by Bill McLain
Crater Lake, Oregon, is the deepest lake in the United States. It is 1,932 feet deep. The deepest lake in the world is over one mile deep. Siberia’s Lake Baikal, has a maximum known depth of 5,371 feet.
Oklahoma has the most man-made lakes in the United States.
The Lost Sea lake, discovered in 1905, is the largest underground lake in the country. It is 300 feet below the surface in Craighead Caverns in Sweetwater, Tennessee.
The shortest river in the country is the D River, near Lincoln City, Oregon. It connects Devil’s Lake to the Pacific Ocean and is only 120 feet long, not even half the length of a football field.
DID YOU KNOW?
Shoreline may be beautiful to look at or walk along, but it can be deadly for ships if night or fog makes the shoreline difficult to see. Many shorelines are littered with the wrecks of unfortunate ships.
Lighthouses are positioned along the coasts of oceans, inland seas, and lakes to warn ships of dangerous reefs and shoals. The first lighthouse built in the United States was the Boston Light, erected in 1716.
One of the most famous lighthouses is the Whitefish Point Light, which guards the treacherous southeastern end of Lake Superior, known as the “Graveyard of the Lakes.” In spite of the lighthouse, there have been 70 major shipwrecks in that area.
The Whitefish Point Light has shined faithfully for over 150 years. That is, except for one fateful night when the light was blacked out. The light was not all that was lost that night.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the world’s largest freshwater freighter when it was launched in 1958. The 729-foot ship could easily have held 350,000 people. It plied the waters of Lake Superior, stopping at port cities such as Duluth and Toledo.
On November 10, 1978, the 20-year old ship was in the midst of a fierce storm, fighting 80-mph winds and 25-foot waves. It is believed that the captain was heading for Whitefish Point to find calmer waters. But that night the Whitefish Point Light was not shining. The furious gale had broken power poles and there was no electricity to power the light. Some people believe that had the light been working, the Edmund Fitzgerald might have reached calmer waters and been saved, but no one knows for sure.
Suddenly the Edmund Fitzgerald was hit by two tremendous waves that broke the ship in half. It sank in just 10 seconds. All 29 crew members were lost.
The bell of the ship was recovered in 1995. Since then a ceremony has been held each year at Whitefish Point to honor the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The bell is tolled 29 times, once for each of the crew members. It is then tolled one more time in memory of all sailors lost on the Great Lakes.
Why does the Great Seal of the United States have seven white stripes and six red stripes, when it’s the opposite on the flag? (No matter what the color, it still comes out to be 13.)
The flag has red stripes on the outer edges so that it can be seen better. On the shield in the Great Seal, the outer stripes are white so the shield can be seen better against the gold background of the seal. In both cases, there are 13 stripes to represent the original 13 states.
Virtually all countries have government seals to authenticate important international documents. The founders of the United States knew that the new country needed both a seal and a national coat of arms that would be a symbol of the country.
On July 4, 1776, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson were appointed by the Continental Congress to design a seal for the United States. The task wasn’t as simple as it appeared. The seal had to use just a few symbols and words to depict what the United States was at that time and what it would be in the future.
It wasn’t until six years later that the final design was approved. William Barton created the design, which shows an American bald eagle holding a ribbon in its mouth with the Latin words E pluribus unum, which mean “one out of many.” The eagle holds the arrows of war with one talon and the olive branch of peace in the other. The reverse of the seal displays an unfinished pyramid with an eye above it. The eye represents the eye of Providence. Most representations of the seal, such as that on the one-dollar bill, show both the front and reverse of the seal.
The seal is an engraved metal die that impresses its design into a document, similar to the embossing of a notary public’s seal. It is used to authenticate treaties and international agreements, and appointments of ambassadors and other foreign service officials, as well as other important government documents.
When the seal is used, a blank paper disc is first glued to the document. Then the paper is put into a press with the die and counterdie. When the press is closed, it creates the image of the front of the seal on the paper disc.
In 1885, Congress allocated money to cut a die for the reverse of the seal. To this day that die has never been made, and the only die is for the front of the Great Seal.
FACTOIDS
The Great Seal of the United States is the only government seal in the world with a design on both sides.
The bicentennial of the Great Seal occurred in 1982, the same year that marked George Washington’s 250th birthday and Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s 100th birthday.
The number 13, indicating the 13 original states, is used throughout the Great Seal. For example, there are 13 stars, 13 stripes in the shield, 13 arrows in the eagle’s left talon, 13 olives and leaves in the right talon, and 13 layers in the pyramid. The inscriptions E Pluribus Unum and Annuit Coeptis each consist of 13 letters.
On the first Great Seal created in 1782, the eagle looked more like a turkey.
It is believed that the first illustration of the reverse of the Great Seal was published in the October 1786 issue of Columbian Magazine, published in Philadelphia.
DID YOU KNOW?
Both sides of the Great Seal of the United States are shown on the reverse of the one-dollar bill. On the right is an eagle holding both the arrows of war and the olive branch of peace. Above the eagle’s head are 13 stars surrounded by a wreath of clouds. The eagle’s body is covered with a shield.
