Sir Frances & Ms. Hannah Harris Visit Woodlawn Cemetery

Hello everyone, there is a very special location that I would like to share with you all. Woodlawn Cemetery is no place for running around and chasing squirrels like I first thought. When Hannah accompanied me there one afternoon, I learned about the great history of Carbondale's cemetery.

The most first Memorial Day service was held here on April 29, 1866, and it could have been the first event of its kind the country! The most interesting thing that I remember is a quote that General Logan gave at the Memorial Day, "Every man's life belongs to his country, and no man has a right to refuse when his country calls for it." Wow, this statement was impressive to me. I wonder if I would ever be asked to fight for my country, maybe one day I will be asked.

Other parts of interest around Woodlawn Cemetery is the memorial to freed African American slaves with unknown names in an unmarked area. This surely is the long dark shadow to any rising light shining from the victory of war. This is why I like Woodlawn Cemetery so much, not that I want to stay there after dark, but the memorials celebrate the contributions of all valiant men and women who fought in the Civil War. I would highly recommend every boy and girl to come for a guided tour to learn about the history in Carbondale that's right under your nose!

In total, I have now traveled 352 miles, which includes the trip to Woodlawn. It only took us three miles roundtrip, but boy was it worth it! My coordinates there were a latitude of 37.727282 degrees and a longitude of -89.210610 degrees.

Here are a couple of pictures I would like to show you from my visit.

I loved to read more information about Woodlawn! If you want to learn more about the importance of Woodlawn, please visit this website. There's lots of information for curious pups like me to explore! 

I had a good view from her shoulder. Thanks for a good time! 

Hernando and Shawna Moulton Go to St. Louis

       Hello, everyone!  It’s Hernando again!  I’m ready to tell you all about a new adventure I went on with my friend, Shawna.  She took me to St. Louis Missouri to visit the new Busch Stadium.  On the way there I rode in the back seat with her.  She let me sleep in the net behind the seat.  I kept barking, “Are we there, yet?” 

 

 

         This is where the Cardinals baseball team plays.  It’s the third Busch Stadium.  They started building the stadium on January 17, 2004.  It was opened in 2006.  A couple of fun facts about this stadium are that during an average season 15,373,800 feet of toilet paper are used.  They also sell 540,000 hotdogs in a year! 

       One really neat thing about this visit is that we got to watch the first football game to be played at this baseball stadium, on September 21, 2013.  The best university ever, Southern Illinois University, played Southeast Missouri State University and won 36-19.  It was a beautiful victory.

 



 

        My photo shoot took place at the parking garage on 9th St.  I was much too small to be seen in the photos directly in front of the stadium.  We had to take a little climb.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Latitude: 38.621835

Longitude: -90.191505

Miles Traveled: 215.04

Total Miles Traveled by Section 002: 1,082.58

 

 

 

Ponce and John Reeder go to St. Louis

Hello, this is Ponce.  I have just come back from a great trip with John Reeder and his family.  We took an exciting trip to the St. Louis Zoo. I rode to the zoo in John’s car.  It was such a great day and the weather was awesome.  I also learned some history about the St. Louis Zoo.  I learned that the zoo is located in Forest Park, which is in St. Louis, Missouri.  In 1904, St. Louis bought a flight cage from the Smithsonian Institution.  The Smithsonian Institution brought the flight cage to the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 and didn’t want to disassemble and move the cage.  St. Louis bought the flight cage for 3500 dollars and this was the beginning of the St. Louis Zoo.  Since this time, the zoo has expanded to about 17,955 animals and more than 700 species of animals. I had a great day seeing all of the animals.  I didn’t even have to walk, because John’s kids (Madelyn  and Matthew ) carried me around the zoo.  I became quick friends with Madelyn and Matthew and we played all day long.  I had a great trip to the St. Louis Zoo and hope to visit it again. 

Total Miles:  traveled 225.6 miles by car

Total Miles Traveled by Ponce: 1325.1 miles

Latitude:  38.6355

Longitude:  -90.2905 

Ryan Howington and Sir Francis Drake Head to Cantigny Park!

Hello all! Sir Francis Drake here, with an exciting story to tell!  Ryan and I first met in Mrs. Stearns class, and I must say, he is a very nice young man!  He was kind enough to take me on a road trip back to his hometown.  It was a very long and tiring car ride, but he kept the windows cracked for me.  On Sunday, we took a trip to Cantigny Park, in Winfield Illinois to visit the Robert McCormick Museum.  It was a little rainy outside, but that didn't stop our adventure!

