Cape Girardeau, Missouri



birds



We have been seeing flocks of birds.  I think they're just waiting for Minnesota to warm up so they can fly home.

We drove 85 miles north and are in a nice private RV park in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  We may stay here a few days.

Rush Limbaugh was born and raised in this town.  There is a self-driving tour that will take you past the hospital where he was born and his childhood home, his school, and more.  We passed on that.



Painted Sea Wall



We did stop to see the old main street which is well kept up.  One block off Main Street is the Mississippi River.  There is a long sea wall protecting the town from the river flooding.  Along the wall are many murals.  There are many more murals throughout the rest of the town as well.  One section of the sea wall is a historical time line with plaques narrating each mural.



Trail of Tears



 Near by here is a Trail of Tears State Park.  We drove out to see it.  There is a wonderful visitor center there explaining much about the history of the Trail of Tears.

In 1838  the U.S. Congress passed the Indian Removal Act which led to the forced removal of eastern tribes to "Indian Territory" west of the Mississippi (later the state of Oklahoma).  There were actually several trails, one of them came thru this area.