On the left is a picture of the reverse of the Great Seal. The pyramid symbolizes permanence and strength. It has not been finished because the United States will always grow, build, and improve. There are 13 layers of stone representing the original states. Each stone within a layer symbolizes local self-government.
The “eye of Providence” above the pyramid is surrounded by light and portrays the spiritual above the material. It also symbolizes freedom of knowledge. Above the eye is a Latin inscription, Annuit Coeptis, which means “God has favored our beginnings.” The inscription below the pyramid, Novus Ordo Seclorum, is Latin for “new cycle of the ages.” If you look very closely at the base of the pyramid, you’ll see the Roman numerals for 1776.
Neither the schools nor the government has spent much time explaining the meaning of the Great Seal. Hopefully, the next time you look at a dollar bill, you’ll have a better appreciation for the Great Seal.
That is, unless the new dollar coin eventually replaces the dollar bill.
Is it true that a man built a castle with stones weighing up to 25 tons with no mechanical equipment or help from anyone? (This is a very weighty subject.)
It’s true. One man built an entire stone castle consisting of over 1,100 tons of coral rock, some weighing over 25 tons. He did this amazing feat alone, and in secret.
Edward Leedskalnin was a Latvian immigrant. He was a small man, barely 5 feet tall and weighing around 100 pounds. When he was 26 years old, his 16-year-old fiancée jilted him on the eve of their wedding. He decided to leave Latvia and emigrate to the United States. He eventually settled in a sparsely populated section of Florida, because he wanted to get away from the world. It is believed that he started building the castle as a way of getting over his lost love, whom he called Sweet Sixteen.
Leedskalnin started building his castle in 1918 and didn’t finish it until almost 20 years later. At night he carved huge blocks of coral rock from the land. His only tools were primitive handmade saws, chisels, ch
ains, hoists, hammers, and recycled auto parts. He was fanatical about secrecy and no one ever saw him working. When asked how he could move such huge blocks of stone, he replied that he knew the ancient principles of magnetism used by the Egyptians to build the pyramids.
The castle is made of massive coral blocks fitted together to form a walled, central courtyard. The castle entrance is through a gate, which is a single 9-ton coral block 6.5 feet wide and 7.5 feet tall. When closed it is within a quarter of an inch of the abutting walls. It pivots on an iron rod sitting on an automobile gear. It is balanced so perfectly that a tourist can push it open with one finger.
A tower with a small room on top sits inside the courtyard, which also contains gigantic stone renderings of planets, moons, and suns. One of the most impressive features is a 2.5-ton dining table surrounded by half-ton rocking chairs. The chairs are perfectly balanced, and just touching them lightly will cause them to rock. There isn’t a single tool mark on any of the chairs.
To this day, no knows how this small man accomplished such a gargantuan feat. It seems that no one will ever know the secret of the Coral Castle. In 1951 a sign on the castle’s front door announced that Leedskalnin had gone to the hospital.
Three days later he died. His secret died with him.
FACTOIDS
The castle contains a 20-foot block of coral shaped like the state of Florida. A small water basin in the table represents Lake Okeechobee. The block is encircled by 10 stone chairs.
When developers planned to build a new subdivision near the castle, Leedskalnin dismantled it and moved it, block by block, 10 miles away. He loaded the huge stones on iron girders mounted on a truck chassis and hired a tractor driver to move the trailer. He never let the driver see him load the stones. One day the driver left at Leedskalnin’s instructions, but returned half an hour later. The trailer was empty when he left, but when he came back it was loaded with huge stones.
Through the years many people tried to sneak a look at Leedskalnin while he was working so they could discover his secret. He always seemed to know when someone was watching. No one ever saw how he moved the stones.
Some of the Coral Castle stones are twice as heavy as the largest stone in the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
DID YOU KNOW?
There is another famous castle at the opposite end of the country. It’s Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley, California.
Walter Scott, known as “Death Valley Scotty,” was a prospector who was always looking for gold in the desert. According to him, one day he struck it rich and used some of his new wealth to build a magnificent castle. Although many people tried following Scotty to find the location of his mine, they were never successful. The problem was, there never was a mine.
Scotty happened to meet Albert Johnson, who was in ill health at the time, and the two roamed the desert together. Over time, they became lifelong friends. When Johnson’s health improved, he returned East, made a fortune in the stock market, and shared his wealth with Scotty. The castle was in Johnson’s name and he used it as a desert retreat.
Johnson never told anyone the truth. He enjoyed the escapades of the flamboyant Scotty, such as the time he rented a train to try to set a speed record.
If you visit Scotty’s Castle, make sure you follow the trail behind the main house. It will lead you to the grave of the legendary Death Valley Scotty.
How long was the Pony Express in operation? (Long or not, it embodied the spirit of the West.)
The Pony Express was only in operation a little over 19 months, but it had a profound impact on the country at the time. It not only delivered mail to people in the West but proved that a transcontinental railroad route was possible.
