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M5 Stuart Light Tank

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Kansas, Geary County, Fort Riley

Type: Light Tank
Armament: Main 1 x 37mm gun M6
Secondary: 2 x 30 Cal. Browning M.G.
Manufacturer: Cadillac Division of GMC
Production: February, 1942 - July 1944
Engine: Cadillac Twin V8 220HP
Max Speed: 36 MPH
Crew: 4 (Commander, Gunner, Driver, Co-Driver)
Width: 7' 4.25" • Length: 14' 2.75"
Height: 7' 6.5" • Weight: 16.5 Tons

The M5 Light Tank was the culmination of American tank development of the 1930's. By the time of the outbreak of World War II, they were approaching obsolescence, as tank forces in Europe were shifting from light to medium tanks as the main element of their armored forces. The M5 proved inadequate when used in North Africa. It proved more suitable in the Pacific theater than in Europe and fought successfully in many of the major battles including Guadalcanal, Tarawa and Peleliu.

The M15A1 replaced the M5 on production lines in early 1943.

(Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features • Roads & Vehicles • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.


M4A3 Sherman Medium Tank

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Kansas, Geary County, Fort Riley

Armament: 76 mm gun, .50 cal. MG, 30 cal. MG
Crew: 5
Weight: 64,000 lbs
Speed: 26 mph
Range: 120 miles

The M4 Sherman, in its many variations, saw service with the 1st infantry Division units in World War II. The M4 was the mainstay of the American and British forces in World War II and an effective tank on the battlefield. It was later used in Korea by US Forces. This late production model is equipped with a modified turret and a long barrel, high velocity 76 mm main gun.

(Man-Made Features • Roads & Vehicles • War, Korean • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

M113 Armored Personnel Carrier

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Kansas, Geary County, Fort Riley

Armament: .50 cal. machine gun
Crew: 2 plus 11 infantry
Weight: 24,600 lbs
Speed: 42 mph
Range: 300 miles

The M113 was introduced in 1960 and used by the 1st Infantry Division as the primary armored personnel carrier throughout the Vietnam War. It continued to be so used until the mid-1980's when it was replaced by the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle. It is still in service today as a combat support vehicle.

(Man-Made Features • Roads & Vehicles • War, Cold • War, Vietnam) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

M36 Tank Destroyer

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Kansas, Geary County, Fort Riley

Armament: M3 90 mm gun
Crew: 5
Weight: 62,004 lbs
Speed: 30 mph
Range: 149 miles

The M36 nicknamed the "Jackson", started its action in July 1944 in Europe. The tank carried the M3 90 mm gun - the most powerful US anti-tank weapon in World War II. The 703rd Tank Destroyer Battalion, 1st infantry Division, successfully utilized the M36's against Panzers and Tigers beginning in late 1944.

(Man-Made Features • Roads & Vehicles • War, Korean • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

A Tribute to "Pop" Glenn Scobey Warner

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New York, Erie County, Springville
Springville native - Griffith Institute 1889, Cornell U All American - 1894, won 313 college football games while coaching ar Cornell, Carlisle, Georgia, Iowa, Pittsburgh, Stanford and Temple from 1895-1938.
Invented: single and double wing formations, body block, three point stance for backs, and fiber padding.
Pioneered: spiral pass, spiral punt, hidden ball, bootleg, and jersey numbers.
Among his All-American players was the legendary Jim Thorpe, baseball, football and Olympic track champion.
"Pop" was voted Associated Press "Top Coach of All Time" in 1954.
Thank you "Pop" Warner.

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

Orchard Park

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New York, Erie County, Orchard Park
Ambrose C. Johnson (1823-1894) and his wife Mary Abbey (1826-1901) of Hamburg came to Orchard Park about 1855. In 1858 Ambrose began a partnership with Charles Hewson, founding Johnson & Hewson's Dry Goods. The store, located immediately north on the corner of S. Buffalo and E. Quaker Roads, was a successful mercantile endeavor.

Enamored with Italianate architecture, the Johnsons built this gracious home in 1870, where it stands proudly today. They spent their remaining years in residence.

Johnson House - 1900.

After the death of her parents, daughter Ava Johnson rented the house to Dr. Willard Burton Jolls (1870-1963) and his bride of four years, Ida Markham (1869-1958), both from Cattaraugus County.

Dr. Willard Jolls made house calls. Note the barn which replaced the barn lost in the 1902 conflagration at the Four Corners. Dr. Jolls' frantic efforts saved the house. The metal framework supports a windmill which pumped water for the homestead.

