Crossing the Missouri
My "Aunt" Mary Derksen, fellow missionary to Japan with my parents, wrote a book about her life. I read it out loud to Allen. Much of the book is so very similar to our experience in Japan! I could relate to so much of what she said. We lived in the same house (different years) and town. "Uncle" Peter ran the kindergarten for a time while we were on furlough and for a couple years after. Their kids went to the same boarding school as us. Rosie and Wanda, their children, were dear friends! Even after all these years, I know their birthdays. I hope it helped Allen understand a little more about what my life as a missionary kid (MK) was like.
Our friends, RJ and Mary Ellen and Dave and Marilyn were several hours behind us and were going to stop in Story City, Iowa for the night. Isn't that an interesting name for a town? Why is it called Story? There has to be a story behind it.
Looked it up: Story City was throughout much of its early history known as Fairview. The named changed in 1881 when the town established a post office and discovered that Fairview was taken else where. Story City was then renamed after Supreme Court Justice Joseph Story.
As we came upon Story, I saw an advertisement on the highway for an authentic 1913 merry-go-round in the town.
"Let's stop, Al! I would like to ride it!"
In 1977 the carousel closed from deterioration. But with a lot of spirit and many fund-raising efforts the carousel was restored and reopened to the public in the North Park by the swimming pool.
The carousel retains many of the original materials; the wooden structure, animal figures (including real horse hair for the horses' tails), two benches, lover's "whirling" tub, and the 1936 Wurlizer 105 military band organ. We got on for $1 a piece. The music began and it played "Jesus loves the little children!"
Ole and Lena
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