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Sweathouse

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Arizona, Navajo County, Shonto
This miniature forked-stick hogan without a smoke hole is actually a highly effective bath—an an ancient solution to the problem of keeping clean in a land where water is scarce.

Here’s how it works: Stones are heated in a fire, then rolled in, or carried in on a wooden fork. The bathers undress outside, and then crawl inside. A blanket is hung over the door opening. Now all it takes is patience while the radiant heat does its work. This is the time for relaxing tired muscles—conversing—and perhaps singing sweathouse songs. Afterward, the bathers emerge from the sweathouse to rinse off with water, if any is available, or to rub dry with the soft, absorbent sand of Navajo country.

(Anthropology • Native Americans • Paleontology) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Wagon

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Arizona, Navajo County, Shonto
You can tell that his two-horse wagon has traveled many a mile over rough Navajo reservation roads. One of the many styles made around the turn of the century specifically for the Indian trade, and sold at trading posts. Horse drawn wagons are a rare sight on the reservation today.

In your travels through the reservation, you’ve undoubtedly already encountered plenty of pickup trucks—the most popular mode of Navajo transportation today. Horses are used for herding sheep and other livestock, and for competing in rodeos. It’s common practice among Navajos to share rides, and to take people where they need to go in exchange for good conversation.

(Native Americans) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Sandal Trail

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Arizona, Navajo County, Shonto
Follow the easy one-mile (1.6 km) around-trip trail to a point overlooking Betakakin Ruin—multi-level cliff-village home to a community of 13th-century Anasazi farmers.

On the way there and back, you’ll be walking through pygmy forest—a complex community of plants and animals that dominates the high, semi-arid plateaus of the American Southwest. Watch in particular for dwarfed, gnarled pinyon and juniper trees “posing” in photogenic postures and configurations—leaning at odd angles, sprouting peculiar limb-growths, bearing tangles of exposed roots, and appearing to try to crowd each other out.

(Anthropology • Native Americans) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Santa Rita Copper Mine

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New Mexico, Grant County, Santa Rita
Before you is the Santa Rita copper mine, one of the oldest mines in North America.

The Santa Rita Mine, of Chino Operations, is owned by Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold Inc. Chino produces copper and molybdenum.

An Industry Leader-Freeport-McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. is an international mining industry leader based in North America with large, long-lived, geographically diverse assets and significant, proven and probable reserves of copper, gold and molybdenum.

(Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Falls View Bridges

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New York, Niagara County, Niagara Falls
The first international bridge built near the falls was known as the Upper Suspension or New Suspension Bridge. When it was opened in 1869 with a 1,260-foot (384-meter) span, it was the longest suspension bridge ever constructed. The bridge was widened in 1888 to accommodate two-way traffic. On January 9, 1889, a strong southwest gale destroyed the bridge. It was quickly rebuilt and reopened on May 7, 1889.

The desire to have an electric railway crossing the gorge near the falls made it necessary to replace the Upper Suspension Bridge with a steel arch bridge. When the new bridge opened the following year, it became the world's longest single-span arch at 840 feet (256 meters). It was known as the Upper Steel Arch Bridge, International Railway Company Bridge, Falls View Bridge, and more popularly, the Honeymoon Bridge.

During the winter of 1937-1938, a very large and high ice bridge formed in the gorge and extended from the falls to Lake Ontario. On January 27, the ice pushed the bridge off its abutments. The bridge crumpled and fell onto the ice where it lay until the ice bridge broke up in April. Most of the wreckage sank where it had fallen, but some floated downriver on the ice and then sank. You can still see the concrete abutments near the bottom of the gorge, just upriver from the Rainbow Bridge.

The present Rainbow Bridge opened on November 1, 1941. Its abutments were built about 28 feet (8.53 meters) higher than those of the ill-fated Honeymoon Bridge to avoid problems with ice jams.

Upper Suspension Bridge, Courier and Ives lithograph, ca. 1870. Honeymoon Bridge prior to its collapse in 1938. Courtesy Niagara Falls Public Library. Honeymoon Bridge, 1937. Courtesy of Niagara Falls Convention and Visitors Bureau. This series of photographs shows the damage to the Honeymoon Bridge and its collapse on to the ice bridge.

