owner.... A cousin... Know his name?
The red brick house was built by a local doctor. The adobe structure was built by one the Ringling Brothers, John. We would have loved to see the inside of both of these homes! They are both currently occupied. Such rich history!
Sunrise in White Sulphur Springs--smokey skies from the wildfires in Washington.
Experience #2:
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| Country School |
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| Inside the Country School Building |
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| An entire room was devoted to an extensive gun collection. |
Experience #3: The Hunt for Summer Sausage....
Dickinson, ND: The Wurst Shop in Dickinson, where we bought excellent beef sausages with the best dipping BBQ Sauce ever, along with a big roll of summer sausage! Our neighbors at Valley Camp had remembered a really good sausage place in this town, and we found it! We just finished the last of the beef sausages this week in Houghton. Lindy warmed them on the grill and we ate them with relish, along with that delicious dipping sauce!
We found a shop in Superior, WI where only 2 summer sausages were left. (In this country, they must be VERY POPULAR!) These were unique--shaped like a football complete with the proper lacing. We weren't sure how they would taste, so bought just one....and now we wish we had bought them both! It was delicious as well!
In Houghton, we found a small one to "taste"--from a local shop....We found it lacking....the hunt continues!
Experience #4:
Jamestown, ND, Buffalo City and birthplace of Louis L'Amour was briefly discussed in our entry of August 2. Through the cache we discovered Frontier Village, where original buildings from frontier villages throughout North Dakota have been brought together to shape this village. These buildings have been filled with antiques and artifacts that further enhance the experience of being transported back to those times of the 1800's.
We are enjoying our time in Houghton--and will tell more of these experiences soon!
For now, we are the Roving Riders, SWIRVIN about Copper Country in the Keweenaw of Michigan!
Lots of neat stuff
ReplyDeleteI'll guess...was the Sherman cousin named for an Indian chief?
ReplyDeleteYou really need to visit us in FL to tour Ringling's "winter home" --amazing !
Yep! You are correct! William Tecumseh Sherman, General W. T. Sherman! Bryon was an interesting character--building a beautiful home, then moving on down the road to California....
DeleteUnderstand John Ringling was the "front" man for the circus, and instrumental in merging with Barnum and Bailey. During college I would ride up to Baraboo with Lynn, and a "main" attraction was the circus parade in the spring....Would love to visit you in FL! Who knows, just might come about sometime...!
You win the "prize!"