Sources

Here are my sources:

http://www.history.navy.mil/
http://www.loc.gov/
http://www.spanamwar.com/
http://query.nytimes.com

(AVL)(100th Anniversary of the GWF) http://web.ebscohost.com/hrc/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=2f04d882-2c3b-4d9b-83d4-b10ba5fa6d38%40sessionmgr111&hid=125

Project

     Hey guys! I am currently researching the route of the Great White Fleet and finding postcards to print following the route from Hampton Roads to San Fransisco. I am going to be Admiral Evans, who had to leave after the first part of the trip because he was sick. There is a surprising amount of info on Admiral Evans, including newspaper articles and pictures that I can use. This is fun!

The Field Museum's Beginnings

http://chicagowindowexpert.com/

     This past year, I had the incredible privilege to work at the Field Museum as a volunteer in the Geology department. During that time, I learned A LOT about the Field's invertebrate paleontology collection. I got to see some of the first fossils in the museum's collection, and some from the 1965 acquisition of the University of Chicago's Walker Museum  I even cataloged almost 500 specimens, but I never learned how The Field Museum of Natural History was created. Through researching the Field's past, I now know how instrumental certain people and events were in the founding of the Field Museum, and it is quite eye opening to see how far it's come from the 1890s to the 1910s to now.
   
     The Field Museum history begins as the Columbian Exposition (in Chicago) ended. This was a huge gathering of millions of people from around the world to see various "Ripley's Believe it Or Not"- like exhibits, such as the world's largest piece of cheese, and some more serious exhibits, like fossils of the Chicago area. ( http://www.chicagohs.org/) There was also the world's first Ferris Wheel. The Exposition lasted from May 1 to October 30, 1893 and took up 630 acres in Jackson Park. There were many businesses that sprang up to tend to the enormous crowds that the Exposition attracted, such as hotels and restaurants. This boosted the economy of Chicago, but cost over $28,340,700. This time period was around the first time where it was socially acceptable for women to travel alone, which somehow led to one of the hotels being a cover for a mass-murderer. ( http://www.chicagohs.org/) There were more than 250,000 exhibits, some of which people like Frederick J.V. Skiff, who would later be the first director of the museum, thought should be in a museum, so he and many others fought to set one up. (http://fieldmuseum.org/about/brief-history)

     Of course, a huge problem of setting up a huge institution is money. A man by the name of A.W. Manning suggested that holders of Exposition stock should donate it to the Field Museum. This amassed an incredible amount of money - $1,500,000 from about 1,100 people! (http://fieldmuseum.org/about/brief-history) At this time, the museum was named the Columbian Museum of Chicago, after the Columbian Exposition. (http://fieldmuseum.org/about/history-museum)

http://news.investors.com/

     The history of the name is also very interesting. As previously mentioned, the museum was first incorporated in the State of Illinois as The Columbian Museum of Chicago on September 16, 1893, after the Columbian Exposition. (http://fieldmuseum.org/about/history-museum) Although the museum was incorporated then, it didn't open to the public until June 2, 1894. (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/) A few years later down the line however, department store magnate Marshall Field (Store name is now owned by Macy's) wrote a check for $1,000,000, His nephew, Stanley, donated $2,000,000, and Marshall later donated another $7,000,000. (http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/) The Field's were the Museum's first major benefactors, and therefore, in 1905 the museum was renamed The Field Museum of Natural History in their honor.(http://fieldmuseum.org/about/brief-history)

http://chuckmanchicagonostalgia.files.wordpress.com/

     A major result of the Field's very generous donations was the present day building. The gigantic building cost a HUGE amount of money to build. The whole museum campus, including the Shedd Aquarium and the Atler Planetarium, is actually built on a man-made strip of land on the coast of Lake Michigan. A not-so-well known fact about the Field Museum is that it is sinking quite rapidly. The man-made strip of land is still settling into the Lake, and slowly taking the Main part of the Field Museum with it. There are, however, freshly built additions to the museum that aren't sinking, which took some incredible engineering. The Field Museum is now located very close to all other major cultural locations and museums in Chicago. (Paul Mayer: head of invertebrate paleontological collections)

Personal Photo

     The Field Museum's Invertebrate Paleontology collection shows some of the beginnings of the Field's collections. These first fossils can be identified by their specimen number. Specimens numbered with a P and a number between 001 and 600 were all some of the specimens from the World's Fair. (Alex Laying: geology volunteer)

1.        

