The Zoo has gone to the Dogs!

Wow! What I trip I had on April 18^th! I accompanied Erin and her kindergarten class to the St. Louis Zoo. It was a lot of fun, but it rained all day. We had to wear our ponchos and tried to look at most of the exhibits that were indoors. All of the animals were very fun to see. We checked out the animals in the “River’s Edge” that were commonly found in plains/desert type areas, such as a capybara, an anteater, four hippos and elephants that were really enjoying the rain! We also watched the seals play and saw the giraffes seek shelter from the drizzle. Even more, we went to the insectaruim and the butterfly geodome in Discovery Corner after we visited the goats at the petting zoo. We visited the penguins in their new exhibit also. They were very excited, swimming quickly through the water and enjoying the cold air. We saw lions, and monkeys, and bears…oh my! We ended our day by riding the train through the zoo and buying some post-cards at the gift shop. We did not go to the snake house thankfully! However, you can see the scary hyena we encountered in the photo above. The hyena’s were seeking shelter from the rain, and took the time to take a nap, fortunately while we were visiting!!! The St. Louis Zoo is a non-for-profit establishment that has free admission. All proceeds from food and souvenir sales go to support the zoo and conservation efforts. The zoo is open everyday of the year, except Christmas and New Year’s Day. The zoo houses hundreds of various animal species, many of which are endangered or threatened. The zoo focuses on conservation and is working on many programs to rebuild certain animal populations. You can find out more information about the zoo at www.stlzoo.org. My day at the zoo was very fun and I’m glad that I got to go. I learned a lot of important things about animals, their habitat, geography, and animal interaction. After we returned from our trip, I spent the weekend at Erin’s playing with her dog, Brown Dog. You can see our photo from when we took a break playing. It was a very nice “vacation” and a fulfilling weekend!

Rocio, Annie and the Mississippi River

Today was a beautiful day to go sightseeing, and I had promised Annie that I would take her somewhere new, exciting and fun all rolled into one. I don't think that she believed me. First, we had to journey 23.7 miles to a city called Cape Girardeau, Missouri, which is not far from where I live. We stopped on the Bill Emerson bridge to look down upon the swollen but Mighty Mississippi river. What a sight she is to see. Being on that bridge was even more scarier!! Annie kept on yelping, and running around. I had to calm her down. The traffic was busy and the bridge was swaying. We couldn't wait to get off! Annie did love the view. Well she did while the car was moving. Actually from where we were on the bridge, it looked as if the flood gates had been closed. The flood gates and walls are used to keep the river from coming into the town. A good thing that is was closed;because when we were down at the flood gates, water was seeping under the gates. That meant that the water was actually up to the flood gates. When you look up at the concrete flood wall, there are markings. These markings tell you some of the rivers past and how high the water has been in different years that it flooded. The river was at its highest in 1993. That really wasn't that long ago. I can remember that like it was yesterday, even though it wasn't. On the flood walls are beautiful and lively pictures that tell of Missouri's history. These compilation of pictures are called a mural. The name of these pictures are the Mississippi River Tales mural. All of the pictures are in chronological order. So that makes for an interesting history lesson. In front of these enormous pictures are plaques of the same exact picture but smaller. It also tells what that particular picture is about and how it correlates to Missouri's history. I had to make sure that I read each and every one to Annie. She had fun running from each picture. I had to constantly tell her not to drink the river water because it was not clean. We would go to eat lunch after we left. Way down at the other end of the flood wall are pictures of famous Missouri people. Missouri has such great history. There are also many other murals painted on pictures in downtown Cape Girardeau, Missouri. You can almost drive any where and find out bits and pieces of Missouri's history. This is a place worth visiting. I promise you will not be disappointed!!!

Annie went to the Veterans Living Memorial

Dear friends,
Annie and I went to the Veterans Living Memorial in Marion, IL. This memorial is dedicated to all veterans, living and nonliving. It was created by the VFW Post 1301 in order for people to become more aware of veterans' sacrificies, especially the ones that fought in the War on Terrorism. Annie and I had a great time. We looked at the memorial and played on the old tank in front of the VFW. Did you know that the memorial has names on it from the Civil War up to the war in Iraq? What a generation gap! War has touched all our lives, young and old, and this memorial is a perfect representation of that impact.

Stephanie and I went to the BEACH!!

