In 1923, Kansas governor Johnathan Davis traveled to Hutchinson to dedicate Emerson Carey's new rock salt mine whose shaft provided access to an ancient salt bed 650 feet under the earth's surface. The Carey Salt Mine, advertised as "the most modern in the world," served as a companion to Carey's already-existing evaporation plants. Miners used the newest technology to blast and crush the mineral into gravel and haul it to the surface to provide rock salt for livestock, industries, and roads. Throughout the 20th century, thousands visited Carey's mining operations. Ever since the day Governor Davis presided over the opening ceremony, the Carey Salt Mine has served as a landmark for Hutchinson and helped shape its identity as "the Salt City."
Sandy Bay National Harbor of Refuge and the Navy
9781467128704
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In 1885, construction began on the second-largest deepwater harbor in the world--second only to Cherbourg, France--to be called the Sandy Bay National Harbor of Refuge. It would consist of a giant 9,000-foot granite breakwater that would offer safe harbor to over 5,000 vessels and enclose an area of 1,600 acres. As it was being built, the US North Atlantic Fleet began making annual visits to Rockport with its newest and largest warships, including most of Teddy Roosevelt's Great White Fleet. These visits were designed to facilitate the fleet's training maneuvers in the waters of Cape Ann as well as demonstrate the need for a protected harbor for national defense and security. Over a 30-year period, 21 annual visits occurred with more than 100 naval vessels, including battleships, cruisers, torpedo destroyers, submarines, dispatch yachts, and other support craft, anchoring in Sandy Bay Harbor.
The Dory Fleet of Pacific City
9780738558134
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With its smooth, sandy beach, the quiet coastal town of Pacific City, on the coast of Oregon's Tillamook County, is the perfect home for a unique group of boats. The Pacific City dory fleet has a proud history spanning more than 100 years. Nestled in the natural shelter provided by Cape Kiwanda, the fleet lives on today as one of the most interesting fishing fleets in the world. The small flat-bottomed boats dare the ocean as they crash through the surf headed for the plentiful waters of the Pacific. At day's end, they ride the waves back to shore and slide onto the beach. The original design of the dory allows it to launch from and land on the shore. Through the inherent dangers of ocean fishing, governmental restriction, international fishing competition, and, most recently, the influx of surfers and civilization, the dedicated fishermen have held on to tradition.
Texas Ingenuity
9780738503561
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Imagination is bigger in Texas, too. This collection of inspiring and often quirky stories highlights dozens of examples of innovation from Lone Star history. The Hamill brothers devised a better oil well to reach gushers at Spindletop. The first Neiman-Marcus store opened in Dallas in 1907, revolutionizing the retail fashion world. Astroturf emerged at the Astrodome in 1966. Fritos and corn dogs are just two ubiquitous snack foods claimed as Texan originals. Houston native, and civil rights activist, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan rose to national prominence as a voice of unity during the Watergate scandal. Author Alan C. Elliott details these and many more lessons in success in Texas Ingenuity.
The Maine Lobster Industry
9781626194106
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Since the first recorded lobster catch in 1605, the Maine lobster fishery has grown into a multibillion-dollar force. Cathy Billings of the University of Maine Lobster Institute embarks on a journey from trap to plate, introducing readers to lobstermen, boat builders, bait dealers, marine suppliers and the expansive industry that revolves around the fishery. Maine lobster families extend generations back with an eye to their legacies. Strides in sustainability have been a hallmark of the Maine fishery throughout the centuries, from the time lobstermen themselves introduced conservation measures in the mid-1800s. Today, Maine's lobster fishery is a model of a co-managed, sustainable fishery. The people who work Maine's lobster fishery have developed a coastal economy with an international influence and deep history.