 

http://fieldmuseum.org/about/history-museum

http://fieldmuseum.org/about/brief-history

http://www.chicagohs.org/history/expo.html

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/450.html

http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/29782668?uid=3739520&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101323943653

Faces of America

     The Faces of America is one of my favorite videos I've seen in any class to date. I found it very interesting to see a number of noteworthy Americans learn about their history. The video really put into perspective how almost everyone in America is a descendant of an immigrant. Now, I see a bit of irony in someone who opposes immigration (and I've seen many who do!). How can a descendant of an immigrant be opposed to immigration? In watching this video, I learned that a person's history is more complex than he or she might imagine, and even though one might know a lot about their family's history, there is always more to learn. Watching the show made me want to learn as much as I could about where I come from.

     Because our nation is made up of people from around the world, I see "nation of immigrants" meaning just that literally:  but at the same time I feel as though Americans should continue to be open to (legal) immigration, seeing as how almost all of us are descendants of immigrants. Because our culture is so diverse, we get to experience the food, music, religion, and many other aspects of many different cultures.

John D. Rockefeller

     John D. Rockefeller was one of the wealthiest people to ever live, but he did not start out that way. Rockefeller was born the second of 6 children in Richford, New York. He moved to Strongsville, Ohio in 1853, and eventually left high school to pursue business training. His first job, an assistant book keeper, paid less than 4 dollars per week. In 1859, he was introduced to the oil industry when oil was discovered in Titusville, Pennsylvania, and he created a refining business 4 years later.

     Rockefeller formed Standard Oil with William (his brother), Henry M. Flagler, and Samuel Andrews (invented a method of refining oil cheaply). Standard Oil was known for being very cutthroat, using a few harsh methods of fueling his business like Monopolization, cutting rates, and intimidation. Rockefeller even had employees to rob and vandalize his competition! Soon, because of these tactics, Standard Oil refined 90% of the nations oil. This is how Rockefeller gained his fortune.

     After Rockefeller retired,  he became a philanthropist, donating money to many different organizations like the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research and the General Education Board. Being a deeply religious Baptist, he founded the University of Chicago because he wanted people to be able to get a fantastic Baptist education. Rockefeller was the first American to make one billion dollars, and with all that money, he still abstained from alcohol and tobacco his entire life. John D. Rockefeller was an incredible man. He started out making 4 dollars a week and wound up being worth (possibly) over 600 Billion dollars in today's market. He used some of his money for the good of society, and he remained healthy for most of his life. Rockefeller is definitely someone I admire.

Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce

     The Nez Perce tribe is well known for their retreat from the US army in the late 1880s, but the history of the tribe, as well as the history of Chief Joseph, are both just as fascinating as their lost battle for their land and freedom.

Nez Perce People

     The Nez Perce were a group of Native Americans that lived in Western Idaho, Southeast Washington, and Northwest Oregon. They called themselves the Nimi'ipuu, which is much more fitting than Nez Perce. Nez Perce actually means "pierced nose" in French, which is a little comedic considering the tribe did not practice nose piercing. The name probably came from a little identification error. There are other tribes near the area that practiced nose piercing, but  unfortunately, the name Nez Perce will forever be associated with the Nimi'ipuu. They were not agricultural. They hunted and gathered for food. In the winter, they would travel North onto mountains and into river valleys to hunt Elk, Deer, and other animals of the sort. During the rest of the year, they would come back South and hunt and gather there. There were many varieties of edible berries and a few types of tuber vegetables that they gathered, and they was plentiful wildlife that was easily hunted.

