American Countryside

He was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, but he never got to go into space in that program.  His story from a Wisconsin farm to one of the most important men at NASA…

It’s known as the cycling capital of America.  Its location may surprise you, but when you learn the reason why this small, rural town it is known by that title, it makes a lot of sense…

As the United States began sending thousands of troops to Europe and the Pacific during World War II, there were also new needs that sprang up here at home.  One such place can still be found in the hills a couple dozen miles northeast of Sacramento…

A gold rush can attract people from all walks of life and all points on the globe.  That was the case for the big stampeded to Sutter’s Mill in California in 1849…

Many of us have heard about the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill that set about the 49’s rush in the mid 1800s, but this is the story of what happened in a nearby community…

Strikes have been a part of the push and pull between labor and management for as long as one can remember.  While those strikes can bring plenty of tension, they usually don’t result in what took place in Verdin, Illinois…

On Memorial Day, we remember our loved ones. But these ladies recognize our fallen soldiers today and every day of the year…

Most of us don’t think of the state of Illinois as a major coal mining region, however in the 1800s and early 1900s, this was a place where miners extracted coal from the ground and often had little to show for doing so.  In 1898 in a resulted in a strike that is still remembered today…

She was small in statue but mighty in the punch she carried.  An Irish born lady who brought a message of hope and resilience to workers across the nation…

A mother cares for her sons and this mother had many adopted souls that she took under her wing.  She was a fiery woman who would not stand for the atrocities she saw around her…