Author Archives: Dablad1

Located in the Cades Cove region of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Abrams Falls is one of the most popular waterfall hikes in the Park. Note in this 1920’s photo the group at the top, another at the bottom, and one fellow on a log representing the middle. Click to enlarge.    

Fort Point is located on the south side of the Golden Gate, which guards San Francisco Bay. Work on the Fort began in 1853, employing 200 out-of-work miners who labored for eight years. Upon completion of the fort, the Civil War broke out, but Fort Point never saw any action. The Army mostly moved out, … Continue reading »

Fort Mackinac is located on Mackinac Island between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It was built by the British during the Revolutionary War and not given up by them until fifteen years afterwards. From 1875-95 it was known as Mackinac National Park, the second national park after Yellowstone. The Fort was closed in 1895 and … Continue reading »

Fort Laramie is located at the confluence of the N. Platte and Laramie Rivers in Wyoming. It started as a trading post in 1841 and became a popular stop for pioneers on the Oregon Trail. With the coming of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, its importance declined and the Fort was abandoned in 1890. One … Continue reading »

Fort Thomas is located in the town of Fort Thomas, KY. It was an induction center during WWI and WWII,  handling 80,000 inductees during those two conflicts. General Sheridan chose 111 acres on a site high atop the Ohio River, and the Fort was established in 1887. He called it the “West Point of the … Continue reading »

The Royal Gorge Bridge is located near Canon City, CO. It was built in 1929 and was the highest bridge in the world until 2001 and the highest suspension bridge in the world until 2003. It is still the highest bridge in the country (955 ft. above the Gorge). Amazingly it took only six months … Continue reading »

The Felton Covered Bridge was built in 1892 in Felton, CA. At 33 ft. high, it is thought to be the tallest covered bridge in the country. It is used now only by pedestrians.. Both the first and third photos are undated.

The Eads Bridge spans the Mississippi River from Illinois to St. Louis. It was completed in 1874 and was an iconic image of St. Louis until the Gateway Arch opened in 1965. It is still open to auto, rail, and pedestrian traffic. The first photo shows it under construction and the third is a current … Continue reading »

The Bridgeport Covered Bridge was built in 1862 in a setting more like Connecticut than the Gold Rush country of California. It spans the South Yuba River for 230 feet, making it the largest, single-span covered bridge anywhere. It served as a toll bridge for miners coming from Virginia City and the Comstock Lode in … Continue reading »

The Seven Mile Bridge is located in the Florida Keys and was one of the longest in the world when it was completed in 1912. Originally, it was to serve railroad traffic, but it was extensively damaged by a 1935 hurricane and was converted to auto traffic. In 1974 a 77-million-dollar renovation was completed. The … Continue reading »