There are many remarkable places in the world. Some are far away, some at our doorstep; some are well-known and others cloaked in obscurity. I’ve been lucky to have visited a wide range of these interesting places, and I thought they would be fun to share. Enjoy!
Frazier Creek Falls
Across the gravel road from our former family farm (the land was recently sold), tucked into the bluffs along the Mississippi River near Quincy, Illinois is a majestic waterfall. Easily viewed from the road that edges perilously close to the cliff overlooking the falls, it’s a frequent stopping point for the unsuspecting traveler. It’s one of those hidden gems with a little history.
I was lucky to have grandparents whose farm sat on a hill overlooking the falls. During rainy periods its muffled roar was ever present. During low water times, my brothers, cousins and friends would spend hours having stick races, collecting tadpoles and fishing for tiny sunfish above and below the tumbling water. In the summer we often waded barefooted on the falls feeling the soft goo of the algae that grew on its sun-bleached limestone. I was fortunate, my two sons (now both grown) were able to share similar experiences.
There was a hand-me-down story about that falls that I’m not sure will ever be verified. Supposedly, the first settlers in the area planted a grist mill on top of the falls. According to my grandfather, you could see the pin holes drilled into the bedrock used to hold the mill in place. When I was younger, I could never find them. However, in later years, maybe thanks to heavy rains that washed away the silt that had coated the limestone, I found four square holes, equidistant in spacing, bored into the rock on the upper part of the falls. Perhaps proof the old story is true!
