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American Countryside contact information:
Andrew McCrea, American Countryside host
(816) 351-2165
andrew@andrewmccrea.com

Tom Brand, American Countryside producer
(816) 294-2381
brand@saintjoseph.com

 

February 13, 2026
2026 – 0213 Eve Bowring
She served as Nebraska’s first female U.S. Senator.  She also managed a large sandhills ranch and had quite a collection of one item that still draws folks to the property yet today…

February 12, 2026
2026 – 0212 Bowring Ranch Nebraska
In northern Nebraska you’ll find a Sandhills ranch that dates to the late 1800s.  The couple who lived here met quite by happenstance and their story is still one told to visitors today…

February 11, 2026
2026 – 0211 Churchill Fulton Memorial 3
Imagine a building project that involved moving 7000 large stones across the Atlantic Ocean to reconstruct a building that was about 400 years old. That’s what happened in this small town and it was all done to honor a man and a speech…

February 10, 2026
2026 – 0210 Churchill Fulton Memorial 2
Most of us after heard of the phrase, “the iron curtain” to describe the communist countries of eastern Europe during the Cold War. That phrase was controversial at the time and the words were delivered here…

February 9, 2026
2026 – 0209 Churchill Fulton Memorial 1
Just two months after the Allies won the European theatre of World War II, the leader of Great Britain, Winston Churchill, lost reelection. The now out-of-office prime minister received an invitation though to an event that would end up predicting the state of the world for decades to come…

 

February 6, 2026
2026 – 0206 Root Beer Museum 2
If there is a museum to Spam, well Reed Andrew thought there should certainly be a museum to this.  After all, a lot of people enjoy it just as much as he did.  So he began amassing a collection of items that is now on display for people to see and enjoy.  I’ll take you to his one-of-a-kind museum…

February 5, 2026
2026 – 0205 Root Beer Museum 1
A lot of people enjoy root beer.  But how did a drink that contains no alcohol wind up with beer in the title?  And exactly what root is this basis of this drink? All those questions and much more can be answered here.  I’ll take you to the authority on root beer…

February 4, 2026
2026 – 0204 Angel Fire 3
My in-laws had been telling me about a place called Angel Fire for many years.  They make an annual trip there to remember friends and family lost in the Vietnam War.  I was inspired when I recently made my first trip there as well…

February 3, 2026
2026 – 0203 Angel Fire 2
When Doc Westfall lost a son to the Vietnam War, the event changed his plans for the future.  His new dream was one that honored all who fought…and we do mean ALL who fought…

February 2, 2026
2026 – 0202 Angel Fire 1
The Westfalls had dreams of a ranch resort where they could retire.  Then tragedy struck and the plans for the ranch became a dream that inspires thousands who come here…

 

January 30, 2026
2026 – 0130 Ezekiel Airship
Did a man in Texas build an aircraft that flew a full year before the Wright Brothers plane?  There are some say that he did and you can come see his Biblical inspired craft at a museum in his hometown…

January 29, 2026
2026 – 0129 Eliot Ness 3
They are called the Untouchables.  However, you may have not heard their story if not for one year this man spent in a small town in Pennsylvania.  This is the story of the series of events that occurred to make their story into books, tv shows and movies…

January 28, 2026
2026 – 0128 Eliot Ness 2
Cleveland was a city dealing with a major crime problem in the 1930s and 40s.  The man they brought here to fight crime was someone who had taken on the most notorious gangsters of the era…

January 27, 2026
2026 – 0127 Eliot Ness 1
When the 18^th amendment to the US Constitution made alcohol illegal, many began to supply the drink illegally.  It was just one of the products Al Capone and his gangsters worked to provide to the city of Chicago and points beyond.  But there was one man determined to stop him…

January 26, 2026
2026 – 0126 Medicine Lodge Kansas
In south central Kansas you’ll find a place long important to Native Americans – a place where they and later white settlers would meet to discuss peace on the High Plains…

 

January 23, 2026
2026 – 0123 Carry Nation 2
This lady was known to back up her words with her hatchet.  And that hatchet is still well known over a century later.  In fact, you can come here to see it…

January 22, 2026
2026 – 0122 Carry Nation 1
If you attended David Nation’s church in Medicine Lodge, Kansas, many would say the real sermon began when David’s wife began the after-sermon lecture…

January 21, 2026
2026 – 0121 Cannonball Run 3
Many of us love road trips.  Probably nothing we’ve experienced compares to what Jeff and Alexis Popick recently did.  They ran the Cannonball Run making the journey from New York City to Redondo Beach, California in under 36 hours…

January 20, 2026
2026 – 0120 Cannonball Run 2
Many people decide to make the trip of a lifetime and drive their car from one coast to another.  Now imagine making that drive as fast as you possibly can.  That’s what this father and daughter did as part of the Cannonball Run…

January 19, 2026
2026 – 0119 Cannonball Run 1
In the early 1980s the movie “Cannonball Run” hit movie theatres.  Although the comedy is several decades old, many have seen it and remember the crazy story of people competing in a cross country race…

 

January 16, 2026
2026 – 0116 MLK Civil Rights Museum 2
In downtown Memphis you’ll find part of a restored motel.  It’s a place that would probably have been long forgotten if not for the tragedy that took place here.  Today it is a pilgrimage site and museum that honors the work of a man who we honor each January with a holiday…

January 15, 2026
2026 – 0115 MLK Civil Rights Museum 1
It was April of 1968 and the garbage in Memphis was beginning to pile up and stink.  A strike was having an impact on the city and one important leader was on his way to address the crowds…

January 14, 2026
2026 – 0114 Norman Rockwell Museum 3
Many of us have seen many paintings by the artist Norman Rockwell.  In fact, his work is still reproduced in countless calendars and hangs on many office walls throughout America.  This is the place that houses much of that work…

January 13, 2026
2026 – 0113 Norman Rockwell Museum 2
If you are of a certain age, you may have heard of the Saturday Evening Post.  If you know that publication, there is one man you probably know tied to many of its iconic covers…

January 12, 2026
2026 – 0112 Norman Rockwell Museum 1
Based on where this man grew up, you might think his mind would only be on matters in the big city.  That turned out not to be the case though.  He wound up sharing stories mostly from rural and small town America that still resonate today…

 

January 9, 2026
2026 – 0109 Colorado Snow Sports Museum 4
Today skiers and snowboarders often occupy many snowy slopes simultaneously.  But that was once not the case as upstart snowboarders were banned from many locations.  So how did snowboarding become so popular?  It may be due to one well known, yet fictious character…

January 8, 2026
2026 – 0108 Colorado Snow Sports Museum 3
When these soldiers returned home from World War II, their experiences in Europe greatly influenced what many did when they settled back in America.  What was their occupation of choice?

January 7, 2026
2026 – 0107 Colorado Snow Sports Museum 2
It is known as the Battle of Riva Ridge, a decisive moment in World War II, and a military exercise involving troops who had been training in Colorado for over two years.  The story of their daring work is quite remarkable…

January 6, 2026
2026 – 0106 Colorado Snow Sports Museum 1
In the years just ahead of World War II, one man had an accident on a wintery mountain.  That mishap was one of the key events that not only impacted skiing today, but an important chapter in the global conflict to come…

January 5, 2026
2026 – 0105 Columbus Chapel
In central Pennsylvania you’ll find a farmstead with quite a story. Some of the artifacts have a tie to a man who sailed the ocean blue in fourteen hundred and ninety-two. So how did they wind up here?

 

January 2, 2026
02Jan26 Best of 2025 – Gypsum County Cemetery
If you happen to drive by the cemetery in Gypsum, Colorado on April 8^th, you may find several people serving breakfast.  It’s an unusual sight to see and it has quite a story behind it.  The story is part of our best of 2025 series next on the AMC…

January 1, 2026
01Jan26 Best of 2025 – Nathan Hale
His only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country.  They are famous words uttered by America’s first spy just before his death in 1776. The story is part of our best of 2025 series next on the AMC…

December 31, 2025
31Dec25 Best of 2025 – Michigan Pancake Town
Occasionally a winter storm will leave motorists stranded and locals will come to their aid.  That was the case in one small town in 1937.  They were suddenly helping 200 people through a three day ordeal… The story is part of our best of 2025 series next on the AMC…

December 30, 2025
30Dec25 Best of 2025 – Chugwater Wyoming
It is noted to be the longest running image used on a license plate anywhere in the world.  The image immortalized a horse and rider with ties to this small town.  The story is part of our best of 2025 series next on the AMC….

December 29, 2025
29Dec25 Best of 2025 – Little White House
If you go to a tropical location, some people might decide to don a floral print shirt.  But things got a bit out of hand in this location and the story involved one of our U.S. presidents. The story is part of our best of 2025 series next on the AMC…

 

December 26, 2025
26Dec25 Best of 2025 – Border Line Library
There is a black tape line on the floor of the library in Derby Line, Vermont.  Walk inside and cross that line and you’re in the country of Canada.  It’s a unique location to visit and the story is part of our best of 2025 series on the AMC…

December 25, 2025
25Dec25 Santa Claus House 3
When I was in elementary school we wrote letters to Santa.  Maybe you did the same thing once upon a time.  Where did that letter go that you mailed?  There’s a chance it may have wound up in this small town where it was indeed read by Santa…

December 24, 2025
24Dec25 Santa Claus House 2
We all know that Santa lives at the North Pole.  But for awhile, Santa was living at the Davis Railroad Siding.  No it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, so something just had to be done about the name of the place St. Nick called home…

December 23, 2025
23Dec25 Santa Claus House 1
A lot of communities in the U.S. will have a visit from Santa.  It’s a chance for the kids in the area to come meet St. Nick and make their requests known.  So perhaps it’s not that unusual the situation occurred here around Fairbanks, Alaska.  But what resulted is a place that people worldwide recognize as Santa’s true home…

December 22, 2025
22Dec25 Mendenhall Homeplace 3
In the heart of the south, there was one Quaker community determined to not only bring an end to slavery, but to help former slaves get the education they needed to build successful businesses.  The homesteads they built remain…

 

December 19, 2025
19Dec25 Mendenhall Homeplace 2
We might imagine that prior to the Civil War, most large farming operations in the south used slave labor.  Today we take you to a homestead in the south that was working to abolish the practice…

December 18, 2025
18Dec25 Mendenhall Homeplace 1
Major highways can be a very important way to get people to your business.  What do you do when your competitor moves the road?  Well this man had a solution that brought him even more prosperity…

December 17, 2025
17Dec25 Shaker Village 3
In western Massachusetts you’ll find a picturesque farm with a history that stretches all the way back to the late 1700s.  This is the story of who lived here and the amazing farm and buildings you can still explore..

December 16, 2025
16Dec25 Shaker Village 2
Some may come to this farming village and think the methods they used are antiquated. However, a deeper look at this town and who lived here will reveal a community that implored some of the most innovative farming practices of the day…

December 15, 2025
15Dec25 Shaker Village 1
When this religious group first came to North America, many citizens did not know what to make of their interesting religious dancing.  The name we know them by was derived from how they moved and how they worshipped…

 

December 12, 2025
12Dec25 American Clock and Watch Museum 2
Many people think the most intricate timepieces made today are those constructed by the Swiss.  But there was once a time when the Swiss and many others made their clocks and watches to resemble the quality craftsmanship from this locale

December 11, 2025
11Dec25 American Clock and Watch Museum 1
Our time is something pretty important to most of us.  We may keep track of it with our phone or watch, but two hundred years ago, keeping time was a much more difficult and expensive endeavor, and many of the people building the best timepieces were in this town

December 10, 2025
10Dec25 POW Guy Gruters 3
Guy Gruters was held as a prisoner of war for over five years in Vietnam.  Over fifty years after his capture he returned to the country and had a most interesting visit with a man who was present on day one of his captivity.

December 9, 2025
09Dec25 POW Guy Gruters 2
Guy Gruters was taken as a prisoner of war just before Christmas of 1967.  It was the beginning of over five years of captivity.  His struggle for survival pushed his physical and spiritual limits

December 8, 2025
08Dec25 POW Guy Gruters 1
Guy Gruters flew over 400 combat missions in the Vietnam War.  Two of those missions resulted in him ejecting from his F100.  The story of his service and those two harrowing flights begins today

 

December 5, 2025
05Dec25 Ace of Clubs House 2
It’s a home with gigantic ceilings and a resident who had over 500 pairs of shoes, not to mention it is also built in the shape of a specific playing card…

December 4, 2025
04Dec25 Ace of Clubs House 1
When this man won a card game that gained him a small fortune, he decided to build his family a home.  And that home pays homage to the card that won him the game…

December 3, 2025
03Dec25 Texarkana
This city was established on a state line and one of its most important buildings is literally on top of that line.  That means the business conducted inside is a bit unique from any other place in the nation…

December 2, 2025
02Dec25 AT Still 2
Thirty percent of all doctors trained in the U.S. have this distinction.  The story of how it all began can be traced to one small town in Missouri…

December 1, 2025
01Dec25 AT Still 1
Andrew wanted to be a farmer, but when a drought wiped out his crop, he had thoughts of teaching school.  When the pay wasn’t enough to support his family, he turned to the occupation of many others in his family tree and that choice ended up changing an entire career field…

 

November 28, 2025
28Nov25 Corn Sacks 2
Sometimes the packaging is even more important than the product inside – at least that’s what some marketers will tell you.  A look at this collection reveals that even the packaging for a commodity can help make one grain unique from another…

November 27, 2025
27Nov25 Corn Sacks 1
Ron Kelsey loved going to the state fair with his dad.  Not only was it a big trip for a farm kid, but he also got to see his father display his corn in competitions there.  Those experiences wound up nurturing a very large and unique collection today…

November 26, 2025
26Nov25 Fort Recovery 3
In the late 1800s, this town was in need of a place to hold large gatherings and what resulted was a true gem.  It fell on hard times, but in recent years local citizens have resurrected the place to the glory of old and are once again holding events in the historic building…

November 25, 2025
25Nov25 Fort Recovery 2
In 1791 the U.S. Army lost hundreds of soldiers in battle in present day west central Ohio.  When a new force came back to the area, they built Fort Recovery, the title symbolizing what they hoped to accomplish in what we know at the Northwest Indian War…

November 24, 2025
24Nov25 Fort Recovery 1
As this nation neared it’s twentieth birthday, President George Washington was intent on securing the land in present day Ohio for settlement.  The force sent there for that mission would endure a massive defeat…

 

November 21, 2025
21Nov25 Boal Estate Museum
This family can trace it’s lineage to a family member who escaped execution by having himself smuggling out of the country inside a sea chest.  The family went on to have a hand in founding one of the first land grant universities in the nation…

November 20, 2025
20Nov25 Bellfountain Ohio
This Ohio town has long been known for it’s tie to transportation.  Name any mode of travel and they probably have had or still do have several companies helping move people and products by those means…

November 19, 2025
19Nov25 Bellfountain Concrete Street
It takes a lot of work to keep up roads and highways.  It a moment I’ll take you to the place where it all began – a one block street that was first of its kind and it’s still carrying traffic today…

November 18, 2025
18Nov25 Tifton Georgia Museum of Agriculture 2
In Tifton, Georgia there’s a place were you can ride a rare, vintage steam locomotive and learn the stories of the early settlers who tapped pine trees to produce a product that could be used for many purposes, including helping bake your potatoes…

November 17, 2025
17Nov25 Tifton Georgia Museum of Agriculture 1
Farming has changed much over the years and many of us still enjoy seeing the ways things were once done.  In a moment I’ll take you to a place that shares that story very well as they continue to do things the old way…

 

November 14, 2025
14Nov25 Andrew Johnson
One vote may not seem like much, but it’s one vote that kept this man as President of the United States…

November 13, 2025
13Nov25 The Baldknobbers 2
It had an inauspicious beginning.  A variety show held in the basement of city hall that attracted a couple dozen patrons seated in metal folding chairs.  But it’s grown into one of the longest and best known acts in the country…

November 12, 2025
12Nov25 The Baldknobbers 1
They were called the Baldknobbers – a group of vigilantes that roamed the Ozarks dispensing justice as they saw fit.  The group still exists but it’s far different that the renegades from the 1800s…

November 11, 2025
11Nov25 Dalton Gang 2
There is a very famous tunnel running beneath the surface of a barnyard in Meade, Kansas.  It was built in secret, but today it’s very much open to the public so you can explore and choose which side of the story you believe…

