Two Covered Bridges Located in Missouri

On our return trip home from Marseline we searched out two covered bridges which we had yet to see (in the past we visited 4 out of the total of six which can be found in Missouri).  The first one we visited on this trip was the Locust Covered Bridge, located midway between Laclede and Meadville.  Built in 1868, it is the longest bridge in Missouri at 151 feet long.  The river once flowing under it now is located a distance away and the bridge is spanning a dry creek bed.

                                                  
The next bridge is located 8 miles southwest of Paris, Missouri.  Part of our fun searching out these covered bridges was driving over many country back roads.  We certainly saw many farm fields and cattle!   This covered bridge is called the Union Covered Bridge, built in 1871 and named after a local church.  The interpretive sign noted that it has survived a "flood, fire and neglect".  Seems to me it has done fairly well, considering that it carried traffic until 1970 when an overloaded truck broke one of its supporting beams.  After that the bridge was only open to pedestrian traffic.  It needed reconstruction in 1967 and 1987.  This one has a stream flowing under it.

                                                     

A unique feature of this bridge is that it has a doubled Burr arch truss.  Its siding is also unusual in that it is horizontal and not vertical as most bridges.  This information probably would only excite architectural buffs only for sure!.  But if you are curious as to what I am talking about, look closely at the picture below.

                                    

Interpretive signs at this bridge provided plenty of information regarding Missouri's bridges, as well as covered bridges in general.  An explanation was given why covered bridges were even needed: that the barn like structure helped farm animals about to cross over the bridge, that the roofed structure provided shelter during inclement weather, and covering the bridge added strength to it.  And, on a more humorous note, "bridges were covered for the same reason women wear petticoats- to protect their underpinnings".   Just in general, back in our history when bridges were a necessary part of our transportation system, the covered bridge lasted longer and proved to be stronger than those uncovered.  I am very happy that Missouri considers it important to preserve this piece of our history!

A Magical Boyhood

In 1999 Ruth Disney, the only sister Walt had, selected Marceline to show case the family memorabilia.  She also reached out to collectors encouraging them to display their Disney treasures in the museum.  Ruth also was a journal keeper and avid saver of letters and articles.  Many of those items are in the museum.

  I especially enjoyed hearing a recording of Walt Disney interviewing his parents on their 50th wedding anniversary.  He had offered to take them anywhere for that occasion and they chose Marceline.  Also on display are Disney autographed lithographs, as well as small models of buildings in his theme parks,

 Another item in the museum is a piece of Disney's "Dreaming Tree", as well as a large scale drawing of the tree by 'Arcy'.

Pictured above is a piece of a large cottonwood tree under which Disney did his dreaming and drawing.  The tree,once located by a spring on the family farm, was unfortunately struck down by lightening in 2008.  Under this tree Disney would do his dreaming and drawing (his Aunt Margret would keep him supplied with a Big Chief writing pad and pencils).  Here he did what he called some "belly botany".  He would observe the nature which surrounded him- as the animals, birds and even the wind blowing through the leaves of the tree.  From these memories he would draw his cartoons for Mickey Mouse and "Silly Symphony".  As an adult Disney would put aside time to sit and reflect under this tree on his return trips to Marceline.  

Walt's task on the farm was to watch his younger sister Ruth.  Pictured above is a replica of the barn where they spent many happy hours.  Walt had some wild hog rides on his pet runt of a pig he called "Skinny".  Also in this barn he constructed a circus tent with burlap bags and attempted to put on a show for neighborhood kids using some disinterested cats to perform tricks. 

