An evil arthritic rancher and his murderous daughter are having settlers killed to prevent them from selling their land to the railroad.
Gooey Butter Cake is another St. Louis specialty. It is usually served as a coffee cake and not a dessert. It's origin, like many of St. Louis' specialties, it is rumored to have been an accident when a German American baker in the 1930s was trying to make regular cake batter but reversed the proportions of butter and flour. Click on the picture below to try a recipe from Taste of Home's website!
Today we begin the second half of our vacation. We will spend a little more time relaxing during the day and s
et a much slower pace. Our first stop today will be at Laumeier Sculpture park where you will see outdoor sculptures. In the afternoon, we will head to Grant's Farm where the Clydesdales are kept. Let's get started!
Laumeier Sculpture Park is an open-air museum and sculpture park. It has over 60 outdoor sculptures, a 1.4 mile walking trail, and an indoor gallery in an 1816 Tudor stone mansion. One of the park's best-known works is "The Way" which was completed by Alexander Liberman in 1980. It is the sculpture in the 1st section on this page. It is constructed from eighteen salvaged steel oil tanks and is 65 feet tall, 102 feet wide, and 100 feet deep. It weighs almost 55 tons. Coming up on May 7-10, the sculpture park is moving its annual art fair online. Click on the Art fair sign on the right to find more information. Click on the Laumeier sign to view a tour of the park!
Grant's Farm is located on property that was once owned by Ulysses S. Grant. It has been an animal reserve for many years. The farm is home to such animals as buffalo, elephants, camels, kangaroos, donkeys, goats, peacocks and the Budwe
iser Clydesdales. The farm also contains a cabin called "Hardscrabble" which was built by Grant in 1856. It is the only remaining structure that was hand-built by a U.S. president prior to assuming office. The cabin was featured at the 1904 World's Fair.
White Haven, the family home of Grant's wife, is located next door to Grant's Farm and is now a national historic site. Click on the picture of the Clydesdales below to take a tour of Grant's Farm!
Once you return from Grant's Farm, it is the perfect time to read a couple of books. Since Grant served during the Civil War, The Courier of the Ozarks would be a great way to continue to learn more about the Civil War in Missouri. In Poor White the main character grows up in Missouri and moves to Ohio where his inventions change his town to a center of manufacturing. All of the books are available at Project Gutenberg. Click on the book covers for different platforms and click on the titles for a direct link to the book!
The Courier of the Ozarks by Byron A, Dunn
Poor White by Sherwood Anderson
