Alabama Highway 14
The first highway 14 is technically the most important to me and closest to my home. It is Alabama Highway 14 and runs east-west, beginning in Opelika, ending at the Mississippi state line. The part I am familiar with is the section from Auburn to Loachapoka. It runs in front of the W4HOD clubhouse, where I have had many great times with great friends. I have pedaled the keys in a lot of RTTY contests at the clubhouse with KA4PKB and KF4OPX, eaten some fine suppers and had some great fellowship. Can't complain about that!
One of my favorite stories of Alabama Highway 14 is the source of the Wreck Tech Pajama Parade.
The Wreck Tech Pajama Parade originated in 1896, when a group of mischievous Auburn cadets, determined to show up the more well-known engineers from Georgia Tech, snuck out of their dorms the night before the football game between Auburn and Tech and greased the railroad tracks. According to the story, the train carrying the Georgia Tech team slid through town and didn't stop until it was halfway to the neighboring town of Loachapoka, Alabama, The Georgia Tech team was forced to walk the five miles back to Auburn and, not surprisingly, were rather weary at the end of their journey. This likely contributed to their 45–0 loss. While the railroad long ago ceased to be the way teams traveled to Auburn and students never greased the tracks again, the tradition continues in the form of a parade through downtown Auburn. Students parade through the streets in their pajamas and organizations build floats. This tradition has recently been renewed with Georgia Tech returning to Auburn's schedule after nearly two decades of absence.
Tri Delts March in the Wreck Tech ParadeUS Highway 14
Charles Ingalls Family (circa 1893)Laura Ingalls is standing directly behind Charles with her hand resting on his shoulder. Laura's blind sister Mary is sitting to the far right. Sister Carrie is shown on the left side of Laura and sister Grace is shown on the right side. Laura's mother Caroline Ingalls is sitting on the left.
This photo was supposedly taken around 1893 in De Smet, South Dakota, right before Laura and her husband Almanzo Wilder left De Smet for Mansfield, Missouri. In Mansfield, they would build up a beautiful productive farm named Rocky Ridge Farm and a state of the art farm home that still stands today.
On Rocky Ridge Farm, the Wilders grew apples and shipped them all across the region. Laura was known as a keen poultry expert and could get eggs in winter when no one else could. She was proud that she earned $1 per day from each of her chickens, not a bad return in the early 1900s. The Wilders also grew strawberries and shipped them across Missouri.
Almanzo died in 1949 at age 92. Laura died in 1957 at age 90.
Every place Laura lived as a child and adult has some sort of memorial society organized. Some are better than others, some have replica cabins built, some have actual homes still preserved. The state of Iowa has the distinction of having the only childhood home of Laura that is still in the original location as it was when Laura lived there. The home was the Masters Hotel in Burr Oak, Iowa located in Winneshiek County. It has been restored, had an addition removed that was added later, and Laura would certainly recognize it if she came back to visit today.
Laura at age 70 (circa 1937)
She was at the height of her writing career with the "Little House" books
Please pardon me if this post is not directly related to amateur radio. The one tie-in to ham radio is the fact that on one of my journeys north to visit Laura's homesites, I did work the county hunter net all the way north to South Dakota, and then back east through Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This fact brings me to the different reactions of friends from both my obsessions.
This photo was supposedly taken around 1893 in De Smet, South Dakota, right before Laura and her husband Almanzo Wilder left De Smet for Mansfield, Missouri. In Mansfield, they would build up a beautiful productive farm named Rocky Ridge Farm and a state of the art farm home that still stands today.
On Rocky Ridge Farm, the Wilders grew apples and shipped them all across the region. Laura was known as a keen poultry expert and could get eggs in winter when no one else could. She was proud that she earned $1 per day from each of her chickens, not a bad return in the early 1900s. The Wilders also grew strawberries and shipped them across Missouri.
Almanzo died in 1949 at age 92. Laura died in 1957 at age 90.
Rocky Ridge Farm House/Museum
Mansfield, Missouri
Mansfield, Missouri
The Masters Hotel
Burr Oak, Iowa
Burr Oak, Iowa
In 1932, at age 65 Laura began writing down her childhood memories of growing up as the child of a pioneer father with wanderlust. These memories became the "Little House" books, not to be confused with Michael Landon's hatchet job TV show.
Charles Ingalls was always looking for the perfect piece of land to farm, always looking to the west, but he never really found what he was looking for. The closest he came was a quarter section in De Smet, Kingsbury County, South Dakota (part of Dakota Territory in 1880). Charles filed the necessary papers, and followed the required steps for proving up on the claim and received his patent around 1886. He sold the claim not long after and moved to town and lived the remainder of his years there. He died at home in 1902 at the age of 66. Caroline Ingalls died at home in 1924 at age 84.
Charles Ingalls was always looking for the perfect piece of land to farm, always looking to the west, but he never really found what he was looking for. The closest he came was a quarter section in De Smet, Kingsbury County, South Dakota (part of Dakota Territory in 1880). Charles filed the necessary papers, and followed the required steps for proving up on the claim and received his patent around 1886. He sold the claim not long after and moved to town and lived the remainder of his years there. He died at home in 1902 at the age of 66. Caroline Ingalls died at home in 1924 at age 84.
Laura at age 70 (circa 1937)She was at the height of her writing career with the "Little House" books
Please pardon me if this post is not directly related to amateur radio. The one tie-in to ham radio is the fact that on one of my journeys north to visit Laura's homesites, I did work the county hunter net all the way north to South Dakota, and then back east through Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This fact brings me to the different reactions of friends from both my obsessions.
From amateur radio operators: Laura Ingalls Wilder? Who the heck is she? You traveled all the way to Iowa to see what?
From LIW fans: What are all those funny antennas on your car? You a spy?
For a more detailed look at my Laura obession, including photographs, links to other fans sites, and links to all the home sites, visit my web site at http://dakotagirl.com
The last photo shown here does not have anything to do with Laura Ingalls Wilder, but I really enjoyed taking it. I was exhausted, having been on the road for almost 12 days. I had covered Missouri, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa. (I did not see Wisconsin this trip). I had just turned off State Road 52 in Northeastern Iowa, headed for Dubuque, Davenport and points south. All of a sudden , I saw this beautiful sunflower field. I had to stop to photograph it. It was refreshing to see something so cheerful, especially being as tired as I was.
Posted by AA4YL
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