Lincoln Home National Historic Site

One of the purposes of our trip to Illinois and St. Louis was to explore Springfield, the location of the only home that Abraham Lincoln ever owned.  On the top of our list was the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, a restored area in the middle of Springfield.  We have previously been to Lincoln's birthplace (in Kentucky) and his boyhood home (in Indiana) but hadn't yet made it to the third state that claims the sixteenth president of the United States.

Follow in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln as you explore the historic neighborhood surrounding his home of seventeen years. Restored to its 1860 appearance, the four-block area contains twelve historic structures dating back to Lincoln's time.

As you take a self-guided stroll through the neighborhood, you will find outdoor exhibits introducing Mr. Lincoln's neighbors and daily life in 1860s Springfield. The Dean House and the Arnold House are open to the public and contain exhibits on the Lincoln Home and the restoration and preservation of the neighborhood.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

Our first stop was at the visitor center.

This exhibit was fun to see as once you go into the house itself you of course cannot touch anything.

I also appreciated the opportunity to look at a model of the area to learn what it was like.

Before too long we headed outside to explore the neighborhood.  It really did feel like walking through a previous century.  Once you got out of easy view of cars and other neighborhoods it was obvious that a good job was done restoring the area.

The Dean House owes its name to the property owner of record during 1860, Abraham Lincoln’s final full year of residence in Springfield, Illinois, before he departed for Washington to assume the presidency early in 1861. Mrs. Harriet Dean held title to the property from 1849 until 1860, the year of her death, after which her son, Frederick Irwin Dean, inherited.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

Inside the Dean House are a number of exhibits about the area.

Just over a year after they were married the Lincolns purchased this house on Eighth Street in May 1844.  The price was $1,500.

The house was remodeled in the late 1840s to make a number of small improvements like fireplaces and some minor repairs.

Another remodel in the 1850s consisted of removing the roofs and creating a full second story to accommodate the growing Lincoln family.

Outside we encountered an example of a kitchen garden.

As we walked by the Lincoln Home again a tour was preparing to enter.  We'd decided to save the house tour for another day (which will be covered in a future post).

According to the 1860 census, the house was rented to Henson Lyon, a farmer. The Lyon family had moved to Sangamon County in 1834 and operated a farm two and a half miles east of Springfield. By 1860, Lyon, his son, Thomas, Huldah Burge and her three children, and three other persons resided in the structure.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

The Beedle house was built around 1840-41. By 1860 the house was rented by William Beedle, a railroad fireman who occupied the house with one servant, Kate Tierney. The house is a wood frame 26'2" x 49'6" 2 story Italianate style house with a hip roof, a 1 story front porch, and a 1 story rear porch....   The house was restored to it's 1860 appearance in 1984.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

Arnold would reside in the house from 1850 until 1879. Arnold was a political ally of Abraham Lincoln, both being members of the Whig party. He served twice as the County Sheriff on the Whig Ticket.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a series of families made their home on this corner lot. Additions were made to the original structure. By 1917, Springer's early home had been encased in brick and siding.

By the mid 1990s, restoration work was begun on the Arnold House, Springer's structure was found to still survive as part of the later structure. The original structure, freed from the later additions, was rotated and moved back to the front of the lot and restored to it's 1860s appearance. Today, the Arnold House is open to the public, and houses exhibits on the Lincoln neighborhood and its restoration and preservation.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

The exhibits inside the Arnold house were very interesting as they covered the restoration process and history of the buildings.

The preservation process actually started fairly early in American history with the purchase of a former George Washington headquarters home in 1850, followed shortly thereafter by the creation of the Mount Vernon Ladies Association in 1858.  Preservation of the Lincoln home began when it was donated to the state of Illinois in 1887 by the family.  These objects in this case were found during the restoration of local homes--inside walls, beneath floorboards, or other nooks and crannies of the buildings.

There were a number of signs covering each of the families that owned these buildings when the Lincolns lived in the area.

Archaeology is also an invaluable part of the restoration process--for example you can find much by excavating the ground where outhouses used to stand, for many people used them to throw away household trash.

 Did you know that sometimes seeing how wood was joined together in part of a house can help to date the construction?

Plaster types can also be used to help identify age.

These beautiful blooms were next door to the Cook house.

In 1860 and 1861, Mrs. Sarah Cook rented the property. A widow with a number of children, Mrs. Cook rented some of the rooms in the house. Earlier, Mrs. Cook had operated a photographic studio in Springfield. The house passed through numerous owners before being aquired by the National Park Service.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

The Jenkins lot doesn't have a house standing on it, but there is an augmented reality app.  I think things like this are an excellent way to continue interpretation when conditions have changed or there is no longer a building to preserve.