Northeast Forest Fire Supervisors
9781467124614
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Controlling wildfires has been a significant mission for the state and federal governments since the early 1900s. During this time, the agencies responsible for wildland fire management have worked jointly in many ways to minimize losses from fires and to constantly improve firefighting and fire management techniques. In 1967, a new organization was established among the 20 states within the northeastern area of the United States to unite the forest fire control supervisors from each of those states. Since then, the Northeast Forest Fire Supervisors have been charged with the responsibility to stimulate and promote the development and use of specialized forest fire equipment, including better techniques in fire prevention, presuppression, suppression, and improved training and safety methods.
Hamden Firefighting
9781467127615
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Incorporated in 1786, the town of Hamden covers nearly 33 square miles immediately north of New Haven, Connecticut. Despite significant industrial growth in the early 19th century and several devastating fires, Hamden had no organized firefighting forces until its first volunteer fire company was organized in 1896. By 1925, the handful of independent volunteer fire companies that followed became the Hamden Fire Department. A predominantly volunteer force before World War II, the department grew to 55 career members by 1950 and to 124 by the mid-1980s. The ascendency of emergency medical services and, more recently, a concern for homeland security have greatly expanded the department's role in public safety. Although 1990s municipal austerity measures reduced department size by 20 percent, with a population today exceeding 60,000, fire department responses have increased to more than 10,000 calls annually, of which 74 percent are for EMS.
Detroit's Historic Water Works Park
9780738593630
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Detroit's Historic Water Works Park takes the reader on a nostalgic trip back to when it was possible to see beyond the horizon from the top of the tallest freestanding structure in the Americas. At one time, Water Works Park's colorful, stunningly beautiful, and varied floral displays were reason enough for thousands of people to travel hundreds of miles or more to Detroit. In addition to its primary function as a source of high-quality drinking water for Detroit and neighboring communities since 1879, Water Works Park was a popular place of rest, reflection, and recreation. At one time, its popularity among Detroiters and visitors to the city was exceeded only by Belle Isle, the city's big island playground in the Detroit River.
Firefighting in Roanoke
9780738543567
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The Roanoke Fire Department's history began in 1882 when the first firefighters were organized by the newly chartered City of Roanoke. The volunteer fire companies such as the Vigilants, Juniors, Friendship, and Alerts provided protection against fire for the city. Roanoke began paying firefighters in about 1903; they were usually drivers to get the horses and steam engines ready for when the volunteers showed up. In 1907, the last of the volunteers disbanded in a show of solidarity to the city, and the Roanoke Fire Department became fully paid. The department doubled in size in 1936 when a second platoon was added and grew again in 1972 when the third platoon was added. The Roanoke Fire Department continued to protect the citizens and visitors of Roanoke City up until 1995 when it merged with Roanoke City EMS to form the Roanoke Fire-EMS Department. In Firefighting in Roanoke, the history of this 125-year-old local service tradition is told.
Oceanside Fire Department
9780738581057
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For more than 120 years, the firefighters of the Oceanside Fire Department have had the privilege of serving one of Southern California's most active and popular coastal communities. Its firefighters are well known regionally as being highly skilled, capable, and aggressive when it comes to firefighting. This legacy has been handed down from Oceanside's first firefighters as they lived in the Wild West of the late 1800s, fighting blazes similar to those of today but with dungarees, cowboy boots, and nothing to guide them but instinct and bravery. Today a force of more than 100 modern, paramedic-trained firefighters protect over 180,000 Oceanside residents and visitors 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Seattle Fire Department
9780738548678
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On June 6, 1889, 25 city blocks of the city of Seattle and every mill, wharf, and warehouse from Union to Jackson Streets were consumed in a firestorm that started when a glue pot tipped over. Both of the Seattle firehouses burned in the devastating inferno, and the result was the end of the volunteer fire department and the formation of the Seattle Fire Department. Seattle got its first fireboat in 1891, at a little fire station at the foot of Madison Street and Alaskan Way, and the department depended on horse-drawn equipment until 1924, when the last horse was retired. Boasting the oldest continuously operating medic unit in America, today's Seattle Fire Department is a proud organization with 34 fire stations and more than 1,000 uniformed personnel.
