Symbols & Monuments

Drawings that are chipped out of the stone or painted on with natural pigments can be found throughout the southwestern part of the United States, These mysterious drawings give us a peek into the lives of the people who lived there anciently.   Pictures that are painted onto the rock…

Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House Louisa May Alcott’s father, Amos Bronson Alcott purchased a manor on 12 acres in 1857. After years of repeatedly moving, the Alcott family was delighted to have a permanent home. Today this home is a museum that honors Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women,…

Great Smoky Mountains National Park The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina takes in the ridgeline of the Great Smoky Mountains and a portion of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is part of the Appalachian Mountain Chain and has some of the highest mountain peaks east…

Dinosaur National Monument Interested in dinosaurs? The Dinosaur National Monument in northwestern Colorado features more than 800 paleontological sites, and includes allosaurus, stegosaurus, and diplodocus fossils. Fun Facts Paleontologist Earl Douglas first found fossils in the area in 1909 and shipped them to Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pennsylvania.…

Lake Powell Lake Powell is the second largest man-made lake in the United States and offers a water playground to more than 2 million visitors each year. Fun Facts For much of history, the Colorado River rushed unimpeded through Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California on its way to Mexico…

Hoover Dam The Hoover Dam was completed in 1936. It had three purposes: to prevent flooding, to provide irrigation and drinking water, and to produce hydroelectric power. Fun Facts For years, settlers in the Southwest had tried to harness the Colorado River’s power. The Alamo Canal, built in 1890, was…

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon in Arizona is not the largest or deepest canyon in the world, but it is an awesome spectacle with its colorful, rugged rock walls. Native people have lived here for at least 3,000 years. Fun Facts Geologists believe the Grand Canyon was formed 5 to…

Chautauqua Institution and Movement In the late 1800s to early 1900s, there was a great interest in America in learning and improvement, particularly in the areas of music, literature, philosophy, art, religion, and theater. The Chautauqua Institution supported that trend and became a national movement. Fun Facts The Chautauqua Institution…

The Breakers The English are known for their opulent country manors, but many wealthy Americans built mansions in the United States. The Breakers, summer home to the Vanderbilts, is one of the largest and most well-known. Fun Facts Cornelius Vanderbilt II purchased a property in Newport, Rhode Island in 1885…