The original Robinson house was built around 1859-60. It was significantly altered in 1863. This house belonged to Henson Robinson, a Springfield businessman and civic leader. He and his wife had five children during the time they lived here.

The beautifully restored home is a two-story, front gabled Greek Revival wood frame structure.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

The streets were quite pleasant and often shaded.

The Shutt House was built prior to 1859, the house was rented to lawyer George Shutt in 1860. This young lawyer was active in politics of the Democratic party, unlike most of Abraham Lincoln's politically active neighbors. Shutt supported Stephen A. Douglas in the presidential Campaign of 1860...  The house was restored to an 1860 exterior appearance in 1989. It is used as leased office space, and in 2006 housed the Springfield office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

This house was built around 1858 for Jesse K. Dubois. It served as the home of his family from 1859 to 1864. During the years that he and his family lived in the house, Dubois served as the Illinois State Auditor.

Dubois was one of the most important political allies of Abraham Lincoln within the neighborhood. Dubois was a confidant of Lincoln, and a powerful Republican politician and office-holder. The Lincoln and Dubois families moved in the same social circles, and the Duboises named one of their sons for Lincoln.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

The Sprigg House was constructed about 1851 by John B. Weber. Mrs. Julia Sprigg, a widow, purchased it in 1853 for use as a residence for herself and her children. While living in the house, Mrs. Sprigg became close friends with neighbor Mary Lincoln. The Lincolns' youngest son, Tad, was a frequent visitor to the Sprigg house.
--from Lincoln Home NHS website

Before we headed back to the visitor center we stopped back by the Lincoln home and found this display that encouraged guests to take a photo from the angle that most photos of the house have been taken.

Here is my shot from that spot.

Back at the visitor center we caught a couple of movies and then headed out for the day.

You can see more pictures from our visit in this album.

~Matt

Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park & Memorial

In late May we took a trip a short way west to explore Illinois and St. Louis.  On the way we stopped at several historic sites associated with Abraham Lincoln.  The first was the Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park in Illinois.

The Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park and Memorial is a 162 acre (0.65 km²) state park located on the Sangamon River in Macon County near Harristown, Illinois. This important historic site, only 12 miles Southwest of Decatur, offers hiking, canoeing, picnicking, recreational activities, and a glimpse into the past.  The park offers a unique view of central Illinois.

The state memorial, created in 1938, commemorates the approximate location of Abraham’s Lincoln’s first home in Illinois. The original Lincoln cabin has long been lost but the memorials and the quiet forest and stream easily transport the visitor back to the time when the Lincoln's first settled this virgin wilderness.  When you visit the park, drive east to the end of the park road where you will the find the memorials.
--from Lincoln Trail Homestead State Park & Memorial website

As you drive by it would be easy to miss the entrance, though there is a nice sign there isn't much else to mark that this is the entrance to a state park.

Once you enter the park definitely still doesn't look like much is there.

Before long you do come to a handy historical marker.

We stopped at the first area of the park and walked over to the picnic shelter to eat our lunch.

There was also a small playground.

This is the site of the first home that Abraham Lincoln lived in when he first settled in Illinois.  The site was originally selected by Lincoln's second cousin, John Hanks in 1829.  Hanks had felled and cut logs to build a cabin but then decided to leave.  Hanks continued to write to Thomas Lincoln, hoping to convince him to move from Indiana to Illinois.  Hanks eventually received word from the Lincolns, confirming the move to Illinois.  Once the family, consisting of Thomas and Sarah Bush Johnson Lincoln, Abraham, his stepbrother John Johnson, nine other relatives, and in-laws, arrived.  Thomas, Sarah, John, and Abraham lived here during 1830, even though Abraham spent much time away as a hired farm laborer.  Sickness and the Winter of the Deep Snow caused the Lincoln family to leave after only a year at the site.  With his father and stepmother's moving, this is where Abraham Lincoln finally struck out on his own, buying a canoe and floating down the Sangamon River to his future at New Salem.
--from exhibit signage

We passed by a cemetery on the way back to the remainder of the park.

After parking there was a short walk through the grass.

A tablet on a stone, erected by the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1904, marks the site of the cabin.

Another large stone and tablet sit in a small plaza.

I found a stone with Lincoln's face in the surrounding flower bed.

Other than that there wasn't much to see, but I was glad we had stopped as it was nice to put some more history to the travels of the Lincoln family.  Abraham was born in Kentucky, spent his childhood in Indiana, and then became an adult in Illinois, so all three states claim him.  You can see a few more photos from our stop in the park in this album.

~Matt

Trip to Chicago, part VI [Dec 2007]

Read part I, part II, part III, part IV, and part V of the account of this trip from 2007.

