004 (Grade 6) Slanted Wayside Panel: Rocky Road 682 words / Panel Description: 4.5 minutes
In front of you, is a slanted panel 3 feet wide by 2 feet tall, and about 3 feet off the ground. You are in a park with scattered tall deciduous trees and picnic tables. There is a wood and metal picnic table behind and to the right of the panel. In the middle of the park, at your right, is a small amphitheater and a building. Ahead of you, there is a tall swing set, beyond is the edge of the park and the Des Moines River with a bridge crossing it. The river flows from right to left. Behind you, is a knee-high, concrete wall, which separates the park from the road. This road is First Street. When facing the road, head right to reach downtown Bonaparte.
There is a black banner across the top on the panel. Left side text reads Bonaparte Riverfront Park. Right side of the panel has the white, orange, and black triangular logo for the Mormon Pioneer National Historic Trail
Title: Rocky Road Main Text: Weary travelers stopped here in Bonaparte for several days. They got their wagons repaired and bought grain to be ground at the gristmill. To continue westward, Mormon pioneers had to cross the rocky Des Moines River. At the time of Brigham Young’s crossing, the river was only about 2 feet, or 0.6 meters, deep. Depending on the conditions, groups crossed at various places along the river.
Some men found work here to earn money for the rest of their journey. They may have even built some of the brick buildings around you. Captain William Pitt’s brass band (also called the Nauvoo Militia Band) held concerts in exchange for supplies and money. After stopping here, the group’s progress was further slowed by bad roads and heavy rain. They also encountered several river crossings, 1 of which took an entire day.
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A colorful illustrated scene fills this panel. A blueish gray river runs from the bottom right to the top left. On either side of the river, is a grassy landscape that is partially covered with snow. In the bottom left corner, is a dirt road with patches of white snow that is parallel to the river. Several brick buildings line the road along the river. A black flag with “You Are Here” in white text shows that your current location is near the bottom center of the illustration, to the right of the buildings. The 3-story building in the illustration is the same building that is in front of you on your left. Around the buildings, are wooden wagons led by horses or oxen and several men on horseback. Some men are exchanging supplies and doing repairs.
Behind the buildings, is an organized line of canvas-covered wagons led by mules, oxen, or horses. They travel from the left side, along the near riverbank. The line turns left 90 degrees to cross the river. The illustration shows that the water is no deeper than two feet at the time of the emigrants crossing. On the far side of the river, the wagon trains turn to the right to continue westward along the river.
In the top left half of the panel, are 2 inset photographs. On the left, is a sepia toned photograph of a street lined with buildings. Text below left photograph: When the emigrants arrived in Bonaparte, there were several mills and a hotel. After a devastating 1886 fire, the town rebuilt much of the north side of First Street, at your left.
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Photo on right is a color photograph of a 1-story brick building it has a storefront with green and white striped awnings. Text below the photograph, Follow First Street to Main Street and turn left to find the Farmers & Traders Bank. It was built in the late 1840s, when the trail travelers came through here. End of Text
In the bottom left corner of the panel, is a QR code that you can scan with a mobile device to explore more about this wayside, including audio description.
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