November 10, 2025
10Nov25 Dalton Gang 1
The infamous Dalton Gang robbed individuals and businesses in the Midwest during the early 1890s.  But not all of the Dalton children had a life of crime.  We take a unique visit to their sister’s house and the roles she may have played in the gang’s work…

 

November 7, 2025
07Nov25 Faith South Dakota
It was the end of the train line, and that fact meant that very few towns survived west of here. Today this small town remains an important spot on the high plains……

November 6, 2025
06Nov25 Faith South Dakota Dinosaurs
Some might think there’s not too much to see around Faith, South Dakota.  But when people began to do a little digging, it turned out they had some of the biggest things to see that were every found on the planet…

November 5, 2025
05Nov25 Floyd of Rosendale 2
When Minnesota plays Iowa in football each year, the winning team will hoist a unique trophy for all to see.  It’s a trophy of a hog and the story behind it is about a century old…

November 4, 2025
04Nov25 Floyd of Rosendale 1
Some universities may have heated rivalries, but one contest between Minnesota and Iowa crossed the line in the 1930s.  The result of that game was a unique wager between two governors…

November 3, 2025
03Nov25 Gays Mill Wisconsin Huge Overalls
Some clothing departments have a section for Big & Tall men.  One particular piece of clothing at Julia’s store definitely qualifies for that description and it has people coming her to see it…

 

October 31, 2025
31Oct25 Gays Mill Wisconsin Apples
Gays Mill, Wisconsin is a town of about 500 people.  However, every September the town will swell to perhaps as many as 10,000 people as they come here to celebrate some farms that have played an important role in the area for decades…

October 30, 2025
30Oct25 Museum of Unremarkable Objects 2
Many museums hold unique and precious items you won’t find anywhere else.  This museum does quite the opposite and that, in some ways, makes it quite special in its own right.  Many visit this site because it is unremarkable…

October 29, 2025
29Oct25 Museum of Unremarkable Objects 1
When a tree was toppled in a storm near Martha and Steve’s rural home in southwestern Wisconsin, they never imaged the string of events that would unfold that is brings many people to this remote location every day…

October 28, 2025
28Oct25 NFA FFA Merger 60th Anniverary 2
In 1965 the Future Farmers of America and the New Farmers of America combined their organizations.  Today we take a look back at the NFA and that merger that took place 60 years ago this month…

October 27, 2025
27Oct25 NFA FFA Merger 60th Anniverary 1
Separate but equal was almost always separate and NOT equal.  That was the case in agricultural education as well with two groups helping those who loved the farm…

 

October 24, 2025
24Oct25 Hotel Roanoke 2
At one time is was the grandest of hotels in the state of Virginia.  But the wheels of time eventually forced her shutdown and all of the furnishings were sold.  What happened next surprised many…

October 23, 2025
23Oct25 Hotel Roanoke 1
What’s it take to build a large city?  A railroad and nice hotel of course.  It was a winning combination for this city…

October 22, 2025
22Oct25 Camp Nelson 3
Times of war often bring the displacement of families simply fleeing the conflict.  That was the case in this country and one of the focal points became a place of national attention…

October 21, 2025
21Oct25 Camp Nelson 2
In 1863 and 1864 a place called Camp Nelson in Kentucky became a focal point for men wanting to join the Union army and families fleeing the Civil War…

October 20, 2025
20Oct25 Camp Nelson 1
When the Civil War began, some citizens found that the places they lived were on the wrong side of the line when it came to their sympathies in the conflict.  One place where those tensions were greatest was at this site…

 

 

October 17, 2025
17Oct25 JC Penney Mother Store 2
It’s called the “mother store” because it was the first of many.  You can still come here to purchase modern merchandise and see how the store operated a century of so ago…

October 16, 2025
16Oct25 JC Penney Mother Store 1
If you want to make it big in retailing clothes and general merchandise, you might not pick southwestern Wyoming as the place to begin.  Yet, that is exactly where this chain of stores traces in roots…

October 15, 2025
15Oct25 Fort King George 3
Many people travel to Savannah, Georgia, the state’s oldest city, to enjoy its tree lined streets and colonial history.  A visit to Georgia’s second oldest city will provide you a unique history of its own…a story designed to improve upon Savannah…

October 14, 2025
14Oct25 Fort King George 2
There was no doubt the men assigned to this fort did not like it here.  But exactly how far would they go to get free from this deadly place?

October 13, 2025
13Oct25 Fort King George 1
In southeast Georgia you’ll find an outpost built to protect the British interests from the Spanish and the French.  While important in location, it proved to be a place soldiers did not want to serve…

 

October 10, 2025
10Oct25 Joss House
It took a large workforce from points around the globe to lay the rails that connected the nation.  In Evanston, Wyoming you’ll find an important part of one immigrant community who helped in that effort…

October 9, 2025
09Oct25 Hockeytown USA
It’s known as “Hockeytown USA.”  This small but mighty town has produced many top athletes and has competed at the highest levels of the sport despite its size…

October 8, 2025
08Oct25 Minnesota’s Northwest Angle
The northernmost point in the lower 48 states was created when the maps of the era weren’t accurate in determining exactly where some important landmarks were located.  Today I’ll take you to that place in the north where a mistaken location created an unusual international border…

October 7, 2025|07Oct25 Warroad Minnesota 2
These days it’s not that uncommon to find people who live to be 100 years old or more.  In this northern Minnesota town, there was a man who went well past that mark…

October 6, 2025
06Oct25 Warroad Minnesota 1
In northern Minnesota you’ll find a town with an interesting name – Warroad.  So was this truly a road to war?

 

October 3, 2025
03Oct25 Bronco Nagurski 2
You know you probably had a special football career when your old high school adopted your name as its mascot.  This is the story of a two-sport all-star…

October 2, 2025
02Oct25 Bronco Nagurski 1
He was in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s first class and his nine seasons with the Chicago Bears saw him star on both sides of the football.  I’ll take you to the museum the honors the hometown hero…

October 1, 2025
01Oct25 Voyageurs Gold Mining
When you think of gold mining towns in the U.S., you probably don’t think of this area of the country.  The gold rush was short, but you can still where those miners where drilling for the precious metal…

September 30, 2025
30Sep25 International Falls MN 2
If you go to International Falls, Minnesota looking for a picturesque waterfall, you’ll be disappointed.  This is the story of the falls on this international border…

September 29, 2025
29Sep25 International Falls MN 1
When we think of rivers that form the border of the Unites States, we often think of the Rio Grande in the southwestern U.S.  However, here in the north central part of the country. there’s a river that forms part of this nation’s northern border…

 

September 26, 2025
26Sep25 First Night Football Game 2
Friday nights in the fall are a time when many high schools play football games.  And of course, today many college and pro games are played under the lights.  But there had to be a first ever night football game…and Mansfield, PA is the place it occurred…

September 25, 2025
25Sep25 First Night Football Game 1
In the 1890s the game of football was just beginning on some college campuses.  That was the case in Mansfield, Pennsylvania.  The college there was just in it’s second year of the sport when the team captain had a novel idea…

September 24, 2025
24Sep25 Emmett Till 2
In Sumner, Mississippi you’ll find an old courthouse was a restored second floor courtroom.  Today there are no trials, just visitors to this place.  They come to recall a galvanizing moment in a tragic event that took place here…

September 23, 2025
23Sep25 Emmett Till 1
It was supposed to be a summer trip for one young man from Chicago to visit his extended family.  But just a few days into that vacation, an event would unfold that proved a watershed moment in the struggle for civil rights…

September 22, 2025
22Sep25 Hemphill Texas NASA Museum 2
It some of the most difficult times, people often forget what separates them and band together to help those in need.  Such was the case in this small east Texas town early in 2003.  The work they did and the mission they have for the future lives on

 

September 19, 2025
19Sep25 Hemphill Texas NASA Museum 1
It was February 1^st, 2003.  Residents of Hemphill, Texas heard what sounded like a giant explosion on an otherwise peaceful Sunday morning.  What took place next changed this place forever…

September 18, 2025
18Sep25 Apple Festival 2
Many of us love to have a piece of apple pie and ice cream.  In a moment I’ll tell you where you can get a free slice and ice cream to boot all in a place that has the world’s largest such desert…

September 17, 2025
17Sep25 Apple Festival 1
Many small towns across the country have a celebration that honors the things that make that place special.  In Liberty, Kentucky it’s one crop that was an important part of this county when this festival was established…

September 16, 2025
16Sep25 Elk County Pennsylvania 2
If you think the state of Pennsylvania mostly looks like Philadelphia and Pittsburg, you should take a trip here.  In fact, a trip to this area might make you believe you are in a different state far from here…

September 15, 2025
15Sep25 Elk County Pennsylvania 1
When you think of places were elk roam forests and wilderness areas, you perhaps do not think of this state.  Yet it is here that elk once thrived and do again…

 

September 12, 2025
12Sep25 Judy Garland Museum 3
One of the most visited exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution is the red slippers worn by Dorthy in the Wizard of Oz.  There are actually more than one pair, but when one set was stolen back in 2005, it began a story that would take well over a decade to solve…

September 11, 2025
11Sep25 Judy Garland Museum 2
Sometimes celebrities in showbiz are known by one particular role they played, no matter the entirety of their life’s work.  That is the case for this actress, for while she was a mega star of her age, we probably know her for one particular role…

September 10, 2025
10Sep25 Judy Garland Museum 1
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Frances Ethel Gumm.  You know her by a different name and I’m just about positive that although she passed in 1969, you have seen her and know the iconic role she played

September 9, 2025
09Sep25 Pebble Hill Plantation 2
You know you have quite a farm and mansion when the stables are many times larger, and nicer, than many homes.  Such was the case for a place called Pebble Hill – a place you can still visit today, just like presidents did…

September 8, 2025
08Sep25 Pebble Hill Plantation 1
You can still find several antebellum homes scattered throughout the southern United States.  While this home has similar roots, it tells the story of an ownership change that occurred at many such places in the late 1800s…

 

September 5, 2025
05Sep25 Good Enough Mine 3
Not many people set out to own a historic gold and silver mine.  That was the case for Andre, but soon he found himself owner of much of the land below the city that he served as mayor…and today he’ll take you on a tour of what’s underground…

September 4, 2025
04Sep25 Good Enough Mine 2
When the first miners hit veins of ore here, they knew it was “good enough” to open a profitable mine.  And thus, the name “Good Enough” mine stuck.  But what they found underground was far more than simply good enough…it was great…

September 3, 2025
03Sep25 Good Enough Mine 1
Not many folks have heard of Goose Flats, Arizona.  After all, the most exciting thing in Goose Flats was the fact that geese sometimes landed there as they migrated through the area.  But then a man named Ed Schieffelin came along and changed everything…

September 2, 2025
02Sep25 Alaska Vegetable Grower 3
Scott Robb holds many world records.  That fact makes him a well-recognized man among Alaskan farmers and among those who attend the state’s fair.  We visit with him about those giant titles…

September 1, 2025
01Sep25 Alaska Vegetable Grower 2
Imagine a record that stood for over a century.  That’s quite a mark to be broken, but today, Scott Robb is the world’s best in this category – and his goal every year is to produce more world’s records…

 

August 29, 2025
29Aug25 Alaska Vegetable Grower 1
Sometimes you might wish you just had more hours of the day to get things done.  For a portion of the year, the people who live here, feel as if that’s exactly the case, and their gardens can prove it…

August 28, 2025
28Aug25 Ainsworth Nebraska History 2
It is a unique and somewhat remote stretch of river one can float or canoe.  For years ranchers knew of the beauty of this place, and now more people are coming to a river in the sand hills region of Nebraska to catch some views you can only see on the water…

August 27, 2025
27Aug25 Ainsworth Nebraska History 1
Over a century ago, it was common to have one room school houses to educate rural children through the 8^th grade.  However, one community in north central Nebraska wanted their ranch kids to get a high school education and what they created used the prairie soil as its foundation…

August 26, 2025
26Aug25 Mille Lacs Lake Trading Post 2
The western frontier was noted to have many trading posts, but the one you’ll find here has over a century worth of history and it’s still trading today, much the way it did when it began…

August 25, 2025
25Aug25 Mille Lacs Lake Trading Post 1
It’s one of the largest lakes in the state of Minnesota, and it became the place of settlement for a Native American tribe who followed a premonition to move west…

 

August 22, 2025
22Aug25 Scissors Hog House 2
He was probably the most valuable hog of his day.  His worth was measured in extraordinary sums of money, yet his owner would not sell him.  You can still come to the place the hog called home and see his story…

August 21, 2025
21Aug25 Scissors Hog House 1
He was a champion in the show ring and his fame grew far beyond farm country.  In fact, he was so well known, he had a special place to live…

August 20, 2025
20Aug25 Royal Gorge 2
For over seven decades, this bridge was a record setter, the highest suspension bridge in the world.  It continues to draw visitors from around the world who are amazed as they look through the planks at a river one thousand feet below them…

August 19, 2025
19Aug25 Royal Gorge 1
Thousands of people still drive to this location to be amazed by the natural beauty of this place.  It makes you wonder what the first explorers thought when they stumbled upon it by accident…

August 18, 2025
18Aug25 Quincy Coca-Cola
In the Great Depression era, Quincy, Florida was a town of nearly 4000 residents.  Although times were tough, the advice of one local banker helped change the fortunes of several local residents…

 

August 15, 2025
15Aug25 Cheynne Depot Museum
Cheyenne, Wyoming was one of the towns known as “hell on wheels” for its wild railroad boomtown beginnings. You can still find some of that history here, as well as much that impacts the present day rail industry…

August 14, 2025
14Aug25 Fort Hartsuff 2
Unless you live in central Nebraska or are perhaps a history buff of the 1870s, you’ve probably near heard of Fort Hartsuff.  However, a trip to the sand hills will reveal a true gem – an original plains fort that looks very much like the day the soldiers departed…

August 13, 2025
13Aug25 Fort Hartsuff 1
Just south of Burwell, Nebraska you’ll find a fort that is quite interesting to visit.  While there were no major battles or skirmishes here, what you can see is quite amazing…

August 12, 2025
12Aug25 Shipwreck Museum 3
Perhaps it’s fitting that you have to go a bit out of the way to find the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.  This well known site is certainly worth the drive, but in the early days, it was one of the more remote locations on the shores of Lake Superior…

August 11, 2025
11Aug25 Shipwreck Museum 2
Some sailors and airman have long feared the Bermuda Triangle for the mysterious fate of some who have passed there.  Whitefish Point is a bit different though.  Everyone knows its tremendous toll on ships, but for years, it didn’t seem to deter captains from plowing on through regardless the condition…

 

August 8, 2025
08Aug25 Shipwreck Museum 1
On a roadmap, it’s simply listed as “Whitefish Point.”  That place name has little significance to most, but for those living in northern Michigan, it’s a place very well known on land and sea…

August 7, 2025
07Aug25 Little League Museum 2
If I mention the town of South Williamsport, Pennsylvania, sports fans will know there is one iconic event that takes place there every summer.  It’s quite a spectacle in a town of only 6000 people…

August 6, 2025
06Aug25 Little League Museum 1
Today we take for granted that just about every young boy or girl in the country could probably sign up to play t-ball or baseball in their local community.  But that once wasn’t the case, and this man set out to give every kid a chance to play baseball.  What he created is something you know yet today…

August 5, 2025
05Aug25 Giants Museum 2
A stop in Atlanta, Illinois holds a lot to see and do in a place that isn’t very large.  They’ve done a great job of celebrating old route 66 and sharing some of its unique…and in this case, very large stories…

August 4, 2025
04Aug25 Giants Museum 1
You probably would not think a company making fiberglass boats would have a big impact on a major highway.  But a trip to this small Illinois town will show you the unique tie that business had to some very unique giants still around today…

 

August 1, 2025
01Aug25 Alcatraz 2
This island has some of the best views of San Francisco Bay and the city itself…yet most people didn’t want to live here.   In fact, some couldn’t bear the thought of such a pretty scene to be had…

July 31, 2025
31Jul25 Alcatraz 1
At one time it was one of the nation’s most important forts…but that’s not how people would know it today.  The story of one very famous rock is a destination of thousands of tourists headed to San Francisco…

July 30, 2025
30Jul25 Mastodon Park
Imagine you unearthed the bones of an animal and had little idea of what you found. Now imagine making up a tale about the creature and traveling the nation to tell its story. That’s exactly what happened just south of St. Louis…

July 29, 2025
29Jul25 Ice Cave 2
Since the late 1800s people have been coming to this small, but unusual place on the side of a mountain in north central Pennsylvania.  The geological anomaly has this particular spot producing sub-freezing conditions when the rest of the area is experiencing the heat of the summer…

July 28, 2025
28Jul25 Ice Cave 1
In north central Pennsylvania you’ll find a geological anomaly that is hard to believe.  It’s a specific place that grows colder and the countryside gets hotter.  So cold in fact, that it produces ice in the heat of July and August…

 

July 25, 2025
25Jul25 Fort Sidney Nebraska 2
Life in this fort could be monotonous.  Life outside this fort in the nearby town could get you killed.  It’s a place were a fort worked to tame the west, but the wild west lived on through a mix of characters heading to the Black Hills and points west…

July 24, 2025
24Jul25 Fort Sidney Nebraska 1
As rail lines were built west across Nebraska, there were sometimes conflicts between native Americans and those construction crews.  The town of Sidney, Nebraska owes its existence to the government’s work protecting the route…

July 23, 2025
23Jul25 Tin Roof Sundae 2
How many ice cream sundaes can a person dish up in one day?  Perhaps there is a record somewhere, but what Misty Marsh accomplished was certainly a big deal…and a cause for a sore shoulder for several days…

July 22, 2025
22Jul25 Tin Roof Sundae 1
Along interstate 80 in western Nebraska you’ll find the small town of Potter.  Many people zip by the place on the four lane highway, but others stop to honor the birthplace of something many of us know and love…

July 21, 2025
21Jul25 CO Transcontinental Railroad 2
If you wanted to travel from coast to coast by rail in 1870, you might consider a trip that took you through Omaha, or another that crossed via Kansas City.  The two routes could get you to your destination, but there was one major difference…

 

July 18, 2025
18Jul25 CO Transcontinental Railroad 1
Where was the final spike driven to complete the transcontinental railroad?  Promontory, Utah is often declared to be the location, but this town says it is the real answer.  I’ll decipher the point the rails truly joined the ends of the country…

July 17, 2025
17Jul25 Wyoming Fossil Store 2
I recently visited a very interesting store in southwestern Wyoming.  You’ll find quite a price range – everything from twenty-five cents to over $20,000.  So what do they sell?