When first arriving to the park, I was astounded to see that there were several tanks from WWI and WWII displayed around the park.  It was scary at first, but Ryan assured me everything was alright.  We stopped by many of the tanks to read a little about them and Ryan even let me climb on some.  Ryan and I also stumbled upon this one tank that had a picture on it that kind of looked like me!

After visiting the tanks, Ryan and I decided to go into the museum.  We learned about a gentlemen named Robert  R. McCormick.  Robert McCormick was a journalist and World War I Soldier.  Mr. McCormick also was an editor and publisher for the Chicago Tribune Company, which is still around today!  During his time served in the war, Mr. McCormick felt the effects of poisonous gas and influenza which forced him into hospitalization.  Mr.  McCormick was later promoted and worked with his military division for the rest of his life.  Prior to Mr. McCormick's death, he created the Robert R. McCormick foundation which designated Cantigny as a public park.  The Museum also had some other things that were very interesting to Ryan and I, such as a 9/11 memorial which actually contained beams recovered from ground zero.

I had a lot of fun with Ryan on this trip, and learned a lot of fascinating things throughout our journey.  I can't wait to tell my friends when I get back to Mrs. Stearns class!

Distance Traveled: 349 Miles

Latitude 41.51

Longitude 88.09

 Ryan and I at Cantigny Park

 Can you find me?

 Here's the dog that looks just like me!!

 

Josh Kuberski is not a good tour guide.

Well, this weekend I (Ponce) was supposed to go with Josh Kuberski to Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky. The plan was to meet in Mrs. Stearns office on Wednesday right after class, and then we would go back to his house until Saturday. I went to Mrs. Stearns office after class like I was supposed to do, and he never showed up! He completely forgot about our plans, leaving me alone all night. He finally had me picked up by one of his kind friends, but I knew I was going to have a hard time forgiving him for this.

When Saturday finally came, we left at 6:00 am. I was ready to go, but Josh was looking a little tired. When we got on the interstate, he let me ride on the dash board, which was pretty cool. Maybe this trip would turn out to be fun after all.

We finally arrived at Land Between the Lakes at 9:00 am, and Josh met his girlfriend Desiree at the park entrance. They seemed very happy to see each other, and she was very nice to me.

While we were there, I learned a ton of facts! Did you know that this park has a buffalo and elk preserve, and you can drive through it as many times as you want?? This area used to have a lot of buffalo and elk, but when the early settlers arrived here, they were hunted very heavily. These animals finally left this area, and this park is a sanctuary for them. These animals were very lucky. I learned that there was a bird, known as the Carolina Parakeet, that was hunted to extinction. This was the only native parakeet known to the eastern United States, and because it was considered a nuisance, it was hunted to extinction.

I also learned that many people did not want these lakes to be there. In Roosevelt’s New Deal, he provided the means to dam up this area. Many people were not happy. Some farmers protested because this would mean that their land would be flooded and they would have to leave. The dam was constructed in 1940 and many farmer’s land was condemned. Some people were happy about this, however. It gave them a chance to sell their land and move to a different area, which is always exciting!

After we visited the visiting center, Josh, Desiree and I went Geocaching! I have never done this before, and it was very exciting! Desiree drove while Josh was in charge of the maps, and I got to ride on the dash board. Whenever we got close to a spot, Desiree would pull over and we would all try to find the treasure first! I tried my best to sniff out the spot for Josh first, but Desiree still found more than we did. We had tons of fun, and this was a great way to explore the area by trails and rock roads!

When the day was over, we had to say our goodbyes. Apparently Desiree couldn’t come home with us because she goes to school in Murray. I didn’t want to tell Desiree bye, but I had to come home to Carbondale!

Latitude=36.779

Longitude=-88.066

Miles Traveled=356 miles

Miles Traveled by Ponce=1099.5 Miles

 

 

 

Ashley Dietz & Hernando Travel to DeSoto Grade School

CI 424-002
Hello again everyone! It's Hernando checking in! I just arrived back from a short trip to DeSoto, Illinois! My kind friend, Ashley Dietz, took me there to visit a historical spot! Who knew that a small town like DeSoto could be so exciting?

