After four days at the camping “resort” in Branson, I was more than ready to head north. I had booked a night at Van Meter State Park, and was I glad I did. Rather than looking at the side of the RV next to me, this was my view. What an improvement!
Lush and green and well-tended. The restrooms were gorgeous! I almost got my camera and went back to take a photo after I took my shower, but I figured that would be a little much.
After I got set up, I went back into town to fill up my gas tank for the next day’s drive. The nearest town was Marshall.
Marshall was founded in 1839, after sixty-five acres of land was donated by Jeremiah O’Dell. It was named for the United States Supreme Court Chief Justice, who had died in 1835. Marshall is the county seat of Saline County.
In the center of town is the Saline County Courthouse. This building was constructed in 1882, after two previous courthouses were lost to fire. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and renovated in 2010. The building looks marvelous!
I parked my truck and got out to see what the people of Marshall chose to commemorate. The first monument that caught my eye was something that I wasn’t expecting.
I wouldn’t have thought that the Santa Fe Trail ran through here, but you learn something new every day. I find it interesting that they decided to commemorate it 37 years after the fact. I wonder if there is an average length of time it takes people to decide that they need to create a permanent memorial to something.
This action-filled bronze commemorates the soldiers of World War 1.
This time, it only took them 11 years to create the memorial.
The walk leading up to the courthouse door is paved with the names of people who served in the wars starting with World War I. As the bricks look so new and the lettering is so crisp, I imagine that this was part of the renovations they did in 2010.
As I continued around the courthouse, I noticed the lush landscaping. They had the trees labeled, which I thought was a particularly lovely thing to do. I am always wondering what I am looking at. This is not to say that I am going to remember the names, but I appreciated their effort.
This is a snowdrift crabapple. The tree below is an ash.
As I got around to the other side of the courthouse, I noticed a statue. It was Chief Justice John Marshall.
From the plaque on the base, you can see that this sculpture was part of the memorials created during the nation’s bicentennial in 1976.
That is a more permanent – and classier – way to commemorate the nation’s bicentennial than the formerly ubiquitous Bicentennial Fire Hydrant.
I got around to the far corner of the courthouse square and came upon the more memorials.
There was one for the POW/MIA. On the back are all the names that they are memorializing. The sun created glare, so I don’t have a photo of that side.
This memorial is dedicated to the wars and conflicts since World War I. While I am pleased that they are remembering the past, it saddens me that they have left a blank square for the next war.
With this thought hanging on my heart, I headed back to the truck. On the way, a large mural caught my eye.
Jim the Wonder Dog?! This I had to check out!
The mural is on the side of a truly multi-purpose building. Marshall Welcome Center, Jim the Wonder Dog Museum AND Back from the Past Bicycles. Of course, it was closed, but I did look through the windows.
If it had been open, I could have bought a Jim the Wonder Dog tee shirt and a Jim the Wonder Dog Bandana.
They even had a new Jim shirt available!
Since the museum was closed, I had to resort to the Internet to learn more about Jim and find out what made him a Wonder Dog.
Jim was a Llewellin Setter that lived from 1925-1937. He reportedly predicted the sex of unborn babies, the winner of the Kentucky Derby seven year in a row, as well as the Yankee victory in 1936. He also could follow orders given to him in many differs languages, even though his owner only spoke English. So amazing were his talents that a joint session of the Missouri Legislature was called in order to witness Jim’s talents.
If you want to learn more about Jim the Wonder Dog, you can always make a visit to Marshall and see the museum. It might be open. After my experience with the Roger Miller Museum in Erick, Oklahoma, it might be worth a call to check before you head over. You could also check out the Jim the Wonder Dog website.
And then it was time to head back to camp. I had another day of driving ahead of me in the morning.