My friend Stephanie's family went to Destin, Florida on their Spring Break and she invited me to go with them. Of course, I was not going to pass up a trip to go to the beach!! I rode ten hours in the car , passing through Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, and into Florida. There were many stops made on the trip down because Stephanie has young cousins who had to take bathroom breaks. When we got to the condo in Destin, we went to bed because it was early in the morning. The next day was cloudy, however, Stephanie went to the beach anyway. I stayed in the condo and relaxed after the trip down. The next day was beautiful! This is when we took the picture beside the warning flag. The flag was red, advising us not to get in the water because of the tide. The white sand was so pretty. The sound of the water was very calming and relaxing. The day we left the beach, Stephanie wanted to get one last look at the beach. So, we got our last picture by the palm trees, because this is another thing we do not get to see everyday. It was good to get away for a short break before all of my friends start preparing for the end of the semester and studying for finals.

I went down to the southern tip of Illinois, right to the banks of the Ohio River. Charles and I went and visited Fort Massac Park; in 1908, it became Illinois first state park. The historic site is a replica of the 1802 American fort that was on site. The historic fort area contains 2 barracks, 3 block houses, officer quarters, well, stockade along with a fraise fence. The site also has the archaeological outline of the 1757 French Fort. There is also a visitor’s center along with a museum area.
This fort was originally built by the French in 1757 during the French and Indian War and was called Fort De L’Ascension. Later it was renamed Massiac in honor of the then French Minister of Colonial Affairs, and came under fire only once, when unsuccessfully attacked by a group of Cherokee.

The French abandoned the fort after the war and was burned to the ground by the Chicasaws, Captain Thomas Stirling, commander of the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment took control of the site but did not rebuild the fort. They did rename it “Massac”, however. Not rebuilding was a mistake as Colonel George Rogers Clark led his “Long Knives” regiment into Illinois at Massac Creek (1778) and was able to capture Kaskaskia, 100 miles to the north, without firing a shot-thus taking the entire Illinois Territory for the State of Virginia and the fledgling United States. President Washington ordered the fort to be rebuilt.
The fort has been rebuilt other times as well; eventually a reconstruction of the fort was built in the early 1970’s off site and was based on the 1794 American fort. In fall of 2002, the fort was used to create a replica of an 1802 American fort. The original archeological outline of the fort is right nest to the replica site.
The thing I really liked was the people who were there. They were pretending to be people from that era living in the fort, dressing up and using items from that time. Charles and I climbed up into a watch tower and took some pictures. It was pretty high up there, but I wasn’t scared. We even took pictures with a lady there and Charles’ son Wyatt and I went up into one of the buildings for some pictures, it was great. I enjoyed my adventures at the fort, even though we didn’t fight any British, French or Indians. Oh well, maybe next time.

Giant City HERE WE COME!

Tanya and I had fabulous plans to visit her family in Fenton, Missouri on Easter. We were then going to visit Forest Park in St. Louis after the family celebration. However, our plans seemed to change quite rapidly after all the rain! Since there was too much flooding in the St. Louis area, Tanya and I decided that it would be safe to stay close to home. We decided that we would spend Easter Sunday at Giant City State Park. To start the day, I went with Tanya to the Vine Community Church. It was nice and all, but I don't think dogs enjoy it as much as humans : ) I think it was because Tanya forgot some doggie treats.
After church, we drove 10.42 miles to Giant City State Park. Tanya really wanted to take me for a walk on one or two of the hiking trails, but it started to snow and sleet...eek that could have been dirty! Instead, we went to the lodge and climbed the water tower. Man-O-Man, what a view! We could see for miles and miles! I do have to admit, I was a little scared, we were really high up in the air! But Tanya held me close and made sure I was safe! Even though we didn't get to go to St. Louis and see all the cool places in Forest Park, our adventure here in Southern Illinois could not have been better!

Adventure to Lansing Michigan

Annie and I left on March 6th and took a road trip with my friend Leslie up to Lansing Michigan. We got in at about 4 am. We went through a time zone and a time change on our trip which really messed up our sleeping schedule. We helped Leslie plan her wedding. On our last day up in Michigan which was March 12 we went to Michigan State University. We got our picture with the Magic Johnson Statue in front of the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. We had a great trip that was very busy. I did also see the capital building in Lansing. The trip was 505 miles one way.

