Friday, April 16, 2010

Meteor watchers look to Livingston, Wisconsin



Not a lot happens in Livingston, Wisconsin, but that's changed since the meteor that exploded  over the Midwest the other night happened to crack up over the little farming town in the southwestern corner of America's Dairyland.

It just so happens that's where my Dad grew up. His dad, a Rockefeller Republican, was the president of Livingston State Bank -- the only bank in town.

How small is it? Look at the satellite view.

 It's a nice little place. Slow movin'. Not a stoplight in the town, or at least there wasn't when I visited there every summer as a kid. A few taverns, an old-timey grocery store and a couple other shops.  Back then a few people around town -- namely, a fellow named Muggs who ran the town gas station -- called me Tex and joshed me about my accent and asked where my six-shooters were. He had a big iron chest of soda pop at his filling station.

Well, now meteor enthusiasts who collect meteorites are headed to Livingston. Things must be all astir in Livingston now. I'd kinda like to be a fly on the wall there right now.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

i grew up there too banjo joe. it is a nice town and i worked for your dad as a handy man

Anonymous said...

I grew up in Livingston, went away to college, and came back here to farm. My 16 year old son was shooting baskets in the driveway by the porch light that evening. A few minutes after ten, he came running in to the house yelling about something flying through the sky just a few hundred feet above our house. Shortly after that we heard the (sonic?)boom and the house shook.
My wife went out this afternoon and looked in a field that i thought would be in line with the meteor and she found a 100 gram meteorite.

THE FISHING MUSICIAN said...

How cool! I linked to the map, and waited for a few seconds for it to finish loading, realizing it had already finished loading.