Echoes From the Past
The Clover Cliff Ranch is - in a sense, its own echo from the past. But on a recent weekend we had
an opportunity to host a Poe family reunion.
Timeout for a little genealogy:
Clover Cliff owners (1860 - the present): Blackshere, Prather, Donahue and Harshman
Prather children: Emma, June, Hal and Nelson
Emma Prather married Nelson Poe. (You can find her wedding picture in our collection
on your next visit.)
Her children: Allan, Harold and Ivan
Fast forward to 2015:
Allan and Harold Poe came for a visit to their roots in the Chase County Flint Hills, along with
their children, grandchildren and some greatgrandchildren. Coming from Colorado, Missouri,
Oklahoma and Kansas they gathered Saturday evening and left Monday morning.
We remember their visit with an unusual mixture of appreciation and respect. It was a privilege to hear
family stories from those earlier days; stories that truly make the past come to life - a step back in time
in the setting where they happened. Sunday dinner in the dining room was the perfect time for them
to remember who sat where, including, "Dad sat here."
Their visit was also a reminder that this ranch has gone through many seasons: the hard, hard times
of the depression years along with all the others. It was also a perfect opportunity for the family to return
furniture that once "lived" here. The family was happy for that furniture to come "back home."
We look forward to their next visit - a time for them to share more stories with each other and with us.
