Author Archives: Dablad1

Castle Rock Castle Rock is located in Ignace MI. It stands 195 ft. above Lake Huron and provides a stunning overlook of Mackinac Island. It opened in 1929 and is still operated by the same family. The first photo is undated. Coral Castle Coral Castle is located near Miami. It consists of 1,100 large stones, … Continue reading »

Old Exchange The Old Exchange, located at 122 E Bay, was built in 1771. It was originally owned by the British government and operated as a jail during the Revolution. The building was the site where South Carolina approved the U.S. Constitution. It is now a museum operated by the Daughters of the American Revolution. … Continue reading »

Charleston SC was founded in 1670 and encountered numerous catastrophes thereafter. Most notable were The Civil War, the earthquake of 1886, and Hurricane Hugo in 1989, which damaged or destroyed 2,000 buildings. Yet, in spite of all that, much remains to enjoy. While next month will show public buildings, this month emphasizes the many historic … Continue reading »

Meeker was born in Ohio in 1830. In 1852 he, his wife, son, and brother trekked to Oregon by wagon, traveling over 2,000 miles in the six-month journey. He became a wealthy grower of hops. Although in his late 70s, he decided to retrace his journey. In 1906 he proceeded east, placing markers and gaining … Continue reading »

The Oregon Trail was a 2,170-mile-long pathway that started mostly in Independence Missouri and ended in Oregon . From 1840 to the late 1860s nearly 400,000 people migrated westward. About 80,000 stayed in Oregon while many others took the cutoff to California. The average trip was 160 days in 1849, then dropped to 140 days … Continue reading »

Dearborn and Randolph The corner building on the left in this 1909 picture was built in 1874 as an eight-story office building. Note the Cunard Line office on the first floor. That is now a two-story McDonalds! Wabash Ave. “L” 1907 Dearborn St. Station The railroad station was built in 1885 and now houses a … Continue reading »

Chicago has a population of 2.7 million, making it the third most populous city in the U.S. It was incorporated in 1837. In 1871 much of Chicago was consumed in a major fire which left over 100,000 homeless. Thirty years after being rebuilt, it was the fifth largest city in the world! Many noteworthy buildings … Continue reading »

H.H. Bennett was a photographer most noted for his pictures of the Wisconsin Dells area. He started in 1865 upon his return from the Civil War and continued until his death in 1908. He invented the stop-action shutter, the effect of which is best seen in the Stand Rock photo below. He also invented a … Continue reading »

These photos show Mark Twain’s office building on the left in the first shot and the International Hotel at the end of C street in the second They both were destroyed in the October 26, 1875 fire which burned for nine hours and consumed over 2,000 structures. Sutro Tunnel The huge Comstock Lode mining district … Continue reading »

Virginia City, NV, became a boom town with the discovery of silver in the Comstock Lode in 1859. Four years later a reporter for the city’s newspaper, a man by the name of Samuel Clemens, first used the name Mark Twain. By 1873 the population of Virginia City had grown to 25,000. The numerous mines … Continue reading »