Pioneer Village

When I told my grandmother that we have been to Pioneer Village, she immediately remarked, "Doesn't it make you glad not to be a pioneer woman?"

Pioneer Village is the legacy of an interesting, probably somewhat eccentric, philanthropic man named Harold warp, who came from Minden, Nebraska, but went on to make his fortune in plastic in Chicago, Illinois.

The basic premise of the museum/attraction is to chart the progress of America.  The name "Pioneer Village" is somewhat of a misnomer because Harold wasn't really interested in evoking the Pioneer era.  He was interested in tracing how we got from there to here.  I think this is a pity because Pioneer Village is slowly getting run down and fading away, perhaps because people think it is the same thing as other nearby museums which focus on one period in history.  For example, in the Transportation Department, you start with covered wagons and gypsy carts, and move to automobiles and airplanes.  One of my favorites exhibits, the one I remembered from my childhood, traces the development of the modern kitchen.

Here are some photos from when we went there two years ago.

This is where we ended up when we got lost.

One of the obligatory parts of Pioneer Village is finding an item that you happen to own on display.
My mom has one of these.

I hope if you are ever tootling down I-80 you'll check out Pioneer Village.  Call first, to make sure it is still there...