In this newsletter: and more! | | | Latest from our world | Hey Y'all!!!
I've just been doin' a little writing, taking bunches of photos, sometimes good, sometimes not so good, and dragging Dave around to whatever strikes my fancy. And where are we going?? Historic sites across the Nation! Plus, National Parks, state parks, ghost towns, lakes, mountains, deserts, forests, old forts, someplace I heard is haunted, etc. ad nauseum! Oh, yeah, and then there's that other little website we own called LegendsOfKansas.com, where I believe I'm getting close to seeing every single town!
While all this running around wears me out, I never get tired of it! Then Dave reminded me that I became the proud owner of the domain LegendsOfAmerica.com on Friday, June 27, 2003. That's 20 years!! What??? That's as a year before Google became a public company and a year before Facebook was even a thing. That was also the year I met Dave, my partner and now husband, without whom I could never have managed to grow Legends Of America to where it is today. I am the creative, big-picture girl, and he is the geek squad, operations manager, and excellent detail man that slows down this impetuous girl when needed.
We've traveled thousands of miles in the last two decades. And, still not done, probably never will be (fingers crossed.) The website now comprises over 4,000 pages covering all 50 states, hundreds of historic people and events in American History, and around half a million visitors a month. It is still just Dave and me that run the business with a little help from a neighbor with product shipping for our General Store.
Before I started Legends Of America, I had over two decades of working in the corporate world. However, by 2003, my child had grown up, moved out of the house, and I wanted to follow my dreams. I had always been interested in American History, starting when I was very young, when Grandma introduced me to ghost towns and historic people in New Mexico. When I went to college in the Kansas City area, my history teacher inspired me even more. My mother was an entrepreneur, too, owning her own travel agency. I pondered how I could combine these two great loves -- history and travel, and thus LOA was born. A lot more about that if you are interested HERE.
Thank you all for being readers and supporters and allowing us to share of love of American History and Destinations!
Sincerely, Kathy Alexander Founder/Editor - Legends of America
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| | | | Here are some of the recent additions since our last newsletter | | City of Kansas, Missouri - Before Kansas City - Old Kansas Town, the predecessor of Kansas City, started in 1838 when John McCoy and 13 other men laid out a new town along the Missouri River.
Wayne City Landing, Missouri - Wayne City Landing, often called the Upper Independence Landing, was a jumping-off point for traders and pioneers heading westward on the trails.
Amourdale, Kansas - (From our Legends of Kansas pages) Armourdale, Kansas, once an independent municipality, is a neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas, today.
Rosedale, Kansas – From Municipality to Neighborhood – (From our Legends of Kansas pages) Rosedale, Kansas, was platted in Wyandotte County in 1872 by James G. Brown. However, the building of the town did not begin until 1875, when the roller mills were established.
| | Emery, Bird, Thayer & Company in Kansas City, Missouri - Emery, Bird, Thayer & Company was a department store in Downtown Kansas City, Missouri that traced its history nearly to the city’s origins as Westport Landing.
Lost Orpheum Theatres in Kansas City - In Kansas City, Missouri's history, there were two Orpheum Theatres that provided a higher class of vaudeville entertainment.
Robert Gillham - Founder of Kansas City's Cable Railway - Robert Gillham founded Kansas City, Missouri’s Cable Railway System. He was one of the pioneers in cable railway construction in the nation.
| | Colonel Kersey Coates - Kansas City Businessman - Colonel Kersey Coates was a Kansas City, Missouri businessman, who developed Quality Hill, founded the Kansas City Board of Trade and was among those who attracted the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad to the city.
Pendergast Era of Kansas City, Missouri - Between 1890 and 1940, the Pendergast Era was ruled by Democratic big city bosses James and Tom Pendergast.
Trans World Airlines - A Long Road to Failure - Trans World Airlines, Inc. (TWA) was a former American airline that maintained extensive routes in the United States, Europe, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. It operated from 1930 until 2001, when it was absorbed by American Airlines.
There's More! We've added 20 new additions to our website since the last newsletter.
| | | | From new to vintage, Old West to Native American, Route 66 and much more! Thousands of postcards to choose from and all with FREE SHIPPING in the United States.
Most postcards and all Legends of America designs are made in the USA.
Order 5 or more postcards (vintage, new, our designs, or mix and match) and automatically get 20% off! Then, in cart view, use coupon code NEWS20 for another 20% off as part of our 20th Anniversary!
| | | Some of our Top Favs over the last 20 Years | Over the next few newsletters, we'll feature some of our personal favorite destinations, adventures, and historic characters from the last 20 years. | | In the summer of 2006 we explored parts of New Mexico and Colorado, making a stop at the ancient cliff dwellings of Mesa Verde National Park. Mesa Verde, Spanish for “green table,” rises high above the surrounding country of southwest Colorado, providing a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancient Puebloan people who made it their home for over 700 years, from 600 A.D. to 1300 A.D. The National Park, containing 52,073 acres, protects over 600 cliff dwellings and 4,000 known archeological sites, only a few of which have been excavated. | | | Dodge City, Kansas - A Wicked Little Town | | Famous for its rich history as a frontier cowtown, Dodge City offers up a wide array of legends, lore, and history to travelers in western Kansas. Once called home or visited by such notables as Wyatt Earp, Doc Holliday, Big Nose Kate, and Clay Allison, this old town had a reputation for being the most wicked town in the Old West. | | | From Legends' Photo Print Shop | | Time to show your Patriotism! Restored vintage photos, illustrations, and posters of Patriotic people, scenes, and slogans in American History, including Freedom, Liberty, the American Flag, Heroes in American History, and much more.
And save 20% off when you use coupon code NEWS20 | | | Bodie, California - A Ghostly Ghost Town | | In 2009 we made our way to California and explored one of the best ghost towns in the state. Bodie, California, is a genuine gold-mining ghost town located east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in Mono County, California. In 1962, after years of neglect, Bodie became a State Historic Park, and two years later, the ghost town of Bodie was dedicated as a California Historic Site. It has also been designated a National Historic Site. | | | Bannack, Montana - Gold to Ghost | | In 2008 we adventured to Montana and visited the preserved ghost town of Bannack. On July 28, 1862, John White and other “Pikes Peaker” members discovered gold in the creek waters where Bannack stands today. It was the beginning for Bannack and the State of Montana, considered one of the last frontiers. The creek was initially named Willard Creek by the Lewis and Clark Expedition when they came through in 1805. But, due to the large grasshopper population in 1862, it was renamed Grasshopper Creek. | | | Popular Stories on Facebook | | In case you missed it, here are some of the articles that have been popular on our Facebook Fan Pages recently. | | | Established in 1892, then gone by 1898. Re-Established in 1921, gone again by 1926. Goldfield, Arizona, was a typical mining town until finally given a third chance as a tourist attraction.
| | | June 14, 1870, Abram B. Burnett passes away on his farm near Topeka, Kansas. Burnett, who marched on the Potawatomie Trail of Death to Kansas, was an Indian chief of the tribe and for whom Burnett’s Mound in southern Topeka is named.
| | | Born June 12, 1840, Thomas Smith served as a lawman in New York City, Bear River, WY, and Kit Carson, CO, before becoming marshal of the rough and tumble cowtown of Abilene, Kansas, in June 1870.
| | | The town was first called Speareville for Alden H. Speare, a railroad director and president of the town company. However, the town name was consistently misspelled “Spearville,” and finally, the “e” was eliminated altogether.
| | | | | Our website and newsletter are supported by some mighty fine readers. Yeah, we're talking about YOU Friend! We just can't thank you enough! Be sure to check out our General Store and Photo Print Shop, helping keep our content free of charge since 2003.
In celebration of our 20th anniversary this year, all newsletter readers can enjoy 20% savings. Just use coupon code News20 in 'cart view' at our General Store, or during checkout on our Photo Print Shop. | | | Have a comment about something in this newsletter or any of our stories? Reply to this email or send them to travel@legendsofamerica.com. | | |
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