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Ross Cemetery

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Texas, Callahan County, Baird
The Texas and Pacific Railway arrived December 4, 1880 and the town of Baird came to be. A burial ground was soon needed so 10 acres were reserved by E.H. Newton in 1881 and in 1887. Those 10 acres were deeded by James Evans Ross, thus the name “Ross” Cemetery. The first burial was a cowboy in April, 1881, and the oldest marked grave is of Andrew O. Raney, July, 1881. Between 1901 and 1923 additional acreage was deeded by J.E. Mayes, D.W. and Ella Teasley, and the Sanger Brothers for a total of 16.9 acres. Mrs. Mable Wylie deeded 8.5 acres in 1956 to form the “Ross Annex.” 10.4 acres were added in July 1988 and August 2002 as the “Spencer Price Addition” for a cemetery total of 35.8 acres. There are many interesting markers and monuments to be noted and explored as early day railroaders, ranchers, farmers and merchants rest here alongside war heroes from the Texas Revolution on to present day battles. The cemetery is maintained by an endowment built through the longtime generosity of families whose loved ones are interred here. The endowment and all cemetery operations are supervised by directors of the Baird Cemetery Association, formed in 1975. Ross Cemetery was certified as a Texas Historical Cemetery in June 2006.

(Cemeteries & Burial Sites) Includes location, directions, 9 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Scott Spring

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

The reservoir before you taps into the famous Scott Spring. The original outlet emanates from the base of a steep rock hill to the east. The refreshing water of Scott Spring offered abundant drinking water to many travelers on the Oregon Trail and became an inviting camp site on their long journey. The spring currently waters livestock and feeds Rock Creek just as it did so many years ago.

(Environment • Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Route of the Oregon Trail

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

Historians have estimated that between 250,000 and 300,000 emigrants used the Oregon Trail between 1840 and 1869. At least 30,000 emigrants died along the Oregon Trail, leaving an average of 15 graves for every mile of the trail. Disease, especially cholera, accidents and hardships took their toll; very few were killed by Indians. Most trail-side grave sites are unknown but road construction occasionally uncovers lonely emigrant graves. A monument nearby marks the grave of a child at the Scott Spring Oregon Trail camp site. Other graves have been found in the timbers.

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

The Wagon & Team • Supplies Needed

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

Wagons for trail travel were of the simplest construction. They cost $85.00 each. They were light, strong and carried on sturdy wheels. It was recommended that wheels be made of bois-d-oro, osage of orangewood or white oak. Bolt ends should be riveted on the running gear to prevent accidents. Concord, New Hampshire Spring Wagons were preferred. The wagon cost $85.00, the wagon cover cost $100.00.

Six mule team wagons were the preferred mode of travel but oxen were often used as they were cheaper, less liable to stampede and covered long distances better. The cost for six mules was $600 while for eight oxen $200. The harness cost $24. Total cost for oxen, harness, wagon and cover: $409.
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Six months of supplies were needed for the Oregon Trail journey. Total suggested supplies for family of four - no more than 2400 pounds should be taken in one wagon.

3 rifles at $20.00 each
3 pairs of pistols at $15.00 each
5 barrels of flour, 1080 pounds
Bacon, 700 pounds
Coffee, 75 pounds
Tea, 5 pounds
Sugar, 150 pounds
Rice, 75 pounds
Dried fruit, 100 pounds
Salt and pepper, 25 pounds
Beans, 200 pounds
Lard, 200 pounds
Lead, 200 pounds
Tent, 30 pounds
Bedding, 45 pounds
Cooking utensils, 30 pounds
Matches, candles, soap, 50 pounds
Private baggage, 150 pounds

Supplies were stored compactly to insure room for all necessary goods. Bacon was placed in sacks with 100 pounds in each. In the case of high heat, it was urged that the sacks be placed in boxes surrounded by bran to prevent the fat from melting. Flour was placed in double canvas sacks, 100 pounds per sack.