Chief Joseph

     Chief Joseph, made famous by leading the retreat to Canada and his incredible surrender speech, was a very major Chief of the Nez Perce. His real name is Hinmatóowyalaht'qit (pronounced Hin-mah-TOO-yah-lat-ket), which means "Thunder rolling down the mountain", or "Thunder rolling over the land from the water". He was one of 7 children and had 2 brothers and 4 sisters. His parents names were Tuekakas and Khapkhaponimi. His father was baptized with the same christian name as him, so he is often referred to as Joseph the Elder. The young Chief Joseph was married and fathered 9 children, but possibly only 1 lived passed 2. He was one of a few Chiefs in his tribe, and he wasn't a War Chief at first. He probably started out as the Camp Chief, who was in charge of many things around the camp (eg. firewood). He later became a War Chief around the time Whites appeared, and he was just in time.
     White settlers had always been violent to the Native Americans, and that was no different for the Nez Perce. There was a ridiculous amount of violence towards the Indians. The violence started earlier than the 1860s , and as many as 30 Nez Perces were murdered. The responsible whites were not unknown, but they were either acquitted or not tried, so they were never found guilty.

The Wallowa Valley

     As more and more Whites were settling in their home, the Wallowa Valley, the American Government tried and tried to move them off of their land. In fact, Chief Joseph was taken around and offered replacement land, but he turned it down because he found it wrong to take land that belongs to someone else. He had also made a promise to his father to never give up the land that his ancestors were buried on, and he was keen on keeping that promise. Unfortunately, as time kept moving, Chief Joseph had more and more trouble keeping Nez Perce land.
     The demand for their land grew and grew, and on June 11, 1855, the Treaty of 1855 was signed. This turned the land over to the USA, but the Nez Perce got some money and access to the land to hunt and gather. This was not a positive change, but 13 years later, the treaty of 1863 was signed, which relinquished the rights to hunt and gather, and forced them to a reservation. This is where the real trouble started.
     Chief Joseph wanted anything but to leave to the reservation, but he eventually had to if he wanted to keep peace. He reluctantly started the trek to the reservation they were assigned, but much of the tribe wanted revenge, so they killed 5 whites and wounded 1, which started the war.
     Chief Joseph decided to take almost 800 of his people to Canada to evade the army following them, which was led by Captains Edward S. Godfrey and Myles Moylan. The journey was long and tiring, and many were worn down, some had died of cold, starvation, or exhaustion, and when they were 40 miles from the border with Canada, the Battle of Bear Paw Mountain was fought. The battle started on September 30th and Chief Joseph surrendered on October 5, 1877. His surrender speech is arguably one of the most famous Native American speeches of all time. "Hear me, my chiefs, I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever."

Bear Paw Battlefield

     Chief Joseph and his people were promised a safe return to the Wallowa Valley by General Moylan, but he was overruled and many were sent to Kansas and Oklahoma. The members who survived on the reservation were able to return to the general area in the mid 1880s. Chief Joseph spent the rest of his life on the Colville Reservation and died in 1904. Captains Edward S. Godfrey and Myles Moylan were awarded Medals of Honor for their actions against the Nez Perce.
     In the 1970s, questions came up about Chief Joseph's speech. It was written down by C.E.S. Wood, and was possibly paraphrased or fabricated. No one verified the speech or copied it down other than him. I personally believe that C.E.S. Wood copied down the speech word for word, but it is definitely open to debate.
     The story of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce impressed me greatly, and it is a shame that their struggles couldn't have ended better.

http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/
http://www.ccrh.org/
http://www.historynet.com/nez-perce-war.htm
http://www.army.mil/
http://www.bigorrin.org/
http://www.nezperce.com/
http://www.ochcom.org/pdf/Wood-Venn.pdf
http://www.historyplace.com/

The Jack Daniels Brigade: These were a trio of Confederate soldiers at a reenactment at the battle of Farmington.