(Bridges & Viaducts) Includes location, directions, 14 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

White Sands Missile Range

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New Mexico, Dona Ana County, White Sands
White Sands Proving Ground, as it was first called, is home to America’s first large-scale rocket and missile launch facilities. Established in 1945, the launching here of 67 V-2 rockets and many other vehicles propelled the United States into the Space Age. Scientists and military researchers learned to handle large rockets and improved the emerging technology. Vital experiments to learn about the nature of the upper atmosphere and the fringes of outer space were conducted here. Tests here also include those of the first air defense missile system, the Nike Ajax, and the first U.S. ballistic missile, the Corporal.

(Air & Space) Includes location, directions, 13 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

George Murbury

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Ireland, Ulster, County Donegal, Letterkenny


Founder of Letterkenny Town
is buried in this graveyard
No. 276

(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Churches, Etc. • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Formation of Malad Gorge

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Idaho, Gooding County, near Bliss
Thousands of years ago, immense flows of water from alpine glaciers and high levels of precipitation sent waters cascading over a broad area of the Snake River Canyon directly into the Snake River. Weak joints in the basalt walls gave way to these rushing waters at the mouth of Malad Canyon, concentrating the water into a narrow channel. These concentrated flows began to retreat and deepen over many years, following a zig zag direction that eventually created not one, but three canyons before diminishing to current water levels today.

The Devil's Washbowl - Canyon Cutting in Action

The waterfall (retreating cataract) that you can see down the gorge to your left, is a much diminished remnant of the great waterfalls that carved the 2 1/2 mile long, 250 foot deep canyon known as Malad Gorge. Can you imagine, looking at the current flows, what the waterfall that created Malad Gorge must have looked like? Along the edge of the canyon, you can see the water's power in smoothing and shaping the basalt rocks. Along the Northrim Trail and Woody's Cove area, you can see other examples of canyon cutting episodes of the past.

(Natural Features) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Malad Springs

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Idaho, Gooding County, near Bliss
Few places in Idaho or the United States show evidence of spring water more clearly than in Malad Gorge. These springs flow from the vast Snake River Aquifer through porous pillow basalts. On the opposite side of the canyon, where the river widens, is a concentrated spring flow measuring 600 cfs (cubic feet per second). This amounts to 300,000 gallons of water each minute that enters the Malad River.

From the waterfall upriver to the Snake River below, approximately 1200 cfs of spring water issues form the base of the canyon equaling thirty-six million gallons of water each hour, making the Malad Springs one of the largest in the country.

The Snake River Aquifer - An Underground Reservoir

Flowing under the surface and through the Snake River Plain lavas is a vast underground reservoir of water underlying approximately 10,000 square miles of south-central Idaho called the Snake River Aquifer. Experts estimate that there is enough water in the aquifer to cover the entire state of Idaho in one and a half inches of water.

Melting snow and rain water feed the aquifer from a large basin 35,000 square miles in size. Following permeable layers of basalt, water flows in a southwestern direction until it reaches the Snake River Canyon, where it emerges as springs. The Thousand Springs area near Hagerman, Idaho contains 11 of the 65 largest cold springs found in the United States.

(Natural Features) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Dakota Positions

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Minnesota, Renville County, near Morton

"We had no difficulty in surrounding the camp. The pickets were only a little way from it."
                                                Wamditanka
No soldiers would have attempted to climb this hill during the battle. But by standing here today, you can get a sense of Dakota positions.

Wamditanka and his band were behind this hill. Meanwhile, "Red Legs took his men into the coulie (sic) east of the camp. Mankato had some of his men in the coulie and some on the prairie. Gray Bird and his men were mostly on the prairie."

"An Easy Time of It"

Dakota men could eat and rest during the battle, unlike their U.S. counterparts. "We had an easy time of it," said Wamditanka. "We could crawl through the grass and into the coulie (sic) and get water when we wanted it, and after a few hours our women crossed the river and came up near the bluff and cooked for us, and we could go back and eat and then return to the fight."

Minnesota Historical Society
Birch Coulee Battlefield


(Wars, US Indian) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Rockfish Gap

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Virginia, Nelson County, Afton
Low passway across Blue Ridge, elev. 1909. Served the buffalo, Indian, and covered wagon. Thomas Jefferson came via stage coach in 1818 to Rockfish Tavern. He presided over a prominent group who resolved to locate the University of Virginia "in the salubrious climate of Charlottesville." In 1858, after eight years of ordeal, Claudius Crozet completed a railway tunnel beneath the gap, in use for 84 years.

