Just Call Me Sweet Singing Sade

I spent last week in Illinois and Missouri and it felt like a trip through time. Each day I drove into St. Louis to work and crossed the vast corn and wheat fields that line the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. Sediments like plants, dead animals and nutrient rich rock are ground into bits by the mighty water making the river bottom one of the most fertile soils on earth. I watched the John Deere tractors pulverize the earth into precisioned rows and even though it still looked today to be very difficult work as in the 1800’s, I thought about how rewarding it would be to watch acres of food spring from the yard and enjoy the successes from the work of my own hands.

Because the land is so flat and cleared by farmland, the St. Louis arch can be seen from miles away. I’ll let some of the facts speak for themselves and tell the story of the incredible engineering that is nothing short of awesome. The Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States although when standing under it you would think it was shorter. I read that the Arch is a structure known as a catenary curve, the shape a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends, and considered the most structurally-sound arch shape. In order to ensure that the constructed legs would meet, the margin of error for failure was 1/64th of an inch. All survey work was done at night to eliminate distortion caused by the sun's rays. Since the Arch was constructed before the advent of computer technology, relatively crude instruments were used for these measurements. The Arch sways a maximum of 18" (9" each way).

The arch is a monument dedicated to westward expansion, however, the Lewis and Clark expedition actually embarked from Wood River, Illinois, which is a minor fact that folks like my family who live in Wood River will never let you forget. Everyone has heard the Lewis and Clark story but seeing the exact replica of the 55 ft keelboat at the Lewis and Clark encampment really shows how tiny the space was and makes the journey seem even more amazing to me.

Another stop was the Cahokia Indian mounds which are like the Etowah Indian mounds in Georgia only much larger. Both mound villages were created by the Mississippian Indians but it was believed that the Cahokia village was occupied by as much as 40,000 people at its peak. The Mississippian Indians lived under a strict hierarchy where the highest order of caste lived on the top mounds and the lowest on the bottom. The commoner lived in a 5 ft by 5ft thatched hut and although all needs for survival were met through bartering, it was apparent that few frivolities existed.

I had a great time over the long weekend imagining what it would be like to live in the past. We watched the strong tugs pushing the strings of barges up and down stream. I imagined myself as the captain of an old barge, shouting out commands while navigating the swift and dangerous black waters. I fantasized about being a farmer, an Indian, or a fast talking carpet bagger looking for a sweet deal. I guess if I had my choice, I would be a lounge singer on a gambling riverboat. Free room and board with admirers ready to help me don my cape for a stroll on the deck was the life for me!

What about you? Where would you be if you went back in time?