Great Plains
Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming
Great Plains Highlights
Was it bad intelligence? Hubris? Karma? Whatever it was, on June 25, 1876, fate descended like a hammer on the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry. Ironically, the battle known as Custer’s Last Stand also signaled the last stand for the nomadic lifestyle of the Northern Plains Indians. When the government learned what had happened here, their traditional existence was on the fast track towards extinction.
The odds were definitely against the defenders of the Alamo, a mission on the outskirts of circa 1836 San Antonio. For nearly two weeks fewer than 200 volunteers attempted to hold back thousands of trained Mexican soldiers to advance their drive for the independence of Texas.
In hindsight, it seems these men were always destined for immortality. Had they succeeded, we would celebrate how a small army achieved victory despite overwhelming odds. But that didn’t happen. They didn’t succeed. Every single one of them died and so we remember them for that, and we still remember the Alamo.
In addition to the honor it bestows upon the men featured here, another facet of our fascination with Mount Rushmore is the audacity it took. Who knew it was possible to chisel out a monumental monument like this? Until you go there you cannot fully appreciate the skill, nerve, daring, and determination of the workers who labored at this. All in all, it’s one of the most stirring testaments to America’s spirit.
John F. Kennedy’s murder is unusual because of its magnitude and the scene of the crime -- right here on the streets of Dallas. To this day the merely curious and those still grieving come to Dealey Plaza to see where the future of a family, a city, our nation, and the world changed in a dramatic 4.6 seconds.
For me, the images of America that stir my soul are most often visions of the American West. I’m seduced by the ‘magnificent desolation’ that’s foreign to my life. Maybe I’ve picked up the connection to the Native Americans who created nations in this endless land, or just admire the pioneers who continued driving west not knowing that even if they survived the journey if life would get any better. When you invest some time at a dude ranch, it will only take a little imagination to take you back to the days of the wide open west.
In the middle of America, in the middle of nowhere it seems, is one of the most beautiful places on earth. You may only see a portion of Yellowstone’s 3,500 square miles of pristine and undeveloped wilderness, but even a glimpse of it will remind you that our nation is truly blessed with some of the world’s most incredible real estate.