Dr. Jolls, a graduate of the Univerity at Buffalo Medical School, soon thereafter opened practice in Orchard Park, a community of 350 residents at the time.

In 1902, Dr. Jolls purchased the home, first using the front hall and south front room as his waiting room and office, but eventually creating an office at the rear. He served as a beloved country doctor for some 65 years, during which time he delivered more than 1,200 babies amongst his other duties. He served as Orchard Park Health Officer for many years, and was a vigorous proponent for improved sanitary conditions. This eventually led to the development of the community's modern sanitation system. For years he was a contributor of a weekly health column to the Orchard Park Press.

Dr. Jolls donated a portion of his land to the Town of Orchard Park for construction of a new municipal building, which stands today to the south. The building was dedicated in 1949.

Governor Thomas E. Dewey honors Orchard Park at the Municipal Building dedication, 1949, built on land donated by Dr. Jolls. Left to Right: Mrs. Willard B. (Ida) Jolls, Supervisor Clarence F. Henning, Governor Dewey, Mayor Loren G. Roth, and Dr. Willard B. Jolls.

Having no children, they left their house to long-time friend and housekeeper Millie M. Michelfelder, whose estate subsequently sold it to the Town of Orchard Park in 1979. The Town anticipated providing for future expansion of the Municipal Building, but after several months, consultants advised the the Jolls House was unsuitable for conversion to a governmental facility. Sections of the building were rented to professionals until March 1996. It was then determined to be in the town's best interest to convert the entire building to a museum.

The Orchard Park Historical Society was named as its operator. This wonderful property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The home of Dr. and Mrs. Jolls for many years, this house stands as a tribute to an important part of Orchard Park's history.

The Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway is a 70 mile route encompassing five towns and three villages within Erie County, New York. For a listing of points of interest along the byway, go to www.wnyssb.org .

(Charity & Public Work • Science & Medicine • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Concord

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New York, Erie County, Springville
Godard Town Hall was gifted to the Town of Concord by local benefactress Calista Goddard in 1902, to be utilized for an opera house and office space. With the gift came the promise from the Town that the building always be for public use. The building was originally one and a half stories in height. As part of the F.D.R.'s Works Project Administration, it was significantly modified in 1935. A plaque signifying that event graces the main entrance to the building.

Godard Hall front elevation, early 1900's.

The original Greek revival portico and columns were removed along with the balustrade. The fixed windows on the first floor were replaced and a pediment was added to distinguish the center structure. This created a building facade with a colonial revival influenced style. Basement office space was added to make the building suitable for municipal purposes. Today, Godard Hall houses various town offices, including that of the town supervisor, assessor, clerk, and justices. This beautiful old building hosts many public meetings, and several service and public benefit organizations avail themselves of its facilities.

Soldiers Monument and Godard Memorial Hall, circa 1903.

Setting: Godard Memorial Hall is located in the middle of the Village of Springville's historic district. The building faces two historic properties: Fiddler's Green Park and the WPA era Springville Post Office Building.

The adjacent parking lot west of the building is shared with the Springville Center for the Arts, which now occupies the century old First Baptist Church. A few steps from the Godard Hall property, at its southwest corner, is the Lucy Bensley Center. The Center was built in 1897 as a home for the Universalist Church. This beautiful old structure has been owned by the Town of Concord since 1928, and is now utilized by the Concord Historical Society as a genealogy library.

Physical Features: The foundation of the building consists of rough hewn fieldstone that originally projected above grade by three feet. Exterior walls are constructed of brick masonry. The main entrance consists of a concrete walkway. A ramp and metal railings have been added over time for equal accessibility. A metal fire escape is attached to the west side of the building to provide emergency egress. Of significance is that the building contains the house's original stage on the main floor. What was once the balcony is still intact, despite the fact it today is used as office space.

Godard Hall, post 1935 WPA era modifications.

The conversion to office space was undertaken in 1979, and included the installation of an elevator to access all levels. This resulted in over 12,000 square feet of usable space. A power operated front door was installed in 2008 to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. Other than the cosmetic changes described, Godard Hall exists much as it did after the WPA remodeling.

Godard's Hall rich history includes three appearances by orator, lecturer and presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan.

The Western New York Southtowns Scenic Byway is a 70 mile route encompassing five towns and three villages within Erie County, New York. For a listing of points of interest signs aling the byway go to www.wnyssb.org .

