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Fort Ross Defenses

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California, Sonoma County, near Jenner
The key to the defense of early frontier forts was the blockhouse. It was from the blockhouse that an attacker could be put under a deadly barrage. In the event that the stockade wall was breached, the defenders could retire to the blockhouse for a last ditch fight. This blockhouse is eight sided, the opposite one is seven sided. For the defense of the fort the Russians brought in 41 cannons of various sizes and origins. They established themselves in such strength that the meager Spanish forces to the south realized they were unable to evict the Russians.

(Forts, Castles) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Russian Village Site - Sloboda

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California, Sonoma County, Jenner
Most of the inhabitants of Settlement Ross resided outside the fort; only Russian-American Company officials and visitors lived inside. Everyone in the vicinity of Fort Ross worked for the company. Lower-ranking Russian and Creole employees established a village complex of houses and gardens that gradually developed in this area outside the northwest stockade walls. The term 'Creole: designated a social class comprised manly of people descended from Russians married to Native Alaskan and Californian. This group formed a large part of the colony's inhabitants. Population of the settlement varied over the years. In 1836 Father Ioann Veniaminov recorded: "Fort Ross contains 260 people: 154 male and 107 female. There are 120 Russians, 51 Creoles, 50 Kodiak Aleuts and 39 baptized Indians".

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

Masonic Hall & Court House

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California, Amador County, Jackson
Oldest Jackson building
used as Court House after '62 fire.
Long home of Masonic Lodge
#65 F&AM.

1894

(Fraternal or Sororal Organizations) Includes location, directions, GPS coordinates, map.

The Russian Cemetery

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California, Sonoma County, near Jenner
Across the gulch to the east, a large Russian Orthodox cross marks the site of the settlement's cemetery. In 1990 the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and California State Parks conducted an archaeological investigation of the historic Russian cemetery. One hundred thirty-one Orthodox burials were identified including a large number of women and children, revealing that the settlement was a mercantile village with many families.

"To the northeast at a cannon shot's distance they have their cemetery... (a) mausoleum atop a sepulcher of three square steps, from larger to smaller. Above these was a pyramid two yards high, and over it a ball topped off by a cross, all painted white and black, which is what most attracted one's attention when you descend from the mountain. Over another burial... they placed only something like a box, and over that Kodiaks a cross..." -- Father Payers, 1822.

These monuments have disappeared, but when this photograph was taken in 1895 remnants were still visible.

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

The Ceiba, Guatemala's National Tree

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Guatemala, Guatemala, Guatemala City

Ceiba Arbol Nacional
Ceiba pentandra
Acuerdo gubernativo 8 de marzo 1955
Direccion General Forestal
Ministerio de Agricultura

English translation:
The Ceiba, Guatemala’s National Tree
Ceiba pentandra
Named by Governmental Decree on March 8, 1955
Forestry Department, Ministry of Agriculture

(Horticulture & Forestry) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Fort Ross Cove

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California, Sonoma County, near Jenner
site of the
Russian Shipways
This map of Fort Ross dated 1817 shows "Little Rumiantsev Cove" as well as the galiot Rumiantsev., the first ship built on the California coast. Also in the cove area were a number of buildings including a forge and blacksmith shop, tannery, cooperage, and public bath. There were sheds for Russian launches and the Native Alaskan "baidarkas" and "baidaras," and a boat shop and shipways for building ships.

The three other Russian-American Company ships built at Fort Ross were brigs, Ruldakov, Volga, and Kiakhta. The shipyard was abandoned by 1825, but the Company continued to build smaller boats. An artists reconstruction shows the cove in 1820 when the Buldakov was launched.

(Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Moravian Road

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Michigan, Macomb County, Clinton Township
In 1782 marauding American militia massacred nearly one hundred Christian Delaware Indians at their village in eastern Ohio. Seeking refuge, the Delaware settled on the Clinton River two and one-half miles north of here, on land granted by the Chippewa. In time the settlement numbered over one hundred, ministered to by the Moravian missionaries. This highway, the first interior road in Michigan, was laid out in the winter of 1785-86 to connect the village with the fort at Detroit, twenty-three miles away. At the close of the American Revolution the Chippewa withdrew their land grant, and in April, 1786, the mission was closed. Some of the members returned to Ohio and others moved to Canada.

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

California's First Windmill

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California, Sonoma County, near Jenner
The Russian-American Company grew crops and raised animals at Fort Ross to provide food for their Alaskan Colonies. In 1841, there were two windmills at Fort Ross. Grains, such as wheat, and barley, were ground into flour using millstones.

The Company had three inland farms between Fort Ross and Bodega Bay. However, the cool damp coastal climate and abundance of golfers resulted in insufficient yields. The Company also traded with Spanish and Mexican California to supplement the grain needed for Alaska.

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

The Rev. John Brown, Clara Barton and the 1886-1887 Drought Relief

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Texas, Shackelford County, Albany
Scottish immigrant John Brown (1842-1903) moved west following his theological studies in New York. He married Mary Jane Matthews Larn near Fort Griffin and in 1884 became minister of Albany Presbyterian Church, just as West Texas farmers and ranchers were struggling to survive the effects of a prolonged drought. Local leaders selected Brown to represent them in seeking funds for the purchase of seed wheat for small farmers.
     Brown departed in August 1886 to appeal to financial institutions in eastern cities. Newspaper editors publicized his quest as he traveled, and he soon drew the ire of Texas editors and land and railroad promoters who feared the publicity would harm the state’s economic development. Thanks to his efforts, however, several railroad cars of seed what were sent to Texas, as well as several thousand dollars collected by eastern Presbyterian churches. Believing it was as appropriate to ask for drought relief as to seek aid following hurricanes, Brown also appealed to Clara Barton and the American Red Cross.
     Brown returned home, and at the request of twenty-one counties addressed the Texas legislature. A bill passed authorizing relief funds and Gov. L.S. (Sul) Ross signed it into law. Meanwhile, the Red Cross sent clothing, household goods and tools to Albany. In January 1887, Clara Barton arrived to tour Shackelford, Stephens, Young and Callahan counties. On her way home, she visited the Dallas Morning News and left a personal check for $20, encouraging the editor to solicit funds to help the drought-stricken farmers.
     In 1887, John Brown moved from Albany to Massachusetts, where he served in the state legislature. He later wrote a book entitled Twenty-Five Years a Parson in the Wild West.

(Charity & Public Work • Churches, Etc. • Disasters) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Shackelford County

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Texas, Shackelford County, Albany
First inhabited by nomadic Indian tribes, Shackelford County was created in 1858 and named for Dr. John Shackelford (1790-1857). The first permanent Anglo-American settlers in this area included J.C. Lynch (1828-1912), a native of Ireland who moved here in 1858; W.H. Ledbetter (1833-84), who arrived in 1859 and later started the Ledbetter salt works; T.E. Jackson (b. 1820), a merchant who settled in the northern part of the county before 1860; and G.W. Greer (1812-93), who operated a stage station on Hubbard Creek after 1861.
     During the Civil War (1861-65), settlers took refuge at “family forts” such as Fort Mugginsville and Fort Hubbard. They gained military protection from frontier perils when the U.S. Army established Fort Griffin in 1867. Griffin, the lawless settlement that grew up around the fort, attracted buffalo hid hunters and cattlemen driving herds up the Western Cattle Trail.
     Shackelford County was organized Sept. 12, 1874, with Fort Griffin as temporary county seat. Albany was chosen permanent county seat in Nov. 1874. The county’s population increased sharply after the arrival of the Texas Central Railroad in 1881. Petroleum production generated an economic boom, 1910-30. Chief industries today (1976) are petroleum and ranching.

