By this date 160 years ago, if you were living in my neck of the woods in south Jackson County, MO you'd either be hurridly packing up your remaining belongings or maybe you were already walking to some unknown place on your forced migration from your farm, your home and all you knew. Ewing's Order #11 had been issued and fell on all citizens of Jackson, Cass, Bates and the top tier of townships in Vernon counties. If and when you returned, very little, if anything, would be waiting for you. All would have been burned by then. Starting over from scratch was your only option. In November 1863 Order #20 allowed citizens to return but only after much red tape and many stipulations.

As I sit in my air-conditioned home on a 90° day, I wonder if I would have had the grit to endure all our Missouri ancestors did then. If you have no choice, you just do what you have to do. The heat, ticks and mosquitoes. No water. Ugh.

In November 2023, Trailside Center in south KC will have a display at the Red Bridge branch of Mid-Continent Library in the hopes of teaching abit of Order #11's history to passers-by. Maybe they will wonder if they'd have the grit, too.

So I honor our ancestors with this little remembrance. We have not forgotten, Bingham.