Cowdog Annie Oakley goes to Marion, IL

Amanda and I had a twister of a trip! For my next trip we traveled 18 miles to see the Monument of the May 29, 1982 Tornado, located on the Marion Town Square. This memorial displays the results of the "killer tornado" that touched down in western Williamson County, causing a total of 100 million dollars damage. This was one of the most memorable and larger tornadoes in Illinois history, with an F-4 (max. wind speeds of 207-260 mph.) killing 10 people and injuring at least 180 others in total. The damage path was approximately 17 miles (27km) long. More than one funnel cloud was reported in the early and final stages of the tornado.
In Marion alone, 47 businesses were damaged or destroyed. Three shopping centers were hit and two schools were severely damaged. There were 136 injuries, leaving 10 Marion citizens dead. The horrific tornado left 161 homes and 175 apartments destroyed. This left 1,000 heartbroken Marion citizens homeless. Amanda and I traveled on Rt. 13 from Carbondale to Marion, taking notice of the path the tornado had taken on May 1982. Amanda showed me the Marion-Ford dealership and the shopping centers that sustained heavy damage.

I was sad to hear of the damage and losses of this "killer tornado", but it is good to see a community working together to rebuild and help their fellow neighbor in the town of Marion, Illinois.

If you want more information about the May 29, 1982 Tornado in Williamson County, just visit:
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/1982/report.php/

Well guys and gals, after a total round trip of 36 miles, this little cowdog needs a power nap.
I can't wait for my next great adventure!

Springfield, IL

Rachel and I had a great time visiting the Old State Capitol Building in historic downtown Springfield, IL! The car ride was long and boring, but by the time we got there my tail was wagging again. We couldn't decide what to do first! We explored some of the shops downtown before reaching the Capitol Building, and I even got to go inside them and look around. Normally places like that don't allow dogs, but they didn't know I was tucked away in Rachel's purse.
After a few more shops, we walked past the Capitol Building, and to our surprise the front gate was open! It didn't cost anything to enter or to take the tour. The hardwood floors were awfully slippery and there were lots of very strange smells, but it was very exciting! We took the tour, and I learned about how the government officials, including Mr. Abraham Lincoln, usually stayed in the Capitol Building at night after the day's business was complete. In the game/leisure room, I saw beds, bookshelves loaded with old books, an old chess game, and playing cards. There were even spittoons on the floor! We were told that almost every man back in the 1800s chewed tobacco, so they needed places to spit. The tour guide told us that Mr. Lincoln was a part of these late night games and discussions, and since they didn't have a good way of communicating nationally back then this was his way of 'networking.'
We also found out that the Old State Capitol is a reconstruction of Illinois’ fifth statehouse, the first to be located in Springfield and that the building served as the seat of state government and a center of Illinois political life from 1839 to 1876. During the years leading to the Civil War, the building had an important role in the political struggle between Stephen A. Douglas (1813-1861) and Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865). Lincoln visited the building frequently as both a lawyer and a politician, serving in the building during his last term in the Illinois House of Representatives and delivering the famous 1858 “House Divided” speech in Representatives Hall, and using the governor’s rooms as a headquarters during the 1860 presidential campaign.
In all, we traveled 380 miles, so I am glad to be back home. This way I can be rested and ready for my next adventure. Until next time, this is 'Little Sure Shot' signing out.

Wow! These little doggies are getting nearer to Dodge City

So far, 1300.73 miles have been logged on this ole cattle drive. So c'mon little cow pokes, join the fun traveling with us. Wonder where we will be going next?

Historic Lebanon, IL --latitude 38 degrees, longitude -89 degrees

Annie and I had a very exciting evening. We traveled 112.94 miles all the way up to Lebanon, Il. The town of Lebanon is one of the most historical towns in Illinois and a large number of the buildings in the town have been named historical landmarks. We decided to visit a bed and breakfast that is toward the center of the town and was used by many different people during their different travels.

The bed and breakfast is named the Landmark on Madison and has been around since 1906, just under many other names. It is a ten room mansion built in the Greek Revival style and was built by Edward S. Pfiffer and his two brother. The family owned a large mining company in the area and built several large estates in the area. The mansion that the family built on Madison was unique first off in its location. The house sat on the grounds of the first hotel in Lebanon. The hotel was "The Veranda Hotel," and was built in 1820. It was very common during for people to use this hotel during the time of the Vincennes Trail. The Vincennes Trail was a route taken by many via stagecoach between St. Louis and Vincennes, Indiana. It was one of the first stops on the trail. Besides being a stop on a trail and a hotel, the landmark land was also a post office, resturant, and even a meeting house within the town of Lebanon. The hotel was lastly known as the Bishop House and was then destroyed in 1904. Around this time, 1906, is when the Pfiffer family bought the land and built the mansion that sits there today. One of the most interesting facts about the present day mansion is that the four pillars that in front of the building are actually from the 1904 Worlds Fair in St. Louis. The land sure does contain alot of history and being there puts you in a class with many others from throughout history.