Houston Fire Department
9781467132985
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Houston's firefighting service began in 1838 with the founding of Protection Fire Company No. 1. As the city of Houston grew throughout the early and mid-19th century, volunteer companies formed and grew along with it. By 1895, city leaders decided to form the Houston Fire Department as a city department, culling the volunteer forces for men, stations, apparatus, and horses. The city grew in leaps and bounds, swallowing up neighborhoods, communities, and smaller cities along the way, with the fire department nipping at their heels. This brave force battled devastating fires throughout the years, most notably the Great Fifth Ward Fire in 1912, the 1943 Gulf Hotel Fire, the Woodway Square Apartment Conflagration in 1979 and the Southwest Inn Fire in 2013. What was once a smattering of volunteer fire brigades has grown into an imposing force of over 3,000 firefighters protecting over two million people in the fourth largest city in the United States.
Cape Cod Firefighting
9780738511825
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From the founding of its first fire department in Provincetown in 1836, Cape Cod has had an exciting and unique firefighting history-as told in Cape Cod Firefighting. Rare and recently discovered photographs depict some of the area's largest fires, as well as its many innovations, from Provincetown's first Hunneman hand pumper, known as the "George Washington," to the brush breakers uniquely designed to respond to the Cape's devastating forest fires. Cape Cod fire departments also developed rescue squads that eventually evolved into the first emergency medical service system in Massachusetts to use paramedics. The images in Cape Cod Firefighting offer a tribute to the people and events that have shaped Cape Cod's fire rescue service.
Wayne Fire Department
9780738532783
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The Wayne Fire Department was founded in 1911 as a volunteer fire department with 12 firemen. In 1928, the Village of Wayne purchased its first pumper and started a full-time fire department. The Wayne-Nankin Fire Department was formed in 1942, only to be divided again when the Village of Wayne became the City of Wayne in 1960. In all, this organization has served the community for 94 years. Through rare photographs and detailed historical information, this book documents nearly a century of the Wayne Fire Department's dedicated service.
Hagerstown Firefighting
9780738541587
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Since the 19th century, the Hagerstown Fire Department has consisted of the following companies: First Hagerstown Hose, Antietam Fire, Independent Junior Fire, Western Enterprise Fire, Pioneer Hook & Ladder, and, since 1950, South Hagerstown Fire. In about 1895, the Hagerstown Fire Department began the transition from an all-volunteer force to a combination volunteer/career force. This second collection of historic firefighting images is a chronology of the Hagerstown Fire Department from 1791 to 2005. During that period, there were significant advances in firefighting equipment, technology, and firefighting training. In this volume, more than 200 images capture the firefighters and fire apparatus in action at fires and also the daily activities defining each era. Whether they were using buckets, hand- or horse-pulled apparatus, or half-million dollar motorized equipment, the firefighters of Hagerstown have always faced challenges with courage. The images in this volume bring to life the men and women who sacrificed so much.
Burlington Firefighting
9780738546124
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Burlington Firefighting richly illustrates the triumphs and tragedies, the hauntings and secrets of the Burlington Fire Department. Originating as a series of bucket brigades, the fire department developed from competing companies that served as elite social clubs into a professional organization that was incorporated in 1895. The transitions from hand-drawn to horse-drawn carts and pumpers to steam engines and motorized trucks largely shaped the evolution of firefighting in Vermont as a whole.
Firefighting in Allegany County
9780738541976
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Firefighting in mountainous Allegany County has evolved from bucket brigades and hose reels to a paid fire department in the county seat of Cumberland and 23 modern volunteer fire departments. Highlighted in Firefighting in Allegany County is the Cumberland Fire Department, which formed in 1906 as the second paid fire department in Maryland. The oldest all-volunteer department, Frostburg, is also given extensive coverage as well as the volunteer fire companies in the coal-mining region of Georges Creek. The more rural area of eastern Allegany County and suburban Cumberland have been protected by volunteer fire companies since the 1930s and 1940s.
