Once an almost impenetrable landscape of dunes, marshes, and woodlands hugging the southern shore of Lake Michigan, the land comprising what would become East Chicago was a developer's dream for the emerging steel industry. Considered one of the country's ultimate melting pots, four out of five of its citizens hailed from other countries, each bringing their valued cultures and traditions to this thriving metropolis. The industrial jobs, requiring hard work and much grit, provided a way ou...

From the Gothic architecture and Golden Dome of the University of Notre Dame to the pulsing live jazz performed at the Midway Tavern, South Bend is a vibrant city, reconnecting its working-class roots and embracing the 21st century at the same time. Centuries ago, Native Americans and French voyagers explored the region via the St. Joseph River. Today, dine in style at the Cascade prime steak and seafood restaurant with its stellar views of the water, or sample a flight of beers on the out...

Madison, tucked among the rolling southeastern hills that meander toward the Ohio River, was settled when Indiana was still a territory and became a city in 1809. A major river port, Madison thrived during the steamboat era as well as when railroads came to dominate the landscape. The city�s glorious past is still on display. Many magnificent edifices dating back to eras from the beginning of the 1800s to the early 20th century provide wonderful examples of Federal, Greek Revival, and Ital...

Nestled in the rolling hills of Southern Indiana, Jasper and Huntingburg are quintessential American towns where hard work and dedication to cultural and ethnic preservation contribute to the beauty and prosperity of the area. The strong European roots of these Dubois County towns are evident in soaring churches and the nearby Monastery of the Immaculate Conception. German traditions passed down by immigrants from the Black Forest and Bavaria have earned Jasper the title of the �Nation�s W...

Louis J. Koch had a dream�one of family, fun, and Christmastime year-round. And so he created Santa Claus Land, the nation�s first theme park, in Santa Claus, located in the gentle rolling hills of southern Indiana. Now, six decades later, Koch�s legacy lives on at Holiday World and Splashin� Safari. Still owned and operated by the Koch family, Holiday World and Splashin� Safari are consistently voted the friendliest and cleanest parks in the country, and their wooden roller coasters are r...

A charming Michigan town and recipient of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations award by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Marshall boasts homes and businesses that are immaculately restored architectural gems whose styles include Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and Second Empire. To stroll along the streets here, past the Honolulu House, home to the Marshall Historical Society and a paean to a 19th-century judge's passion for the tropics, toward the National House, an old stagecoach ...

Buried within the collection of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History exists an astonishing group of historical relics from the pre-Revolutionary War era to the present day, many of which have never been on display. Donated to the museum by generations of souvenir collectors, these ordinary objects of extraordinary circumstance all have amazing tales to tell about their roles in American history. Souvenir Nation presents fifty of the museum's most eccentric item...

Waukegan, Illinois has a long history, with a rich and varied heritage. Countless individuals, businesses, and organizations have contributed to that heritage, and continue today to contribute to the legacy of this community. One of Waukegan's most notable citizens was Jack Benny. Throughout his long career he regularly cited his hometown and its influence on him, and he often contributed to the city with his many appearances. But he wasn't the only person to bring fame to Waukegan. Edward...

Elgin was named by a city founder, James T. Gifford, after his favorite hymn. The city shares its name with 20 cities in 15 states and 8 countries. Elgin is situated on the banks of the Fox River, 35 milesnorthwest of Chicago, the city with which Elgin had thriving business exchanges in agricultural and industrial goods. The city�s world-wide fame, for the most part, has come from its watch factory and Mr. Gail Borden�s milk company. Pianos, shoes, books, and even chewing gum were also man...

In 1837, Henry Janes applied for a post office called Black Hawk for the southern Wisconsin settlement where he ran a ferry across the Rock River. The postmaster general, however, noticed a town already by that name in the Iowa part of Wisconsin Territory, and he assigned the name Janesville, with Janes as postmaster. Two years later, Janes moved his family west, but the community grew to become the Rock County seat, and by 1860 it was Wisconsin's second-largest city. Today more than 62,00...

The sand dunes stretched higher than many skyscrapers, with the remnants of an abandoned lumber industry at their feet. The sandy, overgrown land was nothing that Michigan City residents cared to develop, let alone visit. The area was largely forgotten until Mayor Martin Krueger decided that his town would have a park and bathing beach. In a few short years, the deserted area was transformed into a family amusement center on Lake Michigan�s southern shores. These beginnings helped shape th...

The beloved thoroughfare at the heart of Denver, Sixteenth Street has always been the Mile-High City�s �Main Street.� Sixteenth Street got its jump start in 1879 when Leadville�s Silver King and Colorado�s richest man, Horace Austin Warner Tabor, came to town and built the city�s first five-story skyscraper at the corner of Sixteenth and Larimer Streets. In coming years, Sixteenth Street became Denver�s main retail center as shopkeepers and department store owners constructed ever-more imp...