The Union came for Mobile, Alabama, in August of 1864. They attacked because the Port of Mobile was the last major Confederate port still open in the Gulf of Mexico. The Union blockade was slowly strangling Confederate trade as the Civil War continued. As more Southern ports fell, the rebels could not export cotton. At […]
Fun at Alabama’s Fort Morgan State Historic Site Read More »
Enjoy the relative solitude of Colorado National Monument’s otherworldly formations. “The Monument,” as locals call it, is the Colorado Plateau’s eastern gateway. The plateau’s Red Rock Country is full of colorful rocks. They include domes, fins, hoodoos, reefs, natural bridges, and slot canyons. The National Park Service has nine properties in the Colorado Plateau. Except for
The ultimate guide to the Colorado National Monument Read More »
The Rockies are calling. There’s gold in those mountains, and you can find it—not just the yellow metal, but gold aspens in the fall and daily casino winnings. Sign up for a high-altitude adventure in Colorado’s former mining country. Parts of the historic drives are white-knuckle experiences through North America’s greatest gold camp. The famous
21 best stops along Colorado’s Gold Belt Tour Scenic Byway Read More »
Three weeks after Colonel John Chivington and his troopers slaughtered non-combatants at the Sand Creek Massacre, they triumphantly entered Denver. They waved Cheyenne and Arapaho scalps and other body parts on December 22, 1864. The Rocky Mountain News gushed, “Among the brilliant feats of arms in Indian warfare, the recent campaign of our Colorado volunteers will
Remembering Colorado’s Sand Creek Massacre Read More »
The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site stands where the Great Plains meets the Black Hills. For 44 years, the United States-led Free World and the Soviet Union’s Communist Bloc aimed nuclear missiles at each other. The nuclear deterrence was known as Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). Never was an acronym more appropriate. The once-secret facilities are
Visit the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site Read More »
Camp Amache National Historic Site reminds visitors of the courage of Japanese Americans unjustly confined during World War II. After Pearl Harbor pushed the United States into World War, the War Relocation Authority forcibly removed the Japanese Americans from their West Coast homes. The wind-swept former camp is now a pale shadow of its 1942-1945 self. A
Visit Colorado’s Amache National Historic Site now Read More »
You’ll learn all you need to know about the Mississippi River at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. I allowed three hours, but I could have spent days exploring the Dubuque, Iowa, attraction. Every member of the family will find much to enjoy in the three-building, 10-acre campus, and I highly recommend this great
Visit Dubuque’s National Mississippi River Museum Read More »
The Rock Island Arsenal and Arsenal Island have witnessed more than 160 years of recorded American history. Most famously, Abraham Lincoln chased Black Hawk around Illinois in 1832. Since Lincoln was involved, I always thought Black Hawk was from central Illinois. And then I visited the Quad Cities. Black Hawk’s village, Saukenuk, stood on Illinois’
10 things to do at the Rock Island Arsenal and Museum Read More »
LeClaire, Iowa, is the perfect weekend getaway. The History Channel’s TV show “American Pickers” made LeClaire famous nationwide. The show’s stars travel the nation searching treasures to fill Antique Archaeology, their store in Downtown Le Claire. The small river town is William Frederick Cody’s boyhood home; you know him as Buffalo Bill Cody. However, LeClaire is
Explore the 10 best things to do in LeClaire, Iowa Read More »
What does freedom mean to you? The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, answers that question in its “Faces of Freedom” exhibit. It says freedom can be “freedom from” or “freedom to.” Freedom from oppression, persecution, or fear. Freedom to live, travel, work, worship, and love. Cedar Rapids Tourism
Top 5 reasons to visit Iowa’s National Czech and Slovak Museum Read More »