Charleston is Burning!
9781596296350
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From the days of "bucket brigades" and private volunteer companies--such as the Phoenix, the Axemen and the Eagle--Charleston has seen more than its fair share of conflagrations. A carelessly overturned candle could ignite a blaze that would consume hundreds of Charleston's closely built wooden structures within just a few hours, leaving large swaths of the city in ruins. Join Charleston native and local historian Danny Crooks as he relates the story of Charleston's many historic fires and firefighting efforts, starting as early as 1698 and continuing through the horrors of the Great Fire of 1861 and the establishment of the Charleston Fire Department in the 1880s.
New London Firefighting
9780738545370
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The New London Fire Department was born in 1767 when Nathaniel Shaw Jr. presented the city with its first fire engine. Since then, New London has had a successful history of emergency medical service, heroic assistance during natural disasters, and fantastic 0firefighting. The city's most notorious fire occurred on September 6, 1781. Under the command of the infamous traitor and New London County native, Gen. Benedict Arnold, British troops set New London ablaze. A great deal of life and property was lost. At a 1786 town meeting, residents began the first regular fire company, which eventually evolved into eight volunteer companies. New London Firefighting proudly chronicles its initial humble volunteer system up to today's technologically advanced apparatus and career personnel.
Norwich Firefighting
9780738555492
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Beginning in 1769, Norwich inhabitants began fire protection with the use of water buckets and a hand-actuated piston pump named the Torrent. In the early 1800s, the need for an organized fire service paved the way for the first fire companies of the downtown area. A period of rapid growth followed, and the Norwich Fire Department absorbed the Greeneville Fire Department under one title and one chief. Today the career firefighters of the Norwich Fire Department continue to build upon its rich and historic tradition of service to the City Consolidated District. Norwich Firefighting is a pictorial tribute to this honorable department.
Ashtabula Firefighting
9780738540474
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The story of firefighting in Ashtabula is almost as old as the community itself, beginning with the informal citizen bucket brigades of frontier necessity in the early decades of the 1800s. Between 1836 and 1911, the burgeoning Lake Erie port and manufacturing city was served by a cadre of dedicated volunteer fire companies, including the celebrated, award-winning Protection Fire Company. Ashtabula's rapid growth spurred the October 25, 1911, transformation of the city's longstanding volunteer fire corps into a paid, full-time professional fire department. With over 200 archival images drawn from the Ashtabula Fire Department, the private collections of retired city firefighters, and local newspaper and museum archives, Ashtabula Firefighting highlights 170 years of firefighting heritage.
Lowell Firefighting
9780738545028
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The Lowell Fire Department was established by the state legislature on February 6, 1830. As Lowell began its climb as a center of industrial power, fire protection evolved from the days of the United Fire Society's bucket brigades to organized volunteer fire companies and a full-time paid department. Lowell Firefighting features images, memorabilia, and photographs covering more than 175 years of this mill city fire department's history. Photographs depict the work of Lowell's firefighters through a prolific period of serious fires and urban decay. Today the Lowell Fire Department protects a city rich with tradition that is reinventing itself, responding to all manner of fire and rescue emergencies.
Long Beach Fire Department
9780738530017
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The Long Beach Fire Department's adaptability has been tested by a wide variety of disasters that have marked it as a unique firefighting force on the West Coast. Thousands of residents and others have owed their very lives to the department since its 1897 formation. The LBFD moved into action during the devastating 1933 Long Beach earthquake, in which its own Fire House No. 1 was reduced to rubble. Its firefighters have quelled oilfield blazes through the 20th century, and its fireboats have poured water onto flames engulfing the docks and warehouses of the bustling port. Other duties have included such side excursions as working standby during Howard Hughes's 1947 flight of the Spruce Goose and taking care of Sam the cat, a Station 6 mainstay who slid down the fire pole to the delight of television audiences.