Animals needed:
4 to 6 oxen at $25.00 each
3 teams or 6 oxen or
8 to 10 mules at $75.00 each

Oxen were preferred since they were much gentler, steadier and in case of dire need, could be eaten.

Most furniture items were eventually discarded to lighten the heavy load as the animals wore out or died.

(Man-Made Features • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

One Step at a Time

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

The Oregon Trail was the main street of the west from the 1830's to the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 1869. Farmers, townsmen and restless Americans from all walks of life moved along this route seeking a better life in a new land.

Fur trappers and traders, following Indian trails, opened the way. The Stuart party of John Jacob Astor's fur company pioneered the route in 1812 from Astoria, Oregon to St. Louis, Missouri. These "mountain men" guided explorers, missionaries and the first emigrants.

By 1848, thousands of men, women and children had followed this trail to the lush, fertile Willamette River Valley. The journey was 2,000 miles of plains, mountains and deserts - ONE STEP AT A TIME. Their visions of personal freedom and opportunity were vital to national expansion.

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

The Long Journey

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

The long journey overland to Oregon took about six months. Time, distance, and hardships seasoned the emigrants. They had the ability and had earned the right to mold their own destiny in the new land. The Oregon Trail became a vital part of the American heritage.

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

Archeological Site 14-PO1311

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

During excavation of the footing for this flag pole the remains of a Stone Age Native American, estimated 1,000 years old, were discovered. The find remains at this location.
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This majestic flag pole
is in memory of
Sylvia Hartwich Galloway
who contributed her artistic talent
and funds to preserve the history of
Pottawatomie County

(Anthropology • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Charity & Public Work • Native Americans) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Wagons Fording Rock Creek

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

There were many unpredictable hazards on the trail as the wagon trains moved westward. The trail itself presented the worst problems. Streams had no bridges and had to be forded. Their shifting bottoms with pockets of quicksand were dangerous. When banks were slippery, people stood in the water and pushed as the oxen pulled the wagon. When rivers were wide, barges were made to ferry goods across. There was always the fear that the oxen would drown and the wagons be destroyed.

After crossing Rock Creek the trail angles slightly off to the west, then turns to parallel the highway about a block to the west, all through the town of Westmoreland.

(Environment • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.


Burial Site of Oregon Trail Traveler

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Kansas, Pottawatomie County, near Westmoreland

Here lies an early traveler
who lost his life in quest of riches
in the West.

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

Damon Runyon

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Kansas, Riley County, Manhattan

Damon Runyon (October 3, 1880—December 10, 1946) was a newspaperman and writer best known for his short stories celebrating the world of Broadway in New York City. He spun humorous tales of gamblers, hustlers, actors, and gangsters; few of whom go by ordinary names, preferring instead to be known as "Nathan Detroit," "Big Jule," "Harry the Horse," "Good Time Charley," "Dave the Dude," and so on. These stories were written in a very distinctive vernacular style: a mixture of formal speech and colorful slang, almost always in present tense, and always devoid of contractions. The well known musical Guys and Dolls is based on two of Runyon's short stories. Runyon is regarded as the father of "Broadway" in New York City.

He was born Alfred Damon Runyan here, in the family home at 400 Osage. His father was editor of the Manhattan Enterprise, now The Manhattan Mercury. Runyon's family moved from Manhattan in 1882 and he grew up in various communities, including Pueblo, Colorado, where he began his profession working for his father. He wrote for various newspapers in the Rocky Mountain area; at one of those, the spelling of his last name was changed from "Runyan" to "Runyon," a change he let stand. Later in his career, Runyon dropped his first name of "Alfred," and he became simply "Damon Runyon."

Runyon moved to New York City in 1910. For the next ten years he covered the New York Giants and professional boxing. He was the Hearst newspapers' baseball columnist for many years, beginning in 1911, and his knack for spotting the eccentric and the unusual, on the field or in the stands, is credited with revolutionizing the way baseball was covered. Perhaps as confirmation, Runyon was inducted into the writers' wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1967.

