American Countryside

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.

As the United States began sending thousands of troops to Europe and the Pacific during World War II, there were also new needs that sprang up here at home.  One such place can still be found in the hills a couple dozen miles northeast of Sacramento... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A gold rush can attract people from all walks of life and all points on the globe.  That was the case for the big stampeded to Sutter’s Mill in California in 1849... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us have heard about the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill that set about the 49’s rush in the mid 1800s, but this is the story of what happened at a nearby community... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strikes have been a part of the push and pull between labor and management for as long as one can remember.  While those strikes can bring plenty of tension, they usually don’t result in what took place in Verdin, Illinois... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Memorial Day, we remember our loved ones. But these ladies recognize our fallen soldiers today and every day of the year... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Most of us don’t think of the state of Illinois as a major coal mining region, however in the 1800s and early 1900s, this was a place where miners extracted coal from the ground and often had little to show for doing so.  In 1898 in a resulted in a strike that is still remembered today... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She was small in statue but mighty in the punch she carried.  An Irish born lady who brought a message of hope and resilience to workers across the nation... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A mother cares for her sons and this mother had many adopted souls that she took under her wing.  She was a fiery woman who would not stand for the atrocities she saw around her... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Some people plant flowers around their home every Spring.  Now imagine you need to plant 70,000 or more of them.  That’s what takes place here each year... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the 1920s there was an effort to build a memorial along the international border between the U.S. and Canada.  The idea was a park that commemorates the peace between the two nations.  What resulted can be found along a relatively unpopulated area along that border line... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may not fancy yourself a poet, and you may have forgotten a poem called My Western Home.  But in a moment you’ll find that you do know those words quite well... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s one of the best known songs of that past century.  In fact, one president said it was his favorite.  But then a lawsuit stopped it from being played... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The name Farmers Branch sums up the beginning of this place.  A rich ag community along a north Texas stream.  Today the landscape has changed…but you can still find those roots See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Marion, Ohio you’ll find a museum that is the only one devoted to this in the world.  That fact is interesting in light of just how popular this has been in this country for well over a century... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.