July 22
Two of Pennsylvania's canals back in the early 1800s went on either side of the Allegheny Mountains but they didn't connect. Engineers made a railroad that crossed the Allegheny mountains to bring them together. It was called the Allegheny Portage Railroad. It picked up boats on one side and dropped off on the other. We also went to the area of the reservoir that flooded Johnstown in 1889. The dam was made of dirt and rocks and gave way in the middle after a big storm. The wall of water took 45 minutes to reach Johnstown. The people in Johnstown had just celebrated Memorial Day when the flood came.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Southwest Pennsylvania
Thursday, July 20
Today I went to Friendship Hill. It was the home of a Secretary of the Treasury. His name was Albert Gallatin. He was the Treasury Secretary for Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He helped to gather the money for the National Road, the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Louisiana Purchase.
We also went to Fort Necessity, where George Washington fought his first battle. It was the start of the French and Indian War. Fort Necessity was a small, square fort with one small building in it. The battle with Washington sneaking up on the French with some Indian friends. After the battle, the French burned down Fort Necessity. Many years later, George Washington had a tavern built near where the fort had been.
Today I went to Friendship Hill. It was the home of a Secretary of the Treasury. His name was Albert Gallatin. He was the Treasury Secretary for Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. He helped to gather the money for the National Road, the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the Louisiana Purchase.
We also went to Fort Necessity, where George Washington fought his first battle. It was the start of the French and Indian War. Fort Necessity was a small, square fort with one small building in it. The battle with Washington sneaking up on the French with some Indian friends. After the battle, the French burned down Fort Necessity. Many years later, George Washington had a tavern built near where the fort had been.
President James A. Garfield
Wednesday, July 19
James A. Garfield was our president for 5 months. Before he was elected president, he fought in the Civil War. He was on Lincoln's side. His mother adored him, so much that she had a picture of him in every corner of her room so that when she woke up, she could see her beloved son. The first four years of his marriage were not the best. But it got better after that. He and his wife loved each other very much. They had 5 children. When he bought his house near Lake Erie, it was a small farmhouse. He doubled its size in his lifetime. His wife added a third floor and another section after he died.
A funny fact is that after his inauguration, he bent down and kissed his mother! When he was boarding a train, he was shot by a crazy man. He died 2 months later.
James A. Garfield was our president for 5 months. Before he was elected president, he fought in the Civil War. He was on Lincoln's side. His mother adored him, so much that she had a picture of him in every corner of her room so that when she woke up, she could see her beloved son. The first four years of his marriage were not the best. But it got better after that. He and his wife loved each other very much. They had 5 children. When he bought his house near Lake Erie, it was a small farmhouse. He doubled its size in his lifetime. His wife added a third floor and another section after he died.
A funny fact is that after his inauguration, he bent down and kissed his mother! When he was boarding a train, he was shot by a crazy man. He died 2 months later.
Wright Brothers
Monday, July 17
As we all know, the Wright Brothers invented the airplane. As young boys they were inspired by a toy their dad gave them. It was a toy of an early helicopter. To make it fly was easy. Just spin the blades that were on a rubber band and let go of it. When they grew up, they owned a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. There, they thought up the idea of the airplane. They went to Kittyhawk to test their ideas. When they got back to Dayton, they borrowed a field to practice on. And that's where they made the airplane.
As we all know, the Wright Brothers invented the airplane. As young boys they were inspired by a toy their dad gave them. It was a toy of an early helicopter. To make it fly was easy. Just spin the blades that were on a rubber band and let go of it. When they grew up, they owned a bicycle shop in Dayton, Ohio. There, they thought up the idea of the airplane. They went to Kittyhawk to test their ideas. When they got back to Dayton, they borrowed a field to practice on. And that's where they made the airplane.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Underground Railroad Museum
The Underground Railroad wasn't actually a railroad. Runaway slaves would be guided by people called "conductors". They would help the runaways from one safe house to another. Some escaped slaves returned to help their families get away. Some even became soldiers for the Union Army during the Civil War. Harriett Tubman went back and helped people who were strangers to her. There was a man named Henry "Box" Brown who escaped in a box like the one in the picture below. We got to go into one of the slave jails from 200 years ago. There were two floors. The men were on the top floor and the women were kept below on the first floor. It was hard to know that I was in the same place where so many people had been treat badly just because of the color of their skin.
