Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park

Coming home from the Transfer Loop adventure, we made a stop at the Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park. We had tried to go here a few times, but got caught by rain each time.  They had a nice museum and good video explanations of the battle fought here which is credited with stopping AR from swinging completely to the south in the war and preventing the south from getting into Missouri which was a pivotal moment in the Civil War in the western front.

In our missionary clothes, of course.

They also had a auto tour through the fields and hillsides where the battle took place.  It had 14 stops and also one for the Trail of Tears which was the Native American march to the reservations in Oklahoma...a terrible part of our nation's history.

A white Church which was on the spot of another Church where families hid in the basement when the forces from the north and the south started lining up for battle on the local ridge.

I didn't even know that there were Civil War battles here in NW Arkansas until we moved here. As always the terrible cost of war hits me every time I am at one of these spots.  I am so grateful that Gary and my sons or daughters have had to fight in war...although Austen, Tosha's husband, has supported the airmen from Kuwait in two tours of duty there. 

Another place off our AR bucket list...