Day 29 Exeter, IL Mile 327
October 2, 1838; May 23, 2006

In the morning as the Potawatomi passed through Jacksonville the town band came out to lead them. They arranged with Judge Polke for the band to lead the Indians into the city square “where they remained for fifteen o twenty minutes." "Presents of tobacco and pipes in abundance were made by the citizens to the Indians.” How did this happen? Who suggest it? How hatched the idea of the presents? Who spread the idea around the night before and in the morning? Incidents like these seldom “just happen” –somebody thinks of the act of kindness then speaks up. When the Potawatomi marched through Springfield they got tobacco from the federal conductor as pay-for-good-behavior (and for dressing up) . In Jacksonville, however they got tobacco and pipes as gifts directly from the Jacksonville citizens. What a tribute to these folk. And here we are remembering their hospitality 158 years later.

Today they will make 16 miles to Exeter on a warm and dusty day with scarce water along the way.

AS FOR ME, I breakfasted with Wolf and Ann-Marie for several hours over coffee and a wonderful omelet seasoned with spices grown in their yard. Wolf is a retired professor of political science in this town of two colleges. Marie was a professor of German. Wolf has written a weekly column for the Jacksonville Journal-Courier for 23 years, more than twice as long as my 12 year run online--so I consider him an experienced master of the craft. Following this multi-hour stimulating breakfast conversation I headed to the Jacksonville library where the archivist helped me with accessing the county’s resources on the Trail of death then graciously permitted me to write and post these drafts of my diary online. I heading Exeter near lunchtime assuming I would not make it all the way. I simply drifted westerly and before long was in the town by accident, not due to purpose as much as my sloth in selecting a campsite for the night.

I have crossed the point in this trek where psychologically it is as if I am floating in a westward flowing river—my only job is to pick up each foot and let them float forward with the "current" toward the setting sun. This is how I found myself in Exeter just before dusk. However my autopilot indolence paid off. Here in this town of 75 people I stayed with Paul Herring who with his wife Kate restored an old three story hotel/school into a comfortable house that was built in 1860 on word that the railroad route would come through Exeter. It didn’t but went 3 miles to the north. The man finally sold his hotel and it became a school for 75 years, then fell into total disrepair. Paul and Kate bought the remains for $500 in 1973 and took the next few decades to restore it into a beautiful home. Paul is a math teacher in Jacksonville and Kate, once an attorney now works for the Girl Scouts in Quincy and is in process of credentialing for ministry among the United Methodists. I arrived while Paul still had some supper left in the large iron skillet so once again the kindness of a Jacksonville-related person brought to me a wonderful meal and I was asleep by 9PM having walked 16 miles after lunch today.


ROUTE AHEAD:
Wednesday: Get mail at Exeter by noon; walk through Bluffs (Potential Internet at library?) to Naples IL by dark (on the Illinois river) Contact Jerry Smith in Naples (thanks for this hook-up to Gary & Judy from decatur who drove their motorcycle over here a few days ago to see if I could get across the river at Naples like the Potawatomi did rather than taking the day-long detour up to rt. 104)
Thursday morning: Cross river in morning and walk to Perry IL –contact local Potawatomi, the “Nikki Mountain” family who has written me on the trail twice so far.
Friday: Leave Perry and walk to “Hobson’s choice” camp near liberty IL… walk until Sharon (my wfie) shows up to take the weekend off together in the Quncy area and around.
Monday: On the trail again, hoping to contact Ryan Robertson who is from Qunicy IL at the Mississipiand left a message on my cell phone without a call-back number.

All this of course is subject to the general "drift mentality" of "taking whatever miles the trail gives me" attitude."