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Hopewell Culture national park
Friday, July 15
Did you know that there were Indians in the time right after the Ice Age? One of the tribes was the Hopewell Culture. For burials, they made mounds and put the dead inside. Another tribe made a mound that looks like a snake. It's called Serpent Mound, and it has a coiled up tail and a wavy body. The mound was made of rocks, clay and dirt. The Indians leveled the ground and put rocks on it in the shape they wanted to make. Then they put the clay on top of the rocks and covered the clay with dirt so that grass would grow on it.
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The curvy body of Serpent Mount
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Did you know that there were Indians in the time right after the Ice Age? One of the tribes was the Hopewell Culture. For burials, they made mounds and put the dead inside. Another tribe made a mound that looks like a snake. It's called Serpent Mound, and it has a coiled up tail and a wavy body. The mound was made of rocks, clay and dirt. The Indians leveled the ground and put rocks on it in the shape they wanted to make. Then they put the clay on top of the rocks and covered the clay with dirt so that grass would grow on it.
The curvy body of Serpent Mount
Boonesborough
Tuesday, July 12
Fort Boonesborough was founded by Daniel Boone. He helped to build the fort. A village was inside the walls. The blacksmith was making S hooks today. They are used to adjust the height of pots over a fire. Another person was making soap bars. She told us how she does it. It takes at least 20 days to make a batch of soap. In another shop, a lady was weaving fabric. She said it takes four hours to make one yard. Think of how hard life must have been for the people in that village. I'm glad I don't live back then.
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The soap lady
Fort Boonesborough was founded by Daniel Boone. He helped to build the fort. A village was inside the walls. The blacksmith was making S hooks today. They are used to adjust the height of pots over a fire. Another person was making soap bars. She told us how she does it. It takes at least 20 days to make a batch of soap. In another shop, a lady was weaving fabric. She said it takes four hours to make one yard. Think of how hard life must have been for the people in that village. I'm glad I don't live back then.
The soap ladyKentucky Horse Park!
Monday, July 11
Today we went to the Kentucky Horse Park! It was amazing! At the Hall of Champions, we got to FunnyCide, Cigar and DaHoss, horses who won lots of important races. We also went to the International Museum of the Horse. There we saw how horses have helped people throughout the years.
We learned about an Arabian legend that says the winds joined together to make the Arabian horse. At the Breeds Barn, we saw all sorts of different horse breeds. My favorite part of the whole day was going on a horseback ride on a horse named Pocahontas.
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Funnycide
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That's me on Pocahontas
Today we went to the Kentucky Horse Park! It was amazing! At the Hall of Champions, we got to FunnyCide, Cigar and DaHoss, horses who won lots of important races. We also went to the International Museum of the Horse. There we saw how horses have helped people throughout the years.
We learned about an Arabian legend that says the winds joined together to make the Arabian horse. At the Breeds Barn, we saw all sorts of different horse breeds. My favorite part of the whole day was going on a horseback ride on a horse named Pocahontas.
Funnycide
That's me on PocahontasChurchill Downs
Friday, July 8
Believe it or not, the Kentucky Derby is not held at the Kentucky Horse Park. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The track is cared for every day. But today, it was very muddy! At the race two years ago, the track was even muddier than it is today. That must have been hard for the horses.
When a horse walks out onto the track before a race, the owners like to take a lap with their horse. So on that race day two years ago, all of the ladies and gentlemen in the beautiful clothes were walking in mud! It was so much fun learning all about this racetrack.
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Believe it or not, the Kentucky Derby is not held at the Kentucky Horse Park. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The track is cared for every day. But today, it was very muddy! At the race two years ago, the track was even muddier than it is today. That must have been hard for the horses.
When a horse walks out onto the track before a race, the owners like to take a lap with their horse. So on that race day two years ago, all of the ladies and gentlemen in the beautiful clothes were walking in mud! It was so much fun learning all about this racetrack.
Mammoth Cave
Thursday, July 7
Mammoth Cave really is mammoth! On the Historic Tour, we learned that the first people to be in Mammoth Cave were the Woodland Indians. They came to collect gypsum from the surface of the rocks. We saw the scrape marks from their tools. There's a myth about how the cave was discovered. A man was hunting when he shot and wounded a bear. He followed the bear into the cave.
