Author Archives: Dablad1

Hay House is located in Council Grove Kansas. It was built in 1857 by Seth Hays–the great grandson of Daniel Boone. It is the oldest continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi River. The Santa Fe Trail runs right by the front door.  The first photo is dated 1860 (click to enlarge). The flat roof … Continue reading »

Hanover Tavern is located in Hanover Courthouse Virginia. It was built in 1791, making it one of the oldest taverns in the country. It was almost torn down in 1953 when it was bought by some New York City actors who made it into the now oldest dinner theater in the US. The first photo … Continue reading »

The Buckhorn Exchange is located in Denver CO. It was built in 1886 and has 500 taxidermy animals on display. It was occupied as a grocery store during Prohibition, after which a liquor license was immediately obtained. It still holds Colorado liquor license #1! The first photo is dated 1920s.      

McSorley’s  opened in 1854, making it the oldest continuously operated saloon in New York City. However, records show it was a vacant lot that year. What is certain is the fact that it was for men only until 1970. Several famous patrons included  Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Houdini, Babe Ruth, and John Lennon. Liquor has never … Continue reading »

The iconic Yosemite Falls are located in Yosemite National Park CA. There are three sections combining for a total drop of 2,425 feet. A ladies’ hiking club is seen in the first photo from the early 1900s.

In stark contrast to a single-drop waterfall is Seven Falls located in Colorado Springs CO. It was a popular tourist attraction from 1880 to 2013 when a massive flood closed it down. It was then  bought and restored by the Broadmoor Hotel. The first photo is from the early 1900s. Even enlarging the third photo, … Continue reading »

Taughannock Falls is located in Ulysses NY. It is the highest single-drop waterfall (215 feet) east of the Rocky Mountains and 33 feet higher than Niagara Falls. The first photo is undated.

Located in Oswego County NY, the Salmon River drops 110 feet, forming the Falls. There was a lodge and dining establishment operating on the site from 1860-1888 and then a food and souvenir stand for another eight years . Fencing now precludes pictures such as the first photo of visitors on top of the Falls … Continue reading »

Minnehaha Falls is a Minneapolis city park. When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow saw an 1857 daguerreotype of the Falls, he was inspired to write his famous poem The Song of Hiawatha. Annually 850,000 people visit the Falls, which accounts for it’s being the most photographed site in Minnesota. While in private hands, a photo studio was … Continue reading »

Buttermilk Creek in Ithica NY drops 600 feet, forming Buttermilk Falls. The first photo is undated.