July 16, 2025
16Jul25 Wyoming Fossil Store 1
The soft stone of southwestern Wyoming preserves the story of what this area looked like eons ago.  It is unique geology that draws people here…

July 15, 2025
15Jul25 Clear Lake California
It’s the largest natural lake wholly within the state of California – a beautiful spot that take some effort to reach, but you are rewarded with great scenery, abundant wildlife and some of the best fishing in the nation…

July 14, 2025
14Jul25 Lunchbox Museum
Many of us had a lunchbox when we were growing up.  Debbie did as well, but when her mom tossed hers, she needed to get a new one.  What resulted is quite a collection and museum you can see today…

 

July 11, 2025
11Jul25 Louisiana Purchase State Park 3
A witness can be a very important part of building a case.  And in this case, the witness is not a person, but rather two trees and what they observed was important for many transactions that have taken place for decades and centuries in the Midwest…

July 10, 2025
10Jul25 Louisiana Purchase State Park 2
In a swamp in rural Arkansas you’ll find a point that literally impacts life and property in several midwestern states.  Today the site sits is a part of a state park that tells the significance of that place…

July 9, 2025
09Jul25 Louisiana Purchase State Park 1
There are about 530 million acres in the Louisiana Purchase that the United State acquired from France in 1803.  The process of surveying that ground is an interesting story you probably have never heard…

July 8, 2025
08Jul25 Forks Washington Timber Museum 2
Certain jobs have their own vocabulary, which is understandable to those who work there but gibberish to everyone else.  This is one such place…

July 7, 2025
07Jul25 Forks Washington Timber Museum 1
In the northwest corner of the state of Washington you will find Olympic National Park.  It’s beautiful scenery encompasses most of the Olympic peninsula of the state.  On the west side, between the national park and the ocean you’ll find a city called Forks…

 

July 4, 2025
04Jul25 Independence Day Jefferson 2
Thomas Jefferson helped write the Declaration of Independence, but he wasn’t happy with the final product. Why was Jefferson grinding his teeth and not talking to his fellow delegates?

July 3, 2025
03Jul25 Independence Day Jefferson 1
Thomas Jefferson took an important role in writing our declaration of independence, but most people don’t know he wasn’t even supposed to be in Philadelphia for meeting that drafted the document…

July 2, 2025
02Jul25 Crater of Diamonds 3
It’s a sate park like none other – a place where your entrance fee allows you the chance to find something far more valuable that what you paid to get in…and many think is a fun way to spend a few hours or a few days with family…

July 1, 2025
01Jul25 Crater of Diamonds 2
The Arkansas state license plate has a picture of a diamond on it.  That is mostly due to a famous crater that was full of the precious stones – a place with quite a past and present…

June 30, 2025
30Jun25 Crater of Diamonds 1
When you think of state where you can find volcanoes you probably aren’t thinking of this spot.  However, it’s this place that started a diamond rush in the early 20^th century…

 

June 27, 2025
27Jun25 Sultana Museum 3
It remains the worth disaster in U.S. maritime history.  Add to the tragedy the fact that many of the dead were young soldiers being transported back to their homes in April 1865 at the end of the Civil War…

June 26, 2025
26Jun25 Sultana Museum 2
It was the early morning hours of April 27^th, 1865.  The steamboat Sultana was overcrowded, bearing a load of souls over five times it’s capacity.  Then tragedy struck…

June 25, 2025
25Jun25 Sultana Museum 1
As the Civil War drew to a close in April of 1865, there was a massive job to return prisoners of war back to their homes.  Those trips were marked by triumph and tragedy…

June 24, 2025
24Jun25 Jim Thorpe 2
In 1912 he was proclaimed the world’s greatest athlete and some of his Olympic records from that year still stood two decades later.  He was a well rounded athlete that even won the Dancing with the Stars competition of his day…

June 23, 2025
23Jun25 Jim Thorpe 1
When you think of historically great collegiate football programs, names like Notre Dame, Penn state and Alabama might come to mind.  Most people don’t name the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in that list, but with this star athlete on the team, they beat the top programs of their day…

 

June 20, 2025
20Jun25 Illinois Military Museum – Spencer Rifle
Imagine you had invented a new type of rifle that could be helpful to the U.S. military.  How would you go about selling your device?  This man simply took his rifle and ammunition and showed up at the White House…

June 19, 2025
19Jun25 Tombstone Courthouse 2
In the 1880s, stagecoaches brought dozens of people each day to a boom town called Tombstone.  But it was a cycle of boom and bust in the wild west…

June 18, 2025
18Jun25 Tombstone Courthouse 1
When this man set out to find his fortune he was told he’d need to dig his grave when he got there.  He decided to mock those who made fun of him with the name of his new town…

June 17, 2025
17Jun25 Lake of the Ozarks
In the 1930s, it became the largest lake in the world. Interestingly, that record-setter was nestled in the undeveloped forest land of the Midwest…

June 16, 2025
16Jun25 Memphis City Park – Shelby Farms
This city park is over five times the size of Central Park in New York City.  People not only come here to enjoy nature and recreational opportunities, but many don’t realize the impact some of the acres in this park have on the industry of agriculture

 

June 13, 2025
13Jun25 Sawdust City Arkansas
This town was founded on sawdust – in some cases quite literally.  While the mill and the homes are gone, one important building remains and it shares the story of a community that thrived in the early 1900s…

June 12, 2025
12Jun25 Parkin Archeological State Park 2
At the Parkin Archeological Park in Arkansas you can see a piece of wood that is believed to be a part of a cross erected by the explorer DeSoto in 1541.  That cross took on special meaning in this village when tensions between the two worlds ran high…

June 11, 2025
11Jun25 Parkin Archeological State Park 1
Long before European explorers first arrived in North America, Native American villages dotted the landscape of present day Arkansas.  One of the largest and finest such communities is preserved just west of Memphis…

June 10, 2025
10Jun25 Calavaras County Jumpin Frog 2
Each May in Angels Camp, California, thousands of people will come to witness a contest that could pay a winner $20,000.  It’s a fun event that anyone can enter and many do make it a part of their family tradition each year…

June 9, 2025
09Jun25 Calavaras County Jumpin Frog 1
In 1865 Mark Twain came to Angels Camp, California.  A tale he heard, or perhaps one he made up, became one he shared with others – a tale that helped launch his literary career…

 

June 6, 2025
06Jun25 Old Stone Fort
It’s known as the Old Stone Fort, but using the tern “fort” is perhaps a bit liberal.  While the structure was strong, it served other purposes and the place still shares the story of the early history of east Texas today…

June 5, 2025
05Jun25 YoYo Museum
When a small store in Chico, California decided to have some fun and create a local yo yo contest, they never imagined what it might turn into.  Today it’s an event that draw huge crowds and sends winner to international competitions…

June 4, 2025
04Jun25 YoYo Museum 2
Imagine a yo you so large you needed a crane to lift it.  That’s exactly what this man created and the stunt helped his innovations to a long time toy create demand for his brand…

June 3, 2025
03Jun25 YoYo Museum 1
We’ve all seen them.  Many of us played with them as a toy.  Perhaps you didn’t know it’s origin and that there is a museum for it?

June 2, 2025
02Jun25 Cedar Rapids General Mills
There’s a smell coming from the place Pete works.  It’s an odor that actually attracts rather than repels people, for those smells are from some products loved by many people across the country and around the globe…

 

May 30, 2025
30May25 Meeker Colorado 3
There was a time when cattle ranchers and sheep herders clashed, sometimes violently, in the western U.S.  This town saw it’s share of unfriendly encounters as well, but today the sheep and specifically the dogs that help shepherd them are the focus of a huge annual event that can bring competitors from around the world

May 29, 2025
29May25 Meeker Colorado 2
In the fall of 1879, an unfortunate set of events led to a clash between Native Americans and white settlers in northwestern Colorado.  Several men were killed and the way of life changed here forever

May 28, 2025
28May25 Meeker Colorado 1
In western Colorado you’ll find the town of Meeker.  It’s the surname of a family sent here in the 1870s for a job with the federal government

May 27, 2025
27May25 Harper’s Ferry 2
He is a man of legend…a man whose story may be larger than life…a renegade who history now looks upon as a catalyst to the civil war.  It’s Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia and John Brown’s raid on the federal arsenal

May 26, 2025
26May25 Harper’s Ferry 1
It was the site of events that would change the history of this nation and in turn influence the world.  While the town is now gone…it’s impact is not

 

May 23, 2025
23May25 Wendover Airfield Museum 3
Wendover, Utah is home to a closed air base that still has many features of the days when it was in operation.  In fact, this was the base that crews used to train for a mission to use the first nuclear weapon in war…

May 22, 2025
22May25-Wendover-Airfield-Museum-2
As World War II raged in Europe and in the Pacific, scientists worked to develop a nuclear weapon that could end that war.  Part of the testing took place here, on the western edge of the Great Salt Lake Desert…

May 21, 2025
21May25-Wendover-Airfield-Museum-1
When you head west from Salt Lake City you cross the Salt Lake Desert and the first town you’ll come to is on the state line with Nevada.  That town, Wendover, is important in the story of America…

May 20, 2025
20May25-Cinco-de-Mayo-2
Many Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo every May, but the date does not garner as much attention in Mexico.  So why does the commemoration of a Mexican victory against the French in 1862 receive more notice north of the border than in the place it occurred?

May 19, 2025
19May25-Cinco-de-Mayo-1
Southeast of Sacramento you’ll find many towns that trace their roots to the gold rush days of the late 1840s.  One such town is Columbia, and not only does it have ties to the 49ers, but you can come experience the place, much as it was, over a century ago…

 

 

May 16, 2025
16May25 Baker Montana History
Most people don’t look at a road atlas these days when they need to go somewhere.  However, if you visit Baker, Montana, you might appreciate looking at one, for it will show that there is a lot of wide open spaces…and those distances might just tell you it’s time to get some gas…

May 15, 2025
15May25 Steer Montana 2
Most steers don’t live to the age of 15 years old.  When one does, well, there’s probably an interesting story behind him.  That’s the case for a bovine that for awhile made his home in the bar in Baker, Montana…

May 14, 2025
14May25 Steer Montana 1
In the 1920s and 30s, one farmer in southeastern Montana was raising some of the largest steers the country had ever seen.  In fact, one of those steers in particular was so large, people wanted to see the mammoth bovine firsthand.  That steer and his owner became quite a show…

May 13, 2025
13May25 Fort Saint Jean Baptiste 2
Within the boundaries of one of northwest Louisiana’s larger cities, you’ll find an old fort.  It was this outpost around which today’s city grew and the history shared here reveals much about life from the 1700s and 1800s…

May 12, 2025
12May25 Fort Saint Jean Baptiste 1
In northwestern Louisiana you’ll find lands once the home to the Caddo Nation.  When the first European explorers came here, they soon developed a trading network with the Caddo and built an outpost here…

 

May 9, 2025
09May25 Wild Bill Hickok 3
John Sellers says the key to winning an old-west shootout was not quickness, but accuracy.  And when you take into account how difficult it was to hit a distant target, well, that changes the reality behind how those duels were conducted…

May 8, 2025
08May25 Wild Bill Hickok 2
In a movie “western” you might see two gunslingers fire their pistols at each other in the town square.  That’s exactly what happened here.  It was all over a small gambling debt and a stolen pocket watch.  What resulted was a first of its kind confrontation…

May 7, 2025
07May25 Wild Bill Hickok 1
When the Civil War ended, there were still many unsettled scores of course.  Towns along the border with North and South were especially prone to violence between individuals supporting one side or the other.  That was the case here in Springfield, Missouri, and the tensions would have deadly results…

May 6, 2025
06May25 Named for LIncoln Before He Was President
It’s common that towns, school and other sites are named in honor of U.S. Presidents.  So it’s natural that most people believe this town was named for our 16^th President.  What’s intriguing though is that fact, it was named for the man well before he was ever elected to the highest office…

May 5, 2025
05May25 Phone Booth on City Hall
Today technology can help us predict and spot several storms that may be headed our way.  Of course, there was a time when that was not the case, and some towns came up with inventive ways to best warn their citizens.  Such was the case in Lincoln, Illinois…

 

May 2, 2025
02May25 Fort Jesup 2
There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of this fort, yet it was very important in the United State’s war that acquired much of today’s American southwest…

May 1, 2025
01May25 Fort Jesup 1
When the United States made the Louisiana Purchase they didn’t get all of today’s state of Louisiana.  Today I’ll take you to the part they didn’t initially purchase for a story of life on an international border of the early 1800s…

April 30, 2025
30Apr25 Springfield VT The Simpsons
There are many towns in this country named Springfield, but only one can be home to this fictional tv family.  That designation brings several people here to visit every week…

April 29, 2025
29Apr25 Springfield VT History
There is some evidence this place in Vermont was in the crosshairs of the German military during World War II if their planes were to begin bombing the U.S…

April 28, 2025
28Apr25 Old Round Church
A church doesn’t want to leave any place for the devil to hide.  This old church took that to heart and built a place with literally no corner to hide in…

 

April 25, 2025
25Apr25 Hero Island Lake Champlain 2
The oldest log cabin in New England is on an island in Vermont.  It’s a spot you can visit today, and for those that do, you’ll find an interesting story about the man who built it and those who settled there…

April 24, 2025
24Apr25 Hero Island Lake Champlain 1
In the northeastern part of Vermont you’ll find Lake Champlain, and in that body of water there are the Hero Islands.  So who is the hero?