After the Indians, the cave was used for saltpeter mining. There are still wooden pipes from the mining. One of the girls on a tour many years ago put out her hand to touch a what she thought was a hairy rock. It turned out to be the head of an Indian who had been killed by a falling boulder. Yuck. The cave had preserved the Indian perfectly. That was cool!
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The main entrance to Mammoth Cave
Mammoth Cave really is mammoth! On the Historic Tour, we learned that the first people to be in Mammoth Cave were the Woodland Indians. They came to collect gypsum from the surface of the rocks. We saw the scrape marks from their tools. There's a myth about how the cave was discovered. A man was hunting when he shot and wounded a bear. He followed the bear into the cave.
After the Indians, the cave was used for saltpeter mining. There are still wooden pipes from the mining. One of the girls on a tour many years ago put out her hand to touch a what she thought was a hairy rock. It turned out to be the head of an Indian who had been killed by a falling boulder. Yuck. The cave had preserved the Indian perfectly. That was cool!
The main entrance to Mammoth CaveWednesday, July 6, 2011
Southern Indiana and Kentucky
(Tuesday and Wednesday, July 5-6)
Lincoln lived in the Sinking Spring farm, where he was born, for 2 years. Then he went to Knob Creek farm for five years before going to Indiana and what's now called his "Boyhood Home." He lived there from age 7 to age 21. At Knob Creek, he almost lost his life when he fell into the creek and he could not swim. Luckily, his friend held out a tree branch for Lincoln to grab onto. In Indiana, he won his first law case. People think that is what helped inspire him to be a lawyer. At Knob Creek he first saw slavery. There was a trail called the Old Cumberland and slaves walked on it. The trail went by his home. Abraham Lincoln was the greatest man in history to me. Here is a picture of a copy of the bottom of Lincoln's boyhood cabin in Indiana.
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Lincoln lived in the Sinking Spring farm, where he was born, for 2 years. Then he went to Knob Creek farm for five years before going to Indiana and what's now called his "Boyhood Home." He lived there from age 7 to age 21. At Knob Creek, he almost lost his life when he fell into the creek and he could not swim. Luckily, his friend held out a tree branch for Lincoln to grab onto. In Indiana, he won his first law case. People think that is what helped inspire him to be a lawyer. At Knob Creek he first saw slavery. There was a trail called the Old Cumberland and slaves walked on it. The trail went by his home. Abraham Lincoln was the greatest man in history to me. Here is a picture of a copy of the bottom of Lincoln's boyhood cabin in Indiana.
Conner Prairie
(Monday, July 4)
Conner Prairie was so amazing! In the Conner kitchen was a tool over the fireplace called a crane. We got to help cut ends off of gooseberries and also made candles out of beeswax. Boy, do they smell good! We saw a cow chewing its cud and learned about that. The cow chews food and swallows it. Then a bit of the food comes back up its throat from its belly. That process goes on until every piece of grass or food has been chewed and swallowed three times. At the barn we got to pet baby sheep and goats. One of the sheep was curled up next to its mother. We held a gun at the Indian camp. It was so heavy! We went through the Civil War Experience in Conner Prairie and it rocked! Today was a great day.
Conner Prairie was so amazing! In the Conner kitchen was a tool over the fireplace called a crane. We got to help cut ends off of gooseberries and also made candles out of beeswax. Boy, do they smell good! We saw a cow chewing its cud and learned about that. The cow chews food and swallows it. Then a bit of the food comes back up its throat from its belly. That process goes on until every piece of grass or food has been chewed and swallowed three times. At the barn we got to pet baby sheep and goats. One of the sheep was curled up next to its mother. We held a gun at the Indian camp. It was so heavy! We went through the Civil War Experience in Conner Prairie and it rocked! Today was a great day.
Indianapolis Children's Museum
The Children's Museum was so cool! There were dinosaurs escaping the building and others trying to climb into it. Inside was a tower made entirely out of glass and there was a Transformer (movie) in the lobby. We went to a planetarium show but it wasn't as good as the one in the Cosmosphere in Kansas. We also went to a dinosaur exhibit where we got to watch a play about fossils. We also saw 3 dinosaurs found together. Their names were Buddy, Kelsey and Stan! There was also a fossil that was similar to a squid and was as big as a tire. We also went to the science lab and got to drive a play crane and a play tractor and dig up foam rocks. Today at the Children's Museum was very fun!
