It's our last full day in Minnesota, and the kids and I are so sad to be leaving tomorrow. Going home without Matthew is going to be really hard, even more so after spending an amazing two weeks together here. To take our minds off of the impending separation, we decided to take a step back in time today....literally! We took the kids to "The Landing" to see what life was like in the Minnesota River Valley 150 years ago. There are authentic buildings and interpreters to help recreate what life was like in the late a9th century for the people who settled into the farmsteads and villages here. I *love* geeking out on pioneer history, and have taken the kids on similar excursions in the past (like this, this and this) and we always have a great time. And we learn a lot too - win win!
A horse drawn wagon took us from the visitors center to the site of the town/village. Rowan was thrilled to meet the muscle behind the ride:
Our first stop was the fur traders house:
Outside there was a covered area with all sorts of goodies that settlers and Native Americans would trade:
There were feathers, cloth, tools, pipes, weapons, beads, and many more including, of course, furs! There was a rack outside with a bunch of different pelts, including this super soft fox fur that the kids absolutely loved:
Inside the fur traders cabin was a bed and living area on one side:
And on the other side was a store, with an enormous pile of furs! This is where the larger game furs were, including elk, deer, bear, buffalo and wolf. Some of them were course and bristly, and some were very soft. Rowan liked them all :)
There was a sign posted nearby that listed out the types of furs they sold, and the going rate for each of them (click to enlarge). Black bear #1 grade furs were the most expensive at $5.00, which I can imagine was a very large amount of money in those days. Muskrat was a steal at just 10 cents a pelt!
We walked around for a while and found some kitchens (I love these awesome old cast iron stoves!) and pantries stocked with more cast iron and canned goods:
We were going to go on a canoe ride down the river, but kids had to be over 8 years old so Rowan wasn't big enough. She was so upset! We decided that we would rather nobody go than for her to be left out, but she was still in tears as we walked back into the town. This kind woman sitting on a porch of one of the houses called out to her, and invited her to come make a ball of felted wool. That cheered Row up right away, and she happily hung out on the porch dipping and squeezing and rolling her little ball of felt.
Across the way from the washer woman was the general store. They had so much cool stuff there! Old jars of medicine, fabrics, dishes, pots and pans, lanterns, various foods and tinctures, clothing, and neat stoneware containers. They had a price list by the register that was really interesting too:
On our way back to the entrance of the town, we passed a cool old house and garden:
Made fast friends with these adorable baby Cochin chickens:
And we ran across the cutest little calf tied up in a meadow. Everybody took turns petting her, but little farm girl Rowan gave her lots of extra love:
We had a great time exploring the town, and learning more about the culture and history of this great state. I never in a million years thought I would say this, but Minnesota is a *really* cool place! Sure, its possible if I was here during the winter I might change my mind, months of temps below freezing and feet after feet of snow might do that. But....I doubt it. I love how much there is to do here, how people are so nice (and they have such endearing accents!), how family friendly everything is, and just the general vibe of the place. It's been our home for the past two weeks, and we have loved every sunny/thundering/raining/hailing/and then back to sunny second of it. We are sad to leave, and even sadder to leave while Matthew is still here, but in one month we will be back together again and having more adventures here at home. Fingers crossed that the time passes quickly!!
A horse drawn wagon took us from the visitors center to the site of the town/village. Rowan was thrilled to meet the muscle behind the ride:
Our first stop was the fur traders house:
Outside there was a covered area with all sorts of goodies that settlers and Native Americans would trade:
There were feathers, cloth, tools, pipes, weapons, beads, and many more including, of course, furs! There was a rack outside with a bunch of different pelts, including this super soft fox fur that the kids absolutely loved:
Inside the fur traders cabin was a bed and living area on one side:
And on the other side was a store, with an enormous pile of furs! This is where the larger game furs were, including elk, deer, bear, buffalo and wolf. Some of them were course and bristly, and some were very soft. Rowan liked them all :)
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There was a sign posted nearby that listed out the types of furs they sold, and the going rate for each of them (click to enlarge). Black bear #1 grade furs were the most expensive at $5.00, which I can imagine was a very large amount of money in those days. Muskrat was a steal at just 10 cents a pelt!
We walked around for a while and found some kitchens (I love these awesome old cast iron stoves!) and pantries stocked with more cast iron and canned goods:
We were going to go on a canoe ride down the river, but kids had to be over 8 years old so Rowan wasn't big enough. She was so upset! We decided that we would rather nobody go than for her to be left out, but she was still in tears as we walked back into the town. This kind woman sitting on a porch of one of the houses called out to her, and invited her to come make a ball of felted wool. That cheered Row up right away, and she happily hung out on the porch dipping and squeezing and rolling her little ball of felt.
Across the way from the washer woman was the general store. They had so much cool stuff there! Old jars of medicine, fabrics, dishes, pots and pans, lanterns, various foods and tinctures, clothing, and neat stoneware containers. They had a price list by the register that was really interesting too:
On our way back to the entrance of the town, we passed a cool old house and garden:
Made fast friends with these adorable baby Cochin chickens:
And we ran across the cutest little calf tied up in a meadow. Everybody took turns petting her, but little farm girl Rowan gave her lots of extra love:
We had a great time exploring the town, and learning more about the culture and history of this great state. I never in a million years thought I would say this, but Minnesota is a *really* cool place! Sure, its possible if I was here during the winter I might change my mind, months of temps below freezing and feet after feet of snow might do that. But....I doubt it. I love how much there is to do here, how people are so nice (and they have such endearing accents!), how family friendly everything is, and just the general vibe of the place. It's been our home for the past two weeks, and we have loved every sunny/thundering/raining/hailing/and then back to sunny second of it. We are sad to leave, and even sadder to leave while Matthew is still here, but in one month we will be back together again and having more adventures here at home. Fingers crossed that the time passes quickly!!