After growing up in the area and never having been to "Murphy's Landing", I decided it was time to bring my family to "The Landing". Since we didnt have any graduation parties or weddings to attend last weekend, it was the perfect time to check out "The Landing". When I went to their website I learned there is a themed weekend once a month. The theme over this past weekend was "Wild West Weekend". As a cowgirl at heart, I was ready to meet the lawmen and gunslingers of the 1800's and hear tales of the frontier.
The main entrance is right off 101. We came down County Road 83 from the casino and my husband and I engaged in a huge debate as to whether we turn right or left at Hwy. 101. I knew right where ValleyFair was located and I was sure "The Landing" was north of ValleyFair. Needless to say, my husband felt very proud of himself when I had to make a u-turn at ValleyFair to get to "The Landing".
The site opened at 10:00 AM and there was ample parking in the lot. Once we received our stickers for admission, we were escorted to a horse drawn carriage for a ride to the first site. Our driver dropped us off right before the 1845 Fur Post. The Fur Post is currently under renovation and you can certainly see the craftsmanship of this historic building.
As we walked along the trail, our next stop was an 1857 farm. I think the kids really liked the next stop with the animals they could pet at the 1889 farm. There was a one room school house equipped with chalk boards and a map of the newly formed State of Minnesota. It was interesting to learn you could become a teacher when you were 16 by passing the state exam! As a 16 year old teacher, your students would be 4 years old up to the age of 21 in a one-room school.
Since this was the "Wild West Weekend", the River Valley Theatre Company was ready to present a stage play re-enacting scenes from the Old West. Obviously the boys and my husband enjoyed the gun play and cheered the good guys on. The Wild West Show was modeled after Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Annie Oakley made an appearace and she shared her life story.
The theatre troupe really involved the audience with props and telling stories of the Old West. Definitely a time when there was no need to be "politically correct" about anything. It was a great performance. At the end of the performance, anyone from the audience was welcome to learn how to perform rope tricks. What a lost art! What a way to entertain your friends at a party by bringing your trick ropes. All of the kids really seemed to enjoy learning how to perform rope tricks.
After the theatre performance, we checked out the rest of the homes and the mercantile. A few of us played checkers on the porch of the store while the others were learning how to use a rain barrel washing machine. By this time, everyone was getting very hungry. There is a food truck that is parked on-site which is very convenient for hungry and thirsty visitors. We were ready to ride the horse-drawn carriage back to the visitor's center with our ice cream.
Our visit to "The Landing" was fun and an amazing walk through time. There is plenty of room for the kids to run and play; animals to pet, a food truck, and a very picturesque view of the Minnesota River. Over the years we have been to many historic sites and villages, "The Landing" is now one of our favorite spots and we will visit as often as we can since it's right in our backyard, here in Scott County.
A big shout out to the River Valley Theatre performs and their great performace of "The Wild West Show".