Gambling was a common theme of Runyon's work, and he was a notorious gambler himself. A well-known saying of his paraphrases Ecclesiastes: "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's the way to bet."

He died in New York City from throat cancer in 1946. The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation was established in his honor.

The Damon Runyon House, on the northwest corner of 4th and Osage — 400 Osage Street — is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

(Arts, Letters, Music • Communications) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Osage Street

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Kansas, Riley County, Manhattan

This home at 319 N. 5th was built in 1904 by Guy Varney. Designed in the Queen Anne style, the home incorporates Palladian windows and classical column porch supports. Solid limestone walls make up the structure of the first floor. Many of the stonemasons and craftsmen who worked on the construction of buildings on the Kansas State University campus also left their mark on residences and commercial buildings in the core downtown of Manhattan.

(Man-Made Features • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Trenholm High School

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Alabama, Colbert County, Tuscumbia
(side 1)
Formal education for Tuscumbia’s African American children began in 1870 at the Freedman School taught by Judge Wingo and his daughter in a church at the foot of the hill. In July 1877, the Osborne Colored Academy was established by African Americans and named in honor of Sandy Osborne, one of the trustees and a barber at the Franklin House Hotel. Tuscumbia Colored Public School opened in 1887 with Pleas Barton, a former Osborne Academy trustee, as principal. The Public School’s first academic year concluded with graduation exercises in 1888. (Continued on other side) (side 2) (Continued from other side) Tuscumbia Colored School was moved in 1905 from Delony Hill to the corner of 11th and High Streets where it remained until it closed. The name changed to Trenholm High School in 1921 to honor its third principal, George Washington Trenholm who served from 1896 to 1916. For over 90 years the school was a unifying force in the African American community as a center of culture, recreation, leadership, and education. It closed in 1969 as part of Tuscumbia’s desegregation plan and students were transferred to Deshler High School. Fred Johnson was the last principal of Trenholm High School (1967-1969). The Trenholm buildings were subsequently torn down.

(African Americans • Education) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

City of Gretna

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Louisiana, Jefferson Parish, Gretna
Incorporated 20 August 1913. John Ehret, First Mayor. Seat of Jefferson Parish Government since 1884. German settlement laid out in 1836 by Benjamin Buisson for Nicholas Noel Destrehan as Village of Mechanikham.

(Government • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Change & Growth

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Kansas, Riley County, Manhattan

Manhattan's businesses developed around the transportation available at the time. Initially, the Kansas River and the Military Trail leading to Fort Riley were the only routes to get to Manhattan. With the arrival of the railroads, commerce quickly grew in the downtown area. By the 1880's, the southeast portion of downtown was home to grain elevators, lumber yards, several hotels and all of the other businesses needed to build a growing community.

In 1987, Manhattan began a redevelopment of the downtown highlighted by the building of Manhattan Town Center on the east end of Poyntz Avenue. This project relocated a number of business-to-business companies, solidifying downtown as the city's retail district.

Following the mall project, a new bridge was constructed over the Kansas River displacing an additional number of the original businesses.

The movement toward retail and entertainment business continues today in Manhattan's downtown.

Credits: Photos - Riley County Historical Society

(Industry & Commerce • Man-Made Features • Railroads & Streetcars • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Fortifications de / of Québec

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec
Fortifications de / of Québec
English:
Quebec city’s defensive system is a remarkable feat of engineering. But during the colonial period, it represents the work of a succession of engineers.
French:
Le système défensif de Québec illustre une oeuvre d’ingénierie remarquable. Élaboré pendant la période coloniale, il traduit les apports successifs de plusieurs ingénieurs.

Gaspard-J. Chaussegros de Léry
(1682-1750)
English:
A tribute to this engineer, known in Canadian history of his accomplishments in New France. The ramparts of Quebec City are a great example of his work.
French:
Hommage à cet ingénieur qui occupe une place de choix dans l’histoire canadienne, en raison de son oeuvre considérable en Nouvelle-France. Les remparts de Québec en sont un témoin important.

(Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Riley Centennial

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Kansas, Riley County, Riley

In memory
of
Pioneers and Citizens
of
Union
Riley Centre
Riley


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

McDonoghville

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Louisiana, Jefferson Parish, Gretna

Founded 1815 by education philanthropist John McDonogh. Also known as Freetown where his freed slaves settled and Goulds~
boro for railroad magnate Jay Gould. Incorporated 1913 into City of Gretna.

(African Americans • Education • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

War Memorial

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Kansas, Riley County, Riley

United States

Army • 14 June 1775

Navy • 13 October 1775

Marine Corps • 10 November 1775

Coast Guard • 4 August 1790

Air Force • 18 September 1947

(Patriots & Patriotism • War, US Civil • War, US Revolutionary • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Martello Towers in Quebec / Tours Martello de Québec

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec
English:
In the early 19th century, the British were afraid that the Americans, having won their independence in 1776, would try to annex Upper and Lower Canada. In the face of this threat, Gother Mann, Canada’s chief engineer (1785-1804), recommended a new defensive system for Quebec City that involved, among other things, occupying the Heights of Abraham. In view of the urgency of the situation, the colony’s governor, James Craig, authorized part of the work without waiting for advice from London.

Ralph Bruyéres, Mann’s successor, began the construction of four Martello towers in the summer of 1808. Distinctive in shape, these coastal defense structures were widely used in Great Britain and in the British colonies. In expensive to erect and easy to defend, the Martello towers were arranged to provide for each others defence in a nearly parallel line to the city walls across the whole width of the promontory.

Their structure is distinctive: the west wall, which faces the enemy, is very thick, while the east wall is thinner and can be easily destroyed from the city walls in the event the tower is taken. By the time war broke out in 1812, the Martello towers were completed and ready for use. However, they never attacked. After the military period, the Martello towers were used for various purposes and extensively repaired to preserve them, except for Tower 3, which was demolished in 1905.

Martello Tower 1
Overlooking the St. Lawrence River, Martello Tower 1 occupies an important position. Nearly identical to Martello Tower 4, it could accommodate a garrison of approximately 12 men. In the early 20th century, it was used to support a cistern for the Ross Rifle Factory. Later, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada used the tower as an observatory; thousands of amateur astronomers came to gaze at the stars from 1941 until the 1960s. Today, historical interpretation and other activities are held in the tower.

French:
Au début du XIXᵉ siècle, les Britanniques craignent que les Américains, suite à l’obtention de leur indépendance (1776), ne tentent d’annexer le Haut et les Bas Canada à leur territoire. Devant cette menace, Gother Mann, ingénieur en chef du Canada (1785-1894), préconise un nouveau système défensif pour Québec et vise, entre autres, l’occupation des Hauteurs d’Abraham. Devant l’urgence de la situation, le gouverneur de la colonie, James Craig, autorise une partie de ces travaux sans attendre l’avis de Londres.

Ralph Bruyères, successeur de Mann, entreprend donc la construction de quatre tours Martello à l’étè de 1808. De forme distincte, ces ouvrages défensifs côtiers sont alors largement répandus en Angleterre et dans les colonies britanniques. Peu coûteuses à construire et faciles à défendre, les tours Martello sont dispersées à peu près parallèlement à l’enceinte sur toute la largeur du promontoire et se protègent mutuellement.

Leur structure es particulière: le mur ouest, qui fait face à l’ennemi, est très épais alors que le mur est, plus mince, peut facilement être détruit de l’enceinte au cas oû la tour serait prise. En 1812, lorsque la guerre éclate. les tours Martello sont terminées et prêtes à servir. Elles ne sont toutefois jamais attaquées. Après la période militaire, les tours Martello connaissent différents usages et sont préservées grâce à d’importants travaux de réfection, à l’exception de la tour 3 qui est démolie en 1905.

