New friends forever

01 August 1999, Sun.: We'd been searching for the little piece of land in South Dakota's Minnehaha County, once owned by my ancestors, now owned by a Marvin Manifold. Marvin couldn't take us today, but his parents could. So this morning, we met Maurice and Leona for the first time, right after services at Split Rock Lutheran, a little church just north of Brandon. "It's about a mile," said the smiling Maurice, "You can't drive a car up there. I'll take you in my truck." While we drove through hip-high weeds, Anne stayed back in the car with Leona – where they almost instantly became close friends.

Maurice stopped on a bluff and there, overlooking the beautiful Split Rock Creek, was the 160-acre "quarter-section" once homesteaded by my great-granduncle Theo, who moved on after only three months, ostensibly because most of his neighbors could only speak Norwegian. I felt a connection somehow; as if all the moments in my life had come full circle.

Afterwards, the Manifolds invited us to the "Song of Hiawatha" pageant, an event that ran only three weekends each summer. Based on Longfellow's poem, the beloved outdoor drama was celebrating its fiftieth year. Maurice and Leona drove us some thirty-five miles north to Pipestone, Minnesota where, for centuries, Indians of many tribes gathered to quarry the prized red stone from which they carved their ceremonial pipes.

We entered the pageant grounds and Hiawatha, future Indian prophet. As the story of his romance withjoined a crowd of hundreds seated in folding chairs on the shore of a small lake. As the sun set behind the trees, the lake reflected the images of a dozen white teepees on the opposite shore. Then the spotlights swung to the lakeshore, where the gentle Nokomis was seen cradling her infant grandson Minnehaha progressed, an evening chill set in, but we'd come well prepared: I had my sweater, Anne had her jacket, and the Manifolds had their blankets.

It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. Today, we had found "our land" – and two new friends forever.

Author Patrick Simpson and his wheelchair-restricted wife Anne uncover their experiences exploring historical and cultural experiences around the world. Visit now to learn how independent travel for disabled persons is not only possible, it can be fun!! www.booksbypatricksimpson.com

LINKS:
Split Rock Lutheran
Split Rock Creek
"Song of Hiawatha" pageant
Pipestone, Minnesota
Hiawatha