I enjoyed a couple of hours on Monday at the museum visiting about Chariton River valley lore, legend and natural history with Caleb Bolin, above, a natural history biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, based in Kirksville.
Caleb, a Truman State University graduate, had Harry Truman Day off (yes, Truman's May 8 birthday is a state holiday in Missouri) and used it to make the two-hour drive up to Lucas County to explore the headwaters of the river that also also flows alongside Kirksville as it makes its way south to empty into the Missouri River in Chariton County.
Caleb is a talented photographer (ok, so I stalked him on Instagram just to see how good he is --- and he's darned good) and hopes to combine his photography, research and the collection of boots-on-the-ground stories and impressions gathered along the river's route into a book. This is a private project, not directly related to his job.
He's especially interested in stories related to ways the river has been incorporated into the culture of the landscape it passes through --- and how the river and its role have changed during the 180 years since European settlers arrived.
I grew up two miles south of the river and it's always been part of my life, so I was able to share a few things that came to mind --- as well as general river-related history.
And then Caleb was off, headed west in search of the source of our river before he headed home.
Anyone who has river-related stories to tell would find a receptive audience in Caleb. You're welcome to share information via comments to this post either on the blog itself or other social media. And I'll see to it that they are passed along. If you'd rather, I can put you in touch directly.
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