George Washington Carver National Monument

Spring Break 2018- National Park Trip Season 3.1 has started!! This is the first stop of many on this trip heading toward the Southwest Region of the National Park Passport Book. This stop is in the very bottom of the Midwest Region.  I knew this place was going to be interesting to us because George and I have somethings in common.  We are both Iowa State University Alumni and scientists.  He also has a quote that is by far one of my favorite quotes in the world today!

“It is not the style of clothes one wears, neither the kind of automobile one drives, not the amount of money one has in the bank, that counts. these mean nothing. It is simply service that measures success.”

We all need to be reminded of this every once in awhile. 🙂

Our trip started at the visitor center.  It was amazing to learn all of the things George Washington Carver accomplished in his lifetime.  We knew him well for his peanut work.

The Visitor Center was full of fun things to do. We grabbed our Junior Rangers and set out to watch the film.  It was a very interesting film on how George was so determined about earning an education he had to move several times (by himself as a boy) to find a school that would take him.  He later attended Simpson College (with a major in Art) and later transferred to Iowa State University to pursue a degree in Agriculture.

There is a nice display of wildlife and flowers in the area.  Several of the items that George discovered could be made from peanuts and an absolutely beautiful laboratory for budding young scientists to explore.

I couldn’t pry mine out of here.

Next we took off on the beautiful 1 mile self guided loop.  We started out the North of the visitor center and immediately found the bust of George Washington Carver.

Next was the cemetery where the owners and family of George are buried.  George never knew his father and his mother was kidnapped when George was a boy and never found.

We walked into the timber, over streams and along tall grass prairie (mastering the double piggyback ride) to the house the Carvers built in 1881. George didn’t live here but he did visit it.

We walked past Williams pond and on to Carver Spring.  Next up was the Statue of George as a boy. Sculpted in 1960 by Robert Amendola.

We walked past a sign designating the house that George was born in.

Back at the visitor center and our Junior Rangers are done.  The boys were sworn in as Junior Rangers and then the Ranger gave us some really cool stuff.  The boys got these super nerdy  and cool Ranger hats.  The whole family received backpacks with reusable water bottles. This was awesome!!

A few pics with our new super cool hats and we are off to Oklahoma for the night.  Chickasaw National Recreation Area in the morning.

Junior Ranger badges, magnet and Passport stamps √