April 23, 2025
23Apr25 Henry David Thoreau
Many writers take inspiration from nature.  That is certain true for this man who is known to take long walks and then come back to his desk to write.  The location of that desk and his cabin still bring visitors today to a well known pond…

April 22, 2025
22Apr25 Shot Heard Around the World 2
It is know as the “shot heard ‘round the world.”  It was the shot considered to have begun the American Revolution in Concord, Massachusetts…

April 21, 2025
21Apr25 Shot Heard Around the World 1
It’s been about 250 years since British Regulars met Citizens of Concord, known as the Provincials at the Old North Bridge.  That confrontation began the American Revolution…

 

April 18, 2025
18Apr25 Shroud of Turin Shreveport 2
Although the Shroud of Turin is located in Italy, the research and a traveling exhibit about it have connections to this country and specifically the city of Shreveport…

April 17, 2025
17Apr25 Shroud of Turin Shreveport 1
Easter week is a time Christians celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  In Shreveport, Louisiana you’ll find a lady who knows much about an object that has received much scrutiny over its connection to those historical events…

April 16, 2025
16Apr25 Colfax Massacre 3
They are an unlikely duo.  Turn back the clock to the 1870s, and one ancestor participated in the murder of the other’s ancestor.  Today they work together to bring healing and hope to a sad chapter of American history…

April 15, 2025
15Apr25 Colfax Massacre 2
When Avery Hamilton began researching his ancestors, he found a chapter of local history unknown to him.  The more he researched, the more he learned about an event in his hometown that not only impacted his family, but the entire country…

April 14, 2025
14Apr25 Colfax Massacre 1
In the years after the Civil War, amendments to the U.S. constitution were written to provide former slaves with the same rights as white Americans.  Those changes boiled over in conflict in the town of Colfax, Louisiana in 1873…

 

April 11, 2025
11Apr25 Black American West Museum 2
If your family lived in the Five Points area of Denver, Colorado in the first half of the 20^th century, there’s a good chance you were born in this particular home.  The story of that home and the woman who lived here says a lot about her life and challenges overcome…

April 10, 2025
10Apr25 Black American West Museum 1
There is a cliché that says, “Perception is reality.”  For Paul Stewart, his perception growing up was that young men like himself were not cowboys.  It turned out that he was not only wrong, he helped build a museum dedicated to the topic…

April 9, 2025
09Apr25 Troy Kansas – Peter Toth 2
To some, they resemble totem poles, but the works of art are more modern and quite intricate.  At least one can be found in every state and they tell the story of the native residents who once lived there…

April 8, 2025
08Apr25 Troy Kansas – Peter Toth 1
Peter Toth was just a boy when his family was forced to leave Hungary.  The event left a lasting impression on him and influenced what he would someday undertake once he moved to the United States…

April 7, 2025
07Apr25 Troy Kansas – Lincoln Visit
People often associate Abraham Lincoln with the states of Illinois or perhaps his birthplace in Kentucky.  But what state is the farthest west he ever traveled?  The answer is the site of today’s American Countryside…

 

April 4, 2025
04Apr25 Ernest Muncreif 2
Many schools take field trips.  They’re usually fun events for students to get some time out of the classroom.  But some field trips don’t go as planned.  That was certainly the case for the ag teacher who was convinced to allow some of his students to try their hand at rodeo…

April 3, 2025
03Apr25 Ernest Muncreif 1
There are major awards like Oscars, Grammys and Nobel Peace Prizes. Then, there is the Battered Bucket Award.  You’ve probably never heard of it, but if you won it, you probably messed up in a memorable way to get it…

April 2, 2025
02Apr25 Appamatox 2
After four years of Civil War the conflict had claimed over 630,000 lives.  It was time to begin the long process toward peace and healing.  We look back  on the surrender of Lee at Appomattox…

April 1, 2025
01Apr25 Appamatox 1
Most Americans know it as the place where the Civil War ended.  Although that is not technically true, it is still the spot where the war between the states entered its final chapter…

March 31, 2025
31Mar25 Steamboat Springs 2
A brick layer from Norway came to this country in the early 1900s.  The impact he had in one Colorado town is still seen today…

 

March 28, 2025
28Mar25 Steamboat Springs 1
When the first farmers and ranchers began to settle this part of north central Colorado, they found a mineral spring that was unique from the rest.  In fact, one characteristic gave us the name of the well known town here today…

March 27, 2025
27Mar25 Charley Peterson 2
If you happen to drive by the cemetery in Gypsum, Colorado on April 8^th, you may find several people serving breakfast.  It’s an unusual sight to see and it has quite a story behind it…

March 26, 2025
26Mar25 Charley Peterson 1
Near Gypsum, Colorado you can still find a small cabin that was the home of a farmer named Charley Peterson.  He also ran a ferry across the river and was known to be a kind and helpful gentleman.  That’s what made this story especially unusual and tragic…

March 25, 2025
25Mar25 Eagle County Ag History
When mining didn’t pan out, many here turned to ranching and then to farming.  And when it came to growing crops, one vegetable in particular made these towns the best in the country  at growing this…

March 24, 2025
24Mar25 The Only State with a Circular Border
What is the only U.S. state with a circle, or arc, as part of its boundary?  There’s only one and we’ll go to the center of that circle for the story…

 

March 21, 2025
21Mar25 On Trial on the Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was not only a dangerous journey for blacks escaping slavery, but there were also consequences for those who helped them.  This old courthouse recounts the story of those who paid that price…

March 20, 2025
20Mar25 Delaware Declares Independence
When is Independence Day?  Most of us would say July 4^th, but for residents of this state, it’s a few days prior.  In fact, they still celebrate this date as their break from England…

March 19, 2025
19Mar25 The Battle for Delaware
When you think of the early Europeans settlement of what became the Unites States, you probably don’t think of a battle between he Dutch and the Swedes over land.  But that’s exactly what happened here

March 18, 2025
18Mar25 Zach Arend 2
What can saddle bronc riding teach you about leadership, business and life?  It turns out, quite a lot.  This former champion spends much of his time talking with groups about what he did and what we can all learn from it…

March 17, 2025
17Mar25 Zach Arend 1
Most mothers would be worried about their teenage son riding a bull.  This mother signed her son up to ride a bull even though he’d never attempted to ride one.  It’s just part of the interesting story of this rodeo champion…

 

March 14, 2025
14Mar25 Grant Kohrs Ranch 2
Ranchers know that winter weather can sometimes toss brutal conditions at us.  It was one bitter winter in Montana in particular that changed ranching in the region forever.  We meet Montana’s Cattle King and learn about the winter that changed everything…

March 13, 2025
13Mar25 Grant Kohrs Ranch 1
If you could trade one steer for two, and you did that over and over, you could build quite a herd.  That’s what this man did in order to build one of the largest ranches in Montana.  You can still visit the ranch and see the legacy…

March 12, 2025
12Mar25 Eureka Nevada
If you are a miner and struck it rich, you might shout this one word, and that one word is the name of this town yet today.  I’ll take you to a place where they are still mining the precious metals discovered in the 1800s…

March 11, 2025
11Mar25 Settling West to East
Most Europeans who came to the United States made the trip overland, east to west, to reach the place they would call home.  Lori Price’s ancestors made the trip from a different direction to establish a long-time business in this town…

March 10, 2025
10Mar25 Battle of Battle Mountain
The name of this town sounds like there was some major trouble that took place here sometime in the past.  Perhaps the name is a bit bigger than what actually occurred, but we do know this was a place of contention between many…

 

March 7, 2025
07Mar25 Clark’s Trading Post 2
Imagine a animal show where bears bolted from the stage to barrel past tourist and make a break for the ice cream stand. It’s just one of the many stories from a show that still draws huge crowds for over half a century…

March 6, 2025
06Mar25 Clark’s Trading Post 1
Along I-93 in northern New Hampshire you’ll find a spot that’s been attracting families for three and four generations now. In order to get those families to pull over, the place needed a stopper…

March 5, 2025
05Mar25 Tule Lake Internment Camp
Soon after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government began to worry that Japanese Americans living in this country might be foes rather than friends.  A sad chapter of history unfolded as U.S. citizens were forced form their homes to camps – the highest security location of those camps was here…

March 4, 2025
04Mar25 Modoc War 2
In the middle of a lava field in northern California you’ll find a place known as the stronghold…a volcanic fortress of sorts where a man known as Captain Jack fought for the way of life his people once enjoyed…

March 3, 2025
03Mar25 Modoc War 1
As European settlers moved west, Native Americans were often displaced and forced onto lands foreign to them.  That was the case for the Modocs and their story is one that is told here in northern California…

 

February 28, 2025
28Feb25 Chiricuhua National Monument 2
Southeastern Arizona has been a place for ranchers to graze cattle for well over a century.  However, one ranch family found this spot too beautiful to keep to themselves…

February 27, 2025
27Feb25 Chiricuhua National Monument 1
It’s a place of amazing natural beauty, with stone spires rising high into the sky.  It’s also a place of history, where two cultures collided…

February 26, 2025
26Feb25 Tombstone Okay Corral
This corral isn’t famous for holding cattle, but it is famous for the shootout that put this town on the map.  We’ll head to Tombstone, Arizona…

February 25, 2025
25Feb25 Nathan Hale 3
His only regret was that he had but one life to give for his country.  They are famous words uttered by America’s first spy just before his death in 1776.  The story of his life and how we know where he lived is a fascinating tale…

February 24, 2025
24Feb25 Nathan Hale 2
Many refer to him as America’s first spy – a young man from a farm who answered George Washington’s call for men to go into New York City and report on the movements of the soldiers there…

 

February 21, 2025
21Feb25 Nathan Hale 1
He was the sixth of twelve children born on a 300 acre farm in central Connecticut.  While all of the kids in the family were important, it’s that sixth child whose name you may still know today…

February 20, 2025
20Feb25 150 Year Old Donut
There’s a donut in Montana, that while very interesting, is not a donut anyone probably wants to consume.  That’s because this donut is over 150 years old.  With those facts, you know there has to be an interesting story behind it…

February 19, 2025
19Feb25 Fort Keough
Miles City, Montana is a hub for the ranch lands of the southeastern part of the state.  Part of its history can be traced to a fort built here in 1876 and there are still residents here with links to a place that closed in 1924…

February 18, 2025
18Feb25 Range Riders Museum
In the 1930s a group of cowboys in southeastern Montana wanted to preserve the ranch history they saw slowly vanishing.  What resulted is a unique museum with many of their ranch brands on the walls…

February 17, 2025…
17Feb25 Nevada City Montana 3
What would a jukebox from the 1800s look like?  A trip to this old Montana town will give you a glimpse as something that is far more than that.  It’s as if an entire band and their instruments was literally put inside the box…

 

February 14, 2025
14Feb25 Nevada City Montana 2
Some people like to preserve a piece of the past.  What this family did here was preserve an entire town from the past.  It’s quite a place to experience and learn as you see the actual artifacts from the later 1800s…

February 13, 2025
13Feb25 Nevada City Montana 1
Just northwest of Yellowstone National Park you’ll find some old mining towns with quite a story.  When gold was found there in 1863, the stories of what was being found in the stream beds brought thousands to this area seemingly overnight…

February 12, 2025
12Feb25 Glenn Michigan Pancake Days
Occasionally a winter storm will leave motorists stranded and locals will come to their aid.  That was the case in one small town in 1937.  They were suddenly helping 200 people through a three day ordeal…and what they fed that throng is still celebrated today…

February 11, 2025
11Feb25 Chugwater Wyoming
It is noted to be the longest running image used on a license plate anywhere in the world.  The image immortalized a horse and rider with ties to this small town…

February 10, 2025
10Feb25 Sleeping Bear Dunes 2
When the first European settlers came to this area, they may not have given much thought to the natural landmark that brings people here today…

 

February 7, 2025
07Feb25 Sleeping Bear Dunes 1
Many people come to this area of Michigan each year for the beauty of the woods and the Lake Michigan shoreline.  The first industry here though, had early settlers sending the best wood to points around the globe for a sport that was very popular at the time…

February 6, 2025
06Feb25 Springfield Armory 3
Along the Connecticut River in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts you’ll find a series of buildings that for nearly two centuries were important in this nation’s ability to defend freedom here and around he world…

February 5, 2025
05Feb25 Springfield Armory 2
In Springfield, Massachusetts you’ll find a site that resembles a large pipe organ.  In fact, that is part of it’s name.  But what resembles pipes in an organ is actually something else very important to the country that was made here…

February 4, 2025
04Feb25 Springfield Armory 1
When the colonies declared there independence from England, they had to fight a war using guns mostly made in other countries.  George Washington set about to change that, and the spot where many of those weapons were made was here…

February 3, 2025
03Feb25 Eureka Springs 2
Imagine a seven story hotel in which each floor is a ground floor.  We’ll take you to the town where that unusual site and much more still attracts thousands…

 

January 31, 2025
31Jan25 Eureka Springs 1
If you think water is just water, then don’t tell the folks in this small town, because it’s the water they owe for their livelihood…

January 30, 2025
30Jan25 Dry Tortugas 2
Alcatraz was known as one of the most difficult prisons from which to make an escape.  It’s location in San Francisco Bay was a huge obstacle for anyone looking to break out of the Rock.  There’s another American prison though that makes the swim at Alcatraz look like a kiddie pool though…

January 29, 2025
29Jan25 Dry Tortugas 1
The name of a place can sometimes tell you a lot about what the surrounding area may be like.  That is the case for this location in Florida and the name held both good and bad for perspective visitors…

January 28, 2025
28Jan25 Little White House 2
If you go to a tropical location, some people might decide to don a floral print shirt.  But things got a bit out of hand in this location.  So many such shirts showed up, they began to outfit the entire working staff in them…

January 27, 2025
27Jan25 Little White House 1
This Naval Base would not have drawn much attention if not for a doctor who ordered a president he needed a change in scenery for his health.  That visit created a presidential work space far away from the hustle and bustle of D.C….

 

January 24, 2025
24Jan25 Jim the Wonder Dog 3
Any betting man or woman would love to know the winners before placing a wager.  The people of Marshall, Missouri know that there was once a way you could predict the future.  It all had to do with one very amazing canine…

January 23, 2025
23Jan25 Jim the Wonder Dog 2
Many people have dogs and some of us have even taught our dogs to do tricks.  But Sam had a very unusual dog, for it seemed the dog learned all of the amazing tricks by himself, and no one could ever figure out how he did it…

January 22, 2025
22Jan25 Jim the Wonder Dog 1
It all began quite by accident.  A pup mysteriously arrived on a train, addressed to a man who loved to hunt.  That pup grew to become an excellent hunting dog, but soon, the canine was remembered for something far more impressive that helping point birds…

January 21, 2025
21Jan25 Gila Cliff Dwellings 2
It requires some time and effort to make the drive up highway 15 north of Silver City, New Mexico.  The rugged terrain is exactly why this was an important place for Native Americans and is part of the reason the area is protected for visitors today…

January 20, 2025
20Jan25 Gila Cliff Dwellings 1
Many people visit famous Native American cliff dwellings such as Mesa Verde in Colorado.  But here, north of Silver City, New Mexico, you’ll find some impressive structures with much fewer visitors, most likely because it requires some effort to get here…

 

January 17, 2025
17Jan25 Munroe Tavern 2
Thousands of tourists come to Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts every year to see the place where the American Revolution began.  Who was the first such tourist to visit?  You’ll know his name and in a moment you’ll learn why he made that trip…

January 16, 2025
16Jan25 Munroe Tavern 1
In Lexington, Massachusetts you’ll find an old tavern with quite a story connected to the first shots of the American Revolution.  You can still come here today to learn about its unique place in American history…

January 15, 2025
15Jan25 Lexington Green 2
The United States proclaimed its independence on July 4, 1776.  It witnessed its first deaths in the fight for freedom on April 19^th, 1775.  Now, about 250 years later, we go to that spot…

January 14, 2025
14Jan25 Lexington Green 1
Next to the historic green in Lexington, Massachusetts, you’ll find a tavern that is a few decades older than this country.  Perhaps you’ve not heard of it, but the stories shared there are the ones of the birth of this nation…

January 13, 2025
13Jan25 Haskell Library 2
There is a black tape line on the floor of the library in Derby Line, Vermont.  Walk inside and cross that line and you’re in the country of Canada.  It’s a unique arrangement that has been serving residents of two countries for well over a century…

 

January 10, 2025
10Jan25 Haskell Library 1
She was one of the richest women in the world.  A quaker who some thought was simply too miserly in her ways, yet a shrewd investor who outperformed her male counterparts in a time when women where not accepted in most financial markets…

January 9, 2025
09Jan25 Hetty Green 2
The Connecticut River is the largest in the northeastern U.S. flowing over 400 miles from Quebec to Long Island Sound.  The location of the first bridge and first canal on that river might surprise you…

January 8, 2025
08Jan25 Hetty Green 1
She was one of the richest women in the world.  A quaker who some thought was simply too miserly in her ways, yet a shrewd investor who outperformed her male counterparts in a time when women where not accepted in most financial markets…

January 7, 2025
07Jan25 Bellows Falls
The Connecticut River is the largest in the northeastern U.S. flowing over 400 miles from Quebec to Long Island Sound.  The location of the first bridge and first canal on that river might surprise you…

January 6, 2025
06Jan25 Echo Bluff
It’s hard to find a road that runs straight for very long around Emminence, Missouri.  Perhaps that’s the charm that brings people today and the geography that reminded early Scotch and Irish immigrants of the homes they left…

 

January 3, 2025
03Jan25 Penneytown 2
Virginia Huston holds a unique distinction. She was the last child born in Pennytown. It’s a fact that holds much significance in her life and has influenced the work she does today. We’ll go to a place called Pennytown…

January 2, 2025
02Jan25 Penne.ytown 1
Establishing a new city can take plenty of planning. Now imagine trying to begin that new town when others are very motivated to stop you. It was the case for newly freed slaves in the years after the Civil War…

January 1, 2025
01Jan25 Best of 2024 – Hawaii Champion Cowboy
The accomplishment was so spectacular it is still remembered over a century later.  A cowboy journeyed thousands of miles to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a chance to become the world’s champion steer roper, and he would do it all with a borrowed horse after riding a ship and train for days…It’s the Best of 2024 with the American Countryside!