Did you know DeSoto was in the pathway of the famous Tri-State Tornado? If you are not familiar with this tragedy, on March 18, 1925, the Tri-State Tornado was one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history! This was a F5 category tornado that traveled through three states (Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Southwest Indiana). The tornado had winds up to 300 mph and had a 29 mile path.  The Tri-State Tornado killed around 695 people in its deadly path.

You might be wondering why Ashley took me to DeSoto Grade School to represent this event? Well, during this tornado, the 1925 school building was demolished by the storm. The school has a date, made of tiles, marking the date that the new school building was built. The tile marking is located under a black rubber mat in front of the doors that enter the playground of the school. Most people do not even know this tile marking is even there!

Ashley also lives in the small town of DeSoto, IL and she has heard first-hand accounts of local individuals who had family members in the storm! She told me a story about her great-grandfather. During the tornado, he lived on her family farm and looked towards town and could see the storm in the distance! He mentioned that he could see trees being blown around in the air! How crazy!

Even though this was a very sad tragedy, it was a very exciting trip!

To find out more information about the Tri-State Tornado visit this website!
http://www.crh.noaa.gov/pah/?n=1925_tor_ss

Total miles for trip: 15.2 miles
Total Trip for section 002: 518.54
Longitude: -89.223416
Latitude: 37.819217

 Looks like an ordinary mat, but under it is the tile!

Aubrey Stevens; CI 424 002; - N39.58.550' W89.50.511' ; 200.18 miles

            Hi all, it's Sir Frances!  I have just recovered from my long trip to the historic Lincoln's New Salem, which is right outside of Petersburg, Illinois.  Of course, I did not travel alone.  For some reason, car companies refuse to make steering wheels to fit my little paws.  Thankfully, I had my friend Aubrey to drive and show me around.   You see, Aubrey is from Petersburg , Illinois, therefore, she has grown up right beside this treasure house of history!

            It took us almost three and a half hours to get to New Salem from Wham but we made it and were excited to see the park!  The park is located two miles South of Petersburg, Illinois.  Petersburg is a small town with a little over 2,500 people.  It's a quiet little town, which was a nice change from my busy life in Carbondale!  When the people of Petersburg  really want some excitement they travel 20 miles Southeast to visit Springfield, but that's enough about Petersburg.

            Aubrey took me on a tour of New Salem, which is a reconstruction of the village where Abraham Lincoln spent six years of his early adulthood.  I learned that Lincoln was one busy lad during his time at New Salem.  He clerked in a store, split rails, enlisted in the Black Hawk War, served as postmaster and deputy surveyor, failed in business, and was elected to the Illinois General Assembly.

            I learned from the "pioneers," who still maintain all of the duties apart of life in the 1830's, that Lincoln had plenty to do when he wasn’t busy working.  The site consists of twelve log houses, the Rutledge Tavern, ten workshops, stores, mills, a school, and a church.  The site has been reproduced to accurately portray how this area appeared in almost 200 years ago. 

            Aubrey and I were in luck when we visited the site on September 7, 2013 because New Salem was hosting it's annual Bluegrass Festival!  The site was packed with excited campers and bluegrass fans who were gathered to share their love for this genre of music and history.  Unfortunately, no one was playing while Aubrey and I toured the site.  However, I was still just as excited as a cat on a hot tin roof to have four paws on the same soil that our 16th president once stood foot on!

            Aubrey and I had a great time during our visit to New Salem!  I strongly recommend that everyone travels to this site at least once in his/her life!

^^ Here I am at the entrance of the park with my pal Aubrey : )

^^ Here I am surveying the land with Lincoln!

I am really excited....

"I am really excited to share about my trip!  My trip!  It was fun!  Wanna know about my trip?  Let me tell you all about my trip! I rode in a car!  I love car rides!  I rode 208 miles!  Guess where I went?  Guess, guess, guess!  Okay, okay!  I went to St. Louis!  Woof!  I'm really excited!  Here's my story!  Listen, listen, listen!  Ahh a bone!  Okay, listen!

St. Louis is a really famous place!  Lots of information can be found in St. Louis.  But, let me tell you what I found on my most recent adventure there.  There's a really old, really famous courthouse on 4th street in St. Louis that I visited.  Some important historical people, such as Dred Scott and Virginia Minor, fought for their civil rights in this very building.  I couldn't believe my paws were walking in their footsteps - the same footsteps that contributed to an amended U.S. Constitution, which included women's rights and freedom from slavery.  Those cases were decided in the mid-1800s; the building itself is over 150 years old!  Today, it is one of the most prominent architectural landmarks in St. Louis.  It is open for tours so we can learn more about the 19th century judiciary system!  Here's a partial tour of what I saw."

