The NCAA Hall of Champions is designed to create an appreciation for the trials and triumphs of the student-athlete. To that end, all of our exhibits interactively engage visitors and create a true-to-life understanding of just what it takes to make the grade. Visitors are encouraged to take a closer look at some of the attractions to see what it's like to be a student-athlete.
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Indians used it and early travelers and explorers counted on finding water here. It bears the name of one explorer. Caption J. H. Simpson, who stopped here in 1858 while searching for an overland mail route between Salt Lake City and California. George Chorpenning established a mail station in 1858, which was later used by the Pony Express and Overland Express. When gold mining started at Gold Hill in 1893 Simpson Springs took on a new importance as a station for freighters and stages until the mid 1920's. In the 1930's, the spring became the water supply for the Civilian Conservation Corps Camp located just south of the springs. Today visitors to Simpson Springs can enjoy a 20 unit campsite that offers picnic tables, fire pits, charcoal grills and vaulted toilets.
The Pioneer Theater--Auditorium, now called the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, was designed by the Oklahoma City architectural firm Bozalis, Dickinson and Roloff, and completed in December 1967. It is located in downtown Reno amidst other historic buildings featured in this itinerary. From the front, the building looks like a bird that has swooped down to the ground with its wings spread. The building's 140-foot diameter gold-anodized geodesic dome consists of 500 faceted panels. The dome was fabricated by Temcor, a Torrance, California, company co-founded by Donald Richter, a student of Richard Buckminster Fuller. The geodesic dome was the brainchild of the far-thinking Buckminster Fuller. Long fascinated with the need for more efficient and cost-effective housing, he saw the solution to the world's problems in nature's design principles. The geodesic dome was the result of his revolutionary discoveries about balancing the forces of compression and tension in building, and his belief that the triangle is the strongest structure in nature.
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The museum displays artifacts from pre-Colombian culture, The Civil War, and other periods of the 19th and 20th centuries. These artifacts include furniture, clothes, pottery, tools, and more.
The museum offers a range of exhibits that trace the history of the American presidency. Visit the Oval Office, where you can issue your own Executive orders, learn about the Presidential Seal, take the Oath of Office and more about this center of activity in the West Wing - the President's work space. Tour the Hall of First Ladies, filled with First Lady memorbilia from Grace Coolidge through Laura Bush, you'll learn about the early duties and the locations of the offices of earlier First Ladies through today. See how they are the most trusted advisor to the President. Experience a journey through our nation's path to freedom as you view the Freedom Shrine, a collection of 28 of our nation's most powerful documents in history that have paved the path to the Freedoms we enjoy. Displayed are photographs of the actual document including the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, WWII Instruments of Surrender, Roosevelt's Four Freedoms Speech and many more.
The fort was constructed of adobe mud and straw in only 18 days by 98 men. It was 550' square with walls 10' high, 3' wide at the base and 1 1/2' thick at the top, resting on a lava rock foundation. Located in the Northwest and Southwest corners were Bastions and each of the side walls were equipped with a gate. The fort was built for the protection of the Mormon settlers to this area but was never used for its sole purpose, instead it housed livestock.
Today the only walls still standing of Fort Deseret is the front, small portions of the side walls, one Bastion room and some of the gun turrets. Every year the weather is slowly melting Fort Deseret away.
The Walt Disney Hometown museum is the recipient of a unique collection of family effects, never seen anywhere else in the world. Visitors to the museum are treated to: interpretive exhibits that focus on the Disney family and tell the story of Walt's childhood, family, friends and associates who supported him in his creative adventures, hundreds of personal letters written between family members, the only ride ever to leave and be operated outside of Disneyland, and artifacts, effects & personal belongings from Disney family members.
Walt Disney's HometownMuseum is quickly becoming regarded as the place to get closest to the man who has influenced so many of us personally. While perusing this special museum, you'll feel transported to a simpler time and unlike the hustle and bustle of the Disney Theme Parks, you'll feel closeness and get an intimate understanding of Walt Disney and his amazing life history & family.
Known as "the fort that never surrendered," Fort Stanwix, under the command of Col. Peter Gansevoort, successfully repelled a prolonged siege, in August 1777, by British, German, Loyalist, Canadian and American Indian troops and warriors commanded British Gen. Barry St. Leger. The failed siege combined with the battles at Oriskany, Bennington, and Saratoga thwarted a coordinated effort by the British in 1777, under the leadership of Gen. John Burgoyne, to take the northern colonies, and led to American alliances with France and the Netherlands. Troops from Fort Stanwix also participated in the 1779 Clinton-Sullivan Campaign and protected America's northwest frontier from British campaigns until finally abandoned in 1781.
From its inception the plans always called for this to be much more than a museum. It would also be a true center of learning. The HolocaustMuseum was established to commemorate the tragic loss of life and potential and the LearningCenter was established to teach the lessons about the dangers of indifference that resonate from Holocaust history through today.
By exploring the roots of religious, ethnic and racial hatred we know that intolerance is passed on from generation to generation. If such intolerance can be learned, it is important to understand that human beings can be presented with information to broaden their perspective to counter previously held beliefs.