December 31, 2024
31Dec24 Best of 2024 – KISS Homecoming
There perhaps has never been a homecoming dance like the 1975 Cadillac, Michigan version.  The students and the entire town were surprised when that year they didn’t just play music, they had a live performance by a very memorable group…It’s the Best of 2024 with the American Countryside!

December 30, 2024
30Dec24 Best of 2024 – Lancaster Circus
Lancaster, Missouri is not a big town, but in the 1920s, the circuses came to town.  And yes, I did use the plural form of the word, because boy did the circus really come to town, for many days each year…It’s the Best of 2024 with the American Countryside!

 

December 27, 2024
27Dec24 Best of 2024 – Little America
This place isn’t really a town, yet it has its own zip code.  Sometimes it’s a bit of a game to see exactly how much or how little you can write on an envelope and still get a letter to arrive here.  Chances are, if you simply write the zip code, it will arrive at this place…It’s the Best of 2024 with the American Countryside!

December 26, 2024
26Dec24 Best of 2024 – Ismay Montana
You’ll need to drive on six miles of gravel roads from the highway to get to the tiny town of Ismay, Montana.  There would really be no need for any visitors to make the trip, but there’s still a few that do and it’s usually because of a story involving a Hall of Fame quarterback who, probably has never visited the place…It’s the Best of 2024 with the American Countryside!

December 25, 2024
25Dec24 Bevin Bells 3
Bells are often associated with the Christmas holiday.  There is one bell in one classic Christmas movie that remains a fixture in many folks’ minds, and a top seller for the company that made the original…

December 24, 2024
24Dec24 Bevin Bells 2
Bells sometimes signal the beginning of a school day or a work day.  At this company, the ringing of the bell is all day, every day.  They’ve been doing this work for about 200 years…

December 23, 2024
23Dec24 Bevin Bells 1
Once upon a time, a farm needed bells.  Bells were used in conjunction with livestock and other pursuits.  Times have changed but this company remains – and they’ll still make bells for farms and much more…

 

December 20, 2024
20Dec24 America’s Stonehenge 2
The Stone family has long enjoyed this spot on a wooded hill in southern New Hampshire.  In fact, they purchased the property a few generations ago and help folks explore an ancient site that still holds plenty of mysteries…

December 19, 2024
19Dec24 America’s Stonehenge 1
Many of us have heard, or perhaps even visited, Stonehenge, the ancient site of giant stones in England.  Did you know that in southern New Hampshire you’ll find what is known as America’s Stonehenge?

December 18, 2024
18Dec24 San Felipe de Austin 2
This was once the second largest city in what is today the state of Texas.  But the site was destroyed by fire and not much was here for decades, until now…

December 17, 2024
17Dec24 San Felipe de Austin 1
Many of us have heard of Stephen F Austin and we know he’s connected to Texas, but exactly how he wound up there is a bit of a mystery…

December 16, 2024
16Dec24 McGulpin Point Lighthouse 2
Many lighthouses are today just historical pieces that harken to the days when lights kept burning through the night to guide ships.  This famous lighthouse still has a beacon that shines and a history that brings many visitors to this part of Michigan…

 

December 13, 2024
13Dec24 McGulpin Point Lighthouse 1
Many have heard of Plymouth Rock, the famous landing spot of the Pilgrims.  But at the northern tip of Michigan, you’ll find another rock, larger in size and well known during the early days of European navigation…

December 12, 2024
12Dec24 Ely Nevada Railway 2
Steam locomotives are a thing of the past, but not everywhere.  A trip to eastern Nevada will show you a place still using those old engines and you can even come here to not only ride the rails, but work for a railroad of old…

December 11, 2024
11Dec24 Ely Nevada Railway 1
In the early 1900s, this area of eastern Nevada saw a boom that brought men and families from all points of the globe to work in an enterprise to fulfill the desire of Americans to experience the latest technology of the day.  It’s amazing how quickly this place grew to meet those needs…

December 10, 2024
10Dec24 Sedona Arizona History 3
Some businesses are known by their iconic logos.  For instance, if I refer to the golden arches, you know it’s McDonald’s…unless you’re here, where the gold just wouldn’t do…

December 9, 2024
09Dec24 Sedona Arizona History 2
Many would say Sedona, Arizona is a beautiful place with a beautiful and unique name.  But where did that name come from?  The is the story of the origin of the title and how this place grew to be a draw for visitors…

 

December 6, 2024
06Dec24 Sedona Arizona History 1
Before Sedona became a draw for tourists, this type of farming drew homesteaders here.  In fact, one important museum there is in the old buildings of a leading farm family of the day…

December 5, 2024
05Dec24 Merle Hay
For many years whenever I drive around the northern edge of Des Moines, on interstates 80 and 35, I have passed the exit for Merle Hay Road.  I’ve often wondered, “who was Merle Hay?”  Today I’ll not only answer that question but tell you why America owes him their gratitude…

December 4, 2024
04Dec24 M&M Divide 2
We’ve all heard of the Continental Divide, but have you heard of the M and M Divide?  That high point can be found here in Iowa and one particular point has quite a story behind it.

December 3, 2024
03Dec24 M&M Divide 1
Before today’s network of interstate highways was built, there were early routes constructed to cross the nation and help the traveling public get places faster.  One such route owed much to the work of farmers who helped build that highway

December 2, 2024
02Dec24 Heider Tractor
In the early 19^th century, many companies began to build tractors.  A wide variety of designs were used to try to help farmers accomplish their work more efficiently.  One of those companies was located in Carroll, IA

 

November 29, 2024
29Nov24 Lakers Plane Crash Carroll 3
Today the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the most recognized teams in the NBA.  But one night in Carroll, Iowa back in 1960, the story of that franchise almost came to an end.  They were the Minneapolis Lakers back then and what took place in that small town is still an event the team remembers today…

November 28, 2024
28Nov24 Berkley Plantation Thanksgiving
You may have thought Thanksgiving dates back to the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in today’s state of Massachusetts.  But, in a moment we’ll travel to the farm that claims to have held that first feast many years prior…

November 27, 2024
27Nov24 Lakers Plane Crash Carroll 2
During World War II many airplanes made landings on places other that a smooth concrete runway.  The planes of the era were made to stand the force of landing on difficult terrain.  After the war, that fact came in very handy for one landing in an Iowa corn field…

November 26, 2024
26Nov24 Lakers Plane Crash Carroll 1
It was a cold, snowy night in 1960.  Residents of one Iowa town were mostly asleep when they suddenly began to hear what some may have thought was an attack by an airplane.  For some reason the town was being buzzed by a DC3 in the middle of a snowstorm…

November 25, 2024
25Nov24 Hollenberg Pony Express 2
The pony express was in operation for just a little over a year, however the story of horses and riders racing mail across the country continues to fascinate…

 

November 22, 2024
22Nov24 Hollenberg Pony Express 1
They say that in real estate, the three most important things are location, location, location.  That was true even in the 1850s.  It led one enterprising family to settle at the joining of two important trails to capture new business…

November 21, 2024
21Nov24 Christiana Riot 2
It’s called the Christiana Riot – a showdown between a slave owner and those harboring his runaway slaves.  It led to bloodshed here just a few miles north of the Mason Dixon line…

November 20, 2024
20Nov24 Christiana Riot 1
In the years before the Civil War, many people stood up for the cause of freedom and equality.  Some of those who showed the most bravery were former slaves…

November 19, 2024
19Nov24 Wigwam Hotel
If you, your kids or even your grandkids have seen the movie Cars, then you probably remember the Cozy Cones.  They’re patterned after a real-life motel of concrete wigwams…

November 18, 2024
18Nov24 Yuma Crossing 3
George Strait once sang that he had some ocean front property in Arizona and if you’d buy that he’d throw the golden gate in free.  This Arizona town isn’t exactly on the ocean, but much of its existence depended on it…

 

November 15, 2024
15Nov24 Yuma Crossing 2
Before bridges crossed rivers, communities often relied upon ferries to carry people and supplies.  In some cases, those ferry operators were able to build thriving businesses.  Two such men lived in the middle of a vast desert…

November 14, 2024
14Nov24 Yuma Crossing 1
Yuma, Arizona is in the Sonoran dessert.  The annual average rainfall is about three inches per year.  So it is a bit ironic that it is a river helped build a city of great wealth in the southwest…

November 13, 2024
13Nov24 Mission Point Lighthouse 2
Drive north from Traverse City, Michigan and you’ll find beautiful fruit orchards on a narrow peninsula that dead ends at this lighthouse.  It’s a place that attracts visitors and some folks who even wait months or years to get a chance to live there for a week…

November 12, 2024
12Nov24 Mission Point Lighthouse 1
The Great Lakes shoreline is dotted with many old lighthouses.  Many are not needed these days, but most have great stories to share.  One such place is in northwestern Michigan…

November 11, 2024
11Nov24 Fort Snelling Last Boat Out
It’s the junction of two important rivers – the Mississippi and the Minnesota – and it made sense to have a fort here.  But for those stationed at what became Ft. Snelling, enduring the winter and the accompanying isolation was something few wanted to face…

 

November 8, 2024
08Nov24 Harry Truman Election 3
It’s one of the most iconic pictures in presidential election history.  A picture of President Harry Truman holding up a paper that proclaims, “Dewey Defeats Truman.”  Of course the headline was wrong and the story behind how it all happened is one you won’t want to miss…

November 7, 2024
07Nov24 Harry Truman Election 2
In the summer of 1948 Harry Truman was losing the race to return for a second term as president.  But that summer his campaign accomplished something that would be hard to replicate now…especially considering the way they travelled to do it…

November 6, 2024
06Nov24 Harry Truman Election 1
It was the day after the voting had ended and people woke up to find a different person was elected president than they may have imagined.  It sounds like recent history, but it’s actually a story from 1948…

November 5, 2024
05Nov24 Cahokia Mounds 2
We’ve probably all heard of Native American mounds scattered throughout parts of North America.  Here just east of present day St. Louis was the largest of those mounds.  In fact, you can still see it and climb it today…

November 4, 2024
04Nov24 Cahokia Mounds 1
Before there was a United States of America, this was the largest city within its modern boundaries.  In fact, its size still marvels those who consider its origins over a thousand years ago…

 

November 1, 2024
01Nov24 French Lick Railroad 2
The heyday of passenger rail travel was about a century ago.  But don’t tell that to the folks in southern Indiana, for they are riding the historic rails of this town as they did in times of old…

October 31, 2024
31Oct24 French Lick Railroad 1
Airlines might devote more flights to popular winter destinations like Phoenix or Florida.  One hundred years ago they were adding trains for this popular spot in Indiana…

October 30, 2024
30Oct24 Spook Light 2
People like to have answers…and perhaps that’s what makes this phenomena so interesting…there seems to be no explaining it.  So what is it that has so many puzzled?

October 29, 2024
29Oct24 Spook Light 1
I don’t care for stories about evil and gruesomeness at Halloween, yet a spooky tale may be in order.  For such a story, you can venture to southwest Missouri where a centuries old legend has people still searching for answers.  It’s a story with world wide fame…

October 28, 2024
28Oct24 Fort Morgan Colorado
This area of northeastern Colorado has long been an important place for farming.  The way it developed was a bit by chance with one man happening to see its promise on a bison hunting trip…

 

October 25, 2024
25Oct24 Fort Morgan Museum
The initial route of the Oregon Trail followed the North Platte River, but over time, some decided to follow the southern fork of that river, creating a trail that passed this point in Colorado…

October 24, 2024
24Oct24 Julesburg Dragstrip
In Julesburg, Colorado you’ll find a small airstrip that has been in use for many decades.  But this is much more than a place for airplanes to take off and land…it’s second use is one that brings plenty of people here from Spring to Fall…

October 23, 2024
23Oct24 Julesburg Colorado History 2
Many of our towns have a namesake and that is the case for Julesburg, Colorado.  But, the “Jules” in Julesburg is a man with quite an infamous story…

October 22, 2024
22Oct24 Julesburg Colorado History 1
The town of Julesburg, Colorado has been an important point on many trails leading west.  But it’s history is one that has been a bit rough-n-tumble, especially for the early years of its existence…

October 21, 2024
21Oct24 Fromm Brothers Fus 2
In the woods of northern Wisconsin there is a lodge that housed some of the leading businessman of the world.  They came to one tiny town for a shot of acquiring the best of the best…

 

October 18, 2024
18Oct24 Fromm Brothers Fus 1
The Fromm Brothers might be said to have been as “sly as a fox.”  That’s because their business plan led them to develop the silver fox, an animal that brought them fame and fortune…

October 17, 2024…
17Oct24 George Washington Cherry Tree
Sometimes a person gains so much fame…they become bigger than life…so is that the case with George Washington and a cherry tree he chopped to the ground?

October 16, 2024
16Oct24 Hawaiian World Champion Cowboy
The accomplishment was so spectacular it is still remembered over a century later.  A cowboy journeyed thousands of miles to Cheyenne, Wyoming for a chance to become the world’s champion steer roper, and he would do it all with a borrowed horse after riding a ship and train for days…

October 15, 2024
15Oct24 Lane Frost
World class sprinters can complete the 100 meters in under 10 seconds.  In this sport, you are world class at just 8 seconds – and it’s those eight seconds for which a movie was made about one of the greatest to ever compete…

October 14, 2024
14Oct24 Cheyenne Frontier Days 2
It’s billed as the “Daddy of Them All” and that it is – a rodeo so big and so grand that others have worked to emulate it.  It is a place that every cowboy hopes to compete and win on one of the biggest stages…

 

October 11, 2024
11Oct24 Cheyenne Frontier Days 1
The railroad was looking for ways to entice people to ride the rails for one day excursions to see unique events.  But what was there to do in Cheyenne, Wyoming?  Perhaps some people thought, nothing, until a chance event took place near the depot…

October 10, 2024
10Oct24 Hatch Show Print 2
Inside the Country Music Hall of Fame you’ll find a shop with roots that go all the way back to 1879.  Some things have changed, but many have not.  In a moment I’ll take you to a place where the old is still new in a sense…

October 9, 2024
09Oct24 Hatch Show Print 1
Today we think of Nashville as a city for country music.  Back in the late 1800s, there was music here, but perhaps the city was known for another industry – a career that brought one family to town to help their business flourish…

October 8, 2024
08Oct24 Matchstick Marvels 2
I had long wanted to go see what so many people had told me about.  A small gallery of sorts in Gladbrook, Iowa where one man had been creating masterpieces that might take him over two years to create.  I’ll take you along to share what I found and meet the man behind it…

October 7, 2024
07Oct24 Matchstick Marvels 1
A lot of folks have hobbies.  Most of those pastimes are purely for one’s own enjoyment, but occasionally, some of those spare time projects go viral, so to speak.  That’s what happened in this small Iowa town…

 

October 4, 2024
04Oct24 Lewes Sideshow
Many a circus has it’s main acts and then has a sideshow to entice people to pay to see unusual acts, sites and sounds.  One of the items that draws the most attention in this museum is one of those sideshow items and the story behind it is quite interesting…

October 3, 2024
03Oct24 Delaware’s Sunken Treasure 2
There was a great treasure hunt taking place off the shore of Lewes, Delaware.  The real treasure though was perhaps different than what was originally sought, and today visitors come to see some of what was found from a vessel that sank in 1798…

