Prairie Dell
I visited the grave site of my Great Grandfather yesterday. It’s located outside of Bartlett City (near Salado ). That ancestor of mine was born in 1822, 186 years ago. He died 111 years ago in 1897. That felt pretty amazing to me that I was standing next to the body of someone of whom I am a part all these many years later. I looked around and tried to imagine what life must have been like back then.
Then I visited the little town of Prairie Dell where my Grandfather first married in 1891 at the age of 19. He had married his 17 year old bride in the house of her parents in this little town.
The town is off to the side of I-35 now and has a population of about 30 people. Except for a couple of fairly old houses, it’s mostly made up of mobile homes and small brick homes. I doubt if anything is the same as it was back then except for the street locations and some of the lots that touch those streets. Some of the biggest trees might have been upstarts about then but that’s probably about it. The oldest looking man-made thing around was an old rusty barn which was probably built about 60 years ago.
In spite of all of the obvious changes it still seemed special to be in a location where I knew for sure that my Grandfather had walked with his new bride over a century ago. I’m sure that he rode his wagon down this exact same street, which I’m sure was just a dirt road back then. It was a great glance back into the past and a reminder of my own mortality. I’m glad I took the time to make that trip into my past. I think it grounds me and helps me appreciate my blessings and my family. God Bless, Dennis
