Back to Caney Mountain Refuge today. It was a beautiful January afternoon..mild temperatures, sun, and little or no wind. Perfect for a drive up the North Trail. We have walked this way many times, in all sorts of weather. It was good to see the familiar sights and sit and listen to the snow birds and nut hatches as they flew from branch to branch, busy with their winter chores. After a round or two of the fields where we might find a shed or two, we climbed back in the truck and set off for a favorite place....the Morrison Cabin.
This house site is one of the historic places in the Refuge. I love to visit it. We are acquainted with the family who are descendants of the original owners. I love to see the chimney and imagine it aglow with warmth on the chilly days of autumn and winter. The remaining logs are piled near their original places. Round logs with notches cut to fit them in place. There are two rooms it seems, which was common for many homes at that time. Today we also thought we saw the lintels for doorways, the stones for steps, the logs that might have held a porch on the west side.
What is so special about this place? I think it is because I can look back and remember seeing pictures of just such a house while doing research for our local Historium. So many of the ancestors of Ozark County families lived in houses just like this. Perhaps their fireplace and chimney weren't built quite the same. Perhaps they had only one room...or a little shed built on to make a place for a growing family. The road that runs by this house is narrow and rocky. We have never found sign of a barn or outbuilding in our search for clues. But we are sure there must have been some place for animals to stay, or storage for household items or farm equipment. Of course, this rocky terrain has never been too hospitable for much large scale farming, but most places had a garden spot and fenced in area for hogs and chickens.
But it was a home. A place to live. A place to leave when it was time for you to go. And a place to come back to when you miss your family. Don't we all have that yearning? If we are truthful...we do. It might not look like this cabin with its fireplace and towering chimney. But it is home. And it calls us back...time and time again.