Well, Annie and I are both very tired from our long journey, but she keeps telling me how excited she is for her next trip. I am sure she will report back to the next person as well about all we did on the way to her next destination.

McCoy Library

Annie and I went to the McCoy Library in McLeansboro, Illinois. We traveled 58.4 miles to the small town of McLeansboro, which is the town that I was raised in. The McCoy Library is located on the southwest corner of the square. It was constructed as a private dwelling in 1884 by Aaron G. Cloud. Mr. Cloud, a banker, built this house directly next to his bank, which is now used as a Peoples National Bank. This house is beautiful! The house has a total of nine fireplaces and each fireplace has its own unique style. The Clouds were very wealthy people who traveled to many different countries bringing back several ideas that can be seen throughout their house. After Mr. Cloud's death, the house was willed to his daughter Mary E. Cloud who later married Chalon Guard McCoy. Mary and Chalon never had any children, so after they had past away the house was given to the city of McLeansboro to be used as a library for the city of McLeansboro. More information can be found at http://www.carolyar.com/Illinois/Misc/McCoy.htm. All together Annie and I traveled 116.80 miles.

Paying Respect to Ol' Boomer- 9.95 Miles

I had an exciting weekend! I had planned a trip to see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis but my trip was unfortunately canceled due to the ice and snow. :( Instead I traveled to see the grave site of ol' Boomer. Boomer's grave is located on Makanda Road at the rail road intersection. Boomer was a fast ol' dog. He was so fast that he competed in a race on September 2, 1859 against an Illinois Central train! The train caught fire and Boomer tried to save the day. Boomer is a famous dog. In Southern Illinois he is more famous than Lassie or Rin Tin Tin! After visiting Boomer's grave, I went to have lunch at the Giant City Lodge. The ride to the lodge from Makanda was very exciting. When I got home, I was ready for a nap. I am very excited about my next adventure!


To read more about Boomer go to the following website http://www.arkatipe.com/pmwiki.php?n=News.Boomer

Cowdog Annie's total mileage

Even though the ice and snow has put a damper on Little Annie's travels, she is nearing the 1000 mile mark. Her trip mileage is 948.10. She can't wait to see where she is going next!

St. Anne's Episcopal Church

Howdy folks. Annie saddled up and headed South to Anna, Illinois. There were many historic locations to see in this area but Annie really wanted to stop at the historic St. Anne's Episcopal Church. This historic building is the oldest original church in Anna. It has be undergoing a restoration project since 2004 and there is still work to be done on the inside. The cornerstone is dated 1886 and is a very picturesque and charming building. It was left vacant in the 1970's and was in deteriorating shape before the project to restore it was in place. After the disbanding in the 1970's everything was removed and donated to other area churches from the bell to the pews. Other items left in the church were stolen and grafitti was placed on the walls.

Bishop George Seymour recognized the congregation as an official Mission of the Diocese on May 4, 1886. The church, which is made of native fieldstone, cost $600 and the land was purchased for about $225. The church was non-operational for different periods of time. During the church's early years it was served by "curcuit riding" priests who came from either Cario or Carbondale. In 1930 funds were provided to restore the building so that services could continue to be held there. After years of service in 1977 Bishop A. Hillestad announced that St. Anne's would be permanetly closed as of June 1, 1977 due to a steady decline of membership and the rising cost of operation.

Annie really enjoyed her trip to St. Anne's so much that she was barking all the way there and back. I finally got her calmed down and she is resting up for her next trip. She can't wait to see where she will be going next.

Silkwood Inn--907.08 total mileage for this little doggie

Annie and I went to the Silkwood Inn in Mulkeytown, IL (between DuQuoin and Benton, just north of Route 14). The inn was closed, so we looked around outside and took some pictures. The inn is made of logs and has two stone chimneys. It is two stories, with a porch on each story on both of the east- and west-facing sides.

(Annie sat on the stair railing for this one.)

