OUR TRIP TO LANSING, MINNESOTA

The Lansing water tower

Entering Lansing

There are still dirt roads off the main road

another view entering Lansing

This is a barn by a house that is for sale. We decided we would like to buy it.


Another view of the barn




This is the house. We have always pictured us living in a house like this





Phillips gravestone







Lee's Grandfather


Lee's Grandmother




We have had such a great road trip. First of all, I would like to thank Tami and Brett for asking us to watching their kids while they went to Chicago. Because it gave us the opportunity to do something we have talked about since we were first married. We finally made it to Lansing, Minnesota where Lee's Dad was born and raised. I don't know if we would have ever really made it to Lansing if it weren't for Tami and Brett living in Pierre, SD and Tom and Lena living in Cohasset, Minnesota. We had decided to visit Tom and Lena after Brett and Tami returned from Chicago and we could make it a road trip that took us through Lansing. So, that is exactly what we did.




When we arrived in Austin, Minnesota we weren't sure where to find the little town of Lansing so we stopped by the Chamber of Commerce to ask if they knew where it was and if they could tell us where some cemeteries in the area were. We knew Lee's Grandfather and Grandmother Phillips had been buried in Austin, and we thought it would be interesting to find there burial place. The Chamber Lady was very helpful and gave us directions to Lansing. We took a short drive to the little town. It was charming. I don't think it has changed a great deal from when Lee's Dad lived there. There are still dirt roads and not a retail store in sight. It is still a strong farming community.




As we drove through Austin to get to Lansing we past a cemetery. Lee said he wondered if that was where his Grandparents might be buried because it was on the way to Lansing. As we drove past we saw a large gravestone with the Phillips name on it and decided that we would drive through it when we got back from Lansing. By the time we got back to Austin it was getting later in the day and the sun would soon be going down so we opted to wait until morning to go to the cemetery so we would have plenty of daylight to look for his Grandparents graves.




The next morning we had breakfast and then we to the Oakwood Cemetery. The Phillips gravestone that we had seen from the road was not his Grandparents but we thought they could be relatives. We got back into our car and Lee said he wanted to drive around to see if there were any other Phillips buried there. Well, he drove just a few feet and there was another large gravestone that had the Phillips name and I could see his Grandmothers name, Valeria B. Phillips and his Grandfathers name, Joseph J. Phillips before we got out of the car. We couldn't believe that we had found them. And it had been so easy. We all but drove right to them. I don't think Lee ever thought that he would be standing on the ground where his Grandparents rested. We know so little about the Phillips side of the family and this just made it seem like they really did exist at one time. We found some other Phillips grave sites and feel they are related. So, now we have some names to research and hopefully find out more information about the family.

I posted a few pictures of Lansing and the gravestones of his Grandparents. This has been a trip to remember.