State #4!! & the C.W. Parker Carousel Museum!

We have made it to our 4th state on our journey, and so far, Kansas is not what I had invisioned.  It has hills!  Maybe further west, it is more flat, but I am just really enjoying all the landscapes. :)

In Leavenworth, KS., we visited the C. W. Parker Museum.  He was known as the "Carnival King" and was the largest manufacturer of carousels and rides in the WORLD!  He was just your regular, hard working man, that used his imagination and creativity and resourcefullness to become a millionaire in ten years time; start to finish.  (your regular "rags to riches" story!) :)

We saw an original, primitive carousel from the 1850's, and actually rode this beautiful one from 1913!!
It was fast!  It was fun. :)  The carousels that are in parks and zoos today, ride MUCH slower, so this was a real surprise.

You really felt the need to hold on tight, or you could fall off!
We were given a personal tour of the museum, which had some VERY old wooden horses dating back in the late 1800's and some that were given to the museum for restoration.  It also showed C.W.Parker's way of "getting the job done" so efficiently, which also saved and made him a lot of money.  One way, was in his warehouse, he had a huge slide from the top to the bottom.  When he needed a certain part of the carousel, he would give the request to a child, and they would run up to the parts storage, grab it, and SLIDE down to Parker.  It made production move so much quicker, which saved time, which saved money. :)  The kids loved it, because they made some money, but also had fun. ;)  Labor laws today would not allow such a thing today, though.  Isn't is a shame?  I can TOTALLY see my kids loving that kind of job!  :)

Blessings,
Steph