Back on the road again, again

Having completed much of what was needed to get Robin’s dad’s estate in order, we set out to try to regain our spot in the western US. Other than it was a good distance, I can’t say why we set out for Jamestown North Dakota, but there must have been some destiny involved.

When we got to town, we learned quickly that there would not be stunning attractions – not even a micro-brewery anywhere in the area. We did, however, manage to find the world’s largest buffalo. Built in 1959 by local businessman Elmer Petersen, the buffalo is 26 feet tall, 46 feet long and weighs over 60 tons.

We also learned here about how white buffalo were considered sacred by most native American cultures. Usually albinos, white buffalo are legendary in native cultures, who didn’t know the genetic abnormality that caused their coats to be white, and their eyes to be pink. Outside the National Bison Museum in Jamestown is a small herd of buffalo, and one of them is stone white. In the shadow of the world’s largest buffalo, it was an eerie sight.

So, here’s where the destiny part comes in. It turns out that Robin’s father, James, had an all-time favorite author – Louis L’Amour. Louis L’Amour wrote novels about life in the West, and was once called “the most interesting man alive” by John Wayne. L’Amour was born in Jamestown ND in 1908, and at the time of his death in 1988, all 105 of his works were still in active publication.

We visited the elementary school in Jamestown where the foundation was laid for this prolific writer’s career. Franklin School, built in 1909, was L’Amour’s first school. The school building still exists, but is no longer in use as part of the Jamestown school district.

Near the National Buffalo Museum, we discovered the writers loft where some of L’Amour’s early works had been penned. While his boyhood home no longer stands, we did make our way to the site and found a geocache someone had placed to remind visitors of the history here.

Talk to you soon!