Aug 12th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Two Civil War reenactors were injured yesterday preparing for a reenactment of the Battle of Wilson's Creek.
One man playing a Confederate cavalryman got pinned under his horse, while a Union cavalryman got injured when his horse stepped on his groin. Exactly how he got into a position where his horse could do that is unclear. Both were given medical attention but neither was thought to be ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
missouri posts
Civil War reenactor injured in groin by his horse
Aug 12th, 2011 at 3:00PM: Two Civil War reenactors were injured yesterday preparing for a reenactment of the Battle of Wilson's Creek.
One man playing a Confederate cavalryman got pinned under his horse, while a Union cavalryman got injured when his horse stepped on his groin. Exactly how he got into a position where his horse could do that is unclear. Both were given medical attention but neither was thought to be ...The good, the bad and the tacky: Six things to do in Branson, Missouri
Jun 23rd, 2011 at 6:00PM:
It was mostly curiosity that led me to one of America's favorite destinations: Branson, Missouri. I had heard the tiny town in the middle of the Ozarks was famous for its over-the-top roadside attractions and had more theater seats than Broadway, but I wanted to see first hand what could possibly bring in over 8 million people per year. So off I went.
It didn't take long for me to figure ...Reenacting the Civil War's first important battle
May 30th, 2011 at 3:30PM:
The Civil War started early in Missouri. In 1854 fighting flared up over whether the neighboring Kansas Territory would become a slave state. Pro-slavery Missourians raided Kansas to kill and intimidate abolitionists, and Kansans raided Missouri, killing slave owners and liberating slaves.
When the first official shots of the Civil War were fired at Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861, Missouri was ...Here or there? A a price comparison of the best cities to visit this May
May 3rd, 2011 at 12:00PM: Planning a quick weekend away or a summer vacation? Wouldn't you like to know where you'll get the best value for your dollar? Sure, the exchange rate fluctuates, but we've tracked some of May's best cities via a Universal Currency Converter and a little help from our friends over at Frommers.
According to Frommers, your best bets for May include:
Saint-Pierre, Martinique, where the ...*Breaking* St. Louis airport damaged and closed by tornado
Apr 23rd, 2011 at 10:00AM: The historic Lambert Field in St. Louis was damaged by an apparent tornado last night, wreaking havoc on the main terminal and disrupting operations. According to the Huffington Post, "The storm lifted the roof off Concourse C and sent plate glass flying everywhere. Four people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries after glass shattered as the storm hit."
All inbound flights were ...Missouri celebrates painter George Caleb Bingham's 200th birthday
Feb 21st, 2011 at 2:00PM:
He was one of America's greatest regional painters, and next month he turns 200. George Caleb Bingham captured the life of fur trappers and steamboats along the Missouri River, and the horrible civilian cost of the Civil War.
A self-taught painter who grew up in Missouri, Bingham witnessed the state transform from an underpopulated frontier into a thriving center of commerce and agriculture. ...Nation gears up for Civil War sesquicentennial: reenactments, exhibitions mark the 150th anniversary of America's bloodiest conflict
Feb 17th, 2011 at 10:30AM: A hundred and fifty years ago, the United States descended into a bloody Civil War. Young men on both sides eagerly signed up for what they thought would be a short and glorious conflict. A typical example is this private from the Fourth Michigan Infantry, pictured here courtesy of the Library of Congress. He poses, way too young and unconvincingly cocky, in the early days of the war in 1861. It's ...A travel guide to the 2011 Oscar movies
Feb 2nd, 2011 at 4:00PM: The 83rd annual Academy Awards are coming up in a few weeks and the Oscars race is on. This year's nominations contained few surprises, with many nods for Brit period piece The King's Speech, Facebook biopic The Social Network, and headtrip Inception. While 2010's ultimate travel blockbuster Eat, Pray, Love failed to made the cut, there's still plenty to inspire wanderlust among the Best Picture ...Why your state sucks: the depressing but true map of America
Jan 27th, 2011 at 9:00AM:
The folks over at Pleated Jeans have come up with a funny yet painful new map of America. It doesn't show our cities or rivers or mountains, it shows our flaws. As you can see, each state is singled out for what they're worst at. Maps reveal a lot about the territory they cover, and this one shows more than some people may want to see.
I've lived in three different states and I have to say ...Budget cuts may axe Washington historic sites
Jan 24th, 2011 at 12:00PM: As the Great Recession drags on, more and more state programs are feeling the pinch. This includes many sites of historic interest. In the latest budget announced by Washington Governor Chris Gregiore, the state's three Historical Society museums will all have to close.
