Tag: Theodore Roosevelt

Devils Tower

Devils Tower
Devils Tower is a natural stone formation that rises 1267 feet in the Black Hills of
northeastern Wyoming. President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed Devils Tower the first
US National Monument in 1906.
Nobody knows how this unusual rock was formed, but geologists have put forth several
theories. They agree that Devils Tower is an “igneous intrusion”, which is magma that
hardened while still underground. This may have happened 60 million years ago, which
is when the Rocky Mountains were forming too. Scientists disagree about how this
magma eventually came to tower so high above its surroundings. A popular theory sets
Devils Tower as the neck of an old volcano. In this theory, the rest of the mountain
eroded away.
Weather continues to erode the tower. Cracks fill with ice and expand, and rocks then fall
to the ground. Piles of broken lava columns at the base of the tower indicate that it used
to be larger.
Native Americans also have stories to explain Devils Towers. In their stories, the tower is
called Mateo Tepee, meaning Grizzly Bear Lodge. The rock’s long vertical cracks
reminded people of scratches that a bear might make. In a Kiowa story, for example,
seven little girls were playing far from their village when bears started to chase them. The
girls ran to a small rock and prayed for it to save them. The rock started to push upwards,
higher and higher until the girls were out of the bears’ reach. The bears scratched at the
rock and broke their claws. The Kiowa say that these little girls were pushed upward to
the sky; they now form a seven-star constellation. Another version of the story has little
boys chased by bears, and an eagle carries them home from the tall rock.
Devils Tower appears insurmountable to many. Henry Newt, who was part of area’s first
geological survey, wrote in 1875: “Its summit is so entirely inaccessible that the energetic
explorer… standing at its base could only look upward in despair of ever planting his feet
on the top.” Nonetheless, a Wyoming rancher named William Rogers ascended the tower
in 1893; he climbed up with the aid of wooden pegs that he’d drive into cracks. A more
professional ascent was made in 1937 by a small party representing the American Alpine
Club. The climb can be made relatively easy or extremely challenging according to the
path someone chooses.
The tower is still sacred to several Native American Plains tribes, including the Lakota
Sioux, Cheyenne, and Kiowa. There have been conflicts between tourists who want to
climb the tower and indigenous people who hold ceremonies around the monument.
There is now a compromise that involves a voluntary climbing ban in June, which is
when the tribes traditionally use the tower most. This compromise has not satisfied
everyone, since climbers see the rock as federal land and Native Americans see ascension
of the monument as desecration. About 4,000 people climb Devils Tower every year.
According to a PBS documentary called In Light of Reverence, most agree not to climb
during the month of ceremonies.

The region is also known for its colorful rock layers. The oldest visible rocks have been
dated to the Triassic period, or about 200 million years ago. These are dark red sandstone
and siltstone, colored by oxidized iron. A thin white band of Jurassic-era gypsum follows.
People can also spot gray-green shale, red mudstone, and yellow sandstone.

The United States was probably first aware of Devils Tower after an 1859 Yellowstone
expedition led by Captain W. F. Reynolds. In 1875 Colonel Richard Dodge led a
geological survey to the rock. It was Dodge who named Devils Tower; he thought that
natives called it “Bad God’s Tower”. Congress designated the area a US forest reserve in
1892, and by 1906 it was the country’s first national monument. In addition to the tower,
the park includes the Belle Fourche River and 1347 acres of pine forests and grasslands,
home to deer, prairie dogs, and other animals.
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The White House

Sixteen-hundred Pennsylvania Avenue is among the most famous addresses in the United States. The 132-room home and workplace has also been known as the Presidents House and the Executive Mansion, but since 1902 its officially been called the White House.

When George Washington was President, government meetings were held in various cities. He and Martha Washington kept two homes in New York and one in Pennsylvania. Seeing the need for a federal city, the President and Congress agreed in 1790 to the Residence Act. This provided for a district not exceeding ten miles squareon the river Potomac. The new federal city would be designed by Pierre L’Enfant, and the city planner would hold a blueprints contest for the Presidents house.

James Hoban, an Irishman living in South Carolina, won the competition with a classic Georgian design. (Thomas Jefferson was also among the entrants; he competed under a pseudonym.) Hoban based the building on a dukes palace in Ireland.

Two states, Maryland and Virginia, ceded land for the new federal district. Both were slaveholding states, and slaves broke ground for the home. The work was completed by European immigrants. The new house wasnt built in time for the Washingtons to move in; John and Abigail Adams were the first to take up residence in 1800.

