Bentonville, Arkansas...

You may recognize the town name - it's on every Wal-Mart tractor-trailer you see.  And in Bentonville, there is the original 5-and-10 that Sam Walton opened.

However, rather than selling products, it has been turned into a museum about the man and his chain of retail outlets.   And a good museum it is...well worth the time it took to visit...many interesting facts are presented.  Did you know Sam Walton was a pilot?  And that his first plane was an Ercoupe single engine aircraft that he used to personally scout out locations for new stores?  A scale model of his plane is in there.  And that he drove a 4wd red and white Ford pickup truck with 4-speed manual? It's in there, too. They moved his office lock stock and barrel from the warehouse to the museum, as a memento.  And there's a re-creation of an old fashioned soda fountain as you exit (great prices...it's hard to find Moon Pies for only 50 cents...but they have them!)

Whether you're a Wal-Mart fan or not, this gives you a wonderful insight into how the chain came about.

If you look closely above, you can see a red and white Ford pickup of the same vintage as the one in the museum.  It's not Sam's but is marked for the museum.  Now look below...they had a 10 cent kiddie ride made to resemble Sam's truck!

I knew there was an old St Louis & San Francisco (Frisco) station in town, and I had the address.   The GPS got me there....but yours truly drive right past it.  Doesn't look anything like the stations you're used to seeing...and more importantly - there are no tracks, either.  They were ripped up a long time ago.  The second time I went past...in the other direction, there was a caboose to help in locating it.

This station was built in 1925 to replace one which was not holding up well.   After WW II, passenger business declined as airlines and cars sucked up all their patrons, and the railroad quit serving Bentonville.    The station fell into disrepair, until a commercial firm decided to restore it, resulting in the pretty building below.

And lastly, I dropped in for a self-guided tour of the gorgeous Peel Mansion Museum & Heritage Gardens.  These were built in 1875 by Colonel Samuel West Peel. Much care was taken in erecting this magnificent house, a wonderful example of the Italianate Villa Style.

The interior of the house was furnished with authentic antiquities and artifacts of the era, generously loaned by the Historic Arkansas Museum and the Old State House.

In its day, it was a working farmstead, surrounded by 180 acres of apple orchards.

Colonel Peel, pioneer businessman, legal representative (appointed by the President) to the five civilized tribes in Indian Territory and Confederate soldier, was the first native-born Arkansan elected to the United States Congress. He and his wife, Mary Emaline Berry Peel, raised nine children here.

It was a good day in Bentonville, for a girl in stirrup pants (over tights), turtleneck, jewelry and booties...too bitter cold for anything less than a winter coat on top, which sort of disguised the femininity.  At least I did not hear the dreaded "S" word...though the lack of any feminine forms of address was definitely noticeable.

More later,

Mandy