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By Doug, June 16, 2009 10:53

Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Kansas

Boot Hill. Instantly upon hearing the name, visions of cowboys, horses, shootouts, saloons and the Old West in general fill our minds. For a visit back in time to a place that truly exists only in our minds, the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City Kansas is a must.

Boot Hill Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Dodge City and the Old West.

Dodge City was founded in 1872 and quickly became the world’s largest shipping point for Longhorn cattle. Dodge was the wildest of the early frontier towns, but law and order was soon established with the help of men such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Bill Tilghman.

Dodge City was a town that persisted and grew, and still honors its western heritage.

The Front Street buildings are reconstructions, exhibiting hundreds of original artifacts. They represent Dodge City in 1876, and were carefully researched through historic photographs and newspapers.

The various exhibits throughout the museum depict life in early Dodge City. There is a collection of over 200 original guns on display, a working print shop, an extensive collection of drug store items, an entire building that was just completely renovated, and many other special exhibits. Each artifact on display is authentic and there are approximately 20,000 artifacts displayed throughout the complex.

Boot Hill Museum is an educational, historical institution with just enough fun added for the whole family to enjoy. We look forward to seeing you in Dodge City!

The name “Boot Hill” actually applies to a number of cemeteries associated with the Old West, particularly where gunfighters are buried, usually with their boots on, hence the name. You may be more inclined to think of Tombstone, Arizona when you think of Boot Hill, but that’s another post for another day!

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By Doug, June 14, 2009 19:48

The Astoria Column, Coxcomb Hill, Astoria, Oregon

The Astoria Column is one of 12 historic markers created by Ralph Budd, in part to create a destination for his Great Northern Railroad. Budd hired Electus Litchfield to be the chief architect on the project and they agreed that Coxcomb Hill, Oregon would be the perfect location due to its wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean, Mount Rainier, the Columbia River and downtown Astoria.

The column was built in 1926 and is decorated with a series of illustrations telling the history of Oregon from the early wildlife, native people, the arrival of Capt Robert Gray, the Lewis and Clark expedition, the Pioneers and the arrival of the railroad (of course). The column is made of concrete and is patterned after Trajan’s Column in Rome. It’s 125 feet high but after climbing the 164 steps to the top you’ll find a commanding view over 600 feet above the ocean. Italian artist Attilo Pusterla used a technique called sgraffito to make the “cartoons” surrounding the column.

The column fell into disrepair due to the harsh Pacific Northwest weather, the Great Depression and World War II. Restoration started in the 1980s and today the monument is a rather fascinating look at Oregon’s history.

The Astoria Column has served for over 80 years as a beacon on the Pacific Northwest Coast. It sits in a wooded area 600 feet above sea level on Coxcomb Hill, Astoria, Oregon’s highest point. Majestic views of the countryside surrounding Astoria are the great Pacific Ocean to the west and the mighty Columbia River to the north. Snow-capped volcano, Mt. Rainier in the Cascade Range rises to the east and Saddle Mountain reaches to the sky on the southern horizon. 

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By Doug, June 14, 2009 10:29

Replica of the drill and pumping station at the Drake Oil Well museum in Titusville, Pennsylvania

Quick, where was the first oil well in the United States drilled? Texas? No. Alaska? Of course not! The first oil well in the United States was in Pennsylvania. The year was 1859 and a man named Edwin L. Drake drilled an oil well in Titusville Pennsylvania thus starting America’s oil industry.

The museum itself consists of the obligatory gift shop, a replica oil derrick and pumping station and a rock placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorating the historic event that happened some 50 years earlier. Nowadays, since the well is dry, the pump just cycles crude in and out of the original hole, which is still interesting to watch.

The museum also has some displays on oil from around the world and some ways we’re dependent on oil that may not be obvious to many. Back in the day, for example, we used oil to melt the raw material needed to make glass.

Too bad they can’t find a little more crude in that well; we could use it!

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By Doug, June 12, 2009 20:46

Lanterman's Mill, Mill Creek Park, Youngstown, Ohio

Lanterman’s Mill is a century’s old grist mill in Mill Creek Park, an urban park in Youngstown, Ohio. It’s a rather unique mill in that the water wheel is inside the building rather than on the outside, like one normally sees in old photographs. Both adults and children will enjoy the climb down to the bowls of the mill to see the wheel in operation, with the water flowing through raceways carved into the rock. Up above, demonstrations are given to show how wheat, corn and other grains are turned into meal and flour.

The official website for Lanterman’s Mill provides a short history of the two mills that have stood on the site:

At the end of the 18th century the land surrounding a beautiful, natural waterfall, now known as Lanterman’s Falls, belonged to John Young, founder of Youngstown. In August 1797 Young’s surveyors, Isaac Powers and Phineas Hill, set out to explore the then unnamed Mill Creek.

In 1933 the first floor was converted into a nature museum, then into the Park’s historical museum in 1972. Lanterman’s Mill was entered in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior in 1976.

Coming upon the Falls, the two men immediately recognized the potential of the site for a mill. Hill offered to purchase the 300 acres surrounding the Falls. Young stipulated, as a condition of the sale, that Hill must build a saw- and gristmill on the site within eighteen months of the purchase. Hill agreed and contracted with fellow explorer Isaac Powers to construct the mill.

The first mill was built of logs from the site. Millstones were cut from granite boulders found in the area of what is now Fifth Avenue at Rayen Avenue. This mill operated from 1799 to 1822.

In 1823 the original mill was replaced by a second mill. Built by Eli Baldwin, this frame structure served only as a gristmill. Baldwin’s mill operated until 1843 when a flood washed it away. A grinding stone from this mill can still be seen resting in the creekbed 500 feet downstream of the Falls.

The current frame structure was built in 1845-46 by German Lanterman and his brother-in-law Samuel Kimberly. German and his wife Sally Ann owned a large tract of land around the Falls. Lanterman’s Mill was the third mill constructed at the Falls and was used solely as a gristmill. It is believed that this mill was originally powered by an overshot wheel, the type presently being used, but was later converted to turbines prior to its closing in 1888. Lanterman’s Mill was a highly successful operation, utilizing three sets of grinding stones. Historians speculate that its downfall was due to the advent of roller mills which were much more efficient and less costly to run.

After closing, the Mill stood in a state of disrepair until purchased by the Park in 1892. As an early Park facility, the building held a ballroom, a concession stand, and bathhouse for swimmers. Swimming continued in the Pool of Shadows until 1917. The upper floors were used for boat storage during the winter.

The gift store sells a variety of mill and Ohio-themed merchandise. Most interesting of the articles for sale are the books about the history of mills and products such as cornmeal, stone-ground onsite.

Just up the river a piece is a reproduction covered bridge that’s also worth a visit. A two-mile walking trail goes up and down the creek and provides an enjoyable walk, particularly in the fall, when the leaves are changing. Downstream and to the right, the observant explorer will find the remains of an old amusement park, Idora Park.

Related reading:

• Covered Bridges of Ohio: An Atlas and History
• American Covered Bridges
• American Barns and Covered Bridges (Americana)
• Covered Bridges: Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky