My Mom found a cache of old photos in the attic the other day. Among them were pictures of a young Quigley on a day that was a turning point in her 9-year-old life. First let me say that I purchased my 1st fossil at the age of 8 and grew up in Springfield, Illinois - the "Land of Lincoln" - and found great satisfaction in field trips to New Salem, Lincoln's Home, and the Old State Capitol. I valued the frequent trips to the library and the bookstore more than the occasional visits to the amusement park and the Ice Capades. I remember with clarity the dioramas and documentary films I saw at the Illinois State Museum, and countless trips to the zoo. But when my Mom, Dad, and sister visited Dickson Mounds (2nd and 3rd images), my eyes truly opened. Here's what it looked like when I saw it in 1972. Couple that with a daytrip to the Koster Site in Kampsville the following year (1st image) and you have the seeds of a lifelong interest in archaeology and things morbid. The exposed skeletons at Dickson Mounds have since been respectfully interred in place, the Koster Site has celebrated its 40th anniversary, and I have channeled rich childhood memories into books and the blog you are reading.
Love to see these Chris........
ReplyDeleteIt's good to look back and examine the roots of how our thinking was formed!
I was taken to a series of lectures in Bristol at the Colston Hall in the 1960s - Tutankhamun; the Pyramids; The relocation of Abu Simbel. Mummies and embalming clearly stuck in my mind.