November 2010

This railroad museum is located in an historic depot listed on the National Register of Historical Places along with the entire town of Wallace. The museum looks back at the time when railroads were the king of transportation. Exhibits tell of the rich history of railroading in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District and of the depot itself. Visitors can see a rare 13 foot glass map of the Northern Pacific Railroad, or come by for Depot Days, a classic car show and festival held each year on the Saturday before Mother's Day.

The elegant chateau styled depot, which houses the two story museum, was built at the turn of the century with unique brick transported from China and concrete panels made from mine tailings. Railroads have been an integral part of the mining district since 1887. In 1976, while still in business as a railroad station, the depot was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A decade later, after the station closed, it was moved 200 feet to make way for the completion of Interstate 90. The celebrated move, rehabilitation and conversion to a museum cost nearly two-thirds of a million dollars.

In 1881 and 1882, North Alabama planter and investor James Withers Sloss built the furnaces which became known as the "City Furnaces." Extensively rebuilt and modernized in the late 1920s, the current steel-jacketed furnaces employed an estimated 500 workers and produced 400 tons of pig iron daily. Sloss-Sheffield Steel and Iron Company and U. S. Pipe operated these furnaces, maintaining their position as a leading foundry iron producer until 1971.

Now recognized as a National Historic Landmark, Sloss Furnaces with its web of pipes and tall smokestacks offers us a glimpse into the great industrial past of the South and our nation. Tours of the historic site feature the Apron of the Furnace, the Stock Trestle, and the Underground Railroad line.

Visitors can experience the area from Vulcan's view or tour Vulcan Center Museum to learn Birmingham's past, present and promise for the future.

Vulcan Park and Museum is operated by Vulcan Park Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to preserve Vulcan as a symbol for Birmingham, provide a dynamic educational experience in a public park setting, and serve as the gateway to the region.

The history of Vulcan is deeply tied to Birmingham's roots and its growth into a prominent industrial city. Vulcan, the Roman god of fire and forge, was originally built in 1904 and has stood as a symbol of Birmingham for over 100 years. After a four-year renovation, Vulcan Park reopened to the public in 2004 and welcomed over 100,000 visitors its first year. Vulcan Park and Museum is home to the world's largest cast iron statue and features spectacular panoramic views of Birmingham.

Michigan's Copper Industry began thousands of years ago when ancient miners chipped away at exposed veins of pure copper with huge hammer stones. Tools and techniques of mining advanced considerably in the centuries that followed and Coppertown's Mining Museum traces the evolution of miners and mining people with a series of tasteful exhibits designed for the family. Other remnants abound. The site of the first mineral rush in the USA, the Keweenaw Peninsula saw its last copper mine close in 1968.

The Cultural Center serves as a repository for the Tribe's cultural heritage through the preservation of oral histories, archival materials and objects of cultural, historical and artistic significance to the White Mountain Apache people. It is the mission of the Apache Culture Center to foster an appreciation for the history and cultural traditions of the White Mountain Apache, within the reservation community and beyond, through exhibits and educational programs.

Ruthmere, a 1910 Beaux Arts mansion, will transport visitors back in time to America's Gilded Age. Guests can enjoy an exquisite fine arts collection including works by Tiffany and Rodin, period antiques, vintage cars, distinctive decorative arts, and a formal garden in season. In addition to offering regular tours, Ruthmere hosts numerous special events, including concerts, garden parties and special exhibits.

See Sitting Bull's bow and arrows, Buffalo Bill's show outfits, Frederick Remington's "Portrait of a Ranch Hand," and many other objects from the Old West in the Buffalo Bill Memorial Museum. Begun in 1921 by Johnny Baker, Buffalo Bill's foster son, the Museum illustrates the life, times, and legend of William F. Cody. It includes exhibits about Buffalo Bill's life and the Wild West shows, Indian artifacts, Western art and firearms. Also, visit the grave of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. By his request, Buffalo Bill was buried on Lookout Mountain in 1917, overlooking the Great Plains and the Rockies.

The museum exhibits artifacts from its collection of over 35,000 objects of historical significance donated by Boulder area families over the past sixty years. The Museum rotates its displays 2 or 3 times a year in hopes of providing new and interesting exhibits to showcase its collection and highlight Boulder's own unique history for the enjoyment of the general public. It also conducts programs and activities for youth and adults, publishes a bi-annual newsletter with historical research, and produces an annual community event, SummerFest in June. Its collection of over 200,000 photographs and 700,000 historic documents is housed at the Carnegie Library for Local History where it is available to the public and researchers.

Their crimes ranged from murder to polygamy, with grand larceny being the most common. A majority served only portions of their sentences due to the ease with which paroles and pardons were obtained. One hundred eleven persons died while serving their sentences, most from tuberculosis, which was common throughout the territory. Of the many prisoners who attempted escape, twenty-six were successful, but only two were from within the prison confines. No executions took place at the prison because capital punishment was administered by the county government.

Despite an infamous reputation, written evidence indicates that the prison was humanely administered, and was a model institution for its time.

Schooling was available for convicts, and many learned to read and write in prison. The prison housed one of the first "public" libraries in the territory, and the fee charged to visitors for a tour of the institution was used to purchase books. One of the early electrical generating plants in the West furnished power for lights and ran a ventilation system in the cellblock.

In the 1860s Mormon pioneers from St. George, Utah, led by James M. Whitmore brought cattle to the area and a large cattle ranching operation was established. In 1866, conflict with the native peoples of the area, Navajo and Paiute, flashied into violence, and by 1872 a protective fort was built over the main spring. The following year the fort and ranch was purchased by Brigham Young for the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The LDS Bishop of near-by Grafton, Utah, Anson Perry Winsor, was hired to operate the ranch and maintain the fort, soon called Winsor Castle. This isolated outpost served as a way station for people traveling across the Arizona Strip, that part of Arizona separated from the rest of the state by the Grand Canyon. It also served as a refuge for polygamist wives during the 1880s and 1890s. The LDS church lost ownership of the property through penalties involved in the federal Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1887.