Route 66 Mural City: Cuba Missouri

When you're traveling Route 66 through the Missouri Ozarks be sure to take the time to stop in Cuba. It's twelve full sized murals make it worth a look. The project started in 2001 when a bank commissioned the first one and it has snowballed from there.

The murals depict historical events from the town's history, such as Amelia Earharts' emergency landing in 1928, Harry Truman's campaign stop, the Gold Star soldiers from WWII, and actress Betty Davis visit to Cuba.

One mural is a set nine panels with a Civil War theme. Half of the money needed to complete these, $36,000 was raised by a fifteen year old Boy Scout as part of his Eagle Scout project.

There are plaques beside each mural that describe the events that inspired their creation. Allow about an hour to stop and enjoy these works of art.

While you're there you may as well drop in at Frisco's Grill & Pub for a piece of their famous Choo Choo Chocolate Cake. You'll need one piece and two forks. It's rich enough to satisfy any chocolate craving.

Cuba is 75 miles south of Saint Louis on I-44 and Route 66. Viewing the murals is free.

Have a great trip!

A Guide to Cuba's Murals

Frisco's Grill & Pub hours and menu

Route 66 in Missouri

Weather in Cuba, Missouri

Civil War Battle Reenactment: Bentonville, Arkansas

It's time for the 145th Anniversary of the Battle of Pea Ridge. The battle will be reenacted on October 27-28. Don't miss it because it's only done on odd years. The next one won't be until 2009. It's hosted by the Peel House Foundation and the Bentonville CVB

The schedule is as follows:


Saturday

8:00 The gates are open
11:30 C.W. Webb, a historian, will present Medical Equipment of the Civil War.

1:00 pm the Battle begins.
1:45 Symposium with Dr William Shea and Dr William Piston
4:00 pm the Battle will commence once more



Sunday


10:00 Period church service
1:00 another Battle exhibition takes place.


Admission is reasonably priced at $7.00 per carload. Bring lawn chairs and blankets for battle viewing. Period Sutlers and present day food vendors will be present. They are serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. I highly recommend having a bowl of soup and a chunk of cornbread or a funnel cake while you're there.

You can spend the entire day viewing the battles, attending presentations and visiting the camps where soldiers are preparing for battle. You can walk through the encampments where they'll be exhibiting medical care, clothing, and food. Questioning the reenactors is encouraged.

The battle is held on several acres. Parking is toward the front, it isn't paved and it's some distance to the site. Be sure to allow time to get situated before the excitement begins.

Please be advised this event is held on farm land. The terrain is not wheelchair or stroller friendly. Golf carts will be available to shuttle folks with wheelchairs and other assistive devices to the viewing area. The able bodied need to be prepared to hoof it. A pair of sturdy closed toed shoes would be ideal.

Some bleacher seating will be available on a first come, first serve basis. You're encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket for seating. No coolers, alcohol, or glass containers are allowed.

Service animals are allowed but other pets should sit this one out. There are guns and cannon firing and horses involved in the reenactment. Many pets do not respond well to this.

There will be Porta potties on site.

If you've never been to a reenactment it's a great way to spend the day. You and your family can learn a lot from all of the knowledgeable staff and participants.

Have a great trip!

Peel Mansion Museum

Directions to the Battle

Weather for Rogers, Arkansas

Pea Ridge National Military Park

Pea Ridge National Military Park: Rogers, Arkansas

The Pea Ridge National Military Park is located north of Rogers, Arkansas on Hwy 62. The 4,300 acre park commemorates the battle fought on March 7 and 8, 1862. It is open from 8-5 daily with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days. The park also closes when there is severe weather.

The museum inside the visitors center displays, canon and other weaponry and artwork from that era. Also on display are uniform jackets worn by General Curtis. While in the visitors center you can watch a 28 minute film Thunder in the Ozarks which will give you an overview of the battle. The film airs every 35 minutes. Copies of the film are available on VHS for $10.00 and DVD for $12.00.

There is a well stocked gift shop in the center. A wide variety of books are available as well as period cookbooks and crafts for children. T-shirts and other souvenirs are for sale as well. A driving tour CD of the park is available for $13.00.

Entrance fees for the Pea Ridge Military Park are $3.00 per person, $5.00 per carload, and $15.00 for an annual pass. If you are interested an annual pass that will allow admission to all national parks is available as well as a lifetime Senior pass.

Kids can pick up a junior ranger guide at the visitor center. It outlines a scavenger hunt that includes the museum and the battlefield. They can link clues and answers to the guide and earn a Junior Ranger badge. If they’d like they can become a WebRanger. Just log onto www.nps.gov/webrangers.

On the weekend nearest the anniversary of the battle. March 7 & 8 the park hosts an event. You will ride buses to the different stops. People in period clothing will be giving demonstrations. Firing canons and muskets as well as portraying the day to day functioning of the troops. You can call the park at 479-451-8122 after the first of the year for information on the date.

You can choose to tour the park three different ways. There is of course the driving tour you also have the option of a hiking tour or riding horseback. The park does not rent horses. The hiking trail is 7.5 miles so make sure you are properly equipped if you decide to hike.

When you purchase tickets you will receive a brochure that details information about each stop on the tour. There are also additional plaques at each stop. Plenty of parking spots are available along the way. Stops do have spots that will accommodate motor homes.

It’s best to bring a camera. There a wonderful views on the tour and you are likely to see several whitetail deer on any given day. The park estimates the deer population to be 250-450 and they are most likely to be seen in the morning and the evening when they feed. They will be working on reestablishing the quail population over the next several years.

The park service plans to rebuild the entire 17 miles of historic wormwood fencing in the park as part of their Centennial Strategy . It is their intent to restore the battlefield to its 1862 appearance. They have reopened five miles of the 19 miles of historic roads and five historic fields. Steve Black of the National Park Service stated that Leetown would not be reconstructed because they have no idea what it looked like. However, they are working with the University of Arkansas to find the sites of the buildings in Leetown and mark them.

There is also a 2 ½ mile stretch of the Trail of Tears inside the park. About 1,000 Indians fought in this battle. There were black and Hispanic soldiers fighting at Pea Ridge as well. If you’d like to find out more about whether your ancestors were involved in the Civil War, a database of 6.3 million soldiers is on the National Park Civil War website.

Most of the Confederate soldiers who died that day are buried in the Confederate Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The rest were buried in a mass grave in an unknown location somewhere in the Pea Ridge National Military Park.

If you are planning on visiting the park, you should allow at least two hours to tour the museum, check out the gift shop and do the driving tour. And don’t forget your camera.

Have a great trip!

Pea Ridge National Military Park

Database of Civil War Soldiers

Confederate Cemetery Fayetteville, Arkansas

Reenactment of the Battle of Pea Ridge

Weather at Pea Ridge Park

The American Civil War, National Park Service site