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

Shackelford County Courthouse

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Texas, Shackelford County, Albany
Built 1883-84 from plans by J.E. Flanders of Dallas, architect for several other 1880s Texas courthouses. Edgar Rye of Albany was construction superintendent. Kilted Scottish masons erected the walls of stone quarried a few miles southwest of town. The foundations rest two feet deep on “natural concrete” (caliche).
     Budgeted at $27,000.00; final cost was $49,433.75. Clock tower was added at public’s request.

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark – 1962

(Notable Buildings) Includes location, directions, 7 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

King Edward I Statue

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England, UK, England, Cumberland, Burgh by Sands
King Edward I died in Burgh-by-Sands on 7 July 1307 whilst leading a campaign against Robert the Bruce. He was laid in St. Michael's Church.

This plaque was unveiled by HRH The Duke of Kent, KG, GCMG, GCVO

on 3 July to mark the installation of this statue, during 07, 07, 07 commemoration of the 700th Anniversary of King Edward's death on Burgh Marsh.

Statue created, and gifted by Story Construction Ltd.

Sculptor Christopher Kelly

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

Texas Cattle Trail

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Texas, Shackelford County, Albany


In Memory of
Texas Cattle
Trail

To Dodge City, Kansas
and Other Northern Points.
1875     1890

(Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 6 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

First Producing Oil Well in West Texas

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Texas, Shackelford County, Albany

Commemorating
First Producing Oil Well
In
West Texas
The Texas Company - J.E. Wild A 1
Survey 65, University Lands
Shackelford County
Completed Nov. 9, 1913
Presented to
The Texas Company
By
Texas Mid-Continent Oil and Gas
Association at Albany Chamber of Commerce
Commemoration Dinner February 12, 1940

(Industry & Commerce) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

re-creating the Fort Ross Windmill

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California, Sonoma County, near Jenner
Russians built California's first windmill at Fort Ross in 1814. The mill ground grain into flour for bread to feed both Settlement Ross and the Russians' Alaskan settlements. While the original structure no longer exists, the historical record captures many image and references to the Russian-style windmill.
The Fort Ross windmill replica has been implemented by "the Link of Times" Foundation and donated to California State Parks in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the founding of Fort Ross.

This replica stolbovka style windmill, just as the original, features authentic mechanisms, a "nail-free" roof structure make of birch bark, and two pairs of blade wings. This historical reconstruction was carried out by Russian masters of the windmill building technique as introduced in the early 19th century using such traditional tools as an ax, planer, scraper, and adzes of that period. The mill was constructed in Russian and shipped to Fort Ross for installation.

"To the north of the square at a distance of three musket shots, they have a good windmill that grinds perfectly, all of it being made of wood from its foundation up." -- Fr. Mariano Payers, during his 1822 visit.

(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 5 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

The Odessa Telephone Exchange

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Texas, Ector County, Odessa
Began operation about 1897, with Edna Fielding as "central" (operator). After Miss Fielding's death in 1902, the Rev. G. B. Ely, a baptist minister, purchased the exchange. Pioneer rancher A. Quincy Cooper bought the system in 1911, and extended service to rural areas, utilizing barbed wire fences as telephone lines. While checking his repairs on a barbed wire line on Jan. 25, 1915, Cooper interrupted the first transcontinental telephone call between Alexander Graham Bell in New York and his assistant in San Francisco. In 1928, the exchange became part of the southwestern bell telephone company.

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

Site of Livery Stable and Wagon Yard

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Texas, Ector County, Odessa
In 1897, rancher and county official Francis M. Tallant opened Odessa's first livery stable and wagon yard on West 2nd Street, approximately 80 feet southwest of this site. Built close to the railroad station and to downtown, the stable was used by cattlemen who could leave their horses, saddles and guns there while staying in town. In 1906, Tallant sold the property to Charles A. Beardsley, who continued operating the livery and feed stable. The automobile soon changed the local way of life, and in 1915, Joe W. Rice bought the building and converted it to the J.W. Rice and Co. Garage,which operated for many years. The sandstone structure was demolished in the early 1980s.