(Education • Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Federal Road / Manac's Tavern

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Alabama, Montgomery County, Pintlala

Side 1
The Federal Road

The 1803 Louisiana Purchase acquired 828,000 sq. mi. for the U.S., doubling its size. The Federal Road was built to provide a shorter route from Washington to New Orleans and the new territory. The Treaty of 1805 with the Creeks authorized traversing their lands. Entering Alabama at Ft. Mitchell near Columbus, GA, it came through Mt. Meigs, to Pintlala, Ft. Deposit, Burnt Corn, Ft. Stoddert, then Mobile. The 1814 Treaty of Ft. Jackson made much fertile Creek land available to grow cotton; this lure, “Alabama Fever,” drew many thousands of settlers to central Alabama. In 1860, spans were still in use, but the Road was gone.

Side 2
Manac's Tavern

Manac’s Tavern, located near here and nearby Pinchona Creek, was the oldest stand on the Federal Road . Samuel Manac, the proprietor, in 1701 went with Alexander McGillivray to the U.S. capitol in NYC and met George Washington to conclude a peace treaty for the Creek Nation, the U.S. ’s first treaty with a foreign power. He married Red Eagle’s sister, Elizabeth. Aaron Burr stayed here in 1807. In 1822 Sam’s son, David Moniac, became the first Indian and first Alabamian to graduate from West Point . In 1836, in the Second Seminole War, Maj. Moniac was killed at Wahoo Swamp leading a unit of Creek militia against the braves of Osceola, who was his wife’s cousin.

(Native Americans • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Williams Lowndes Yancey

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Alabama, Elmore County, Wetumpka
1940
One half mile from this site
is the home of
William Lowndes Yancey
1814-1863
American Statesman
Southern Secession Leader
Silver Tongued Orator

(Politics • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Rocky Springs Church of Christ

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Alabama, Jackson County, near Bridgeport
Oldest Church of Christ
in the State
1807 - 1976

Placed by
the Alabama Society
Daughters of the American Revolution

(Churches, Etc.) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Clark Cemetery

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Texas, Parker County, Weatherford
A common burial ground for early pioneer settlers who camped along the Clear Fork of the Trinity River, the Clark Cemetery consists of many burial sites from the 1830s. In December of 1853, Reverend John William Godfrey (1825-1897) and his wife, Anzaline (Barker) Godfrey (1831-1859), arrived in Parker County from Missouri. Godfrey established a Methodist Church in the Wright Community, northeast of Weatherford, where they lived. In 1859, Anzaline passed away and was buried in the Wright Community burial grounds. In 1880, Jim Clark and William Henry Ward formally established a permanent cemetery at the original location of Godfrey’s Chapel Methodist Church. In 1953, signed documents deeded tract no. 1 and no. 2 of the land as burial plot property. Additional land was added in 1958 and in 1999.

In addition to numerous pioneer families and farmers, Clark Cemetery is the final resting place of a founder of early Parker County Methodist Churches, an organizer of Jack County, a trustee of an early pioneer school and a county chief justice. The oldest marked headstone in the cemetery belongs to Anzaline Godfrey, although sixty-five unidentified burial sites from the pioneer era were discovered with ground penetrating radar. The connection to military service is represented by veterans of the Texas Rangers, the Civil War, World War i, World War ii, Vietnam and the Korean War. The landscape of the Clark Cemetery is traditional with live oak, elm and post oak trees with a limestone and steel entrance gate, restrooms and a covered pavilion. The Clark Cemetery Association continues to care for this historic cemetery. Historic Texas Cemetery – 2011
Marker is property of the State of Texas

(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

“The Fight Was On”

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Minnesota, Renville County, near Morton

"One of the sentinels fired. The shot was followed by a heavy volley from the Indians, which...killed and wounded several of our men and the fight was on."
                                            Joseph Anderson
Early on the morning of September 2, a U.S. guard sensed movement in the grass and fired a warning shot. Dakota men immediately returned fire.

"I scrambled out of my tent on my hands and knees," Anderson recalled, "and at the top of my voice...shouted to the men to 'keep low'—grab their arms—get to the front line of the camp—and hold back the Indians."

Two Views of the Battle
Anderson reported that men under his command shielded themselves behind overturned wagons and dead horses during the battle. Grant's men, Anderson recalled, jumped to their feet when the battle started. Wamditanka saw them: "The white men stood up and exposed themselves at first, but at last they learned to keep quiet."

Some of the U.S. soldiers had seen action before, but many were new recruits. The force also included many civilian volunteers without battle experience.