(Charity & Public Work) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Bronson-Mulholland House

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Florida, Putnam County, Palatka
(Side 1)
The Bronson-Mulholland house was constructed for Isaac H. Bronson around 1853. A lawyer and United States congressman from New York, Bronson served as a member of the Committee on Territories in the late 1830s. He proposed the act for Florida statehood. After Florida attained statehood in 1845, Bronson was appointed to the US District Court for Florida by President James Polk. He lived in St. Augustine with his wife Sophronia and two daughters, Gertrude and Emma. Through a settlement in a land transaction, he acquired ten acres of land along the St. Johns River in Palatka and began construction of his estate, calling it “Sunny Point.” This Greek-Revival Style mansion was surrounded by groves of orange trees. Bronson prepared and sponsored the charter for the City of Palatka and petitioned for it to become the Putnam County seat. He donated the land both for the Putnam County courthouse and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church. Judge Bronson died in 1855 as was buried on the property as was customary at that time. His widow lived in the house until 1861, when the outbreak of the Civil War prompted her return to New York. (Continued on other side (Side 2) (Continued from other side) During the Civil War, Union and Confederate troops separately occupied the house. A friend of Sophronia Bronson, Charlotte Henry, established a school for freed slave children in the house from 1866 to 1868. Henry purchased the property and married Nathaniel P. White in 1873. In the 1890s, Mary Mulholland, a nurse from Boston, provided care for an ailing Mr. White. She inherited the estate when Charlotte White died in 1904, and subdivided the land. Mulholland employed a housekeeper, Taurina Rivero, who lived at Sunny Point with her sister Edelmira. In 1935, Edelmira Rivero inherited the property from Mulholland, which she sold in 1945. The house eventually was divided into apartments. In 1965 the city of Palatka acquired the property with intent to demolish the house. Prompted by the Putnam County Historical Society and concerned citizens, the house was saved. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and in 1975 a grant was obtained to restore the house. The Putnam County Historical Society provided period furnishings while the City of Palatka owns and maintains the property. A Florida Heritage Site

(Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Politics • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Mose Waters' General Store

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Kansas, Geary County, Fort Riley

This structure is named for Mose Waters, the post sutler who built it in 1888 as a general store and recreation center. It became the first post exchange in 1897 and was converted to living quarters in 1930.

(Entertainment • Forts, Castles • Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Les Conferences de Québec de 1943 et 1944

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec
French:
En 1943 et 1944 le president des États-Unis Franklin Delano Roosevelt et le premier ministre de Grande Bretagne Winston Spencer Churchill dirigèrent à Quebec les deux conferences qui déterminèrent lisse de la deuxième Guerre mondiale en Europe et dans le Pacifique.

Ne serait ce pas magnifique si l’histoire pouvait raconter que c’est à Québec que l’on a assure la liberation de la France?»
William Lyon MacKenzie King
Premier ministre du Canada
Québec 1943

English translation:
In 1943 and 1944 the President of the United States Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Prime Minister of Britain Winston Spencer Churchill directed in Quebec the two conferences which determined direction of the Second World War in Europe and the Pacific.

Would not it be beautiful if history could say that it was in Quebec that we ensure the liberation of France? "
William Lyon MacKenzie King
Prime Minister of Canada | Quebec 1943

(War, World II) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Augustin-Norbert Morin

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec
French:
Au cours des années 1850 vécut ici Augustin-Norbert Morin, né le 13 octobre 1803 à Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse. Avocat, journaliste et homme politique, il fut tour à tour fondateur du journal La Minerve en 1826, orateur à l’Assemblée législative de la province du Canada de 1848 à 1851, puis chef du gouvernement de 1851 à 1855, conjointement avec Francis Hincks, puis Allan MacNab.

Fervent patriote, Augustin-Norbert Morin fut, avec Louis-Joseph Parineau, le principal rédacteur en 1834 des 92 Résolutions. Il consacra les dernières années de sa vie à la redaction du Code civil du Bas-Canada, entré en vigueur un an après son décès survenu à Sainte-Adele le 27 juillet 1865.

English translation:
During the 1850s here lived Augustin-Norbert Morin, born October 13, 1803, in Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse. Lawyer, journalist and politician, he in turn founded the newspaper La Minerve in 1826, was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1848 to 1851, and head of government from 1851 to 1855 together with Francis Hincks and Allan MacNab.

