Author Archives: Dablad1

Quincy Market Quincy Market opened in 1826. It has grown to include Faneuil Hall and two other historic buildings and is now known as Faneuil Hall Marketplace. The first photo is dated ca. 1904. Revere House Paul Revere’s house was built in 1680 and is downtown Boston’s oldest building. Many commercial tenants occupied it until … Continue reading »

Boston was founded in 1639, making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. Many historic structures have survived, some of which are shown below, but first, a few fun facts. Boston: Has the oldest public beach–1896 Built the first subway–1897 Has the oldest public park–1634 Had the first chocolote factory–1765 Built the first … Continue reading »

Munger-Moss Motel The Munger-Moss Motel is located in Lebanon, Mo. It was built in 1946. The famous sign was intended to compete with the rival motel chain– Holiday Inn. The first photo is undated. Oatman CA. The many burros seen about town are descendents of those used by the early miners. Oatman’s population is 128 … Continue reading »

Route 66 opened in 1926 and ran from Chicago to Santa Monica CA. It was used by migrants heading west especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, which was when John Steinbeck coined the phrase “The Mother Road” in his novel The Grapes of Wrath. Change came with the passage of the Interstate Highway … Continue reading »

Leadville is located about 20 miles south of Vail Colorado at an elevation of 10,152 ft., making it the highest city in the U.S. It was founded in 1877 by two men, one being Horace Tabor–owner of the Matchless Mine and several prominent businesses in town. Within three years of its founding on “desolate flat … Continue reading »

Peaks Island Peaks Island is actually part of the city of Portland Maine, three miles away. It consists of 720 acres and was once known as the Coney Island of Maine. Ferry boats have been landing there since 1880. The first photo is dated 1910. Atlantic City Boardwalk The first boardwalk in Atlantic City NJ … Continue reading »

The first major tourist attraction in the U.S. was Niagara Falls in the mid 19th Century followed by Yellowstone National Park. It was not until after World War II that mass tourism took off. Early tourism can, therefore, be viewed as early 20th Century up to the late 1930s. Several of the leading destinations are … Continue reading »

Gloucester MA is located on Cape Ann. It was founded in 1623, but, due to harsh conditions, it was abandoned in 1626. It was finally incorporated in 1642. The company Gortons of Gloucester was started there in 1906. Rudyard Kipling’s Captains Courageous was filmed there as was Stephen King’s The Perfect Storm. Currently, National Geographic’s … Continue reading »

Chilcoot Pass The trail to the summit was four miles long with an elevation gain of 3,500 feet. Carved into the ice and snow were 1,500 steps that became known as The Golden Staircase. The average load carried was 50 pounds, but each man had to bring up food and supplies for one year (about … Continue reading »

Gold was discovered in a tributary of the Klondike River in Canada in 1896, but word did not get out until the winter thaw in June 1897. A stampede of 100,000 people set out, but only about 35,000 actually made it to the Klondike. By 1899 it was all over. Most people had no experience … Continue reading »