Minnesota Historical Society
Birch Coulee Battlefield


(Wars, US Indian) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Whitetop

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Virginia, Grayson County, near Whitetop
Whitetop, Mt. Rogers. Visible at great distances, Whitetop Mountain was known as the “Meadow Mountain” in colonial times. With a climate similar to southern Canada, this beloved mountain is Virginia’s second highest peak and immediately adjacent is Mount Rogers, the highest peak in the state. The Whitetop community hosts three annual festivals: the Mountain Maple Festival, the Sorghum Molasses Festival, and the Ramp Festival, devoted to consuming the odoriferous ramp, a form of wild garlic. This is also a favorite region for outdoor recreation. There are numerous trails for horseback riders, mountain bikers, and hikers, one of which is The Appalachian Trail. The summit of Whitetop is accessible by automobile and offers scenic views and picnic settings.

There’s a tradition of making musical instruments here, and Albert Hash made elaborately carved violins as well as other instruments using native woods. The red spruce, that grows at the peak of the mountains, is a prized tone wood for violins, guitars, and other fretted instruments. Hash was an inspiration to both musicians and craftspeople. He created a program in string band instruction at the Mount Rogers School, Virginia’s smallest high school. Other noted historic musicians from the Whitetop area include: Harold Hensley, Speedy Tolliver, and Jont Blevins. The historic Whitetop Folk Festival held in the 1930s attracted large audiences, national publicity, and a First Lady, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt. They came to see singers of old ballads, flat foot dancers, and musicians, including fiddlers, banjo players, and lap dulcimer players.

The Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Coalfields region, southwest Virginia is blessed with historic and contemporary music venues, musicians, and fretted instrument makers. Historically isolated, the region retained its strong musical legacy by passing traditions down through musical families to an appreciative community.

Old time mountain music, bluegrass, and gospel can be enjoyed all year long and several museums are devoted to showcasing the area’s rich musical heritage.

The Crooked Road winds through the ruggedly beautiful Appalachian Mountains and leads you to the major hotspots of old time mountain music, country music, and bluegrass. Alive and kickin’ for today’s fans, these venues preserve and celebrate musical traditions passed down through generations. Annual festivals, weekly concerts, radio shows, and jam sessions ring out to large audiences and intimate gatherings. Please visit the Crooked Road website to plan your trip to coincide with the current entertainment events.

(Arts, Letters, Music) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Norfolk and Western Caboose

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Virginia, Franklin County, Rocky Mount
One in a class of 200 built by International Railway Car Company, Kenton, Ohio between December, 1968 and February, 1970. The “P” denotes pool service and meant the caboose could travel any portion of the N & W System.

Before air brakes, the caboose was one of two braking units on the train—the other was the engine. The caboose also was an office for the conductor who filled out numerous reports, a dormitory with a kitchen and toilet, and a supply area for the freight crew. The cupola provided a vantage point for the crew to spot possible trouble on the tracks or with the train.

Virginia was the last state to require a caboose at the end of a freight train. This law was repealed in 1988. Today’s freight trains are tailed by a “FRED” (Flashing Rear End Device) weighing about 35 lbs.

Restoration Project by Franklin County Historical Society Inc. in cooperation with the Town of Rocky Mount. To make a tax deductible donation, send a check to: Franklin County Historical Society, P. O. Box 905, Rocky Mount, VA 24151.

We seek
“A Fitting End for the Former End of a Train”

(Railroads & Streetcars) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

“Hitchin’ a Ride”

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Nevada, Clark County, Boulder City
When the government built Boulder City, it didn't plan for children. But, as the Depression drove workers into southern Nevada to build Hoover Dam, workers brought their families with them. The new town and surrounding desert provided an exciting playground for the children, who hiked the hills, caught lizards and snakes, or built little dams in their sandy backyards. On Saturday afternoons, children rode their bikes on brand new sidewalks to the Boulder Theatre for a Three Stooges matinee, down to Delmar’s Drugstore for a nickel Coke, or around the park under the newly planted trees.

(Entertainment • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

“Rag Town Goddess”

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Nevada, Clark County, Boulder City
Those that came to Boulder City to work on the dam lived in harsh conditions. The oppressive heat of the summers and the unbearable cold of the winters took its toll on many. Even the most mundane chores were difficult in this inhospitable environment. Because Boulder City was not yet born as a town, there was no housing. Workers and their families lived in tents – an area later referred to as “Rag Town”.

In her handmade dress and her inexpensive flats, hair clinging to her forehead, this early pioneer hangs a man’s undershirt. The wistful resignation on her face reflects her lot in life. However, the strength of her character is also reflected, as she perseveres under such adverse conditions. Not only is she a shining example of the resiliency of the human spirit, she truly is a Rag Town Goddess.

(Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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