Walt's recollection of his first view of his farm home in Marceline was that of a whitewashed house with a very fine front lawn.  The house has been altered quite a bit, with an addition added to it.  The house has owners currently, but we were able to checkout the barn and the site of the cottonwood tree, which now has a sapling of the original planted in its place (placed by Disney's grandson).  In 1906 Walt's dad purchased the farm house from a Civil War veteran, it sat on 45 acres of land on which grew an apple orchard.  While growing up in Marceline Walt had many other wonderful recollections to share, which I found in a Tour Guide of the town.  He had a neighbor who taught him to fish, another would play the fiddle for him, and a doctor in town would take him on buggy rides - this man also encouraged him to draw and gave him little presents for his efforts.  Walt's deep love for trains also started in this town- his uncle was an engineer on a train running from Fort Madison, Iowa to Marceline.  He would pick Walt up just outside of town and give him a ride into the train depot.  There is another Disney museum in California, but we were quite pleased with the one in Marceline.  And everything else we found in the town of Marceline gave us an understanding of Disney's childhood and the influence it had on his successful career in animation, and film production- as well as how he came to build the theme parks which we know as Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.

A Trip to Marceline, Missouri

 One of these days we may run out of places to go and things to do in Missouri, but just not yet!  So what is in Marceline?  A man once said that he was just a farm boy from Missouri who hid behind a mouse and a duck.  I will give you another clue; this man, born in 1901, was the animator of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.  He was a creator of other cartoon characters as well as a film producer.  Of course you know him, especially if you are at least over 40 or so.  Yes, many young ones are familiar with Disney World and Disneyland- but probably not so much the entrepreneur who started those places.  His name was Walt Disney.  He lived in Marceline from 1906 until 1911, from the formative years of about 4years until age 11.    I have much to write about about those years, but will save that for my next posting.

The picture is not the greatest, but it is a scale model of main street Marceline, which we found in the Marceline museum.  It is what Disney remembers of the town when he was a young child, and what he aimed to duplicate in the Disney theme parks.  John and I had to stretch our imaginations a bit when we drove down the main street.  I never even took a picture of that stretch of the town- well I did, but there was nothing remarkable about that picture, it could have been any downtown in any small town of the United States.  By the way, back in the day the population was about 3,000- now is 2,233.  Which brings me to some of the history of the town.  In 1913 the Santa Fe railroad built a train station in the town; coal and water were available commodities in the town which made it a perfect choice.  Until about the 1970s it offered both passenger and freight service.  Walt Disney and wife Lillian returned to the town several times, starting in 1946, via the train.  The Walt Disney Hometown Museum is now located in what once was the rebuilt train station.  The trains still roar constantly through the town, now they just carry freight.  They provided quite a bit of background noise while we toured the museum.

Before I tell you about the museum, I do wish to show some pictures of the murals we found on the the town's older buildings.

I am sure you remember when coke was 5 cents a glass!  The Coca-Cola building at Disneyland is modeled after the Zurcher building in Marceline.  Zurchers were jewelers from 1903 to 1973.  One of the memories Walt Disney had of this town was the Cola sign pictured above. 

Another mural we found in the town advertised that Marceline was "Main Street, USA".  The quote from Disney on the building was this:  "To tell the truth, more things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened to me since, or are likely to in the future".  Disney returned to the town in 1946 when he photographed the length of the main street as a reference for Disneyland.  In 1956 he came to Marceline to dedicate the town's new swimming pool, named for him.  On the same day he had a  premiere showing of his movie "The Great Locomotive Chase" starring Fess Parker in the Uptown Theater- a theater he had visited as a youth.  He and his brother Roy greeted each child at the door.  Over the years he and a citizen of the town, Rush Johnson, worked on plans for a Disney farm to be located in Marceline-  a farm which would look similar to what he had experience when he was a young boy at the beginning of the century.  Unfortunately those plans never came to fruition.  Walt's next visit took place in 1960 when he dedicated the Walt Disney Elementary School.  He was to return to the town in 1966 when the first ride from the Magic Kingdom arrived-  a set of 10 small cars called "Midget Autopia" which were installed in the city park.  Unfortunately that was the year Disney suddenly took ill with cancer and died.  Pictured below is a photo of Disney by Ryan 'Arcy' Christenson.