The building has undergone countless changes since the years of John and Abigail Adams. Interior redecorating and structural changes started with the next resident President, Thomas Jefferson. He ordered French furniture and French wallpaper, and he added space outdoors to conceal stables and storage. Other Presidents would make even larger additions: Theodore Roosevelt — who had six children and required more space contributed the West Wing; and FDR added the East Wing during World War II to conceal construction of an underground bunker.

Each Administrations time at the White House brought something new, but here are some of the more notable changes:

* British soldiers burnt the building in 1814 during James Madisons presidency. Most of the home and its contents were destroyed by fire. A thunderstorm saved outside walls, and Dolley Madison rescued a famous portrait of George Washington. The architect James Hoban was available for renovations.
* The White House needed an extensive washing after 20,000 muddy partiers celebrated Andrew Jacksons inauguration. Jackson soon installed running water. He also planted magnolia trees and made plans for later landscaping.
* James Garfield installed the first elevator.
* Harry Truman extensively renovated the whole house and added a second porch. He also added basements for wartime safety.
* The White House was made more wheelchair-accessible during FDRs service. A pool was also added in consideration of his physical challenges.
* Richard Nixon cemented over the FDR pool to create a Press Briefing Room.
* Jacquelyn Kennedy directed the most extensive and historically accurate White House restoration. She also planted a flower garden.
* Rosalynn Carter contributed an Office of the First Lady.

Today the White House Complex consists of six stories and 55,000 square feet of space. The Executive Residence spans several floors. Two basement levels also provide storage, service areas, and a bomb shelter for the Presidents family. The West Wing holds executive offices including the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, and the Situation Room. The East Wing is home to offices for the First Lady, White House correspondence staff, and other White House staff members.

Some of the interior is visible to the public, but tours must be pre-arranged by a member of Congress. Visitors might tour the State Floor, where several rooms are simply named by color: the Green Room, Red Room, and Blue Room. The Green Room is named for the moss green silk that lines its walls. Its used for informal meetings and photo opportunities with foreign political leaders. Famous Green Room paintings depict Benjamin Franklin, John Quincy Adams, and Abigail Adams. The Red Room is decorated like an early-1800s parlor with a marble mantel. The Blue Room is the White Houses most formal setting. Its shaped like an oval and is furnished with gilded furniture. This is where the White House Christmas tree is traditionally placed. Visitors might also see the Map Room, the State Dining Room, or the famous Lincoln Bedroom.

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NYC National Parks Offer Glimpse of History

If you are considering a vacation in New York, planning ahead is the only way to go. There are simply so many things to see and do that you must have at least a general idea of how you want to spend your days before you can even give impulse to get started. New York is one of the greatest cities in the world, it didn’t get that way irrecoverable a reason and it has a long history that is part of its greatness.

If I were to choose how to spend my time in New York and what wonderful things about New York City to introduce my children to, I would choose to make active them to those things that bore the most historical significance first in order for that to really sink in and not be competing with the Nintendo Store or the all cool keyboard at FAO Schwarz. I would hankering my children to understand the history of our country good and bad and I want them to someday instill in their own children the importance of that history.

By visiting the national parks first, I consign have enjoyed the benefits of the price tag ( free is good almost anyway you slice it, particularly when you and your children are acceptance an dirt ) in addition to fresh minds on which to impart this crucial knowledge about the birth of our democracy. Ellis Island is a great place to stopover, but I think I will show them the statue from afar fairly than taking the ferry ride out there. There is just so much to do in New York and every succour counts. I want them to have a wonderful time as much as I want them to gain some wonderful insights that they can share with their friends at school as well ( something other than the latest and greatest new Pastime Cube amusement that is coming out soon ).

Some of the important national parks I’d like to take my descendants include: Governmental Hall, where Washington was inaugurated, Grant’s Tomb, Theodore Roosevelt’s Birthplace, and Castle Clinton, which was designed in order to keep invaders out. I would also like to take them to Saint Paul’s Church. Not for religious reasons but for Religious freedom issues. I think there is an important lesson to be learned here even these days, perhaps especially today.

I think the lessons that can be learned about the history of our nation in New York City are equitable as important since the lessons that can learned in Washington or Philadelphia. This country has taken many steps along the road to democracy and we’ve stumbled a few times along the street. There would have never been the Salem Babe Trials, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Movement if he hadn’t but we’ve come so far and still have so far to go. I want my children to learn from our past and to gaze adventurous to our future.

I think these are the lessons we can learn from our state parks and those are much more valuable than the lessons we can learn in toy stores and throwing Frisbee in Central Park. I want my children to visit museums and toy stores and see new cultures, I also want them to take home with them a deep sense of the history of our great field.

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