I wnet over to the carona ks train musem. It was nice, but no frisco stuff =( I went over there today becuase I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to go in september with the frisco group. How else has gone?
Carona is southwest of Pittsburg, east of Parsons. If you believe Kansas is a real place. I've been as close as Murietta to Temecula, but maybe that was a delusion or a mirage since it was in August. From the heartlands it's easy to think of those places as imaginary, but then where do they make that wine that I see at the local purveyor's?
Wow - Steve. Did you get lost? , or did you have relatives in Murietta? Ahyhoo, U were right next door= had I known I would have popped a cork for you to enjoy a little juice of the grape. I hear that Temecula won some prestigious award for wine's last year. Guess that made the Napa folks take notice.
Here is a link to the museim,s website. BTW, the NEO used to swap cars with the MP here. Somewhere I have pics of the NEO's Alco switchers and caboose at Carona. So in a way, there is a Frisco connection (well, that and the branch to Parsons north of town). The place is off the beaten path, but sure looks like a neat place to visit.
Nice little webstite. I cannot change my vote, but I have added this to the list of things that I would like to see, but may never get the chance. ( My Bucket List #2) Way To Go, Heartland.
We do have Frisco items at the museum, including two motorcars a wig-wag signal off of route 66 in Baxter Springs a Frisco train order signal and lots of Frisco material in the museum building. We also have a large library with lots of Frisco books and magazines to look through and over 900 Frisco slides. I'm sorry I was not at the depot to show you around but I was not feeling well. I hope you did not leave with the wrong impression of what we have to offer. It is true that we don't have any Frisco rolling stock, but that may change in the future. We are a very active group and have several members who are dedicated Frisco fans from Springfield, Fort Scott, Pittsburg, Joplin and other areas. We had a slide show the week before in which we showed a nice collection of Frisco slides taken in this area that have never been published and show activities and places that were overlooked by most people. Our goal is the preservation of the history of all the railroads of the four state region of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas. John Chambers Heartlands Historian
Adding to John's excellent post about Carona, if one would get a Kansas map out and take a compass and draw a 50 mile radius circle centered in Carona, they would find out that there is almost more Frisco to see in possibly a weekend. Making the museum the headquarters there is the famous triple crossing and a 1700 series caboose at Columbus. There is a bay window caboose at Pitcher, OK. There is a 1200 series caboose at the Historical Society building in Baxter Springs. There is a mining museum at Galena documenting the Eagle-Pitcher mine where the decapods ran their final miles. There is one of the NEO cabooses at Ft.Scott. And last but not least there is Big Brutus at West Mineral. To top it all off some of the finest fried chicken in the country. Bob Hoover FriscoFriend
Well, Now you have my attention. Up to now - I haven't found a good piece of fried chicken in California; but, Claim Jumper does a pretty good imitation. Definitely have to dig out the Atlas.
This corner of Kansas was rich in minerals (lead, zinc, and coal) and Italian immigrants (including my grandparents) settled there to become miners. The story goes that two wives cooked chicken for the miners and the word spread and they both opened competing restaurants (Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's) located out in the country a few hundred yards apart. See below story: http://ktwu.washburn.edu/journeys/scripts/2002/1507c.html Both places are famous and people drive hundreds of miles to eat there. Bob Hoover FriscoFriend
And to think, I was just a few miles away on more than one occasion. I made the trip from KC down Hwy 69 and 71 many times going home to southern Arkansas - cutting east from Riverton over to Joplin, or 126 from Pittsburg over to 71. (used to take different roads just to see the countryside even down thru central Arkansas) Somehow I missed the Frisco in Hope, AR. I grew up about 20 miles from there and my mom used to do her major grocery shopping there a couple times a month. I can remember seeing the Mopac come thru there, but do not remember the SLSF. First wife and I were married in Miami, OK in 64. Couple of trips we rode the KCS from KC to Texarkana where my parents met us. When the Southern Belle took the siding several times to let the freights go by, I realized that riding the rails was in short strokes. Sort of got side tracked there .. definitely on my list though.
Hi all just thought some of you out there would like to know where Chicken Mary's and Chicken Annie's was located so I have uploaded some pics. they are between two railroad grades I don't know which ones but you can see them in the pics. I don't remember if abandoned or not Have a great day Darren
To Chicken Annie's or Chicken Mary's from Pittsburg: US 69 North 4 mi US160 East 3.1 mi 250th St North 1 mi 600th St East .4 mi
The grade crossings on 160 are active, sorta. It is a freight car storage track for Watco. The cars move every once in a while. And BTW Chicken Mary's is better. If you want proof, go by during lunch or super and you'll see that Mary's always has a bigger crowd.
Per the arial views that were posted of Chicken Annie's and Mary's. The mining camp they are located in is known as Camp 50/Yale. To the east of Yale the railroad r.o.w. that runs in the southeast to northwest direction is the abandoned MoPac grade for a line that ran from Fort Scott to Cornell. The railroad running west of Yale on the southwest to northeast angle is the main line of the KCS from Kansas City to Pittsburg and is very active. In fact, the KCS road crossing is know to the crews as "chicken crossing". John Chambers
Absolutely! They both have fantastic Chicken, Onion Rings German Cole Slaw (My favorite) and German Potato salad. Bob Wintle Parsons, Ks.
Oh I love Claim Jumper. When I was out in California I frequented the one in Seal Beach. Great Food, I highly recommend it!
What is Claim Jumper and how does it relate to Chicken Annie's or Chicken Mary's? Just curious? Bob Hoover FriscoFriend
BOB - In answering your first post to this thread (four weeks ago), You mentioned the two restraunts and I said that I would like some real good fried chicken and that "Claim Jumper" did a pretty fair representation of fried chicken here in CA.
