American Countryside

It was the early morning hours of April 27th, 1865.  The steamboat Sultana was overcrowded, bearing a load of souls over five times it's capacity. ...

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...

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...

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...

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? ...

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...

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...

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…

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...

This town was founded on sawdust – in some cases quite literally.  While the mill and the homes are gone, one important building remains and...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

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...

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...

It is know as the “shot heard ‘round the world.”  It was the shot considered to have begun the American Revolution in Concord, Massachusetts…

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...

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...

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...