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Magnificent Mid-West
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items From outlaws and cowboys to mountains and historic highways, explore the mid-west.
On a recent trip to Kansas, I found places even odder than Dorothy discovered wending her way along the yellow brick road to the Emerald City of Oz. Short of going to the moon, you won’t find any place less crowded than the southwest corner of Kansas...
Wonderfully weird Kansas, a road trip off the beaten path
Follow Kansas Highway 99 AKA “The Road to Oz” into the main street in Wamego in Northcentral Kansas to find the Yellow Brick Road and the Oz Museum. On one side of the street, there is the Yellow Brick Road where you can wander admiring the murals. Y...
There’s Something Odd in Kansas | Blend Radio & TV Magazine
If you were a Native American back before white settlers invaded North America, you could have roamed across the Midwest tallgrass prairie that covered over 170 million acres from Canada through Texas. A small portion of this tallgrass prairie is pre...
Flint Hills Tallgrass: An Amazing Ecosystem | Parks & Travel Magazine
In the United States, the population exploded in the late 1800s and early 1900s due to massive immigration, especially in Boston and New York City. Much of the population at the time consisted of impoverished families. If one parent died, the other o...
The Story of the Orphan Train
Embark on an unforgettable journey through nature, history, and art on a Kansas road trip. Explore the best of Kansas from covered wagons and the Oregon Trail to the Oz Museum and a giant ball of twine!
A Fun and Quirky Kansas Road Trip
was way too young to vote when I saw my first “I Like Ike” button. It seemed almost everyone liked former President Dwight Eisenhower. He led the allied armies, planned the Normandy Invasion, and promised to lead the country through the tricky years ...
Exploring the Dwight Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
There are many hotels that reflect a certain period of American life in the mid-west. Here are four of my favorites. I'll bet you would love them too.
American Roads visits hotels in the midwest.
“Help wanted. Young, skinny, wiry fellows, not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages $25 per week.” Would you answer this ad? During the 18 months the Pony Express was in operation, over 230 young...
Pony Express Museum
t's been awhile since I first visited Kansas City but my latest visit shows it still offers a visitor a hot time in a cool city, Kansas City has it all: hot jazz, spicy barbecue and tons of sparkling fountains. It's a blend of Kansas and Missouri's b...
Jazz, BBQ, and Fountains in Kansas City
I remember back in school during the Cold War years we were told, "Get under your desk when a nuclear air raid sounds." Yeah, that really would have protected us from a nuclear bomb! There were science fiction books and rumors of underground nuclear ...
American Roads visits Ad Astra Silo
As America moved westward, the Wild West had a unique culture. Unlike eastern parts of the country where law prevailed, vast stretches of sparsely populated land relied on one marshal to enforce the law. Legends grew around some like Wyatt Earp. Tele...
Dodge City, Kansas: Relive the Wild West in the Wickedest Little City in the West
Say “outlaw” and “James” in the same sentence, and everyone responds, “Jesse James.” It’s almost as if by dying as an outlaw in the 19th century, Jesse has far overshadowed his older brother, who died as a law-abiding entrepreneur in the 20th century...
Frank – The Other James Boy
As the conflict between North and South erupts, you will meet larger-than-life characters who played a part in the nation's bloodiest war, and you will witness all the drama of the era. You'll meet William Quantrill, Joseph Shelby, James Lane, Genera...
Under a Black Flag
St. Joseph, Missouri, has some restaurants with a backstory that rivals their food. Have you ever wondered about the history and design of a restaurant? Each of these St. Joe locales has a unique backstory. For some, the history and unique architectu...
My 5 Favorite Restaurants To Experience In Charming St. Joseph, Missouri
Latest Travel Discover Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri August 29, 2022 Admin 0 Comments 1 by Kathleen Walls Tom Sawyer Exhibit in the Interpretive Center of Mark Twain’s Boyhood Home Hannibal, Missouri, is the place to visit if you want to understand Mark Twain. He was one of America’s greatest writers, but his books have been banned for different reasons. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was the first book banned in the United States right after it came out by the Concord, Massachusetts, library as they deemed it “trash” and “suitable only for the slums” due to the slang in the dialogue. They had no objection to the later reason it w... Huckleberry Finn, his character, Huck, helps a runaway slave, Jim, evade capture and and not be sent back into slavery. Twain was one of the first writers to portray African-Americans as real people and tell of the horrors of slavery.
Discover Mark Twain in Hannibal, Missouri - Deep South Magazine
With the arguments in schools about Critical Racial Theory and not teaching many facts about history because they might embarrass some people, some books are being banned. Mark Twain’s books have long been on the firing line for opposite reasons, i.e. his use of prejudicial language. One such book is Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Because Huck Finn helped a runaway slave, Jim, and had a strong bond of friendship with ...
The Two Sides of Mark Twain
Missouri was part of the old west back in the 1800s. Three of its cities showcase the part heroes and outlaws played that formed the history and culture of the state and the country. Here are the places I visited that helped tell the story of these m...
Heroes and Outlaws of Missouri - TravelWorld International Magazine
He was our president during a time of transition. Often overshadowed by the controversial figures that proceeded and followed him, he held the country to a straight course guided by his strong Missouri principles. I had the privilege to visit the Truman Presidential Library in his home town of Independence, Missouri recently. What I saw reminded me of a time when our country's leaders took their stand from what was good for the nation not what was politically expedient.
American Roads Travel Magazine - Heritage Trail visits Truman Library