Tour Martello 1
Surplombant le fleuve St-Laurent, la tour Martello 1 occupe une position importante. Quasi identique à la tour Martello 4, elle peut abriter une garnison d’environ 12 hommes. Au début de XXᵉ siècle, elle est utilisée pour soutenir une citerne de la fabrique d’armes, la Ross Rifle Factory. Plus tard, la Société royale d’astronomie du Canada utilise la tour comme observatoire; des milliers d’amateurs y admirent les astres de 1941 jusque dans les années 1960. De nos jours, des activités d’animation et d’interprétation historique s’y déroulent.

(Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Martello Towers / Tours Martello

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Quebec, Capitale-Nationale (region), Québec
English:
In the early 19th century, the British feared that the Americans, after gaining their independence (1776), would attempt to annex Upper and Lower Canada. In response to this threat, Gother Mann, as commanding officier of the Royal Engineers in Canada (1785-1804), urged the building of towers at Quebec to prevent an invader from approaching the existing fortifications.

Ralph Bruyères, Mann’s successor, began construction of four towers in the summer of 1808. James Craig, who was then the governor of the colony, ordered the work to go ahead without consent from the authorities in London, whom he presented with a “fait accompli”. By 1812, when war began, the towers were completed and ready for service.

They stand almost parallel to the wall over the entire width of the promontory, ensuring each other’s defense. They were not identified with names but with numbers. Tower 1 overlooks the river on the Plains of Abraham; tower 2, is located at the intersection of Taché and Wilfrid-Lauier streets; tower 3, located at the intersection of René-Lévesque boulevard and Claire-Fontaine street, was torn down in 1905; finally, tower 4 is located on Lavigueur street in the Saint-Jean-Baptiste district.

To know more about Martello towers, visit the exhibition in Martello tower 1 during the summer period.

Martello Tower 2
Martello tower 2 “towered over the surroundings when Ralph Bruyères proposed to build a redoubt around the tower. This redoubt was meant to have the shape of a bulwark and to face west. In the spring of 1809, the digging of the ditch was already underway but the redoubt was never built. Archaeological digs carried out in 1992-1993 have revealed the presence of a ditch, represented today by a semicircular path skirting the work.

French:
Au début du XIXᵉ siècle, les Britanniques craignent que les Américains, suite à l’obtention de leur indépendance (1776), ne tentent d’annexer le Haut et les Bas Canada à leur territoire. Devant cette menace, Gother Mann, commandant des ingénieurs royaux de Canada (1785-1804) préconise la construction d’ouvrages avancés de défense pour empêcher l’envahisseur de s’approcher déjà fortifications deja existantes.

Ralph Bruyéres, successeur de Mann, entreprend la construction de quatre tours Martello a l’ete de 1808. James Craig, alors gouverneur de la colonie, fait exécuter les travaux sans l’autorisation de Londres qu’il met devant la fait accompli. En 1812, lorsque la guerre éclate, les tours sont terminées et prêtes à servir.

Elles sont disposées à peu près parallèlement à l’enceinte sur toute la largeur du promontoire et se protègent mutuellement. Elles ne reçoivent pas de noms mais des numéros. La tour 1 surplombe le fleuve sur les plaines d’Abraham; la tour 2 est située au coin des rues Taché et Wilfrid-Laurier: la tour 3, située au coin du boulevard René-Lévesque et la rue Claire-Fontaine a été démolie en 1905 et la tour 4 est située sur la rue Lavigueur dans le quartier Saint-Jean-Baptiste.

Pour en savoir plus sur les tours Martello visitez l’exposition à la tour Martello 1 en période estivale.

Martello Tower 2
La tour Martello 2 dominait les environs à l’époque où Ralph Bruyères proposa de construire une redoute entourant la tour. Cette redoute devait avoir la forme d’un bastion orienté vers l’ouest. One commença à creuser le fossé au printemps de 1809 mais la redoute ne fut jamais construite. Des fouilles archéologiques effectuées en 1992-1993 ont révélé la présence d’un fossé aujourd’hui représenté par un sentier en demi circle qui épouse la forme de l’ouvrage.

(Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
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