Day Trip

by Vicki Wood, newsroom@lakesunonline.com Backroading, Pioneer Style

Visit an Amish settlement and a look back at America’s best loved stories

We begin with Seymour, Missouri, thanks to a tip from a beloved in-law who lives in southeastern Webster County raving about the food served at The Little Farm Store. With no prearrangement, we arrived there to find her standing at the coffee bar, what a great surprise! The Little Farm Store was holding a frozen custard festival, hosting craft, produce, and jam and syrup vendors under big tents. The store sells locally produced goods, most items made with all natural ingredients, or organically grown and raised. For the town of Seymour, handcrafted arts are showcased by the business, and today’s festival was being managed by the former executive director of the Seymour Area Arts Council. Regular events centering around vintage and prairie lifestyle are held on the grounds, with a focus on farm to fork cuisine. It’s an important industry in rural Webster County and not unusual to see folks wearing floor length skirts and wide brimmed farming hats. My in-law informed me it is “prairie-style,” a lifestyle choice, not religion. It means those choose to live as close to the land as possible, and grow their own food, or source as locally as possible, preferably from their neighbors. Missouri’s largest Old Order Amish settlement at Seymour could be an influencing factor. The Little Farm Store is stocked with their own fresh dairy which is located 10 miles down Highway 60. At today’s festival, Lulu Bell was the star, a brown jersey cow who is one of many that produce local raw milk for the store and the creation of their own frozen custard brand, Lulu’s Frozen Custard. After petting Lulu Bell, who was greeting visitors outside the store, a sample of her creamy custard was in order, and one can literally taste the sweet, tang of field clover in the frozen treat, lending a honey like note. The Little Farm Store has a full menu available at the coffee bar, with counter service. Locally raised, pasture fed beef is served in a variety of hamburger choices. The crepes are life changing, and only available on Saturdays. A return trip has already been planned to eat more crepes. Today, we were served a savory crepe, with locally raised pork sausage, eggs, and dairy, and it really makes a difference in quality! The Little Farm Store’s mission is to source as much from their own farm and neighbors as possible. Pleasant Valley Farm was the beginning of their clean food venture, and is now partnered with 15 neighboring farms. Their special events honor the land and serve guests tasting dinners from their combined efforts.

Ten miles from Seymour, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company can be found down some rambling country roads near Mansfield. Baker Creek’s Pioneer Village is currently closed due to COVID, but their online business and seed banks remain open, with one employee reporting business is booming. Not venturing past the front gate, the reproduction Pioneer Village is home to exotic birds and perfectly manicured flower and vegetable beds lining up with the surrounding creek nestling the Ozark hills. Jere and Emilee Gettle purchased the original 1800s Rippee family homestead, one of the oldest reported homesteads in the region, and began building the Pioneer Village in 2007. It includes the seed store, vegan restaurant, speaker barn, an old-time mercantile, herbal apothecary, a natural bakery and blacksmith shop, two music barns, a Western jail, a native rock oven, a windmill, seed warehouses, and many breeds of historic poultry and livestock. As the online seed business is humming along, we hope to find the Pioneer Village open upon our next visit for one of their many free events.

Some of America’s best loved stories were written at a small farm in Mansfield, located only a few minutes from Baker Creek. The farm was a step up for Laura Ingalls Wilder and her husband Almonzo from their log cabin homestead in Minnesota. Still standing beautiful on top of a hill, the stark white farmhouse is open to the public for tours where Ingalls

Wilder wrote the timelessly popular Little House on the Prairie series of books that were later turned into a 1970s hit television series.

Laura, Almonzo, and their daughter Rose moved to Mansfield in 1894 and settled the 40 acre Rocky Ridge Farm, purchased with 100 dollars that they had hidden away on a six-week trek across the Midwest. Fires destroyed their South Dakota home prompting them to move to Missouri. The farmhouse is a combination of the original log cabin that the family lived in their first winter at Rocky Ridge. The next year they transferred the log home up to the project that would become the farmhouse, with the cabin remains becoming the farmhouse’s kitchen. Almonzo built the structure himself, hefting rock from the property to form the fireplace, and sourcing other materials off of the land. Little Rose grew up there and left Mansfield in pursuit of her own successful writing career. When she returned in 1928, she commissioned a rock sided house with modern amenities as a gift for Laura and Almonzo. At 65 years old, and with the encouragement of Rose, Laura penned the first four Little House books in their new rock home. They lived there until 1936, when they chose to move back into the farmhouse, where the remainder of the series was written. There is a walking trail through the woods that connects the two houses when one visits the farm. The farmhouse has Laura’s furniture on display, nicely restored, a beautiful collection of vintage sofas and writing tables. The home also has some of Almonzo’s fine woodwork and tools on display,

The Little Farm Store

520 Lucky Road as well as the famous www.littlefarmstore.com “Pa’s Fiddle.” A built in corner library and big 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday windows with window The restaurant serves food from seats look recently lived 9a.m.-4 p.m. in, a place you want to snuggle up with one of Laura Ingalls Wilder her books. Historic Home and Museum

Located behind the 3060 Highway A farmhouse is the Rose Wilder Lane Museum. Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm In the low parking lot Sundays 12:30-5 p.m. sits a large, barn style bookstore. Beyond the Admission: Adults 18 and over, $15 farmhouse, visitors can Children 6-17, $7 dollars view a working chicken 5 and under, free coop and barn, and Laura’s replica vegetable garden. The garden is a project that was donated and maintained by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. Many events at Rocky Ridge Farm have been cancelled, but for now fall festivals are still scheduled. The upcoming Wilder Days on October 9 & 10 commemorates Laura Ingalls Wilder, America’s favorite pioneer girl, and her cherished “Little House” books. Hear Pa’s fiddle, take a tour of the home and enjoy the grounds of Rocky Ridge Farm. They will have their 7th Annual Fiddle Off on this day as well.

O F T H E L A K E T h e O  c i a l C o m m u n i t y C h 2 0 2 0 o i c e A w a r d s

Monday through Saturday 9 to 5 Open Sundays 11 to 5 www.evergreenatthelake.com 6711 Highway 54 West – Osage Beach 573.346.2286

$5.00 Off Your purchase of $25 or more. Expires 10/31/20. Limit one per visit. Must present coupon. Cannot be used on sale items.

A Vintage Boutique and Main Street Antique Mall One-of-a-kind handcrafted clothing, jewelry, hats, accessories and more! Check out Our New, Larger Location in the Landing. 1075 Main Street, next to the Front Porch and across from Village Antiques.

A Vintage Boutique Alpaca Haven Bella Donna Salon Bert Ehling Photography Blair & Co. Confectionery (Ozark Maid) Blair’s Landing Cutie Pie Boutique Chestnut Ridge Coco’s Bistro The Front Porch at Shabby Chic Main Street Music Hall Peacock Lane Shabby Chic Boutique Therapeutic Massage & Wellness Spa Truly Bridal Valentina’s Alterations Village Antiques (Original Yankee Peddlers) Sylvia’s Pet Grooming Yankee Peddler Tea Room 4 Generations

Alpaca Haven Un ique one of a kind Peruvian Hand icrafts & Gift items by Alpaca Haven

We also carry general line of antiques and collectables.

A Vintage Boutique

573-365-5580

@ avintageboutique www.avintageboutique.com HOURS

Open Daily 10 AM -5 PM

The Landing on Main Street Osage Beach, MO