Burlington Firefighting
9780738557489
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Burlington, settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1799, began as a quiet farming community. For the first 100 years after the town's founding, no fire department existed, and by 1900, many important buildings had tragically been lost to fires. The loss of these historic landmarks prompted the beginning of a group of volunteer firefighters that protected the town until the first full-time fire department's establishment in 1951. Over the years, the department expanded to meet the demands of the town's rapid growth. Today the fire department consists of professionals constantly striving to improve the department and committed to serving the people of Burlington.
Firefighting in Frederick County
9780738542072
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Images of America: Firefighting in Frederick County honors the contribution of both volunteer and career firefighters through the years. Captured in these 200 vintage images are the local volunteer fire companies, many support agencies, and other emergency services organizations that have been assisting Frederick County for centuries. Featured also will be photographs of the Independent Hose Company of Frederick, which has the honor of being the oldest continuously operating fire company in Maryland, having been founded in 1818. Today, Frederick County is home to the National Fire Academy and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial, both located in Emmitsburg and featured in the book.
Edison Firefighting
9780738554914
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During the early part of the 20th century, five separate volunteer fire companies independently organized to protect separate sections of Raritan Township, currently known as Edison. The township was divided by fire districts, each containing elected fire commissioners with political and economic power. In 1926, the first career firefighter was hired, and since then, over 250 career firefighters have taken the oath. Edison Firefighting features images, memorabilia, and photographs from the early days of bucket brigades and horse-drawn carriages to current personnel and apparatus. Significant fires, explosions, and rescues that Edison firefighters confronted throughout the years are revealed within this fascinating book.
A History of the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department
9781596299818
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Once, Kent Island homes that caught fire often burned to the ground. That changed in 1947 with the founding of the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department, and for more than half a century, local volunteers have protected their community from fire and flood. Author Brent Lewis charts the history of this Kent Island institution with firsthand accounts from ordinary heroes, humorous stories of late-night practical jokes and recipes for applesauce cake and oyster fritters from the ladies auxiliary. Join Lewis as he tells the stories of the men and women who have dedicated themselves to the service of their community and created a family in the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department.
Milton Firefighting
9780738549880
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The Fireward Society of Dorchester and Milton was founded in 1793 to protect citizens on both sides of the Neponset River. In 1830, both towns recognized Fountain Engine No. 1 as their main source of fire protection in Milton Village and Lower Mills. Later the Hydrant Engine Company was formed in East Milton, reflecting the population growth in this area. When Milton officials recognized that their fire department could not keep up with the growing town, a chemical engine was purchased and installed in a new firehouse built in the center of Milton in 1881. Soon the town acquired a steam engine and installed it in an even larger station. Thus began the gradual development of a professional, full-time fire department in Milton.
Maine's Covered Bridges
9780738512716
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Maine once had more than one hundred covered bridges. Only seven of these bridges remain today, but the photographic record of the others is surprisingly complete. Maine's Covered Bridges offers views of these structures that once graced the state's roads and railroads, many of them in the Oxford Hills and Western Mountains regions. All of Maine's major rivers-the Saco, Androscoggin, Kennebec, Penobscot, and Aroostook-and even smaller rivers-including the Presumpscot, Ossipee, Little Androscoggin, Ellis, Sandy, Piscataquis, Narraguagus, and St. Croix-had a covered bridge.
Historic Bridges of Milam County
9781467124911
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Milam County, located in the heart of Central Texas, is home to 18 historic bridges that were constructed through the years to accommodate the growth of the county. One bridge, Worley Bridge, has been fully restored in a cooperative effort between Milam County and the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT). TXDOT is an important partner in the preservation of these historic structures. Memories of some bridges will be preserved in a bridge park, which is being constructed in Rockdale. Other bridges simply stand in mute testimony to the passing of time and the changing of human needs and habits. This book tells the story of these bridges and their important role in our history. It provides knowledge and understanding of these structures.