October 2, 2024
02Oct24 Delaware’s Sunken Treasure 1
When a British ship sank off the coast of Delaware in the late 1700s, some of the crew was lost at sea.  A few survivors made it to shore and later tales emerged of those men paying for their meals and lodging with Spanish gold.  That story made this a ship that just had to be found…

October 1, 2024
01Oct24 First Town in the First State
It’s referred to as the first town in the country’s first state…that first state being the first one to ratify the constitution of the United States.  In a moment I’ll take you to that place and tell you want happened to that first settlement…

September 30, 2024
30Sep24 Cadillac Michigan KISS Football 2
There perhaps has never been a homecoming dance like the 1975 Cadillac, Michigan version.  The students and the entire town were surprised when that year they didn’t just play music, they had a live performance by a very memorable group…

 

September 27, 2024
27Sep24 Cadillac Michigan KISS Football 1
Many high school sports teams warm up to specific music and that was the case for the Cadillac, Michigan football team.  The particular music though has quite a story in this town.  In fact, the events of decades ago are still quite well remembered today…

September 26, 2024
26Sep24 James Banning 2
Today there are many flights each day that connect the two coasts of this nation.  In the early years of flying, there were prizes awarded for the first people who could pilot such a trip with a plane.  James Banning was one of those who succeeded and his story is one you won’t want to miss…

September 25, 2024
25Sep24 James Banning 1
Today, if a person want to learn to fly a plane, there are many options of places you can go to get your license.  But in the early years of aviation, not only were the options fewer, but the opportunities were closed to some because of the color of their skin.  This is the story of a man who was an overcomer…

September 24, 2024
24Sep24 Iowa State Jack Trice 2
I have long known that the Iowa State Cyclones football team plays at Jack Trice stadium.  Those not from nearby may just think Jack Trice was a wealthy donor to the university who paid to get his name on the place.  That is far from true.  In fact, the story behind the man is one quite remarkable…

September 23, 2024
23Sep24 Iowa State Jack Trice 1
In 1923 what is today Iowa State University played a football game at the University of Minnesota.  In part, due to the events of that game, the two schools that share a state line, did not meet again on the gridiron for 66 years…

 

September 20, 2024
20Sep24 Scott City Pueblo 2
Near Kansas’ border with Colorado you can find a place called El Cuartelejo.  It’s the ruins of an ancient home who’s occupants were on the run from the Spanish.  Today we revisit that interesting and often unknown piece of history…

September 19, 2024
19Sep24 Scott City Pueblo 1
In western Kansas you can find the foundations for an old Native American settlement.  Perhaps that doesn’t seem too out of the ordinary, until you dig a little deeper and find that this type of dwelling doesn’t belong in Kansas, but instead belongs to tribes from states away…

September 18, 2024
18Sep24 Monument Rocks
It’s one of the natural wonders of Kansas.  A place of white spires rising from the prairie plains that have been a landmark for centuries…

September 17, 2024
17Sep24 Earthquake Lake
We may think of big earthquakes in the U.S. being an event that normally occurs on the west coast.  In 1959, it was this area in the Rocky Mountains that experienced one of the biggest quakes in the countries history.  You can still see the impact on the landscape here…

September 16, 2024
16Sep24 West Yellowstone
It’s one of the coldest and snowiest towns in U.S.  In fact, it’s not uncommon for this community to have the lowest temperature in the lower 48 states on many days and can have three or feet of snow on the ground in the winter.  It is also a place that welcomes many visitors to Yellowstone National Park…

 

September 13, 2024
13Sep24 Fort Morgan Alabama 2
Perhaps you vaguely remember from your history books the words of a ship captain in war exclaiming, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!”  That phrase was uttered here during a battle for this famous bay.  You may have been there and not realized it…

September 12, 2024
12Sep24 Fort Morgan Alabama 1
Today most people venture to this spot along the Gulf Coast for its scenic beauty.  Turn back the clock a couple of centuries and people were battling over this spot because of its strategic importance…

September 11, 2024
11Sep24 St Genevieve 2
We’ve all seen a log cabin.  Such structures were the norm for many Americans early in the country’s history.  But did you ever see a log cabin with the logs arranged vertically instead of horizontally?  There are only a handful in the U.S…and most are here…

September 10, 2024
10Sep24 St Genevieve 1
When these French Catholics learned that the British Protestants had taken over, they weren’t pleased.  It may be the reason this city still exists today…

September 9, 2024
09Sep24 John Deere
Although you may associate his name with tractors…he never saw one…yet his name is synonymous with the equipment used in agriculture.  We go to the small shop from which he built a mighty company…

 

September 6, 2024
06Sep24 Cyrus McCormick Reaper
A couple of centuries ago crops were cut and threshed by hand…but that all changed with a young farmer in Virginia.  This is the story of a birthday present that revolutionized agriculture…

September 5, 2024
05Sep24 Bowman North Dakota 2
Many of us are intrigued by huge dinosaur fossils like T Rex that are unearthed and displayed in museums.  There’s just something about seeing some of those ancient creatures that is totally fascinating.  Today I’ll take you to a place where that search is part of everyday life and you can be a part of it…

September 4, 2024
04Sep24 Bowman North Dakota 1
This part of North Dakota was once described as a sea of grass.  That had many people driving their livestock here to take advantage of that feed source each spring to fall…

September 3, 2024
03Sep24 Hay Trolley 2
One of the hardest jobs on the farm in the 19^th and early 20th centuries was putting up hay.  You had to mow it, rake it and then throw it up into a barn…often with sheer man power.  Over time, horses helped with some of that work and one of the key devices for the final part of the work is one Steve Weeber loves to talk about…

September 2, 2024
02Sep24 Hay Trolley 1
Over the years we have torn down some old bards on our property.  One of the items that went in the scrap heap is something coveted by many today.  They are called hay trolleys and I’ll take you to meet a man who has many, many of them…

 

August 30, 2024
30Aug24 California Trail Center 2
Pioneers that headed west on overland trails saw many sites.  Interestingly one that many wrote about was an elephant.  You wouldn’t expect to see an elephant on the trail and none did see a literal elephant.  However, they mention the creature many times…

August 29, 2024
29Aug24 California Trail Center 1
Just west of South Pass, Wyoming, overland travelers of the mid 19^th century came to a fork in the road.  The route to the left was the beginning of the California Trail which branched from the Oregon Trail.  The story of that trail is in part told at this site devoted to the topic…

August 28, 2024
28Aug24 Blackwell School 2
You’ve heard people say that there are unwritten rules that we sometimes must observe.  Today’s story is about such rules and how communities began to change.  The story is eye opening to some, especially depending on where you might live…

August 27, 2024
27Aug24 Blackwell School 1
We often tie the Civil Rights movement to the struggle of African Americans to obtain equal rights and equal access in this country.  A trip to this Texas town will reveal hos that process played out for another group of Americans…

August 26, 2024
26Aug24 Gerber House 2
When you hear the name, “Gerber,” you perhaps immediately think of baby food.   The home where the family lived and the kitchen that sparked the idea are very much a place you can stay today…

 

August 23, 2024
23Aug24 Gerber House 1
It all began with an argument in the kitchen.  What resulted is something that is commonplace today, but was a novel idea when it began to be promoted…

August 22, 2024
22Aug24 Friends Good WIll
For a ship that was in service less than five years, she had quite a story.  What began as a simple merchant vessel ended up fighting in a war for both sides in the conflict.  You can still see her today…

August 21, 2024
21Aug24 South Haven Michigan
This town sits on the opposite side of Lake Michigan as the city of Chicago.  Yet, this much smaller place played an important role in the rebirth of one of America’s largest cities…

August 20, 2024
20Aug24 Frank Phillips 3
When Frank bought a plane he needed a hangar in which to park it.  Soon the plane wasn’t the only thing in the building.  In fact…visitors still come here to see that plane an much, much more…

August 19, 2024
19Aug24 Frank Phillips 2
The president of this oil company was looking for a place to entertain business leaders from the east coast and around the world.  He settled on a ranch in northeastern Oklahoma.  This is the story of the ranch where million dollar deals are still done…

 

August 16, 2024
16Aug24 Frank Phillips 1
On the surface it seemed like an unlikely scenario for success.  A barber from Iowa striking oil and building one of the largest companies in America.  But that’s exactly what happened…

August 15, 2024
15Aug24 Readlyn Iowa Town Grump
When you enter Readlyn, Iowa you will find a sign that proclaims it has 857 friendly people and one old grump.  I just had to know, who is this old grump?  Turns out there are several of them, but that’s not a bad thing…

August 14, 2024
14Aug24 Colorado Springs
Today we may rely on the latest advancements in science and medicine to help cure disease.  Of course, in the 1800s, science provided some answers, but many folks simply looked for the best climate to help their ease their ailment.  This town is still known for its health and much more…

August 13, 2024
13Aug24 Pikes Peak 2
You’ve perhaps never heard of James’ Peak.  It’s more accurate to say you’ve heard of the mountain, but you simply don’t know it by that name.  In fact, you may have been to the top of the peak that James climbed, but he didn’t get the credit so to speak…

August 12, 2024
12Aug24 Pikes Peak 1
As Lewis and Clark headed west and north in 1803 to explore the newly acquire Louisiana Purchase, another explorer headed to the southwestern reaches of that territory.  One of the landmarks he found still bears his name today…

 

August 9, 2024
09Aug24 Fort Belmont 2
If you drive Interstate 90 through Jackson, Minnesota you’ll see a fort near the freeway.  Take the exit and explore the place an you’ll find the story of a community that built their own fort while the U.S. military fought the Civil War.  The museum and grounds here are quite impressive…

August 8, 2024
08Aug24 Fort Belmont 1
In the 1850s and 1860s there had been skirmishes between Native Americans and settlers in the area of northern Iowa and southern Minnesota.  Those tensions led one community to band together in an effort to protect their lives…

August 7, 2024
07Aug24 Pilot Rock
In the days before GPS or maps, you needed landmarks to find your way.  Just south of Cherokee, Iowa you’ll find one such place.  It’s a spot that Native Americans used to find their way as well as early pioneers…

August 6, 2024
06Aug24 Sanford Museum
One family can make a difference.  Stop in Cherokee, Iowa and you’ll find a museum and planetarium all there because one family wanted to honor their son.  It’s an impressive place that dates to the 1950s and it’s all free to see…

August 5, 2024
05Aug24 Wolf Point Montana
It just stands to reason that a place named Wolf Point must have something to do with wolves somewhere in its background.  That is the case here of course, but the story of what wolves is perhaps in dispute…

 

August 2, 2024
02Aug24 With or Without
Sometimes just a few words can reveal the place from which you hail, even when you don’t mention the actual place.  In this region of the country it’s the phrase, “with or without” that let’s people know where you live…

August 1, 2024
01Aug24 Wild Horse Stampede Rodeo
In northeastern Montana you’ll find a rodeo that is over 100 years old.  With that kind of track record, you know that has to be something they’re doing well to attract large crowds for all of those years…

July 31, 2024
31Jul24 Kit Carson 3
Comic books tell the story of larger than life characters.  In the mid 1800s, the comic books of the days took one unassuming mountain man and turned him into a frontier superhero…

July 30, 2024
30Jul24 Kit Carson 2
Sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know.  In Kit Carson’s case, it was both that made him a well-known figure yet today…

July 29, 2024
29Jul24 Kit Carson 1
This well-known frontiersman loved to hear the stories of those traveling west.  One day, he decided it was time to sneak away and try that life too…

 

July 26, 2024
26Jul24 William Preston Hall 3
Lancaster, Missouri is not a big town, but in the 1920s, the circuses came to town.  And yes, I did use the plural form of the word, because boy did the circus really come to town, for many days each year…

July 25, 2024
25Jul24 William Preston Hall 2
Some called him the Horse King of the World.  It was fitting title for a man who literally bought and sold horses and mules to locations around the globe…and then began selling another kind of animals in addition…

July 24, 2024
24Jul24 William Preston Hall 1
William Hall lost both of his parents by the age of 15.  He worked hard to make a living from an early age and found he had a knack for buying and selling horse.  That skill brought him worldwide fame…

July 23, 2024
23Jul24 Bakken Oil Fields 2
There’s oil all around Tioga, North Dakota.  For many years though, there just wasn’t a good way to reach it.  The ups and downs of the oil industry can be seen in the population ups and downs of this small farming town…

July 22, 2024
22Jul24 Bakken Oil Fields 1
Most of us know of the oil fields in northwestern North Dakota.  However, we may not realize that the word often used to describe the location of that oil field has everything to do with a family who farmed in the area…

 

July 19, 2024
19Jul24 Tioga North Dakota
Northeast of Williston, North Dakota you’ll find the town of Tioga.  There is a story behind that name and it reveals much about the folks who settled the area and continue to farm and ranch there today…

July 18, 2024
18Jul24 Purple Martins 2
On the surface, it may seem like an odd pairing–a man who manufactured television antennas became the champion for a bird that was in decline. His work decade ago continues today; you’ve probably seen it, but just didn’t realize it…

July 17, 2024
17Jul24 Purple Martins 1
It’s been called America’s most wanted bird. Not wanted in the sense that it has committed a crime, but rather desired. If you want to learn more about it, then a trip to Griggsville, Illinois is probably the best place to go…

July 16, 2024
16Jul24 Little America 2
This place isn’t really a town, yet it has its own zip code.  Sometimes it’s a bit of a game to see exactly how much or how little you can write on an envelope and still get a letter to arrive here.  Chances are, if you simply write the zip code, it will arrive at this place…

July 15, 2024
15Jul24 Little America 1
One young sheepherder never forgot a frigid night he spent on the plains of Wyoming.  The miserable weather had him dreaming of a warm place to sleep and a hot meal to eat.  Decades later, the dream became a reality…

 

July 12, 2024
12Jul24 First Female Office Holder
In 1869 Wyoming territory gave women the right to vote and to hold public office.  Just a few months after the legislation passed, the state had it’s first women office holder and her story is one honored in the U.S. Capitol…

July 11, 2024
11Jul24 South Pass City 2
The Oregon Trail crossed the Continental Divide at South Pass in Wyoming.  Just west of that pass you’ll find a handful of buildings that are all that remains of a boomtown of over 2000 people called South Pass City…

July 10, 2024
10Jul24 South Pass City 1
There had been rumors of gold in this area for years, but there always seemed to be a better place to find more of it.  Eventually minds turned back to Wyoming and thousands of people followed the reports in the hills around Willow Creek…

July 9, 2024
09Jul24 Mountain Men of the West
If I were to ask you to name some famous Mountain Men of the 1800s, there are usually some common names that most people share.  This museum tells there story and there are three big names that perhaps come to the top…

July 8, 2024
08Jul24 Mountain Man Rendezvous 2
It was called the Mountain Man Rendezvous and it was held for sixteen years, mostly in the present state of Wyoming.  The gathering of trappers, Native Americans, supply trains from the east and others made for quite a gathering each summer…

 

July 5, 2024
05Jul24 Mountain Man Rendezvous 1
In the early 1800s, the demand for beaver pelts for top hats was strong, but the world supply was short.  That had trappers looking for untapped sources of beaver and the search wound up here…

July 4, 2024
04Jul24 John Phillip Sousa
Today we look back to a story who’s music captures the spirit of the fourth of July…

July 3, 2024
03Jul24 Wausau Depot
There’s a good chance you’ve never been to this railroad depot.  However, if you’re over forty years old, there’s a high likelihood you’ve seen pictures of it, for it was this historic spot that made its way into the logo and ads of a prominent insurance company…

July 2, 2024
02Jul24 Father of Legal Gambling
When most people think of big time gambling they think of Las Vegas.  No doubt there was plenty of illegal gaming taking place in the state for decades, but you might be surprised to learn the state made it legal in 1931 and it was a rancher who didn’t much care for betting, that found the industry might just be a winner for Nevada…

July 1, 2024
01Jul24 The Basque
The high desert regions of Nevada, Oregon and Idaho you will often find a people called the Basque who are sheep ranchers.  In fact, the Basque have been in this area for generations and their traditions in farming and much more are still quite important today…

 

June 28, 2024
28Jun24 Lovelock Cave
Today this area is a mostly dry lake bed.  However, we have evidence this was once a much wetter place.  In fact, what was found in a cave here shows that these people used something quite common for some hunters today…