(Animals • Roads & Vehicles) Includes location, directions, 2 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Bride Park Cottage

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Ireland, Munster, Cork, Killumney

C.S.A
BRIDE PARK COTTAGE

BIRTHPLACE OF

MAJOR GENERAL PATRICK RONAYNE CLEBURNE

Confederate States of America

Born March 17, 1828
Killed Nov. 30, 1864

BATTLE OF FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE

Erected by Cleburne's Brigade
March 17, 1994


(War, US Civil) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

Fireproof Grain Elevators / Concrete Grain Elevators

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New York, Erie County, Buffalo
The frequent loss of elevators to fire and explosion prompted a search for safer building materials and construction methods. Experiments with fireproof materials centered on steel, tile, and concrete.

The Great Northern Elevator (1897) and Electric Elevator (1897) were the first to employ steel grain bins on a large scale, and the first to use electricity as a source of power. Electricity had become available from the Adams Power Plant in Niagara Falls in November 1896.

During the first decade of the 1900s, a number of other steel elevators went up on the Buffalo waterfront. These included the Dakota Elevator, the Great Eastern Elevator, the Iron Elevator, and the Monarch Elevator. Only the Great Northern Elevator still stands as of 2011.

Steel proved to be less satisfactory than originally envisioned as a fireproof material. While fire would not burn the metal, the heat generated by a grain fire could cause structural damage to the bins and the steel support structure.

Industrial engineers also experimented with ceramic tile in the early 1900s. Ceramic tile bins were completely fireproof and heat resistant, and their hollow walls were better than steel at insulating grain from the extremes of heat and cold. However, the tile structures were expensive to build and maintain. The large number of mortar joints needing to be dressed slowed the process of construction and afterward required constant vigilance to prevent leaks. Only two ceramic tile elevators were constructed in Buffalo: the Washburn Crosby "A" Elevator, erected in 1903 (still standing), and the Maritime Milling Elevator (now demolished).

[image] The Great Eastern and Dakota Elevators, circa 1900. The steel bins of the Great Eastern were exposed, while the bins of the Dakota were hidden behind a facade of corrugated iron panels. The City Ship Canal is on the right. Image Source: Library of Congress, Detroit Publishing Company

By the 1890s, concrete was already being used for the foundations and floors of wooden grain elevators. However, the era of the true concrete grain elevator began with the application of reinforced concrete for the construction of the storage bins. In 1899, the first reinforced concrete bin grain elevator in the United States was constructed in Minneapolis. It consisted of a single cylindrical concrete bin 124 feet high. The grain elevator was built using the slip form construction method, in which the form was raised by jacking rods as the concrete was poured, allowing for the steady rise of the slip form until the full height of the silo was reached.

The slip form method of construction would be used extensively in Buffalo, where engineers grouped many tall silos together in interlocking rows, and helped create the distinguished corrugated concrete exterior visible today on many elevators.

As the twentieth century progressed, the meandering Buffalo River was transformed into a striking corridor of monumental concrete elevators, beginning with the construction of the American Elevator in 1906. The last concrete grain elevator constructed in Buffalo was in 1954, when the Connecting Terminal Annex was constructed. Between these years, some forty-two concrete grain elevator projects were undertaken along the banks of the Buffalo River and on the shores of the Buffalo Outer Harbor.

As recently as 1990, steel was again used for storage bin construction, when Cargill built four steel storage bins at their Urban Mill in Buffalo. These were the last grain bins built in Buffalo.

(Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • Waterways & Vessels) Includes location, directions, 3 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

9th Troop Carrier Squadron

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Ohio, Montgomery County, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base

In honor of all crewmembers
and support personnel of the

9th Troop Carrier Squadron

Combat in World War II
Central Pacific Theatre of Operations
Assigned to the 7th Air Force
21 February 1944 - 2 September 1945

(Air & Space • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II) Includes location, directions, 4 photos, GPS coordinates, map.

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