3 May 22
Mississippi River from the Trail of Tears Park!! The Mississippi River is the 2nd-longest river and chief river of the 2nd-largest drainage system on the North American continent, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it flows generally south for 2,340 miles to the Mississippi River Delta in the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains all or parts of 32 US states and 2 Canadian provinces between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains.
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3 May 22
The Arch!! The Arch is the tallest monument in the US at 630 feet in height. Its complex and subtle design based on a weighted catenary is unique in architecture and its structural system had never been attempted on such a large scale. Although designed in 1947 and not built until between 1963 and 1968, its symbolic architectural expression is of such simplicity that it remains modern. The Park Grounds around the Arch is covered by walkways and paths. The banks of the Mississippi run along the East side.
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2 May 22
Pioneer Park Sign!! Site of the First Settlers Home in Sangamon County, IL., built by Robert Pulliam in October 1817.
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2 May 22
Sugar Creek Covered Bridge!! The only remaining covered bridge in Sangamon Co., spans Sugar Creek a few hundred yards south of where Robert Pulliam built his cabin. The 60-foot bridge was built around 1880, although there were earlier versions, including one sometime before 1845, based on advertisements for bridge repairs, and in 1854 and 1860 when the county sought bids for enclosing and repairing the bridge. The bridge closed to vehicular traffic in 1984, although pedestrians can still walk across it.
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25 Jul 22
Pinky the Elephant and his Martini!! Pinky, the glasses-wearing, martini-drinking, giant pink elephant on wheels, is celebrating his 45th year in Springfield, IL. Over the years, Pinky has been in countless parades, fundraisers, birthday parties, receptions and events of every kind. His presence has not only brought joy to the partygoers, but resulted in thousands of dollars in donations. Pinky’s most memorable presence came in 2009, during his owner, Bob Kent’s, funeral procession. Pinky was right behind the hearse.
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2 May 22
World's Largest Covered Wagon!! Located along Route 66 in Lincoln, Illinois, the World’s Largest Covered Wagon as certified by the Guinness World Records, is 40’ long, 12’ wide, and 25’ tall. It was built by local resident David Bentley in 2001 who crafted the Railsplitter Covered Wagon by hand using steel and locally sourced Illinois oak. He completed the project to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Route 66. In addition, as a fan of the 16th President of the United States, Bentley decided to add a 12' fiberglass Abe.
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2 May 22
Scrogin Cemetery Memorial Stone!! In 2005 a marble monument was placed and dedicated at the south side of the cemetery facing Wall Street. It reads “Scrogin Cemetery 1850-1916 to all known and unknown graves” and it lists the names of burials known at that time. Today 195 burials are listed for Scrogin Cemetery. It is located on Wall Street at the corner of Lee within the city of Lexington on Section 7.
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2 May 22
Scrogin Cemetery Gravestones Today!! Throughout the years clean-up efforts revealed gravestones that had been buried and stones carried away for use as steppingstones were returned to their proper place. However, with no burial records available, it was impossible to determine the original burying locations of these loved ones or even the names of them all. Eventually it was decided to place these fallen gravestones in a patio type bed of sand and pebbles in rows rather than to reset them upright.
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2 May 22
Scrogin Cemetery Sign In 1850 Levin and Sarah Scrogin set aside one acre of ground to be used as a family burial plot when their 18-month-old daughter, Ella, died on 16 July 1850 during a cholera epidemic. Sadly, that fall the epidemic also claimed the lives of many children in this community. With no other burial ground near and having a heart for grieving parents, the Scrogins opened their burial ground to the bereaved. The last burial was an infant who died in 1916. By 1942 only 57 of the graves were visible.
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2 May 22
Route 66 Memory Lane Entrance Sign!!
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2 May 22
Route 66 Sign in the Memory Lane Pavement!!
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2 May 22
Route 66 Memory Lane Billboard!! Route 66 Memory Lane is a one-mile stretch of original Route 66 in Lexington, Illinois, that was dedicated in 1926 and has been restored back to the 1940’s era appearance with vintage billboards and original pavement.
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1 May 22
Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is located just west of the City of Knoxville, Iowa. The cemetery is City-owned, maintained and operated. The cemetery is a wonderful place to take a walk, fish in the pond or visit loved ones. It includes historic Auld Chapel.
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1 May 22
Marion County, Iowa, Freedom Rock!! The goal of Freedom Rocks is to be unique and tell area/state specific stories on each Rock to Honor America’s Veterans. Not every era/branch/race/gender etc., can be included on each Rock, but they are represented across all of the Rocks with specific stories. While the artist, Ray ‘Bubba’ Sorensen II, has control of the content/design of each Rock, he relies on each county for some of the ideas to inspire their designs. There is one Rock in each Iowa County, as well as ones in 7 other States.
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30 Apr 22
Statue of Cy, Mascot for the Iowa State Cyclones!! There are 30 6’ Cy Statues with different themes all around Ames, Iowa, the home to Iowa State University, and Central Iowa. A trip to Ames is not complete without getting a photo taken with at least one of them! Get in the CYCLONE spirit with CY! This one called “Celebrating 150 years of Town and Gown” with a variety of City and University symbols was presented to the City of Ames as a sesquicentennial anniversary gift by the Ames Chamber of Commerce. It is located in Inis Grove Park.
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28 Apr 22
Itsy Bitsy Spider This giant spider is built with an actual Volkswagen Beetle.
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28 Apr 22
Whispering Bench Plaque, Nebraska City, Nebraska
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28 Apr 22
Whispering Bench, Nebraska City, Nebraska A large, stone, outdoor bench, built in a semi-circle 50 feet across. Sit on one end, whisper into the bench, and whoever's siting at the other end will hear you. In the Arbor Lodge State Historical Park around a Monument to J. Sterling Morton!!
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28 Apr 22
Julius Sterling Morton Gravesite Julius Sterling Morton (4/22/1832-4/27/1902) was a Nebraska newspaper editor and politician who served as President Grover Cleveland's Secretary of Agriculture. He was a prominent Bourbon Democrat, taking a conservative position on political, economic, and social issues, and opposing agrarianism. Among his most notable achievements was the founding of Arbor Day in 1872. In 1897 he started a weekly magazine entitled The Conservative.
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28 Apr 22
The Home of the "Best" Western Travel Bug Hotel!! John B. Stetson started the John B. Stetson Hat Company in 1865 with no more than $100 and a passion for hats. He rented a small room, bought the tools he needed, bought $10 worth of fur and launched his dream. Soon after he started his humble company, the famous "Hat of the West" also known as "Boss of the Plains" was born. The rest of the Stetson Hat story is as we say "history." Stetson Hats became a trademark for quality, durability, innovation and beauty. Stetson Hats remain that way today!
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