June 27, 2024
27Jun24 Chief Winnemucca
Along interstate 80 in north central Nevada you’ll come to a town with a unique name – a name that may have you wondering exactly where it comes from.  When you dig a little deeper, you’ll find an interesting piece of history tied to those who lived here…

June 26, 2024
26Jun24 Salem Sue 2
If you didn’t know what to expect when driving west from Bismarck, North Dakota on Interstate 94, you might be quite surprised to find this very large creature looking over the interstate.  It’s something that’s been there for over 50 years now and it truly shows you the importance of this to the community…

June 25, 2024
25Jun24 Salem Sue 1
Many small towns celebrate their heritage with a special festival or maybe other important sites throughout the town.  New Salem, North Dakota is like those towns, but much unlike those towns when it comes to what they did to celebrate their history…

June 24, 2024
24Jun24 Cheese Capitol
Lots of people love cheese and for those who can’t get enough of it, perhaps the Cheese Capital of the World is the place to visit.  As you’ll hear, there’s a good reason this is the center of the cheese universe…

 

June 21, 2024
21Jun24 Wade House 2
June 10, 2025Just as hotels today might serve guests traveling the interstate highways, there were inns that catered to the travelers using horse drawn vehicles that navigated a network of dirt roads and trails in the early years of the country.  One impressive such place is in between Sheboygan and Fon du lac, Wisconsin…

June 20, 2024
20Jun24 Wade House 1
There was once a time when horses and carriage ruled the roads, and in those days before the automobile, the types, size and uses of horse drawn vehicles was quite diverse.  One company in Wisconsin was an important builder of those vehicles.  But when cars came along, the business closed, but what they produced is far from forgotten…

June 19, 2024
19Jun24 Galveston Juneteenth 2
The federal government established Juneteenth as a national holiday in 2021.  However, the celebration of the events of that date took place immediately after June 19^th, 1865…

June 18, 2024
18Jun24 Galveston Juneteenth 1
On January 1^st, 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation.  However, that document that freed slaves had little impact if it could not be enforced. This is the  story of what took place over two years later on an island in Texas…

June 17, 2024
17Jun24 Galveston Hurricane 2
It is the deadliest hurricane in U.S. history – a storm that hit Galveston, Texas in September 1900 that causes catastrophic destruction and claimed thousands of lives.  We take a look back at the event, the rebuilding and the present day…

 

 

June 14, 2024
14Jun24 Galveston Hurricane 1
Today we may think of this city as a beach getaway.  In 1900 it certainly had beaches but it was also an important port and immigration point for the country.  But events that year would have a catastrophic impact on the place…

June 13, 2024
13Jun24 Hatch Chile
If you play with fire your liable to get burned.  But on Jim Lytle’s farm, fire is what they grow.  It’s fire in the form of vegetables.  We head to southern New Mexico

June 12, 2024
12Jun24 Center of Hemisphere
I recently headed west on highway 29 from Wausau, Wisconsin.  I then turned north, back west, then back north…and then, found myself next to a sign on the edge of a large farm field.  Many would say I was in the middle of nowhere.  Not so fast…if you stand here…you’re actually in the middle of everywhere

June 11, 2024
11Jun24 Standing Bear 3
At the time of his trial, Standing Bear did not have the right to take a matter to court.  However, this judge allowed the leader to speak and what he had to say – one short sentence in particular – still resonates today…

June 10, 2024
10Jun24 Standing Bear 2
A father was simply trying to bury his teenage son.  But a trip that would take them many miles to the family’s original home in northern Nebraska ended with the family being jailed and in the middle of a federal court case reported nationally…

 

June 7, 2024
07Jun24 Standing Bear 1
Imagine working hard to build your farm and then having the government step in and take everything from you – land, equipment and home.  That is what happened to this man and many others in Northeastern Nebraska.  The story is from many years ago, but is a story every American should know…

June 6, 2024
06Jun24 Enchanted Highway 3
When Gary saw his old school close, he was sad to see such an important chapter in his life, seeming to close as well.  But then he had the idea that he could purchase the old school and turn it into something that would attract people to his hometown…

June 5, 2024
05Jun24 Enchanted Highway 2
Along a lonely stretch of interstate 94 between Bismarck and Dickinson, North Dakota, you’ll find a metal sculpture called Geese in Flight.  If you exit the freeway there and venture south, you’ll be in for quite a treat…

June 4, 2024
04Jun24 Enchanted Highway 1
Turn south from Exit 72 on Interstate 94 in North Dakota and you’ll begin to encounter some very creative sites.  The man behind what you’ll see has quite a story – a story that has been ongoing for over three decades now…

June 3, 2024
03Jun24 Johnstown Flood 4
It was an American disaster that was hard to imagine.  A giant flood and an immense fire were destroying a city of over 30,000 people simultaneously.  We remember the tragic story of tragedy 125 years ago…

 

May 31, 2024
31May24 Johnstown Flood 3
It was a story of miraculous heroism among a story of deep tragedy.  A a wall of water cut loose from a breached dam was about to swamp Johnstown, Pennsylvania. As a tidal wave thundered down the valley, one locomotive engineer braved the swell to warn people of the impending danger…

May 30, 2024
30May24 Johnstown Flood 2
When 51 inches falls on an area in one month…well, it’s likely there’s going to be problems.  Here, those problems proved tragic…

May 29, 2024
29May24 Johnstown Flood 1
It was one of the worst disasters in American history…the break of the south fork dam that created the great Johnstown Flood.  In a moment we return with the stories of tragedy and heroism…

May 28, 2024
28May24 Glasgow Treasure in the Back of the Museum
Over many years of travels I’ve found that the back of a museum can hold many unexpected treasures.  You just never know what might be housed in what some would consider the last room of the place.  At this museum, that back room is certainly not lacking in treasures.  In fact, it’s pretty amazing to see what one man in town collected while running a bar…

May 27, 2024
27May24 Arlington Ladies
On Memorial Day we remember our loved ones, but these ladies recognize our fallen soldiers every day of the year.  This is the story of their unique and important role at Arlington National Cemetery…

 

May 24, 2024
24May24 Glasgow A Point On the Globe
The state of Montana is a long way from Scotland.  However a trip to this town will perhaps make you believe the two aren’t quite so farm from one another.  It’s a story that dates back to a tale of two men and a random spot on a globe…

May 23, 2024
23May24 Glasgow Native American Teepee
Many people associate Native American tribes from the Plains with a teepee.  That may be an accurate description but depends much on the tribe, location, time period and other factors.  A trip to this place though will allow you to see an original such structure, and it’s quite a site to see…

May 22, 2024
22May24 Ismay Joe Montana 2
You’ll need to drive on six miles of gravel roads from the highway to get to the tiny town of Ismay, Montana.  There would really be no need for any visitors to make the trip, but there’s still a few that do and it’s usually because of a story involving a Hall of Fame quarterback who, probably has never visited the place…

May 21, 2024
21May24 Ismay Joe Montana 1
Would you ever consider changing your name?  What if someone was offering you a prize to change it to a specific name of their choosing?  That’s in a sense what happened in the 1990s in this small town…

May 20, 2024
20May24 Thief at Thief River Falls
If you visit Thief River Falls, you may ask, who or what is the “thief” behind this river and this town?  There are several stories about that, plus much more about a city that is a hub of business and commerce in northwestern Minnesota…

 

May 17, 2024
17May24 The Most Norwegian Place
Some towns are known for having a large number of ancestors from a specific country.  That is the case for this city, for it has the distinction of having the highest percentage of folks from this one specific country of any other in the U.S…

May 16, 2024
16May24 Norwegian WW II Battalion 2
Every May 8^th, a wreath is laid on the grave of this Lt. Coronel at Arlington National Cemetery.  It’s a thank you from one country to the officer and those who served with him, several of whom came from this region of Minnesota…

May 15, 2024
15May24 Norwegian WW II Battalion 1
When World War II began, the U.S. military began to recruit troops for special missions they believed might be necessarily in specific countries.  Those missions would need troops who could speak the languages of those nations fluently.  The search led many young men from this area of Minnesota to be a part of one such unit…

May 14, 2024
14May24 Newberry Volcano Monument 2
In central Oregon you’ll find a cave tour that is quite popular.  In fact, you’ll most likely need a reservation well in advance in order to tour it.  But this cave is unlike what you may have in your mind, because this one is made of lava…

May 13, 2024
13May24 Newberry Volcano Monument 1
South of Bend, Oregon you’ll find a vast volcanic field.  It’s a place with a wide variety of geological features and a national monument that people love to explore…

 

May 10, 2024
10May14 Stand By Me
The movie Stand By Me is considered a classic by many. It’s a film that is still quite popular with audiences literally around the world.  And some of the biggest fans are still coming to this town to find the scenes they saw on screen…

May 9, 2024
09May14 Oregon Trail Wagon
Thousands of people traveled the Oregon Trail as pioneers headed west and almost all of them made the trip in a wagon.  Of course just about all of those wagons are long gone, but in a moment I’ll take you to a place where one remains and what you’ll see may surprise you…

May 8, 2024
08May14 Mount Hood 2
Very few people climb Mt. Everest, but there’s just something about the experience of climbing a really tall mountain.  Perhaps that’s what brings many folks here…it’s the tallest mountain in this state and it’s one that a lot of people can attempt to climb…which is both good and bad…

May 7, 2024
07May14 Mount Hood 1
In the early days, many people were simply trying to get around this place.  Then after the years passed, some decided to come back and enjoy the spot they once tried so hard to pass…

May 6, 2024
06May14 Barlow Road
This road wasn’t necessarily a short cut.  In terms of miles traveled it was a longer route.  However, it soon became the path many would take on their trek westward…

 

May 3, 2024
03May14 Government Camp Oregon
Sometimes a trip becomes a real haul because of all the stuff you are carrying with you.  That was the case for these men who decided to just drop their stuff and come back for it month’s later.  In fact, it was their decision that gave this place its name

May 2, 2024
02May14 Spindletop Museum 2
When this area struck it rich, the town was growing so quickly, they were renting the barber chairs as a place to sleep each evening.  It was a booming place that made history and you can still see it its heyday

May 1, 2024
01May14 Spindletop Museum 1
There just had to be oil under this hill, but no one could seem to drill down to it.  After years of work, the men working here got a really big surprise.

April 30 2024
30Apr24 Uranium Museum 2
It’s a museum with its mine underneath the floor – an unusual, but effective idea on promoting the industry that once flourished here…and perhaps may flourish again

April 29, 2024
29Apr24 Uranium Museum 1
Many mining booms begin quite by chance.  That was the case about 100 miles west of Albuquerque.  However, the mineral discovered was quite different than most found in the U.S.

 

April 26, 2024
26Apr24 Cray Supercomputer
It’s been dubbed the world’s most expensive love seat.  It’s true you can sit on it, but with an $8 million dollar price tag at the time, you’d want to do more than use it as a chair.  And of course, that’s where this story gets interesting, because this place has many of these multimillion dollar devices that today are obsolete…

April 25, 2024
25Apr24 Darly Fire Trucks
My father-in-law has been a volunteer fire fighter for many years.  His small town does what it can with a limited budget yet ever increasing needs for bigger and better equipment to handle emergencies.  Interestingly, this company was born much out of that need to help small towns afford the fire engines they needed…

April 24, 2024
24Apr24 Mason Shoes
Today most of us don’t think much about buying a pair of shoes.  There are many places you can shop for them both in store and online.  But of course, it was once not that way and this company capitalized on getting people the shoes that fit them perfectly…

April 23, 2024
23Apr24 Leinenkugel’s
It is definitely one of the longer names in the beer brewing industry and has and equally long lineage of production to boot.  Today I’ll take you to the place it all began and where it remains an important part of a community that had the natural resources to help it grow…

April 22, 2024
22Apr24 Brookfield John WIlkes Booth 2
Everyone knows John Wilkes Booth as the assassin of President Lincoln.  However, before his deadly deed in April 1865, he was a well known actor, and he left a quite favorable impression on the residents of one Missouri town…

 

April 19, 2024
19Apr24 Brookfield John WIlkes Booth 1
John was a well known actor who traveled the nation in a variety of productions.  In fact, a journey to one small town brought him fans for life…that is until the actor turned out to be something more sinister…

April 18, 2024
18Apr24 El Rancho Hotel 2
The movie stars are gone, but the legends still abound, including the story one celebrity who rode his horse into the bar, so both could get a drink.  It’s  a place with tons of history, but a hotel that is still serving travelers today…

April 17, 2024
17Apr24 El Rancho Hotel 1
It was built to house movie stars.  A hotel in western New Mexico where celebrities could catch some rest and relaxation away from the movie set…

April 16, 2024
16Apr24 Austin French Legation 2
In Austin, TX near the state capitol building you’ll find another old government building in a beautiful green space.  It is a place established in the 1840s and it has quite a story yet today…

April 15, 2024
15Apr24 Austin French Legation 1
Many countries establish embassies in other nations and usually those diplomatic sites are in a country’s capital.  That is the case for this old embassy in the U.S. but it’s not located in Washington, DC, yet it was in the nation’s capital…

 

April 12, 2024
12Apr24 Monument Hill Texas
On a high bluff overlooking the Colorado River in La Grange, Texas you’ll find a monument to men who gave their lives for the Republic of Texas.  Their stories speak to a time when Texas was fighting to maintain the independence it had already won…

April 11, 2024
11Apr24 Texas German Brewery
Germany is often known for its breweries and when immigrants sailed to the new world, they often brought that beer making knowledge with them.  That was the case for a place between Austin and Houston where one enterprising German set up his business…

April 10, 2024
10Apr24 Bowie Knife
Sometimes people will travel a long way to get exactly the item they desire.  That was the case for this frontiersman who made a trip to a specific blacksmith to create an item that bears his name today…

April 9, 2024
09Apr24 Historic Washington Arkansas
As the city of Washington, D.C. was growing into its role as the nation’s capital, another city of Washington was growing in prominence on the western frontier.  In fact, it was a leading city of its day and you can come here and see many of the original buildings similar to the way they appeared when built in the 1800s…

April 8, 2024
08Apr24 Woolford Old Trinity Church 2
This church can hold about 50 people – maybe a few more if everyone squeezes tight for a wedding.  And people have been coming to sit in these box style pews for well over three centuries…

 

April 5, 2024
05Apr24 Woolford Old Trinity Church 1
Along the coastline of Maryland’s easter shore, just south of the city of Cambridge, you’ll find a small, picturesque church that dates to the days well before this country was even born.  A walk around the grounds and inside the house of worship will reveal a story that speaks to the faithful generations who have lived and worshiped here…

April 4, 2024
04Apr24 Mitchell Farms Movie Theatres 2
When Kenny Mitchell was dating his wife-to-be, they enjoyed going to the local movie theater.  He probably never imagined how that theatre and so many others would impact his life…

April 3, 2024
03Apr24 Mitchell Farms Movie Theatres 1
When this farm decided to diversify they didn’t do it by growing a different crop or buying livestock.  They instead looked to something everyone in the family loved and began investing in that opportunity in many small towns across the country…

April 2, 2024
02Apr24 Blue Bunny Ice Cream 2
What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?  The folks here know a lot about what we like and maybe, don’t like.  And they are always trying out new flavors that may be a hit with our taste buds…

April 1, 2024
01Apr24 Blue Bunny Ice Cream 1
When this company was looking for a new name for it’s product line, it decided to offer a cash prize for the winning suggestion.  The fact that contest was held around Easter is perhaps the reason we wound up with a name that has been around for many years now…

 

March 29, 2024
29Mar24 Annapolis Maryland
It is known as the sailing capital of the U.S.  It also happens to be a state capital…a former national capital…and home to some of the most prominent institutions in the country…

March 28, 2024
28Mar24 Devil’s Gulch
After a failed bank robbery attempt in Northfield, Minnesota, the James gang headed west toward the Dakota Territory.  Near what is today’s border between South Dakota and Minnesota, the pursuers of Jesse James had him cornered.  What happened next is still up for debate, but folks in this town believe they know what happened…

March 27, 2024
27Mar24 Elvis Barbershop Ft Smith 2
Next to Delilah’s shearing of strongman Samson, it’s perhaps the most famous haircut in history.  Many young ladies wondered if Elvis would lose his musical powers once he received his buzz cut and entered the army.  We’ll head to that famous barbershop…

