Whenever you move to a new place something from the old place is taken with you. More than possessions and family, memories and influences are taken with you. This became evident over time as our family moved from Hutchinson, Kansas to Springfield, Illinois. Not only did the state of Kansas celebrate 100 years of statehood but the Boy Scouts of America celebrated 50 years of existence. Dad and I went to a Scout Jamboree held at the state fair grounds where Scouting was exhibited.
Our move to Illinois took place at the end of November during Thanksgiving. Once again Dad was transfered by Public Finance to an office in Springfield. Initially we moved to a house in Springfield that was destined for eventual demolition and our stay there would be temporary until other housing was found. It was across the street from my new elementary school and not far from downtown where Dad's office was. Dad's office was located one block from the county courthouse and was on the sight where Abraham Lincoln had practiced Law. Outside of his office was a small plaque commemorating that fact. The early 1960's found Illinois, Springfield in particular, remembering events that took place during the Civil war, one hundred years earlier. Lincoln's Tomb, Lincoln's Home, New Salem were some of the more frequented places during this time when family came to visit. We lived in Springfield from November of 1961 until May of 1962. We then moved to Riverton which was about seven miles outside of Springfield. Riverton has already been mentioned in several other blog entries but not memories I want to share with you now.
Dad was a member of the Riverton Junior Chamber of Commerce, a civic group of men in town. They were involved in several projects to promote the welfare of the community. There was a field about one half mile behind our house close to the railroad tracks. At one time there had been a coal mining pit. It had been filled in but was still about a foot lower than the rest of the ground and about the size of a football field. One winter the JC's lined it with heavy black plastic/tarp and had the volunteer fire department fill it with water. In the cold weather it froze creating an ice rink for the town. In the evenings a big bonfire would be built with adult supervision.
During our move to Illinois I turned 8 years old. The age of 8 is when boys can join Cub Scouts. Riverton did not have a Cub Scout Pack, so Dad started one. He went to the Elementary School and gave out forms to boys age 8-10 who were interested in Cub Scouts. When the forms were returned he contacted their families looking for adults willing to help. An informative meeting was held one evening in the school cafeteria and it wasn't long before a Cub Scout Pack was formed in Riverton. The pack was made up of 4 Dens with 8-12 boys in each, led by a Den mother. The school district was made up of the towns Riverton, Buffalo and Bissell both smaller towns about 4 miles from Riverton in different directions. There were 2 Dens in Riverton and one each in Bissell and Buffalo. My Dad was the Scout Master and Mom, (Grandma Rita) was my Den mother. Den meetings were held once a week and Pack meetings were held once a month. It was pretty exciting. One of our BIG events was marching in the annual Lincoln Pilgrimage held in Springfield. It went from the State Capital to Lincoln's tomb. Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts came from Illinois, Indiana and other local states to participate in this event. Dad had been impressed by the Scout Jamboree in Hutchinson and brought that influence with him to Illinois. -30-
That's neat. I wonder if the scouts in Riverton have any record that it was your dad that helped start the club.
ReplyDeleteAnd now - last week boy scouts at our school were celebrating the 100th birthday of scouting in America. It was neat because they were telling facts about what the country was like 100 years ago. Which fit in perfectly with our study of FDR, who was a young boy during that time.