Articles

Estherville Meteorite Historical Marker

The Estherville Meteorite hit the Earth 482 feet west of these coordinates on May 10th, 1879. The large meteorite which broke into three pieces, was examined and found to include various metals including one not known to Earth (and subsequently named Esthervillite). Museums around the world now house the meteorite pieces. The impact crater was […]

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How to Read Topographic Maps

Topographic maps are complicated to say the least. They have a lot going on with different colors, lines, and labels all over the place. The land survey information is a good example. While most topo map users aren’t reading the township, range, and section information, it is still on the maps. Another example is that […]

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Crystal Beach Resort History

We stumbled on an interesting map that appears to show an old water park. After some investigation, we discovered that it was a popular summer-time destination called Crystal Lake, located in a rural part of Irwin County Georgia. The postcard below shows the pavilion and beach, as it looked in 1964. Apparently, the lake would occasionally dry […]

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Armed Group Standoff at National Wildlife Refuge

News outlets including CNN are reporting that an armed group is in a standoff with federal agents in a building on the grounds of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in rural southeast Oregon. The authorities plan to wait the group out and are hopeful for a peaceful end to the situation. It started as a demonstration […]

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Table Rock

Table Rock is a prominent natural landmark located near Boise Idaho. It is a mesa formation comprised mostly of sandstone that rises over the city of Boise and provides stunning panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. The elevation of Table Rock is approximately 3,652 feet (1,113 meters) above sea level, making it one of the […]

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Scottys Castle

Scotty’s Castle was built in the 1920s as a lavish vacation home for a wealthy couple from Chicago. It is now part of Death Valley National Park and even has a visitor center in one of the buildings. The name comes from a con man, Walter Scott, who told others that he built the castle […]

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Cushing Oklahoma Oil Storage Map

Oil prices are a factor of supply and demand. And with the price of oil dropping towards historic lows, there is no better evidence of the surplus of oil than Cushing Oklahoma. With a capacity of 85 million barrels, Cushing is the largest oil storage field in the United States. So what does 85 million […]

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