"My view looking up at the Old Courthouse."

 "Here I am with a tribute to Dred and Harriet Scott.  This is just outside of the courthouse doors."

"Check this out: You can see the Arch in the reflection!"

"Are there any cats in there?"

"Looking up at the ceiling in the center of the Old Courthouse."

                                     -Hernando (with a little help from me, Alyssa.)

Total Miles Traveled on this trip:  208mi
Total Miles for Section 2:  302.16

Lat: 38.624801

L
o
n: -90.185476


Post written by Alyssa Hall, CI 424: Section 2

Find more information about the Old Courthouse in St. Louis, MO at this address:
http://www.nps.gov/jeff/planyourvisit/och.htm

Kelly & Ponce hit up Chicago!

Miles traveled: 743.5 miles by car and foot.

Total miles traveled by Ponce: 743.5

Longitude: -87.63721

Latitude: 41.92084

Heading home on I-57!

This weekend Kelly and I, Ponce, took a fabulous trip to her favorite pizza place in the world which is located in the greatest city in the world (obviously, this is all based on her opinion, but I'm not disagreeing...). First, we did our long trek to her house in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, which is a west suburb of Chicago. Once we arrived, we were exhausted and went immediately to sleep. The next day, Kelly, her brother, and I got in the car and headed to Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders!

Front of the menu.

I know what you're thinking, why did she bring me to a pizza place? How is this place significant? Not only is the food in this Italian pizzeria amazing (I should know, I had some!), but this house is part of history. Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders, located at 2121 N Clark, Chicago, was one of two important locations during the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre, which occurred at 2122 N Clark (right across the street). Seven mob associates were killed in a warehouse at 2122 N Clark on February 14th,1929. The house that stood at 2121 N Clark (present day Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders) served as a lookout for Al Capone's men during the massacre. This incident was organized by Al Capone to kill off opposing prohibition mobsters ran by Bugs Moran. Al Capone ran the South Side Italian mob and Bugs Moran ran the North Side Irish mob. This was all part of Capone's ongoing battle to control Chicago and alcohol distribution during prohibition.

Outside the old lookout house.

Alright, so enough about the history of the place. First off I'd like to say I got a first hand look at the world famous Chicago traffic when we headed downtown, as we were stuck in it for probably 30 minutes. We can blame all the Cubs fans and music festival goers who were all heading to Chicago the same time as us, at least that is what Kelly kept saying (don't they know we had history to document for school!?). When we got to the pizza place, I was amazed to see that there was a spot LITERALLY out front (a rare find in Chicago I heard, especially on a holiday weekend). The wait for the pizza place was 30 minutes and the owner doesn't take names 'only remembers faces' (he's really good at it too!). I thought for sure he would remember my face, as I was the only dog there. :) Since it was a beautiful day, Kelly, her brother, and I strolled up and down Clark in the beautiful sunshine. We also had to run into a Walgreens to get money, since Kelly forgot the pizza place only accepts cash. Thank gosh we only had to walk 3 blocks, but I enjoyed the nice walk. Once we walked back, the street was filled with people, as it was when we got there. We finally got our table and ordered our pizza, which either comes in 1/2 pound or 1 pound pizzas. They're made inside a bowl, which when ready are brought to your table and flipped onto your plate! It was truly delicious. During your meal you can read about the history of Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders, which talks about the massacre. It is located on each one of the menus.

The CPOG Story that talks about the massacre.

Once the dining experience was over, we were headed home. Kelly decided to take Lake Shore Drive so I could see some of her other favorite aspects of Chicago, including North Ave Beach, Oak Street Beach, Lake Michigan, John Handcock Center, the Willis Tower (apparently it is actually the Sears tower...at least that is what Kelly said), and Buckingham Fountain. Kelly asked her brother to take pictures of me with the towers in the background, but he isn't exactly a team player. :( However, I had a great time with Kelly this weekend. The pizza was a nice break from my typical Iams meals, since I am a dog. :) I also enjoyed learning about a part of Chicago history, seeing the sights, and I actually think Al Capone is a pretty cool dude!

Nom nom nom nom!