We then traveled to Hannibal and visited Mark Twain's boyhood home and town. We took a river boat cruise up the Mississippi where we saw the island that Huckleberry Finn camped on and the life that Mark Twain lived as a river boat captain before he was a writer. We learned that Samuel Clemens chose his pen name, Mark Twain, because when he would reach safe water as the captain of the river boats, the phrase "Mark Twain" would be shouted out, which meant that the boat had reached the marked spot on the twine, indicating that they had reached twelve feet of water, in which was safe to dock the boat.
The river boat also gave us the experience of the Saints who traveled up the river to Nauvoo on river boats. We then traveled an additional five hours southwest to Independence, Missouri and looked forward to resuming our church history tour there.
2 comments:
Reading this made me recall a pioneer story where they left England at Liverpool, sailed to New Orleans, then traveled up the Mississippi to St. Louis. I knew it wasn't my family, so I checked the Bentley book and it was Richard Bentley's father, Thomas, who came to America, following his children. Richard had come two years earlier, but his history simply says he came to America on a ship. Apparently they had quite a reunion in St. Louis. Richard Bentley was Marilyn's great great grandfather.
I'm so glad your children are having the Nauvoo/Quincy/Hannibal/Missouri experience. I remember visiting Hannibal with Dad and taking Jonny and Michael to Nauvoo and Missouri. Those are sites you never forget. Mom
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