The State Capital Museum in the Lord Mansion in Olympia, and museums in Tacoma and Spokane, would all be affected. The ...Skyscraper as theme park: Architect re-imagines thrill rides on a vertical scale
Jan 4th, 2011 at 8:30AM: Can you imagine a theme park in the middle of Manhattan? Finding the capital to acquire the land and raise the buildings on it to create the necessary open space would be nearly impossible.
But what if that theme park could be built vertically, as a theme park skyscraper?
That's the idea behind architect Ju-Hyun Kim's vertical theme park prototypes. Kim says in order to be eco-friendly and ...Christmas with Jesse James
Dec 25th, 2010 at 10:00AM: Christmas can be a stressful time. In fact, statistics show that you're more likely to have a heart attack on Christmas than any other day of the year. Hanging out with family too much can be hazardous to your health.
Some families, of course, are more hazardous than others. Most people don't have the emotional baggage that Jesse James, Jr., did. He was the son of the famous outlaw but didn't ...Remembering the Confederate dead
Dec 8th, 2010 at 11:00AM: Next year marks the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War. As state and local planning committees gear up for a host of events, a quiet spot in western Missouri has been commemorating the war for more than a century.
The Confederate Memorial State Historic Site in Higginsville, 53 miles east of Kansas City, opened as a retirement home for Confederate veterans in 1891. More than 1,600 ...The unquiet grave of Jesse James
Dec 3rd, 2010 at 12:00PM:
Jesse James never got any peace. He grew up in western Missouri in the 1850s, where a bitter border war with Kansas was the background to his childhood. He was a teenager when the Civil War started and got beaten up by a Union militia. Eventually he joined a group of Confederate guerrillas, and when the war was lost he was unable or unwilling to return to civilian life. His years as an outlaw ...The assassination of Jesse James
Nov 30th, 2010 at 10:30AM:
After 1876, life wasn't the same for Jesse James.
That year he and his gang got badly shot up while trying to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota. The Northfield Raid left three gangmembers dead and three more in jail. Only Frank and Jesse James got away. Frank left for the East, swearing he'd go straight, and left Jesse very much alone. Most of his friends from his Civil War days were ...Jesse James' greatest escape
Nov 29th, 2010 at 2:30PM: Jesse James was riding high. After the end of the Civil War he had rocketed to fame by committing a string of daring robberies in Missouri and neighboring states. In a region where ex-Confederates still felt bitter over losing the war, this former Confederate guerrilla earned sympathy and support. One of their own was striking back at the Yankees, and it didn't matter that some people got hurt in ...Frank James and the Civil War Battle of the Hemp Bales
Nov 26th, 2010 at 2:30PM:
Jesse James must have been jealous of his older brother Frank. Jesse was only 13 when the Civil War started. Frank was 18, the perfect age to go off to war. Coming from a slave-owning farm family Frank naturally joined the Confederate army.
Many Missourians, especially city dwellers and the large German immigrant community, remained loyal to the North, while the majority of rural farmers ...Jesse James robs his first bank
Nov 25th, 2010 at 1:30PM: The Civil War was over. In Missouri, defeated Confederate soldiers trudged home and tried to pick up their lives. This was harder in Missouri than many states. Many discovered their land had been seized during the war for nonpayment of taxes, and now Union veterans farmed their fields. New Missouri laws forbade ex-Confederates from voting, holding public office, teaching, or even preaching. Former ...The Jesse James farm
Nov 24th, 2010 at 12:30PM:
Jesse James grew up both lucky and unlucky. His father, Baptist preacher Robert Sallee James, owned a prosperous farm in Clay County. His slaves cultivated hemp and other cash crops, and Jesse and his older siblings Frank and Susan grew up in comfort. Robert kept a large library and both his sons became avid readers. Frank loved Shakespeare, while Jesse was more devoted to the Bible and ...Jesse James: the birth of a legend
Nov 23rd, 2010 at 2:30PM: Legends often start quietly, with ordinary people making ordinary decisions that change history. In 1946 in Tupelo, Mississippi, a working-class mother gave her son a guitar for his birthday. Elvis Presley wanted a bicycle, but he started practicing music anyway. In 1913, an unknown music hall comedian named Charlie Chaplin decided to try his luck with the new medium of motion pictures. His first ...
