The first day of our trip to Iowa
was emotional for me. We visited the place where Mom was born in 1905, Valley
Junction Iowa. I knew the town had been swallowed up in Des Moines, but I
wondered if I could find an old map that would tell me where it had been. When I
checked, I found out it’s a thriving historical district.
The cement sidewalks were made of
wood planks in those days, and the streets made of dirt. Mostly horses and
buggies drove down those roads. Autos had been invented by then, so I assume
there were a few around. Mom always told me she grew up in an amazing world
that went from horse and buggy to men on the moon.
This picture is of me with my husband Dan and son Brian.
As I wandered down the street, I
wondered which brick building had been the candy store. When Mom and her friend
managed to get a dime each, they went to the candy store. Mom bought a handful
of chocolates because they were so delicious. Her friend bought a full bag of
cheap candy. They went back to the farm and savored the chocolates first. Then
they would dig into her friend’s bag which would last the rest of the day.
Grandpa Stacy worked as a farm
hand, so there wouldn’t be a record of their residence. The farm would be paved
over by now anyway.
In 1910, her family was still in
Iowa, but by 1920 they had moved to Missouri where she finished growing up. I
don’t know how old she was when they moved.
The town hall was finished the
same year she was born.
It was a fascinating experience
with a feeling about the past I can’t describe. I never knew Grandpa Stacy; he
died 3 years before Mom and Dad were married. Grandma lived with us until I was
9-years-old when she passed on.
