Bøger udgivet af Arcadia Publishing Library Editions

The Great Depression hit West Plains hard, but people were resilient and bounced back during World War II. The postwar years brought rural electrification, television, and paved roads. As the economy began to move away from agriculture to new industries, a flooring mill and shoe factory came to town, accompanied by a community hospital. Big band slipped into rock and roll, radio to television, and iceboxes to refrigerators. In 40 years, people went from Ford Model Ts to Mustangs and from silent films to the big screen at the 63 Drive In. By the end of the 1960s, the Beatles had arrived, and everyone was looking in their world atlas for a place called Vietnam. This is a pictorial journey through a small town in the Ozarks from the 1930s to the 1970s.

The catastrophic failure of a new but unproven copper-cooled Chevrolet in 1923 led the General Motors Corporation to buy back the 100 cars it had sold to the public and recall another 400 in company and dealer hands. As a result, in 1924 General Motors started building the industry's first scientific proving ground to test new vehicle designs before they were released for production and sale. Before this, all automakers tested new cars haphazardly on public roads and within limited engineering laboratories. Better known by the public as test tracks, the proving grounds became a source of curiosity for decades about the secrets they might hold. Detroit Area Test Tracks goes behind the test track walls to show how the facilities evolved and what typically takes place inside.

On May 21, 1874, Congress approved the establishment of the United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), formerly the United States Military Prison at Fort Leavenworth. The original prison was once a quartermaster depot, supplying all military posts, camps, and stations in the Indian Territory to the West. It has been the "center of correctional excellence" in the military for over 130 years, housing the most notorious service members in the armed forces, including maximum-custody inmates and those with death sentences. On October 5, 2002, retreat was played for the last time in front of the eight-story castle inside the old USDB, and another era started with the occupation of a new modern correctional facility.

Native Americans roamed the beautiful lands of northern Michigan for many years, leaving a legacy of mature forests, clear waters, and plentiful game. By 1871, waves of immigrants were arriving from Europe, as well as Union soldiers after the Civil War. These pioneers brought with them the tools, know-how, and determination to transform the wild land into an economy based on the timber, railroads, and farming. Schools, churches, businesses, and tourism blossomed. The county's 156 lakes and 46 trout streams offered pristine settings for swimming, boating, hunting, and fishing. Resorts, sporting clubs, and cottage colonies sprang up to meet the needs of seasonal visitors. Early fishing guide and hotelier Andrew J. Bradford, financiers Curtis W. MacPhail and Robert J. Smith, philanthropist Martin Johnson, and others nurtured the growth of the communities. The Civilian Conservation Corps replanted the forests and built roads, the African American resort of Idlewild showcased black entertainers, and Raymond W. Overholzer built Shrine of the Pines, all promoting the county's development.

Not-a-pe-ka-gon was the Native American name given to the Ludington area and translates as "heads on sticks." The name refers to a battle between the Ottawa and Mascouten Indians in the 17th century that raged along the river toward Lake Michigan. The heads of the defeated Mascoutens were placed on sticks as a warning to all. Later a bluff overlooking the lake and river was the site of the 1675 death of Fr. Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit missionary and explorer. When the first settlers of European descent arrived, they gave the name of Pere Marquette to their village, lake, and river in honor of the fallen missionary. Eventually renamed after lumber baron James Ludington, the community became a bustling maritime port and the home of the largest car ferry fleet in the world.