VirtualGlobetrotting: Midwest Region National Park System Units

VirtualGlobetrotting Live View

Hopeton Earthworks
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.
Read more...

George Rogers Clark Memorial
hhgygy (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: hhgygy.
Read more...

Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial (World's Largest Doric Column)
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.
Read more...
A 352 foot (107 m)monument — the world's most massive Doric column — was constructed in Put-in-Bay, Ohio by a multi-state commission from 1912 to 1915 "to inculcate the lessons of international peace by arbitration and disarmament." Beneath the stone floor of the monument lie the remains of three American officers and three British officers. It is among the tallest monuments in the United States (the Gateway Arch, San Jacinto Monument, and the Washington Monument are taller). Although substantially completed in 1915, funding problems prevented the proper completion of a fully realized memorial complex. In 1919 the federal government assumed control of the monument and provided additional funding. The official dedication was celebrated on July 31, 1931. In 2002, 2.4 million dollars was spent on a new visitor center. The memorial is visited by 200,000 people each year.

Pipestone National Monument
kkeps (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kkeps.

Isle Royale National Park
tmweber (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: tmweber.
Isle Royale National Park provides recreational activities for roughly 17,000 visitors a year and serves as a natural laboratory for researchers investigating topics ranging from air pollution to wetland ecology. Visitation is limited to the months between April and November, due to heavy snowfall on the main island and dangerous storms on Lake Superior. The Isle Royale Archipelago has been designated as wilderness, and is part of the International Biosphere Reserve System.

George Washington Carver National Monument
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
George Washington Carver National Monument is a unit of the National Park Service located about two miles west of Diamond, Missouri; the national monument was founded on July 14, 1943, by Franklin Delano Roosevelt who dedicated $30,000 to the monument. It was the first national monument dedicated to an African-American and first to a non-President.
The site preserves the site of the boyhood home of George Washington Carver, as well as the 1881 Moses Carver house and the Carver cemetery. It features a nature trail and museum. His boyhood home consists of rolling hills, woodlands, and prairies. The 210-acre (85 ha) park has a 3/4 mile (1.2 km) nature trail, museum, and an interactive exhibit area for students. This cultural setting includes the 1881 Historic Moses Carver house and the cemetery.

Effigy Mounds National Monument
Direct Link

Grand Portage National Monument
mrjonmeyers (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mrjonmeyers.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield

Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial is a United States Presidential Memorial in Lincoln City, Indiana that preserves the farm site where Abraham Lincoln lived from 1816 to 1830. During that time, he grew from a 7-year-old boy to a 21-year-old man. His mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, is buried here in the Pioneer Cemetery and his sister in the nearby Little Pigeon Baptist Church cemetery across the street at Lincoln State Park. Included in the park is a visitor center, where visitors can view a 15-minute orientation film about Lincoln's time in Indiana, as well as visit the museum and memorial halls in the center. The park also features the Lincoln Living Historical Farm. The Lincoln Boyhood Home was named a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Fort Larned
kjfitz (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: kjfitz.
Fort Larned was built in 1859. It was located to protect trade along the Santa Fe Trail from hostile Indians.

Rocky Falls

Alley Spring Roller Mill

Walter Klepzig Mill and Farm

Gravesite of Lou Henry and President Herbert Hoover
Dania (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Dania.

Herbert Hoover Museum and Library
AlbinoFlea (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AlbinoFlea.

Gateway Arch
nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic.

Indiana Dunes
zoidberg (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: zoidberg.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
tmweber (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: tmweber.
Multicolored sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, inland lakes, wildlife and the forest of the Lake Superior shoreline beckon visitors to explore this 73,000+ acre park. Attractions include a lighthouse and former Coast Guard life-saving stations along with old farmsteads and former logging trails.

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
LancelotLink (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: LancelotLink.

Governor Knowles State Forest
This is a 32,500 ac unit of the Wisconsin state park system that stretches for 89 km along the St. Croix River. It's managed as a wilderness buffer for the Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway. On the E, the state forest is bordered by county forests and 2 state wildlife areas. FKA the St. Croix River State Forest, it was renamed in 1981 to honor former Wisconsin governor Warren P. Knowles for his conservation and outdoorsman ethics.

Saint Croix State Park

Chengwatana State Forest

Wild River State Park

Lake O' the Dalles

William O'Brien State Park

St. Croix Boom Site

Afton State Park

Kinnickinnic State Park

St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park

William Howard Taft National Historic Site
mrjonmeyers (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mrjonmeyers.

Sleeping Bear Dunes
nic (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: nic.

Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
AKpilotEMT (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: AKpilotEMT.
A beautiful, out-of-the-way, not-nearly-as-crowded-as Yellowstone part of America's National Park system located on Wisconsin's northern shore in Lake Superior.