Indianapolis
(Friday, July 1)
Benjamin Harrison was an interesting fellow. He was the last president to have a beard. He was also the first president to have electricity in the White House. His wife was a an artist, and she designed the Harrison Presidential China. While he was serving his four years as President, he added on six states to our country. His first wife died in the White House. He got married again and they had a child named Elizabeth. He had white hair when she was born. There is a picture of him with Elizabeth on his knee. He looks like a grandpa, but he was her father. Elizabeth was the apple of his eye. He loved her very much.
Today was very cool.
Benjamin Harrison was an interesting fellow. He was the last president to have a beard. He was also the first president to have electricity in the White House. His wife was a an artist, and she designed the Harrison Presidential China. While he was serving his four years as President, he added on six states to our country. His first wife died in the White House. He got married again and they had a child named Elizabeth. He had white hair when she was born. There is a picture of him with Elizabeth on his knee. He looks like a grandpa, but he was her father. Elizabeth was the apple of his eye. He loved her very much.
Today was very cool.
Turkey Run State Park
(Thursday, June 30)
The trees today were beautiful! We went to Turkey Run State Park. There was a huge rock called Wedge Rock. Another was called the Icebox. When we went up a stream, I walked right in the water. Whenever there were puddles or pools, I would jump in them! For lunch, we ate on the rocky beach of Sugar Creek. Before we ate lunch, we went a on a suspension bridge. It was wires going from one side to the other. It wiggled a bit. When we were trying to get to the beach, we walked right into a prickly plant. Boy, did it hurt! It was like a thousand needles poking me. All in all, today was an amazing day.
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The trees today were beautiful! We went to Turkey Run State Park. There was a huge rock called Wedge Rock. Another was called the Icebox. When we went up a stream, I walked right in the water. Whenever there were puddles or pools, I would jump in them! For lunch, we ate on the rocky beach of Sugar Creek. Before we ate lunch, we went a on a suspension bridge. It was wires going from one side to the other. It wiggled a bit. When we were trying to get to the beach, we walked right into a prickly plant. Boy, did it hurt! It was like a thousand needles poking me. All in all, today was an amazing day.
Crawfordsville
(Wednesday, June 29)
We went canoeing today. We got to see tons of birds. One of them was a heron of some sort. In the beginning of the trip, we bumped against an uprooted tree, and Kendall hit the back of Dad's seat. She said her tooth moved! We found some really cool shells and fossils. One of the fossils was a big rock with little circles on it. We also found a clam shell that was still together. The shells were very shiny and white on the inside, and sometimes there was a rainbow inside the shell. We also found a piece of coral. After that, we went to visit Pam and Mike Uhl's house for dinner. They showed us their water bed! It was like being on dry waves. Today was the best day ever!
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We went canoeing today. We got to see tons of birds. One of them was a heron of some sort. In the beginning of the trip, we bumped against an uprooted tree, and Kendall hit the back of Dad's seat. She said her tooth moved! We found some really cool shells and fossils. One of the fossils was a big rock with little circles on it. We also found a clam shell that was still together. The shells were very shiny and white on the inside, and sometimes there was a rainbow inside the shell. We also found a piece of coral. After that, we went to visit Pam and Mike Uhl's house for dinner. They showed us their water bed! It was like being on dry waves. Today was the best day ever!
Greencastle, DePauw University
(Tuesday, June 28)
Today I saw my mom's college. She went to DePauw. They have changed it a lot since she went there. Her first "home" was in Lucy Rowland for one year. Then she went to the AOII hose for two and half years. In front of the second "home" was a rock and every month or so they would paint it. We also got to see lots of covered bridges. Some were named for towns, and others were named for people. They were dated for when they were built. Some were built as old as 1856, others were built in 1920. Here are the names of the bridges: Beeson, Billie Creek, Mecca, Roseville, Harry Evens, Zacke Cox, Nevins, Bridgeton, Neet and Crooks. They were all beautiful. Here are two of my photos.
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