Role in Western Migration The state of Wyoming played a large role in the westward movement of people in the 1800s and early 1900s in the United States. In 1807, the Lewis and Clark expedition passed through this area with one member, John Coulter recording the phenomena of natural hot springs and geysers that were […]
State History
History of Massachusetts
Pilgrims, Puritans, and Early Settlers The area that is today the State of Massachusetts has a long and colorful history as part of the original thirteen colonies. Famous for the Pilgrims that sailed the Atlantic in the Mayflower, Massachusetts was also home to several of the first pioneering groups to cross the ocean. The Pilgrims […]
History of Wisconsin
The first recorded European explorer to reach what is today Wisconsin, was Jean Nicolet of France in 1634 while looking for the Northwest Passage to China. He would have encountered Native American tribes in that area including Algonquian-speaking Menominee, Kickapoo, Miami, the Siouan-speaking Winnebago, Dakota (or Sioux) and Iowa. In the mid-1600’s other groups entered […]
History of Florida
Florida is known as the Sunshine State from its warm climate and tropical weather. Sitting on the Southeastern tip of the United States, the Florida land mass is mostly a peninsula that has the Atlantic Ocean on the East, the Gulf of Mexico on the West, and the Caribbean to the south. Florida is cited […]
History of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls is one of the wonders of the world. Many people travel across the United States, Canada, and even from around the globe to see it each year. The Falls are known as the American Falls and smaller Bridal Veil Falls (on American soil) which are separated by Goat Island and the Horseshoe Falls […]
History of Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America. Originally, the capital was in Philadelphia, PA, where the First and Second Continental Congress meetings were held to discuss and declare independence from England. After independence was won, the capital was still held in Philadelphia until 1783. After the Revolutionary War, an angry group […]
History of West Virginia
Originally, the region that is today the state of West Virginia was part of the state of Virginia. The colony of Virginia sent in explorers to these western lands as early as the 1670s. By the early 1700’s counties were being partitioned in the colony and what is today West Virginia was then named Orange […]
History of Virginia
Virginia’s first European colony was at Jamestown in 1607. These first colonists had a difficult time and struggled for existence. At that time, Native Americans living in what is now Virginia included the Cherokee, Chesepian, Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Meherrin, Monacan, Nansemond, Nottoway, Pamunkey, Pohick, Powhatan, Rappahannock, Saponi, and Tuscarora. As time went on, tobacco became a […]
History of South Dakota
South Dakota sits in the north central United States and is divided by the Missouri River running north to south through the state. The Black Hills in the southwestern region of the state was famous as a spiritual land for the Sioux nation and today is famous for Mount Rushmore National Park. In 1803, the […]
History of Pennsylvania
(The following are excerpts taken from the State of Pennsylvania General Assembly website: William Penn What is today the state of Pennsylvania was originally formed by a land grant to William Penn. Penn was born in London on October 24, 1644, the son of Admiral Sir William Penn. Despite his social position and education, he […]