Basswood Island
Fab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Fab.
Part of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
AKA Isle Michel and Bass Island

Ice Caves - Apostle Island
KRL (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: KRL.
Also know as the Bayfield Ice Caves.
With most of Lake Superior frozen over, access to these lakeside caves is possible.
More info at links below

Madeline Island
Fab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Fab.

Eagle Island (Wisconsin)
Fab (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Fab.

Abraham Lincoln's House
Ozzy (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Ozzy.
Lincoln's House National Historic Site
413 South Eighth Street
Springfield, Illinois 62701-1905

Voyageurs National Park

Rainy Lake
Rainy Lake (French: lac à la Pluie; Ojibwe: gojijii-zaaga'igan) is a relatively large freshwater lake (345 square miles (890 km2)) that straddles the border between the United States and Canada. The Rainy River issues from the west side of the lake and is harnessed to make hydroelectricity for US and Canadian locations. The U.S. city of International Falls, Minnesota, and its Canadian sister city of Fort Frances, Ontario, are situated on either side of the outflow of the river from the lake. Shown as "Lake Tecamaniouen" on the 1757 Mitchell Map and as "Lake Tekamamigovouen" on the Thomas Jefferys' 1762 Map of Canada, the river is the boundary between the two countries.

Fort Scott
In 1842, Fort Scott was named built on the military road in eastern Kansas between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Gibson. It provided protection to settlers. It was one of a chain of forts defending against hostile American Indians.

Fort Scott National Cemetery
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.

James A Garfield National Historic Site
mrjonmeyers (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mrjonmeyers.

33th President of the USA - Harry S. Truman's house (former)
neotrix (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: neotrix.
The Wallace House (Truman Home), the home of Harry S. Truman (1884-1972), 33rd President of the United States.
The house is located in The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site.

Banfill Tavern

Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary

Fort Snelling
In 1819, the 5th Regiment of Infantry arrived at the junction of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers to build the northwest link in this chain of forts and agencies. Here, where traffic could be controlled on two major rivers, Fort Snelling was completed in 1825. Colonel Josiah Snelling's officers and soldiers permanently changed the landscape. They made roads, built a gristmill and sawmill at St. Anthony Falls, planted hundreds of acres of vegetables, wheat and corn, cut hay for their livestock, felled trees for their fires and made the first documented weather recordings in the area. All the while they enforced the laws and policies of the United States.
For almost 30 years, Fort Snelling was the hub of the Upper Mississippi and the meeting place of diverse cultures. Dakota and Ojibwe gathered at the agency and fort to trade, debate government policy and perform their dances and sports. Traders stopped at the fort while their goods were inspected. The American and Columbia fur companies built headquarters nearby and employees' families settled at nearby Mendota.

Gold Medal Park

Col. John H. Stevens statue
WacoKidd110 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: WacoKidd110.
John Harrington Stevens (June 13, 1820–May 28, 1900) was the first authorized resident on the west bank of the Mississippi River in what would become Minneapolis, Minnesota. He was granted permission to occupy the site, then part of the Fort Snelling military reservation, in exchange for providing ferry service to St. Anthony across the river. The Stevens House was moved several times, finally to Minnehaha Park in south Minneapolis in 1896. The house is now a museum, with tours available on summer weekends. The home was considered to be a civic and social hub of the city, and was used to organize both Hennepin County and the city of Minneapolis.

Indian Mounds Park
As many as 37 burial Mounds were constructed by the Hopewell culture approximately 2000 years ago, one of several Native American Mound builders. The dead were buried with artifacts, indicating a religious tradition. The Hopewell culture built distinctive mounds, including burial of the deceased's ashes. Later the Dakota Indians used the same site to bury their dead after wrapping the bodies in animal skins.

Mississippi River Lock and Dam #1
The construction of Lock and Dam No. 1 was completed in 1917. The 30-foot high dam provided 9 1/2-foot channel from St. Paul to Minneapolis. Reconstruction of the dam took place in 1929 and then again from 1978 to 1983.
Lock and Dam No. 1 is one of the steps in the "stairway of water" on the Mississippi River that makes possible the travel of barges from St. Anthony to the Gulf of Mexico. Commercial barges carried over 15 million tons of commodities through the Lock. Among the commodities are: coal, burner oils, grain, and aggregate products.
Lock and Dam No. 1 provides for both commercial and recreational uses. Along with the commercial barges are recreational crafts ranging from canoes and rafts to houseboats and sleek powerboats.

Longfellow House

Mill City Museum
Mill City Museum is a Minnesota Historical Society museum in Minneapolis. It opened in 2003, built in the ruins of the Washburn "A" Mill next to Mill Ruins Park on the banks of the Mississippi River. It focuses on the founding and growth of Minneapolis, especially flour milling and the other industries which used water power from Saint Anthony Falls.
The mill complex, dating from the 1870s, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is part of the St. Anthony Falls Historic District and within the National Park Service's Mississippi National River and Recreation Area.

Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge

North Mississippi Regional Park

Science Museum of Minnesota
The Science Museum of Minnesota is an American museum focused on topics in technology, natural history, physical science and mathematics education. Founded in 1907 and located in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit institution is staffed by over 500 employees and over 1,600 volunteers. The museum's mission statement is to "turn on the science: realizing the potential of policy makers, educators, and individuals to achieve full civic and economic participation in the world."

Sibley Historic Site

Saint Anthony Falls
bubaonline (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: bubaonline.
Saint Anthony Falls, or the Falls of Saint Anthony, located near downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, was the only waterfall on the Upper Mississippi River until it was replaced by a concrete apron after they partially collapsed in 1869 and, later, a series of dams in the 1950s and 1960s.

Stone Arch Bridge
bubaonline (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: bubaonline.
The Stone Arch Bridge "is the only bridge of its kind over the Mississippi River. It is made of native granite and limestone, and measures 2100-feet long by 28-feet wide. The bridge consists of 23 arches, and spans the river below St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis. Built by railroad baron James J. Hill in 1883, the bridge allowed for increased movement of people and goods across the river. It served as a working railroad bridge until 1965 but is still seen as a symbol of the railroad age. Rehabilitation of this National Historic Engineering Landmark began in 1980."

Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was established in Topeka, Kansas on October 26, 1992 by the United States Congress to commemorate the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision aimed at ending racial segregation in public schools. On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court unanimously declared that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal" and, as such, to violate the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens "equal protection of the laws."
The site consists of the Monroe Elementary School, one of the four segregated elementary schools for African American children in Topeka, and the adjacent grounds.

Keweenaw Peninsula
The Keweenaw Peninsula ( /ˈkiːwɨnɔː/ kee-win-aw) is the northern-most part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was roughly 43,200. Its major industries are now logging and tourism, as well as jobs related to Michigan Technological University and Finlandia University.

Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop
shale69 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: shale69.
The Wright brothers built bicycles at 22 South Williams Street in 1895 and 1896, just as they began to dream of flight.

Wright Brothers Monument
This is the sister memorial to the spire that stands atop Big Kill Devil Hill near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. If you're going to memorialize the Wrights, there are really two important places on the earth that you must mark -- the sand dunes near Kitty Hawk and the rolling grass at Huffman Prairie. The Wrights conducted their initial aeronautical experiments at Kitty Hawk because they needed the wind to fly their gliders. Then they developed their powered Flyer into a practical aircraft and learned the skills necessary to fly it at Huffman Prairie. Just as the North Carolina monument stands above the dunes at Kitty Hawk, the Wright Memorial is perched on a hill overlooking Huffman Prairie. Presently, the National Park Service is building a reception center there to help tell the story of the Wright brothers to visitors.

Huffman Prairie

Hawthorn Hill (Wright Brothers)
shale69 (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: shale69.
In 1911, the Wrights began to build a mansion in Oakwood, a suburb of Dayton, Ohio. It was finished in 1914, and Orville, his sister Katharine, and their father Milton moved in. Wilbur, unfortunately, had died in the interim. After Orville's death in 1948, the National Cash Register Company bought the mansion and used it for a guest house, although they kept two rooms, including Orville's study, just as they were when the last inventor of the airplane passed away.

Carillon Historical Park

Paul Laurence Dunbar House

Nicodemus School District #1 Schoolhouse

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Direct Link

Bridge targeted by anarchists (01 May 2012)
mlc1us (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: mlc1us.
"The FBI arrested five men Monday evening, saying they had planted what were believed to be explosive devices under the Ohio 82 bridge over Cuyahoga Valley National Park as part of a May Day protest."
"The five men were 'self-proclaimed anarchists,' who intended to detonate two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) under the bridge in Sagamore Hills."

Brandywine Falls
milwhcky (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: milwhcky.
60 feet tall waterfalls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Mike_bjm (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: Mike_bjm.
The Cuyahoga Valley National Park is in north-eastern Ohio between the cities of Cleveland and Akron. It is something of a hidden gem set among the bustling urban areas close by.
The park covers approximately 33,000 acres along the banks of the Cuyahoga River and is refuge for native plants and wildlife, with deep forests, rolling hills, and open farmland. The river has some towering waterfalls and there are many scenic trails.

Jaite Paper Mill (Abandoned)
lordmono (VirtualGlobetrotting)
By: lordmono.
Located in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, this abandoned mill was constructed in 1906 and used the nearby Ohio & Erie Canal as a reservoir. Between 1926 and 1927, the mill was remodeled to accommodate an overhead crane and a fourdrinier machine to allow production of a continuous web of paper. As many as 250 workers were employed at Jaite, producing up to 8 tons of paper daily. Like the canal, the Jaite Paper Mill felt the effects of competition beyond its control and closed in 1984. It also had a large fire which helped with the closing.

First Ladies National Historic Site

River Raisin National Battlefield Park

Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument

Pullman National Monument

Louis Bolduc House

Amoureux House