Evening everyone! I’d first like to apologize for the decreasing quality of the blogs. I’ll be working much harder for the remainder of time left on this trip. I, rather unfortunately, made the mistake of not charging my phone. Because of my forgetfulness, I was unable to take any photos of Boot Hill Museum. Though I can describe it as thoughtfully as possible, it won’t be the same as a picture, so I apologize.
We had actually slept in the RV close by this morning, and when we woke up we quickly dressed and ate. Upon entering, we were directed to explore from left to right, as you would read an English literature book. Seeing the graves felt rather twisted, as two who died together whilst escaping were buried in different spots. Boot Hill is named for the fact that they were buried with their boots still on, which I found a bit amusing, as their graves had concrete boots placed as if they were laying with their feet popping out of the ground. The museum itself, which includes the saloons, church, and the wagon wheel maker, holds records of bison (not buffalo!) and how they were hunted by Native Americans. The museum by the top of the hill pays tribute to the Native Americans who roamed the land of Dodge City before the railroad that would become their downfall was constructed. I was allowed in the saloon, which is no surprise as this is a museum, but still I’m a minor so it was an honor. Leaving the museum left me feeling slightly unfulfilled, since I hadn’t seen as much as I wanted to, but I forgot that feeling as we made our way to the World War I Museum.
We arrived at the museum with around 45 minutes to spare until clothing. It was very stressful for my father, who has been doing a tremendous amount of driving for us to reach our destinations on time. Rushing in at the last minute, Mom purchased our tickets and we began our walk-through. I would have preferred more time at the museum, but I still learned quite a bit with the time allotted to us. I feel disappointed in school history books, as they did not educate me on much of what happened at night and the situations the soldiers were in. For instance, I never knew that women served other purposes than just nurses. They had other roles, such as secretaries and even sometimes would help in the fighting. The museum instilled a feeling of dread but hope, as even though such horrible things have happened we’ve continued on. I’ll share some pictures of the World War I Museum, though I feel that they don’t capture the essence of what there was to experience.
I need to catch up on the blog again, so I’ll be working hard to catch up! Until then, eat a hearty dinner!
The 6600 Mile Journey 