BY DON VOELKER
Few people celebrated her birth, but 61 years later many people were saddened by the tragic death of this famous woman author. Today, she is celebrated with not just one but two locations in Indiana.
Geneva Grace Stratton, one of Indiana’s most famous female writers, was born on August 17, 1863, on Hopewell farm in Wabash County, the youngest of 12 children; her father was a Methodist minister and farmer.
The author, who became famous for such books as "Freckles" and "Girl of the Limberlost," grew up in Wabash, where she and her family had moved in 1874. Gene had almost finished high school when she met and married Charles Porter, a druggist from Geneva. In 1895, soon after the birth of their daughter Jeannette, the Porters moved to a 14-room home, which she designed. It was constructed near the Limberlost Swamp at Geneva.
Stratton-Porter developed a strong interest in the wildlife found in the Limberlost Swamp and began to document and photograph the butterflies, moths and other animals and birds that she saw on her many walks in the swamp.
The Limberlost Swamp, 13,000 acres in Adams and Jay counties, was considered treacherous and dangerous in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It was named after, Limber Jim Corbus, who disappeared in the swamp, Stratton-Porter seemed very much at home in the swamp and used it to inspire her nature studies and now that she had turned to fiction writing, her novels.
Stratton-Porter and her family moved from Limberlost in 1913 after the swamp was drained. They built a house, called "The Cabin at Wildflower Woods," which she designed, on the edge of Sylvan Lake near Rome City.
I found her writings to be interesting and inspiring. She made the story come alive in my mind by putting her own feelings into the characters in the books, many of which were based on her rural childhood. During her lifetime she wrote 12 novels, seven books on nature study, several children’s books, poems and many magazine articles. Eight of her novels were produced as motion pictures.
Stratton-Porter moved to California during World War I. In 1922 she founded the Gene Stratton-Porter film company to produce movies of her books. She began building homes in Bel Air and Catalina Island but was killed December 6, 1924, in California when a trolley hit her limousine. She was buried in Hollywood Cemetery.
Limberlost South, Geneva
The house at Limberlost was built in 1895 after the birth of their daughter, Jeanette. Stratton-Porter lived here with her husband and daughter until her beloved swamp was drained in 1913.
The house has fourteen rooms and is beautifully restored with much of the original furniture owned by Gene Stratton-Porter. It is located on Indiana 27, south of Geneva. The home is well marked with the parking lot just off the highway. Some of the Limberlost Swamp is being restored and visitors can walk the trails and see the wildlife and flowers that are returning to this natural habitat.
Limberlost North, Rome City
Walking through this site gave me a real feeling of peace and tranquility. Maybe it was the quietness with no sounds except the wind or birds or walking through the fall leaves.
Built in 1913, this home is the second of Gene Stratton-Porter. She planted the wildflower gardens from plants all over the state. Many of the trails she made and also the arbor still remains in the gardens.
Be sure to take the guided tour through the house. Much of the furniture is original along with the fixtures – in a small alcove in the kitchen is the icebox she used. I couldn’t help but think that it was in the original spot and had never been moved.
In April 1999, the remains of Gene Stratton-Porter and her daughter, Jeanette, were moved to a mausoleum located under her favorite oak tree on the grounds of the historic site. There is a small gift shop and museum located in a building near the carriage house. A picnic area and shelter are adjacent to the parking lot with a well nearby.
If You Go:
The Limberlost State Historic Site, 200 East South St., Geneva. Call 260-368-7428 or email
limberlost@adamswells.com. The website is www.genestrattonporter.netGene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site (Limberlost North), 1205 Pleasant Point, Rome City. Call (260) 854-3790 or email:
gsporter@kuntrynet.com. The website is www.genestratton-porter.com.BY ANN HATTES
The crimson walls of Boynton Canyon in central Arizona, surrounded by forest wilderness, create a rare and magical place. Adobe-style casitas nestled in the canyon offer panoramic views of the pinnacles, buttes and rock people of red rock country. Sedona’s Enchantment Resort shares these 70 acres with a destination spa, Mii Amo, and together they create a synergy that draws visitors in.
The architecture of the spa itself is simple, with special attention to the use of light. Windows carefully frame the natural beauty all around. Guests exercising in the yoga studio see Kachina woman, an Indian maiden in rock form.
Take a plunge into the spa’s indoor pool surrounded by a
water wall and a large fireplace or do your laps outdoors in a trellised setting
with a magnificent view. Laze in 
a
hot tub or opt for an outdoor massage surrounded by Sedona’s rugged red
landscape.
Destination spas and the benefits they offer have become a part of our overall prescription for total well-being and health, rather than an indulgence, according to Sylvia Sepielli, who helped design Mii Amo.
"We are not getting any less stressed," says Sepielli. "A spa can create the nurturing environment for rejuvenation, for clarifying thoughts, for healing and…just for fun!!!"
On their own or guided by a ranger, Enchantment and Mii Amo guests might hike Boynton Canyon, or even play tennis. Beyond the resort, guests go mountain biking or take jeep tour safaris into red rock backcountry. Some ride the Verde Valley Train back into the near pristine eco-system of Verde Canyon where there are no roads.
Others browse through art galleries and shops in nearby Sedona, one of the 12 best places to spend a summer vacation according to Money Magazine. Sedona is 15 degrees cooler than Phoenix, a two and a half-hour drive away.
Grand Canyon too is but a scenic two-hour drive away. It’s also possible to soar over the Canyon like a bird with Sedona Sky Treks. Sky Treks’ chief pilot/owner Tom Newman likens the Grand Canyon to "a giant archaeological dig, a history book of the world," and never tires of looking at it. In a six-hour Grand Canyon Grand Adventure, Sedona Sky Treks flies people in five-passenger Cessnas to the Grand Canyon West Airport, about 150 miles west of Grand Canyon National Park.
This area of the South Rim still exists without the crowds and traffic of 21
st. century America. The Hualapai Indians live on a reservation here along 108 miles of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.Descend by helicopter into the canyon to land right next to the Colorado River. Journey by pontoon boat up the river, then ascend by helicopter out of the canyon. After a short bus ride across the arid plateau, perch at a picnic table at the very edge of the canyon to lunch on food prepared by Indian women who live here. This indeed is a Grand Adventure, a spectacular, yet intimate way to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.
Sedona itself has become a New Age Mecca, meaning that Mii Amo can choose the spa staff from some of the world’s best therapists.
Add the charm of Sedona to the allure of Northern Arizona’s top-rated resort and it’s easy to see how Enchantment got its name.
Ann Hattes has been published in English, German, Japanese, Arabic and Chinese, and has won awards for her writing. In addition to her numerous magazine and newspaper articles, Ann has also penned a book, Country Towns of Wisconsin.