Flaming Gorge Dam
9781467130165
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As early as 1915, the Flaming Gorge Canyon, named by early explorer Wesley Powell, was considered for a reservoir and dam site. For years, the Upper Colorado River Storage Committee fought for a dam on several sites along the Green River. Finally, on October 18, 1956, a large crowd gathered at the Flaming Gorge Dam site as President Eisenhower gave the signal from Washington, DC, and the first blast of dynamite lifted rocks from the deep canyon high into the sky. As smoke filled the air, those in attendance knew their efforts had at last paid off. The Flaming Gorge Dam is nestled in a beautiful canyon with walls of bright vivid color, rugged terrain, and breathtaking views. The 502-foot-tall dam was dedicated in 1964. It provides water storage for Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, and Arizona and hydroelectric power for five million households in the western United States. The Flaming Gorge Recreation Area is well known throughout the country for outdoor activities.
Knox County Bridges
9780738551562
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Knox County had its beginnings at the confluence of the waters of Center Run with the Kokosing River. This pictorial history of the spanning of area waterways is mostly a story of disasters. Many of the photographs are of the wreckage of failed bridges and what is left of the vehicles that brought them down. They depict a county highway department that was only reactive. The practice was to send the crews out to pick up the pieces and then figure out how to repair or replace the bridge. Changes began to occur with the Silver Bridge disaster in 1967 over the Ohio River, as the federal government instituted inspection of all public bridges at two-year intervals. With the information afforded through inspections and additional funding mechanisms, counties by the mid-1980s had the tools to be proactive toward bridge maintenance. A scheduled plan to inspect structures for repairs or replacement prior to failure began to occur. During this period, construction materials other than timber--stronger and longer-lasting materials--became the norm, thus saving lives.
Northern Arizona Space Training
9781467126946
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Northern Arizona boasts a rich history.  In this collection of vintage-photograph postcards, Kevin Schindler and William Sheehan explore the area's role in space training.
Southern Oregon Timber
9781626199446
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Forestry defined the culture of southern Oregon. Kenneth and Hallie Ford rose from humble beginnings with a single sawmill during the Great Depression and helped transform the state's timber industry. They founded one of the largest privately owned wood-products companies in the country, bringing the title Timber Capital of the Nation to Roseburg, Oregon. Their legacy remains today through the Ford Family Foundation, dedicated to educational grants and community improvements. Author R.J. Guyer explores the evolution of logging and the challenges faced by the hearty men and women who plied this trade.
Maryland’s Forests and Parks
9780738543512
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For 100 years, the Maryland State Forests and Parks Services have maintained and provided public access to Maryland's most beautiful and historic places. These include Assateague, Elk Neck, the first completed Washington Monument, Fort Frederick, Green Ridge, and Swallow Falls. Maryland's Forests and Parks: A Century of Progress captures the development of the state's forests and parks from their inception in 1906 to the present day. Take a journey with first state forester Fred W. Besley: witness his pioneering efforts to protect Maryland's forests, promote outdoor recreation, and establish the state's earliest public lands along the Patapsco River and throughout Western Maryland. Experience subsequent endeavors of the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Department of Forests and Parks to build on Besley's examples to create one of the finest state park and forest systems in the nation. Finally explore the efforts of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to fulfill the mission envisioned by Besley a century ago: to protect, enhance, and restore Maryland's natural resources for the wise use and enjoyment of all citizens.
Gristmills of Central Texas
9781467125963
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Gristmills were once commonplace in Texas. There was hardly a river, a creek, or a stream without one. The purpose of the gristmill was to grind wheat into flour and corn into meal. Prior to the water-powered gristmill, grinding was a tedious, time-consuming task that was usually performed by hand using some type of mortar and pestle. When a gristmill began operating in an area, settlers from near and far traveled to the mill to have their grain ground. The gathering of these settlers and farmers at the mill was the beginning of many settlements that grew into the Texas towns of today. Many of these picturesque settings have become major tourist destinations.