March 26, 2024
26Mar24 Elvis Barbershop Ft Smith 1
From 1958 to 1960, Elvis Pressley was part of the active military.  He spent time at Ft. Hood, Texas and in Germany.  His entrance into the army was a heartbreaker for many young ladies and today we take a look back at the bus trip from Memphis that ushered the music legend into armed services…

March 25, 2024
25Mar24 John Dickinson Plantation 2
He was a founding father – a contemporary of men like Washington, Jefferson and Franklin.  We know that he talked, argued and wrote with them and his role in the early years of the new nation led him to be known as the Penman of the Revolution…

 

March 22, 2024
22Mar24 John Dickinson Plantation 1
They are known as “Letters from a Farmer.”  Perhaps you have not heard of them, but if you lived in colonial America in the 1760’s, you most likely would know them because of their widespread readership.  Today I’ll take you to meet the man behind them – he did own a farm, but there’s much more to the story…

March 21, 2024
21Mar24 Buena Vista College
In the 1800s, many college and universities sprang up across the Midwest.  Some were short lived, yet others managed to stay alive and even thrive.  That’s the case for the university in this small town and the story of how it wound up here is quite interesting as well…

March 20, 2024
20Mar24 Storm Lake Iowa 2
With a name like “Storm Lake” you would suppose there has to be a major storm somewhere its history.  That is the case, but the story of the storm varies quite a bit upon who you ask.  I’ll take you to a town with competing origin stories…

March 19, 2024
19Mar24 Storm Lake Iowa 1
This lake was a draw for people as far back as there were people living in the area.  But the lake is a bit different than most and the story of its settlement is one that is quite interesting…

March 18, 2024
18Mar24 Babe Didrikson 2
While individuals compete in track and field events, there is often a team component to the standings, with points awarded for each team member for the events in which they place.  Now imagine a national collegiate finals in which a one person team won the championship.  That’s just how amazing this athlete was…

 

March 15, 2024
15Mar24 Babe Didrikson 1
It’s difficult to know exactly how many medals this athlete might have won at the Olympics.  She qualified for several events, but the rules said she was limited on how many contests she could enter…

March 14, 2024
14Mar24 Fredericksburg Texas
Today cities don’t need to be laid out so that ox carts can make U-turns.  However, that was the plan behind this Texas town.  While the oxen on the roads are now gone, they left the streets wide and never forgot their German heritage here.  It’s a recipe for success in the state’s Hill Country…

March 13, 2024
13Mar24 Menger Hotel 2
Imagine a well-known general riding his horse into the lobby of a hotel…and it was met with applause.  Another military man came here to recruit his best troops for a famous charge against the enemy.  It’s a unique combination of history that still serves customers in the present…

March 12, 2024
12Mar24 Menger Hotel 1
Today just about every hotel room in America has a private bathroom included.  Turn back the clock over a century and shared baths were the norm.  But in this city, the baths were in such demand, people raced from the stagecoach to claim a room with the luxury item…

March 11, 2024
11Mar24 Two Rivers Ice Cream Sundae 2
Many of us enjoy an ice cream sundae.  We have our favorite flavors and toppings.  But were did that phrase, the “sundae” come from?  You may be surprised the origin and just how something as commonplace today as putting things like hot fudge and strawberries on top of ice cream all began…

 

March 8, 2024
08Mar24 Two Rivers Ice Cream Sundae 1
Some have referred to this place as the Sistine Chapel of this town.  No the ceilings aren’t as high, nor the building as large as Michealangelo’s masterpiece, but this is quite interesting to see and the entire building has quite a story to boot…

March 7, 2024
07Mar24 Sputnik Art Museum 2
Perhaps you don’t think you’d care to go to an art museum.  But what about a museum that had a Soviet satellite crash right in front of it?  Well, that strange fact is enough to get folks here and what they find is a interesting tale about a visitor from space and some great art as well…

March 6, 2024
06Mar24 Sputnik Art Museum 1
It was the middle of the night and two police officers had happened upon a relatively small piece of smoldering metal in the middle of 8^th Street in Manitowoc, Wisconsin.  They kicked it to the side of the road and really didn’t give it a second thought – that was until they got back to headquarters…

March 5, 2024
05Mar24 Council Grove Kansas 3
Today if you need parts for your car or truck, you might just head to an auto repair store.  Turn back the clock nearly 200 years and you instead made a visit to these trees in the state of Kansas.  It was a practice that put wagons on the road, but also led to the near extinction of on native American tribe…

March 4, 2024
04Mar24 Council Grove Kansas 2
Before express mail or overnight delivery, messages traveled at a speed measured not in hours, but in weeks.  For those wanting to communicate up and down the Santa Fe Trail, one tree became an important link in the system…

 

March 1, 2024
01Mar24 Council Grove Kansas 1
The hardwood trees along the Neosho River had been growing here for years.  In fact, many of those old trees can be found yet today.  But in 1825, the small grove of trees gained added attention as a place where two nations could meet…

February 29, 2024
29Feb24 Czech and Slovak Museum 2
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa you’ll find an impressive museum that tells the past and present of a group of people who made this part of the state their new home.  While decades have passed, that spirit still lives and has become a foundation for many thing that take place in this city…

February 28, 2024
28Feb24 Czech and Slovak Museum 1
In the 1800s many immigrant groups began to move from Europe to the United States.  Specific groups of people would often begin to settle in a common area as they could rely on their neighbors to perhaps speak the same language and carry on some traditions from their homeland…

February 27, 2024
27Feb24 Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo 2
If you come to watch this rodeo, you’ll most likely be sitting in seats that were first used in 1913.  That’s actually pretty modern considering they’d been hosting a rodeo her for 25 years before that…

February 26, 2024
26Feb24 Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo 1
Where was the first rodeo held?  You’ll find some debate on the actual beginning point of the sport with several towns laying claim to some part of the story.  But today I’ll take you to the place that proclaims it is the world’s oldest rodeo.  There are some reasons behind their title and event is very much alive in that city today…

 

February 23, 2024
23Feb24 Heavener Runestone 3
It’s a long way from Norway to Oklahoma.  That’s precisely why this story seems so hard to believe.  However, could it be true that ancient Vikings sailed all the way to the Midwest and left notes for us to find centuries later?  That could very well be the case…

February 22, 2024
22Feb24 Heavener Runestone 2
You can find ancient carvings of Native Americans in many parts of the country.  So when early settlers happened upon these writings in Oklahoma, they figured they were from tribes that once lived here.  However, the natives told a far different story.  Not only did they not know what the writings meant, they said they weren’t made by any tribe…

February 21, 2024
21Feb24 Heavener Runestone 1
If you want to learn the story of ancient Vikings you would of course travel to Scandinavia…or Oklahoma of course.  Why Oklahoma?  There’s plenty of evidence to suggest that Vikings were living and trading in the area long before other European explorers ventured here…

February 20, 2024
20Feb24 Jerome Arizona 2
Many a mining boom town has experienced boom and bust.  When this town was just about gone it began to be promoted as a ghost town.  The local historical society established a museum, a few people were inspired and today the town has had a bit of a boom again…

February 19, 2024
19Feb24 Grant Boyhood Home
Presidential birthplaces are visited by many tourists each year.  But no home may have quite the story as this small place.  You could call it General Grant’s mobile home.  It’s our salute to the commander in chief on Presidents Day…

 

February 16, 2024
16Feb24 Jerome Arizona 1
It was once one of the largest cities in the Arizona Territory.  Miners made there way to town to get rich, while others came to mine the miners, so to speak.  It created a place some called the wickedest city in the west…

February 15, 2024
15Feb24 Seattle Washington 3
This June 6^th fire might have been the best thing that ever happened to Seattle, but it sure made shopping a hassle.  This is the unique story of how one city rebuilt after disaster…

February 14, 2024
14Feb24 Seattle Washington 2
Today’s topic is toilets and chuckholes.  You may have never thought those items to be worthy of a feature until you head to Seattle…

February 13, 2024
13Feb24 Seattle Washington 1
I recently had a chance to visit the city of Duwamps, Washington.  You may have never heard that name, but I’m sure you’ve heard of the city it became…

February 12, 2024
12Feb24 Heath Bar
Many of us have a favorite candy bar…or maybe we can’t narrow it to just one, but have a few.  You’ve most likely heard of the one I’ll feature today, but there’s a good chance if a World War wouldn’t have taken place, perhaps it would have been lost to history…

 

February 9, 2024
09Feb23 US Marshal Museum 2
Who makes sure that the scientists of Antarctica are accountable to the law?  It may sound like a strange question, but the answer will be told here, in Ft. Smith, Arkansas.  The two places share an important link…

February 8, 2024
08Feb23 US Marshal Museum 1
They are the longest tenured federal law enforcement group in the United States.  Their important work has played a critical role in U.S. history, however their contributions are often behind the scenes.  This city hopes to shed more light on those who have preserved law and justice in the land…

February 7, 2024
07Feb23 Sumner Iowa Vacant Building Tour
Vacant buildings can be eyesores, but they can also be opportunities.  So how do you make it the latter instead of the former?  This town developed a unique way to attract the businesses they needed and wanted, and you could too…

February 6, 2024
06Feb23 Warren Minnesota UFO Police Car 2
In Warren, Minnesota you’ll find a 1970s vintage sheriff’s car on display.  What may be a bit unusual is that the car has some damage to it – unusual damage that was never repaired, in part because no one could figure out exactly what had caused it.  There’s still a steady stream of people coming to look at this car…

February 5, 2024
05Feb23 Warren Minnesota UFO Police Car 1
It was late August of 1979 and there was a large, yet strange light near the rural intersection where a deputy’s car was patrolling.  When he made a turn to investigate, a story unfolded that still brings people here to today to try and uncover the facts…

 

February 2, 2024
02Feb23 Father of the Army Jeep
Between the time of World War I and World War II, most armies moved away from the use of horses and mules, to motor powered vehicles to move troops and equipment. But exactly what type of vehicle should do that bulk of that work was very much in question.  Today, we trace something commonplace to the man who advocated the army build it…

February 1, 2024
01Feb23 Warren Minnesota Pimbina Trail
Before highways crisscrossed this nation, trails linked remote communities to one another.  One such route connected today’s Manitoba, Canada with the state of Minnesota and the Red River Valley.  You can still find traces of that trail and the vehicles of the day that made the trip…

January 31, 2024
31Jan23 Terre Haute Bulldog Stiffy Green
It’s said a dog is a man’s best friend.   And in this case, the dog was this man’s best friend even after his death.  The story became a legend of its own – a tale that still brings people to this town to learn about a dog and a visit to the cemetery…

January 30, 2024
30Jan23 Terre Haute Coke Bottle 2
Before the days when refrigerators had lights inside, this company wanted to make sure that you could find it’s product just be feeling the package, so to speak, that it came in.  That’s certainly the case for a design that has been around for well over a century now…

January 29, 2024
29Jan23 Terre Haute Coke Bottle 1
Companies usually want their products to stand out from the competition and that’s exactly what this major brand was trying to do.  They had something people really liked, but they decided perhaps the way to separate from the competition was to recreate the bottle it came in…

 

January 26, 2024
26Jan23 Terre Haute Gilkie Pop-Up Camper
Many people love to camp.  Of course, camping means different things to different people.  Some folks just need a tent and little else.  Others go camping in some trailers and RVs that rival the comfort of a nice home.  Today I’ll take you to the place where some of the mobile camping if you will got it’s start…

January 25, 2024
25Jan23 Terre Haute Santa Hero
What should have been a time of holiday cheer was quickly turned into tragedy.  However, the story could have turned much worse if not for a young man just back from his service in the army.  His heroism is still remembered over a century later and I’ll take you to the spot where they remember his sacrifice…

January 24, 2024
24Jan23 Elkton Inventor Henry Heitz
You probably haven’t heard of Henry Heitz.  However, the folks in Elkton, South Dakota know that he invented a flying machine…that didn’t fly.  But perhaps most interesting was one of Henry’s biggest fears.  You can still see that part of his story long after his death…

January 23, 2024
23Jan23 Elkton Elephant 2
The people of Elkton, South Dakota were excited that the circus was in town.  But when bad weather forced its cancellation it wasn’t the end of the show.  One of the elephants turned on a drunk trainer who had abused it and began to turn over circus wagons in its rage.  Soon it was headed into the town proper…

January 22, 2024
22Jan23 Elkton Elephant 1
Just about everyone loves the circus, so people in Elkton, South Dakota were disappointed when bad weather forced the cancellation of the show that had stopped in town.  However, the folks here had no idea the mark this circus would leave on their town, for one of the animals was going to stage quite a final performance…

 

January 19, 2024
19Jan23 High Desert Museum 2
There are plenty of museums across the country to visit, but it’s fairly rare to find one that cover 40 acres.  This one can make that claim and perhaps it is only fitting that the size is large, given the vast region it seeks to share with those who stop by…

January 18, 2024
18Jan23 High Desert Museum 1
As settlers moved west, rail lines were not far behind them in most cases.  However, when you look at the entirety of the lower 48 U.S. states, it was this spot that was one of the very last to receive rail service.  The reason the tracks finally got here was to take advantage of a resource that brought many people to live in the area…

January 17, 2024
17Jan23 Boring Oregon 3
Sometimes you run into someone, who when asked about where they live, will tell you they live in a boring place.  Perhaps the don’t see much to do there, a lack of opportunities or the place just doesn’t seem to prosper.  Will today I am going to take you to a town that without a doubt is boring.  That’s not a slam against the city – they proudly claim they are boring…

January 16, 2024
16Jan23 Boring Oregon 2
A trip to Boring, Oregon is anything but – especially if you stop by the place Cliff Barackman established back in 2019.  Whatever you think of this mysterious creature, what Cliff has to share is often of interest to many worldwide…

January 15, 2024
15Jan23 Boring Oregon 1
The term “sasquatch” is one that invokes a variety of images for people.  To some in may be merely a mythical creature that roams the woods.  For others, it is a very real and reclusive beast that only shows itself rarely in some of the remote areas of the continent…

 

January 12, 2024
12Jan23 Thompson Mill Oregon 2
Many of us are fascinated by those old mills that use water power to turn wheels or turbines that in turn power the machinery to grind grain and perform many other tasks.  In central Oregon there is a place where you can still experience that and see the impact the place had on the world…

January 11, 2024
11Jan23 Thompson Mill Oregon 1
In the Willamette River valley you’ll find an old mill with quite a story.  It’s legacy dates to the 1850s and it was still operating in the 21st century…

January 10, 2024
10Jan23 Minnesota Hat Collector 2
Every farmer needs a hat – and many farm supply companies provide them all the time.  But Scott’s dad enjoyed getting those farm hats so much, he decided to collect them.  They can now be measured in semi loads…

January 9, 2024
09Jan23 Minnesota Hat Collector 1
A farm hat is a necessity for many people- something to keep the sun out of your eyes or perhaps the top of your head warm in the winter.  On this farm the hats went far beyond that usual purpose…

January 8, 2024
08Jan23 Poteau Oklahoma 3
It is one of the highest points in the world and it isn’t out of reach for any climber, no matter their level of experience.  In fact, I recently enjoyed my trip there…as well as eating lunch at the local pizza place in full view of the magnificent peak…

 

January 5, 2024
05Jan23 Poteau Oklahoma 2
Imagine a six story hotel in a place some would consider the frontier border of Oklahoma and Arkansas.  That was the plan and there was definitely a need.  The place did get built and it remains today…

January 4, 2024
04Jan23 Poteau Oklahoma 1
Most folks aren’t quite sure how to pronounce the name of this town.  The name looks like it belongs to the country of France, but why would such a place be located in Oklahoma?  Dig a little deeper and an interesting story from a few centuries ago begins to unfold…

January 3, 2024
03Jan23 What Cheer Iowa 2
I’ve always been fascinated by some of the old opera houses in small towns across America. Those buildings often have quite a story and that is certainly the case for one in the town of What Cheer, Iowa.  Not only is it an impressive building, but it has a couple of unique claims to fame to boot…

January 2, 2024
02Jan23 What Cheer Iowa 1
If you see this town on the map or perhaps find yourself passing through it on a trip across Iowa, you’ll certainly be intrigued by the name.  It’s a title that you know just as to have an interesting story behind it…

January 1, 2024
01Jan23 Best of 2023 Bily Brothers
In 1928 the Bily brothers received quite an offer from Henry Ford.  He offered them one million dollars for something they created.  The story of what they built and wheat they did with Ford’s offer is quite a story…