A fervent patriot, in 1834 Augustin-Norbert Morin was, with Louis-Joseph Parineau, the principal author of the 92 Resolutions. He devoted the last years of his life to the drafting of the Civil Code of Lower Canada, which came into force one year after his death in Sainte-Adele, July 27, 1865.

(Communications • Politics) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Tuttle Park

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Kansas, Geary County, Fort Riley

COL Hiram E. Tuttle (1882-1956) served at Fort Riley for 12 years. He gained fame as a dressage rider and won a bronze medal for the U.S. Equestrian team in the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics. He competed again in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.

COL Tuttle trained many famous dressage horses with the Fort Riley Equestrian Team. (Dressage is the art of guiding a mount through a set of maneuvers without visible use of the hands, reins, or legs.) In his exhibitions, COL Tuttle sometimes used only silk threads for reins.

The limestone jump in the center of the park is the last of its kind on Fort Riley. Such jumps were used for training riders and their mounts.

(Animals • Entertainment • Forts, Castles • Patriots & Patriotism) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Morongo Indian Village

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California, San Bernardino County, Morongo Valley
This monument located on site of the
Morongo Indian Village
Here John Morongo was born 1850, became outstanding member of the Morongo clan for whom Morongo Basin was named. Later was appointed U.S. Peace Officier with title of Captain.

Hans de Crevecoeur - first white settler, lived in tent where son Ben, first white boy was born in Morongo Basin 1876.

Mark (Chuck) Warren homesteaded in 1876, first house in this entire area, son Edwin born 1888 - daughter Lela, first white girl born in Morongo Basin 1892.

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

Kelso Depot

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California, San Bernardino County, Kelso
Several panels outline the history of the Kelso Depot

Kelso: Why here? The railroad town of Kelso arose because of the steepness of the grade beyond and the abundance of groundwater below.

The Cima Grade was too long and steep for locomotives to pull a train up without assistance. “Helper engines” provided the extra power. These engines required a “helper station,” including a roundhouse, a wye track for turning around, fuel, and plenty of water for making steam.

Fortunately, a reliable source of water was nearby - first from springs in the Providence Mountains (visible beyond the tracks), and later from nine water wells.

Kelso’s population crashed after World War II, due to reduced rail traffic and the increased use of powerful new diesel engines that didn’t require servicing in Kelso.

Depot Days: Past and Present Built in 1924, the Kelso Depot housed a train station, ticket and telegraph office, restaurant, reading room, and dormitory rooms for railroad employees. It was often called the Kelso Club, a Union Pacific term for employee boarding and recreational facilities.

As railroad technology improved and further personnel were needed, the Depot became obsolete. It was closed in 1985, and Union Pacific planned to raze the building. Concerned citizens intervened and the building was saved. It was renovated and reopened as a National Park Service Visitor Center in October, 2005.

World War II Boomtown During World War II, troops, tanks, and trucks were shipped through Kelso by rail, creating the need for more helper crews and mechanics. Iron ore from Kaiser Steel’s nearby Vulcan Mine was loaded onto freight cars here to be used in the wartime manufacture of steel.

To accommodate workers and their families, both Union Pacific Railroad and Kaiser Steel set up temporary housing at Kelso. Kelso Jail From the mid-1940s to 1985, this two-cell strap-steel jail was used to confine drunks and other unruly individuals for a night or two. The jail’s original location was west of the Kelso Depot on the far side of Kelbaker Road; the jail’s cement pad foundation can still be found their.

The jail was removed from Kelso in 1985, the same year that Union Pacific closed the Kelso Depot. It ended up in the backyard of Ron and Kay Mahoney in Barstow, California. Two decades later, Kay Mahoney donated it to the National Park Service when Kelso Depot reopened as a visitor center in 2005.

Richard Klepper grew up in Kelso, and remembers when the jail first arrived around 1944: Before that, the constable used a reefer car for a jail… In those days Kelso was loaded with drunks from both the… (Vulcan) Mine and Union Pacific.

(Roads & Vehicles • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 11 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Borax

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California, Inyo County, near Death Valley
These panels deal with how borax was mined and refined at the Harmony Borax Works in Death Valley.

Borax Borates - salt minerals - were deposited in ancient lake beds that uplifted and eroded into the yellow Furnace Creek badlands. Water dissolved the borates and carried them to the Death Valley floor, where they recrystallized as borax.

Borax - blacksmiths used it, as have potters, dairy farmers, housewives, meat packers, and even morticians. For centuries humans have exploited borax for many important uses.