Because we weren't able to get inside or talk to anyone, we did some research online at the following website:

http://www.rootsweb.com/~ilfrankl/subjects/feature1.htm

The inn was built by Basil Silkwood in 1827, and opened in 1828.

Around this time, Basil Silkwood met a young slave girl named Priscilla in Georgia, and when her owner died, she was sold to a Cherokee chief. She was later taken on the Trail of Tears with the chief, passing through Jonesboro, IL, where Silkwood saw her, recognized her, and paid the chief $1000 in gold for her. He took her back to the inn to live as a member of his family. Legend says that Priscilla brought hollyhock seeds with her to her new home, and that Priscilla's hollyhocks still grow in Mulkeytown to this day.

The inn is the only original structure left along the Old Shawneetown-Kaskaskia Trail that spanned southern Illinois. Recently, it was damaged by fire but was restored following the incident. It is open to the public on July 4th and Labor Day.

-Sarah Emery

Get a long little doggies...get along

Annie and her crew have traveled 831.90 miles as they head to Dodge City to take the little doggies to market. Keep'em up, move'm out...Rawhide!

Annie's Third Adventure--832.08 miles

Howdy Ho Partners! This was my third stop on my long adventure. I traveled 48 miles to the small town of Coulterville Illinois. I stopped and visited the first house ever built in Coulterville. This house is called the "rock house". James Coulter established and built this first house in Coulterville in the early 1800's. He established and lived in this house until his death. It was family owned and not sold until the 1960's. This house is made of stones that were hauled in from a quarry in Eden Illinois. An addition was built onto the rock house by the family currently living in it. Coulterville is a very small town and I really enjoyed visiting it. There was many small businesses and the people there are really nice. I ate at the famous western restaurant in Coulterville called Pistol City. Pistol City is a nickname that Coulterville acquired in the early 1800's because of all the gun fights. This restaurant fits the lifestyle of the wild wild west!

Annie's mileage

Annie and her cow punchers have traveled a total of 735.90 miles. She can't wait to continue the adventure! Yipee! Get along little doggies...Happy Trails to you until we meet again...

Annie's Second Adventure

Howdy partners, I had a very long and exciting weekend. I traveled a great distance, all the way to Chicago. In the big, busy, city of Chicago, I explored the Field Museum. The museum held a lot of exciting, intriguing, and historical information. My favorite was the 13 feet high, 42 feet long dianosaur named Sue. Sue is the largest, most complete, and best preserved T. Rex fossil ever found. The only piece of Sue that is not mounted is her 5 foot long skull. The skull is entirely too heavy to be mounted, so it is placed on a steel armature, which holds together more than 200 fossilized bones. Sue was discovered on August 12, 1990 on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation near Faith, South Dakota. Her estimated weight when she was alive was 7 tons. One of the most interesting facts about Sue is that her sex is still unknown. Sue is very widely known, because of your competence of bone structure even after 67 million years. Most of Sue’s bones are still in excellent condition and have a high degree of surface detail, and it is still possible to see fine details showing where muscles, tendons, and other soft tissues rested against or attached to the bone. Although this trip was very long, I found it to be very exciting and informational. I can't wait till I'm able to go back again. This time I'm taking a nap on the way there!!

Annie Oakley Hits the trails!

Howdy All! As Mrs. Shafer said, my first stop was in Sesser, Illinois where I toured the Historic Sesser Opera House. Although it was originally constructed in 1904, it was destroyed by a fire and reconstructed in 1914. It is the only building of its type remaining in Franklin County, Illinois. The Opera House was originally designed to show both movies and stage performances. It is still used today for school plays, local bands, and talent shows. In 1982, the Opera House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Attached to the historic building is the Sesser Opera House Cafe, where good food and conversation can be found everyday. Above the cafe and Opera House is a banquet facility that still has an old fashion bowling alley that actually works! If you happen to be in the Sesser on the 14th, 15th, 16th, or 17th of February, stop in and get a bite to eat, meet some of the locals, and check out Neil Simon's Barefoot in the 'Park. I know that I enjoyed my first stop on my rip roaring adventure. I can't wait to get to my next destination. So far I've traveled 71.90 miles round trip. 'Till next time, Pardner!

Howdy Partners

Howdy partners, come along with us as Annie starts her travels. We gathered the whole crew together before we started on this long cattle drive. Annie's first stop is going to be on the Sesser Trail. So watch for exciting updates as Annie and the crew venture through southern Illinois bringing those 'little doggies' to market. Yipee Yo