American Countryside

This is the 100th anniversary of Route 66 and that has many people traveling the old route and reliving its glory years.  In one town, you’ll find the bright lights that once lured many travelers off the highway for a variety of reasons... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was known as the Packhorse Library Project.  During the years of the Great Depression, many young ladies answered the call to ride horse and mules into rural Appalachia to make vital connections with those in isolated locations... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’ll still find bookmobiles that bring books to rural schools and libraries.  In a moment, I’ll take you to an era when the need was great, but the roads didn’t exist in one area of the country to get people the resources they needed during the Great Depression... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When the first pioneers passed here, they may have overlooked this place, believing it to be too dry to support much farming. For those who returned, they found a place rich in grazing and farming that still continues today… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A famous trail passes next to this town and that fact is celebrated in the local museum yet today. However, the first settlers weren’t keen on stopping here, for there was something they saw as much more valuable miles ahead of them… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Imagine a packed crowd in a sweltering courtroom.  Refreshment vendor are allowed inside during recesses and chimps perform on the lawn outside.  It was a spectacle that drew worldwide attention... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

His last name is forever linked to one of the most publicized trial in American history.  It was John Scopes that probably did not teach evolution, yet was tried for violating an act that polarized the nation... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cities might devise many plans to help increase commerce and spur business growth.  Brining a trial to your town would seem to be an odd choice, but nearly a century ago, that’s exactly what this town did... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Manitowoc, Wisconsin you’ll find a submarine that was a part of the Navy’s fleet during World War II.  It was still serving the country until the late 1960s and today it’s a part of a place telling the story of what took place here... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This city along the shores of Lake Michigan has long had an important role in the shipping and transportation of the area.  And in World War II, it made changes to meet the demands of a global conflict... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One street in Ogallala, Nebraska is designed to look a bit like it might have back in the late 1800s.  It’s been one family’s job to help oversee it and keep its traditions alive... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For about a decade’s worth of time in the 1800s, this Nebraska town was the end of the trail for thousands of cattle being herded north to rail lines.  The cowboys and cattle created many tales in this town... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mt. McKinley.  Mt. Ranier.   Pikes Peak.  They are some of the tallest mountains in the United States.  But this peak may be better known, yet most people have a hard time finding it.  Today we climb that peak for a view from the top... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Harold family has farmed and ranched along the Kansas-Colorado border for over a century.  Their homestead may appear to be much like many others in the area.  But these hills have a distinction that make them unique in Kansas... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You no doubt have heard of Paul Revere.  However, you’ve probably not heard of Jack Jouett.  When you hear the two stories, you’ll wonder why the history books remember Revere and not Jouett... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was June of 1881 and British troops were advancing on the home of future president Thomas Jefferson – in fact, they were under a mile away.   This is the story of Jefferson’s escape from certain capture... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a good chance you’ve not heard of Jack Jouett, yet he may have been the man who saved some of the founding fathers in their revolution against England... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Tsukamoto school in Sacramento is a place of triumph.  Some may not know the story behind the name, but when you dig deeper, you find a farm family who worked to make the best of a bad situation... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Marielle arrived in Arkansas, she found her new home must have been constructed for a group of second graders.  It was a humorous incident wrapped inside a regretable chapter in American history... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bob Fletcher is a hero to many around Sacramento.  When others were wronged, he stepped in to make things right – giving of his time and money to help save their farms and preserve family’s homes See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes we don’t realize the historic value of what is around us until it is too late.  That was partially the case for this town.  However, local citizens stepped in to save many amazing places that are now the centerpiece of tourism in this city in southern Georgia... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a town relatively new in the south, and a place where one woman defended her historic home by standing guard on her porch with a shotgun... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When this astronaut was grounded due to health concerns, he used an alias to get reassessed at a world-renowned hospital.  The results of that trip allowed him to go to outer space 15 years after being selected as one of NASA’s first astronauts... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, but he never got to go into space in that program.  His story from a Wisconsin farm to one of the most important men at NASA... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s known as the cycling capital of America.  Its location may surprise you, but when you learn the reason why this small, rural town it is known by that title, it makes a lot of sense... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.