Rain, rain, go away

Come again another day.

It has been raining all day and promises to go away tonight, and come again another day. Tomorrow.

We didn’t leave St. Louis until after 11 this morning driving down I-55 for a little more than an hour, until we reached Ste. Genevieve, the oldest European settlement west of the Mississippi. Founded by French Canadian settlers in 1735, Ste. Genevieve in 1800 was bigger than St. Louis. Today, it’s population is only about 5,000. The city has several houses from the 1700s, and many from the early 1800s.

Several houses are normally open to the public, but the government shutdown has closed those operated by the National Park Service, including this one

This house was built by the Janus family in 1791. In 1803, a tavern was opened in the house, and shortly after that, the state’s first Masonic lodge was founded in it. Today, it is known as the Green Tree Tavern, or the Janis-Ziegler House.

We did get to visit the Louis Bolduc House, built in 1788, and now owned by the Society of Colonial Dames in the State of Missouri. In fact, we had a private tour by a very informative guide from the adjoining Museum of French Colonial Life. Here are some photos:

We enjoyed driving through the historic district, which still looks historic because so much is labeled, and so little has been overly upgraded.

We also visited a pewter studio and shop, meeting the owner and her two large cats, and had a a good lunch at the crowded Stella and Me Cafe (rated 4.8) in its building dating from the 1850s.

It’s less than an hour drive from Ste. Genevieve to Cape Girardeau, a significantly larger, but less interesting town. It’s on the Mississippi, but dangerous flooding required shutting off the town from the river by building a flood wall, decorated with famous people closely connected to Missouri.

These include Cape Girardeau native Rush Limbaugh

and odd neighbors Joe Garagiola, Stan Musial, and Dred Scott.

From Cape Girardeau, a 30+ minute drive to Sikeston where we stopped for the night and had a filling Japanese meal.

Tomorrow? New Madrid MO and points east.