November 2010

This relatively new National Park was established in 2000 and is still under development. The park staff is currently working with the City of Richmond, Contra Costa County and other park partners to preserve the historic World War II resources in Richmond. The Richmond Museum of History Association is in the process of restoring the last remaining Victory Ship that was created in the Richmond Kaiser Shipyards—The Red Oak Victory Ship. You can watch the volunteers at work and explore this important part of American World War II history. The Rosie the Riveter Memorial began as a public art project for the City of Richmond in the 1990's. During the creation of the memorial, the National Park Service was invited to participate, and this partnership led to the founding of the National Park in Richmond, California.

For many years, Franklin D. Roosevelt summered on Campobello Island. As an adult, he shared with his family the same active pursuits he enjoyed on the island as child. Although he visited less frequently after contracting polio, Campobello remained important to FDR. Today Roosevelt Campobello International Park serves as a memorial to FDR and a symbol of cooperation between the U.S. and Canada. You can spend several hours exploring Roosevelt Campobello International Park. Here you can, visit the Edmund S. Muskie Visitor Center, which contains exhibits and a video interpreting the Roosevelt story, tour FDR's 34-room summer home to see what it looked like when he and his family lived there, walk through beautiful flower gardens, and much more.

Formerly the library in Dodge City , this building was established sometime prior to 1905, when Dr. C.A. Milton, Judge E.H. Madison, L.J. Pettijohn, and others first discussed the idea of providing the town with a public library building. Previously, a library had been organized in 1885 and set up in the office of the county superintendent.

With the encouragement of the Women's Club, Judge Madison wrote to Andrew Carnegie, who responded on February 1, 1905, stating he would give $7,500 for a library building (an amount later increased to $8,500). C.W. Squires, of Emporia, was chosen as the architect. The contract was given to William Foley; W.B. Rhoads performed the cement work; Sturgeon Brothers provided the brick; and Tieffenbach Brothers were in charge of interior decoration. The library was opened to the public February 1, 1907.

Step back into the 1870's as you walk down the boardwalk of Front Street at Boot Hill Museum, a western history village museum located on the original site of Boot Hill Cemetery in downtown Dodge City.

A chuck-wagon dinner, gunfight re-enactment and a Long Branch Variety Show is offered every evening beginning Memorial weekend through the third or fourth week of August (Subject to change). Summer daily daytime entertainment includes history displays, stagecoach rides through downtown Dodge City and gunfight re-enactments.

Award-winning exhibits on the state's colorful past fill the spacious main gallery at the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka.

Some of the attractions include a full-sized Cheyenne tipi, a fully stocked covered wagon ready for a trip on the Oregon Trail, a 1950s diner made by the Valentine Industries, and many other outstanding features. The centerpiece is a locomotive made in 1880 for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad.

Built about 1740 as a four-room private residence by Jean le Poincet and later purchased by Francois Saucier, son of the designer of Fort de Chartres, the Cahokia Courthouse is an example of the French Creole poteaux-sur-solle (post-on-sill) construction method which French settlers brought over their native Normandy in northern France. In this method upright hewn logs are seated on a horizontal log sill and the spaces between the logs are filled with stone and mortar chinking. This type of construction is different from the more familiar horizontal Anglo-American style and is quite rare with only about thirty buildings of this type left in North America.

Many consider the Jansonist emigration as the beginning of Swedish America. A number of historically significant buildings have survived and are scattered throughout the village, four of which are owned by the state and managed as part of the Bishop Hill State Historic Site. The Colony Church (1848) is a two-story frame building. The basement and first floor each contain ten rooms, once used as single-room apartments by Colony residents. The second floor contains the Jansonists’ sanctuary, complete with original pews. The three-story stuccoed-brick Colony Hotel (1852-ca. 1860) served commercial travelers and provided a link to the outside world. The “Boys Dormitory” (ca. 1850) is a small two-story frame structure believed to have provided housing for boys making the transition to working adulthood. A Colony barn (mid-1850s) was relocated behind the Hotel to the site of the original Hotel stable.

A thriving community all its own, Cowtown gives visitors a true taste of the myths, truths, and romance of the “Old West” and America’s frontier.

As a nationally recognized and accredited living history site, Cowtown offers a unique experience every time you visit. From buffalo hunters, traders, and cowboys to blacksmiths, carpenters and farmers, you’ll meet costumed staff who portray life on the frontier as it really was.

Experience the 1880’s-era DeVore Farm or drop by the land office to stake your claim. You can even try your hand at some of the activities common to life on the prairies, or enjoy one of our special educational and entertainment events and performances. See our calendar for more information.

In the 19th century, Americans wanted more land and settlement moved west. For countless Indians, the American thrust for land meant the end of their traditional way of life. The Shawnee Mission was one of many missions established as a manual training school attended by boys and girls from Shawnee, Delaware, and other Indian nations from 1839 to 1862. Visit this 12-acre National Historic Landmark and learn the stories of those who lived there.