Harmony Borax Works San Francisco businessman William T. Coleman built this plant to refine the “cottonball” borax found on the nearby salt flats. The high cost of transportation made it necessary to refine the borax here rather than carry both borax and waste to the railroad, 165 miles (265 km) across the desert.

Refining Borax Workers refined borax by separating the mineral from unwanted mud and salts, a simple but time-consuming process.

The Process: Workers heated water in the boiling tanks, using an adjacent steam boiler.
Winching ore carts up the incline, they dumped the ore into the boiling tanks.
Workers added carbonated soda. The borax dissolved, and the lime and mud settled out.
They drew off the borax liquid into the cooling vats, were it crystallized on hanging metal rods.
Borax will not crystallize at temperatures above 120 degrees, so Harmony Borax Works stopped operating during the summer. To keep the crystallizing vats cool the rest of the year, workers wrapped them with water-soaked felt padding, visible in the photograph.
Lifting the rods out, they chipped of the now refined crystallized borax. To produce “concentrated” borax, the repeated the process.
For later transport, the workers bagged and stored the refined or concentrated borax in a barn that stood behind you.

Living at Harmony Crude shelters and tents once dotted the flat below you. Chinese workers slept and ate there; other employees lived at what is now Furnace Creek Ranch. This 1892 photo - taken after the works closed - shows the borax works in the center of the view and the company village on the flat to the left.

(Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 10 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Slaughter House

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California, Orange County, Fountain Valley
Talbert Meat Co. established in 1899 by August L. Martel. Later operated by Joe Betschart in the mid-thirties.

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

The Bankhead Highway

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Texas, Callahan County, Baird
The Bankhead National Highway, from Washington, D.C. to San Diego, California, was the nation’s first all-weather, coast-to-coast highway. The southern road skirted the western mountains and was largely free from ice and snow, so it could be used reliably year-round. It was named for Alabama Senator John H. Bankhead, author of the Federal Highway Act of 1916, which provided federal aid to states for highway construction.
     An “All Texas” route from Texarkana to El Paso was approved when the Bankhead Highway Association met in Mineral Wells in April, 1919. A few branches were also approved. The primary route coincided with Texas Highway No. 1. About 900 miles long, the Texas 1 Bankhead comprised nearly one-third of the total length of the national road.
     The Texas Bankhead became part of the route known as the “Broadway of America.” After numbers replaced names on national highways in 1926, the Bankhead route from Texarkana became part of US-67 to Dallas, where it joined US-80. Those federal highways were often realigned and by the 1960s gave way to Interstates 30 and 20 (which merged with I-10 in far West Texas).
     Despite the changes, most of the early Bankhead in Texas remains as state and county roads that connect the towns which the interstates by-passed. The Bankhead name lives on in public memory, as do miles of Bankhead pavement from the 1920s.

(Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

First Presbyterian Church of Baird

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Texas, Callahan County, Baird
Organized June 26, 1885, by six members of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, under the Rev. F.E. Leach. Town of Baird was then five years old.
     In 1906, the Cumberland and “Northern” branches of the church were united.
     The present building was erected in 1910.

(Churches, Etc.) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

First Baptist Church of Baird

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Texas, Callahan County, Baird
Organized in 1881 with nine charter members, this was the first Baptist church founded in the new town of Baird. Elder G.P. Johnson led worship services until the Rev. L.S. Knight was called as the first full-time pastor. After meeting in the town schoolhouse for a few years, a church building was completed at this site in 1889, and the first parsonage was built in 1892. The congregation continued to grow and produced several ministers from its membership. Active in mission work, the church has been a vital part of community life in Baird.

(Churches, Etc.) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

First Time Poetry Left At Stage Holdup

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California, Sonoma County, Duncan Mills
On 3 August 1877 the Wells Fargo stage from Fort Ross to Duncan Mills was robbed by Black Bart (aka Charles E. Boles, Bolton, T.Z. Spaulding) using his feared command, “Throw down the box!” It was Black Bart’s fourth stage holdup and the first time he left poetry at the scene. On the back of a way bill he wrote:
I’ve labored long and hard for bread
for honor and for riches,
but on my corns too long you’ve tred
you fine haired sons of bitches.


On 22 July 1880 Black Bart struck that stage again but left no poetry. It was assumed that both times he travelled to and from his holdups on the North Pacific Coast Railroad, which began service 8 May 1877. In his twenty-eight stage robberies, Black Bart never fired a shot.

(Notable Events) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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