Episode 22: From Ancient to Modern: Exploring the Timeless Legacy of Canoes in North America with Mark Neuzil

People in North America have been getting around in canoes for thousands of years. The basic design was so perfectly engineered that we’re still using it today. In this episode, I talk with Mark Neuzil, who co-wrote “Canoes: A Natural History in North America” with Norman Sims. We talk about the basic design, variations

By |2023-07-03T09:01:40-05:00June 14th, 2023|Podcast|Comments Off on Episode 22: From Ancient to Modern: Exploring the Timeless Legacy of Canoes in North America with Mark Neuzil

Shawnee National Forest

Population (2010) N/A Introduction Whether you’re passing through on a day trip or sticking around for a few days, there are many ways to experience Shawnee National Forest. An extensive trail system means you can hike or ride a horse on trails that range from easy to challenging. Lakes

By |2024-07-20T08:48:34-05:00December 15th, 2018|Illinois|Comments Off on Shawnee National Forest

Kaskaskia

Population (2010) 14 Introduction It’s been 250 years since France governed the Mississippi Valley, but their influence is still alive along the Mississippi River from St. Louis to Sainte Genevieve. Many of these communities pre-date the founding of New Orleans and have preserved impressive remnants of their earlier days.

By |2024-05-27T08:24:11-05:00November 3rd, 2018|Illinois|Comments Off on Kaskaskia

Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Population (1200 CE) 20,000 Introduction If the Mississippian culture had built with stone instead of dirt, their civilization would be as famous as the Mayans and draw crowds of tourists like Angkor Wat. Instead, we collectively ignore or remain ignorant of the sophisticated civilization that dominated much of the

By |2024-05-26T16:03:36-05:00September 20th, 2018|Illinois|Comments Off on Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

Alton

Population (2010) 27,891 Introduction Alton is a city with a layered history that is worth the time to explore. When you’re done, take a drive along the Mississippi River up to Grafton, which is one of the most scenic stretches of the Great River Road; it can be very

By |2024-05-26T15:42:05-05:00September 7th, 2018|Illinois|Comments Off on Alton

Searching for the Headwaters of the Mississippi River

While we settled on the name Mississippi by the mid-eighteenth century, we were still trying to define what body of water that name applied to—specifically, just where the river we called Mississippi began. This wasn’t just an act of intellectual curiosity. At the end of the eighteenth century, border disputes between the U. S.

By |2024-02-26T18:37:19-05:00August 29th, 2018|About the Mississippi Valley|Comments Off on Searching for the Headwaters of the Mississippi River
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