Saturday, June 2, 2018

ROADTRIPPIN - HANGING IN HANNIBAL


About an hour due-south of Nauvoo is Hannibal, Missouri – Mark Twain’s Hometown. My dad was a huge Mark Twain fan, and I remember him reading to me from “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court” and quoting Twain-isms frequently. So I just had to go.

MARK TWAIN
My first stop was The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum, down near the waterfront of Hannibal. There are a number of properties that are included, and just oodles of displays and artifacts. Large signs tell the story of the Twain Family, and each sibling is highlighted. And among the items on display are: the famous White Jacket he was always spotted in, one of his pipes, his very typewriter, his desk & chair, and even a bronze cast of his hand.
   As you move to the other buildings, you first go behind the Clemens’ home to the Huck Finn House, which is a recreation of the actual home of the friend that was inspiration for Huck. And the home has the history of slavery in the area at the time. (Something Twain later came to speak out against.) Included is a story he shared about a young slave that he knew, and his mother’s sensitivity to the young boy’s plight is something that stayed with Mark Twain for the rest of his life.
   Across from his Boyhood home – still surrounded by THE White Picket Fence (of whitewashing fame) – and you will cross to Becky Thatcher’s house. The character of Becky was inspired by Laura Hawkins, and this was her family’s home – now housing a Gift Shop and educational displays aimed at educating younger visitors.
  Down the street (and included in the $15 admission) is the Museum. The first floor is dedicated to the Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn background. The second floor is focused on his Riverboat Pilot days – including information on his Steamboat the John J. Roe (no doubt named after some fabulous ancestor of mine). And the third floor has the original Norman Rockwell paintings of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn – dozens of original Rockwell’s line the walls, and they are spectacular. Many of them have both the “rough draft” and “final” version – which is interesting to see the process.
   Among the humor of Twain’s life were some sad moments also. Among the displays are details about each of his four children – two daughters that died at ages 18 & 24, a son that died at only 19 months (a death mask of baby Langdon is displayed), and his daughter Clara, his only child to live to adulthood. Clara had one daughter – but when this granddaughter died, she was the last of Mark Twain’s descendants.
   But among one of my favorite displays was a First Edition of “Eve’s Diary” (which you can read free online HERE). It’s a tongue-in-cheek tale – and ends with a very famous line. “The story ends with Adam's speaking at Eve's grave, ‘Wherever she was, there was Eden.’” I’ve always loved Twain humor, and this story most especially – and it wasn’t until this trip that I realized that he wrote it shortly after his dear wife died, no doubt a tribute to her.
  
MARK TWAIN RIVERBOAT
It is amazing to stand on the shore of the Mississippi River, and incredible to dip your toes in its waters – but I couldn’t resist the chance to take a Riverboat Ride ON the Mississippi.
   There is a Mark Twain Riverboat Ride, on a boat named the Mark Twain. And it’s designed in the fashion of the Riverboats like Sam Clemen’s himself piloted. I love being on the water, even if only for an hour – there is something so soothing and so relaxing about the sound of the water and being in the open air.
   The Riverboat Captain knows every inch of this stretch of the Mississippi, including the island in the middle there which was the inspiration for Jackson’s Island (from Huck Finn). And if you can find a way across to the island, you can even camp in that very spot.
   The shores are lined with trees, and the shoreline is dotted with little inlets and peninsulas. And the Mississippi River is still a main thoroughfare for commerce – barges and tugboats move up and down the river constantly. (And apparently it’s far cheaper than trucking or other modes of more-modern transportation too.)
View from Lover's Leap, Hannibal
   They have a Dinner Cruise, but it didn’t fit my schedule – although if I go back I’m going to add that to my list. Especially if I have a travel companion next time. Dinner on the water would be fabulous date. I had to settle for a Brat with Chips alone for lunch this time.

LOVER’S LEAP
Not far from the museum is Lover’s Leap, named after the following legend:

It is said that many years ago, two tribes lived on opposite shores of the Mississippi here. One chief had a much adored daughter, and she fell in love with a brave warrior from the other tribe. The tribes fought over who had the right to fish these waters, and after the young warrior “trespassed” he was beaten and sent back across the river and home to his tribe. His chief was outraged and got this young warrior and many others to load into their canoes and cross the river in revenge. But before they could reach the opposite shore, they were met – midstream.
  The young maidens of the village climbed to a high cliff to watch the battle. The chief’s daughter, seeing her love slain in battle, it is told that she jumped off the cliff to be with him in the deep waters of the Mississippi forever. And this cliff has been called Lover’s Leap ever since.  (My own abridged version of the one told by my Riverboat Captain.)

Not only quite a tale, but an amazing view of miles and miles of the wide Mississippi River. Beautiful during the day, and probably a fun parking spot with someone you love after dark!

GIANT STATUE OF MARK TWAIN
On my way back, I heard about a Giant Statue of Mark Twain somewhere along the highway. It’s a bit hard to spot, but it truly is a Giant Statue.  It’s about 30-feet tall, and was handmade from cement – no bronze or marble here. No one quite knows what Larry Koelling was thinking when he built it, but a plaque between Twain’s feet give credit where credit is due.

QUOTES
And to wrap up the day, I skimmed through a copy of “The Wit and Wisdom of Mark Twain” – and here are my personal Top 10 Favorite Mark Twain Quotes:

1.     Never try to teach a pig to sing; you waste your time, and you annoy the pig.
2.     Both marriage and death ought to be welcome; the one promises happiness, doubtless the other assures it.
3.     Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
4.     Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.
5.     Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well.
6.     Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
7.     Never argue with a fool. Onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.
8.     It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.
9.     Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.
10.  Humor is mankind’s greatest blessing.



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