My name is Erin and I currently live in Missouri. Confused? Well, I grew up in Kansas, but I live in Kansas City, MO. Did you know there was a Kansas City, Kansas AND a Kansas City, Missouri AAAAND that they are right next to each other? Well, it's true.

I grew up in a small community called Argentine, Kansas. The neighborhood was built on a former Shawnee Indian Reservation. There are several landmarks that largely go unnoticed these days. The house I grew up in sits adjacent to a wooded area where a fresh water creek runs through - there is a monument there in honor of a Shawnee prophet whose relative, Susan Whitefeather, sold my family their land. 

I grew up in the house that my great grandfather built in the late 1800's. Its foundation is a large oak tree. No joke. In my parents' house basement, a large oak tree holds up the house. Seriously. (Side note: I have done a lot of ancestry study - more to come on that later!)

I don't know much about it, but apparently there was a silver smeltery in Argentine years ago and that was much of the reason why the community thrived. Argentine is also the largest rail yard in the United States and experiences the most rail traffic in the country. Crazy, huh?

I write all this to describe how I grew up - the sound of trains always in the background, playing in the woods and creek, and running across forgotten landmarks. I like to say my sister and I richly experienced a vibrant piece of Kansas history on a daily basis.