In 1849, gold was discovered in California, and its population soared in just a few short years. Over half a million people lived west of the Rocky Mountains, and they eagerly awaited mail from their families in the east. The government had been searching for a way to develop a transcontinental mail route. They even investigated the possibility of using camels, but that idea proved impractical. Mail took a month or more by boat and almost a month by overland stage from St. Louis, Missouri, to San Francisco, California.
The Pony, as it was called then, was first proposed in 1860 by Senator Gwin of California. The first manager was William Russell of the Russell, Majors, and Waddell Overland Freight Company. He believed that a relay team of riders could carry mail on horseback from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, in just 10 days. Congress scoffed at the idea and refused to fund it, saying it would be impossible because of snowbound mountain passes and hostile Native Americans.
Russell and his partners pursued the idea on their own. They set up 80 well-provisioned relay stations and carefully selected 400 horses and 80 riders. Because of the fast horses, riders could weigh no more than approximately 120 pounds, saddles and other equipment had to be less than 25 pounds, and no more than 20 pounds of mail could be carried per rider.
On April 3, 1860, the first Pony Express rider placed a message from President Buchanan to the governor of California in his saddlebag and took off on his journey. That saddlebag, with its message, arrived in Sacramento 10 days later. It had traveled almost 2,000 miles.
By October 1861, the telegraph had spanned the nation and the Pony Express was discontinued. In spite of numerous dangers and weather problems, in the entire history of the Pony Express only one mail pouch was ever lost. When the California newspaper, the Pacific, paid tribute to the Pony Express, it said, “Goodbye, Pony! You have served us well.”
FACTOIDS
Pony Express riders were as young as 11 years old, but none was older than their mid-40s or weighed more than approximately 120 pounds.
Each rider was expected to ride 60 miles in 6 hours. During that time, they used six different horses.
Riders carrying President Lincoln’s inaugural address made the fastest run in 7 days and 17 hours.
In spite of its fame, the Pony Express was a financial disaster. The founders had invested $700,000 and ended up with a debt of $200,000. It was sold at an auction to Ben Holladay, who four years later sold it to Wells Fargo for $2 million.
The Pony Express designed its own saddle and mail pouch, called a mochila. None is known to exist today.
The legendary Buffalo Bill was a Pony Express rider.
Morgan horses and Thoroughbreds were used at the eastern end of the trail, pintos in the middle section, and mustangs on the western end. Most horses were mares.
To jump off his horse, transfer his mail pouch, and leap on a fresh relay horse took a rider two minutes or less.
DID YOU KNOW?
Pony Express riders faced many dangers. Not only did a rider frequently travel 100 miles a day, he often fought raging blizzards, had trouble finding the trail because of snow, risked death riding near the edges of steep canyons, and faced possible ambush from hostile Native Americans.
There are many tales of bravery and stamina. One such tale is that of Bob Haslam. One day Haslam received the eastbound mail from San Francisco and galloped off. When he reached the relief station, the next rider was so frightened of hostile tribes that he refused to ride. Haslam kept riding to the next station. He rode 190 miles without stopping to rest.
After resting for nine hours, he started on the return trip. The next station had been raided, the station keeper was dead, and the horses were gone. Haslam kept riding until he reached his original starting point. He had made a 380-mile round trip, the longest on record.
Haslam was ambushed on another trip. An arrow pierced his arm and another plunged into his face, fracturing his jaw and knocking out his teeth. He refused help at the next station and continued on until he reached his final destination. Although badly wounded, he had ridden 120 miles in a little over 8 hours.
On one trip, Haslam’s way was blocked by a band of 30 Paiute Indians. The chief knew Haslam’s reputation for bravery and let him pass, saying, “You pretty good fella—you go ahead.” Bob Ha
slam and riders like him embodied the Pony Express slogan, “The mail must go through!”
More questions? Try these Web sites.
PONY EXPRESS
http://www.xphomesstation.com/
A wonderful site with a thorough discussion of the Pony Express. It covers the history, the riders, horses, station keepers, salaries, weapons, and the mail. It has interesting stories about the Paiute War, the longest ride, and the fastest time. It also has short biographies of many of the Pony Express riders.
U.S. PRESIDENTS AT A GLANCE
http://homepage.medusa.net/~rlong/pres.html
This site lists all 42 presidents of the United States. Just click on any president’s name for a short biography and the highlights of his presidency.
CORAL CASTLE
http://www.parascope.com/en/articles/coralCastle.htm
This site has an excellent article about the Coral Castle in Florida. It includes a number of color photographs.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
http://www.go-unitedstates.com/
This handy site divides the country into seven regions and lists the popular attractions for each region. For example, the Southwest section includes the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, Dinosaur National Monument, Hoover Dam, the USS Arizona Memorial, the Hansen Planetarium, and White Sands national monument. Clicking on any attraction takes you to a Web site devoted to the attraction. There is also a link to the National Park Service.
The left side of the page includes museums, events, galleries, theaters, and night clubs. Clicking on any one subject will bring up a new page, again divided into regions of the country. For instance, if you click on museums and scroll down to the Southwest, you see links to various museums in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.