December 11, 2007

Train to Chicago, 07:20 CST 

Well I made the early train this morning, so if I can make the connection I want I should arrive before opening. I  really should have investigated the Museum of Science and Industry before this.  Especially with the Star wars and maps exhibit it looks like a great place.  Oh, and I can't forget the submarine (U-505)!  I definitely want to do that tour.  I plan on spending the whole day at the museum, until they kick me out!  It is located in one of the buildings from the 1893 Columbian exposition that was made permanent.  The field was apparently also located nearby until its present building was constructed in the 20s.     07:27

Robot Object Theater, Museum of Science and Industry, 11:33 CST 

The Star Wars exhibit is awesome!  I wish I had another day to spend at this museum.  I'm sure I won't even be able to see half even partially adequately.     11:35 

11:40 CST 

With the exception of my free general admission ticket (which didn't scan) they've taken and thrown away each ticket.  :(  This show is good, but mainly about real world robots.  The interaction with C-3PO is cool and something I haven't seen since Star Tours at Disneyland.    11:43

5:42 train to Elburn, 18:01 CST
This is the earliest train that I've caught in my entire trip.  But I didn't have the money to buy dinner or any books from Borders so I hightailed it to the station.  The only bad thing about catching a train less than ten minutes before it leaves is that all the good seats (especially on the upper level) are gone.
Well all the museums that I've visited are on my list to re-visit if I get to return to Chicago.  I just called Laurie to remind her that I'm coming in tomorrow so I'd like someone to turn my heat back up and to pick me up.
Overall I've enjoyed the trip, the museums have been great!  Net time I need to plan a bit better, knowing transportation and museum extra costs ahead of time.  The Omnimax movie today was good (Secrets of the Pharaohs), but I could have just waited until the Museum Center showed it as a Friday Classic and seen it for free.  As it was I just spent some money and time I could have utilized elsewhere.  On the other hand while I deliberately (remembering Maps on Monday( did not take too long I really enjoyed Star Wars.
I'll have to say that besides seeing and going onto U-505 it was awesome to find the cheap shirt. I  simply couldn't afford another $20 shirt and this one was not only affordable but about something that I enjoyed! (U-505)  Sure I would have liked to have had the money to buy the Maps book, but I spent money on other things (like my hat!) and have great notes to remember it by!     18:18

23:12 [This is a fragment of a story...] Tyalus turned to his left.  He slowly moved his head back to the right.  No matter which way he looked there was nothing moving.  Either the F'elk's truly had retreated, or they were even more invisible than was usual in the snow shrouded woods.  The tribe's hunters definitely men of the woods, but they were no ghosts.  They bled and died as did other men, though perhaps just a bit clos...
Frelki'im; Elk or F'Elk

December 12, 2007

Illinois
Megabus, 07:49 

I made it to the bus okay, though for a minute this morning I thought I was late.  As we pulled up to the West Chicago station a train pulled in.  I had forgotten the exact departure time of my train so I pulled out a schedule and checked it.  I thought that I saw that this was my train, the early one I did not want to miss.  So I jumped out of the car, grabbed my bags and rain to the train.  Once I had a second to think rationally I checked the schedule and realized I was on a train about ten minutes before the one I wanted.  I'd not left this early before and forgot trains could be this close so early.  I called Aunt Mary Jean and told her goodbye over the phone after I revealed my goof. 

I think I'll miss Chicago for a while.  I enjoyed the walking to the museums each day--it was certainly good exercise and a good way to see more of the city.  The train rides each morning were also great--I got more reading done than I do most days.  If I had an office job I'd love a train commute.  In many ways it is certainly more relaxing than driving yourself to work. 

Well this driver seems to like the TV--they're all on, but extremely fuzzy.  I sat underneath one instead of the seat behind where you could look right up at the screen.  I can barely hear some audio, but that is less distracting than a screen in my face. 

We're on the interstate now.  I can turn and see the skyline behind us to the left.  AS I said, I'll miss Chicago, but it will also be good to get back to work before I get too used to not being there.     08:09

Thus ends these old memories.  I hope you've enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as I have.

~Matt

Trip to Chicago, part V [Dec 2007]

Read part I, part II, part III, and part IV of the account of this trip from 2007.

December 10, 2007

Train into Chicago, 10:50 CST 

I really slept in this morning.  Yes I stayed up late, but I meant to get another early start.  I thought I set an alarm on my phone, but I must have fallen asleep before I could do so.  At least I caught the 10:45, otherwise it would be a paltry half day like SAturday.  This way I only lose three hours of museum time rather than five! 

A Union Pacific train came through the station from Chicago just a couple of minutes before my Metra train came from the other direction.  I counted three engines and 81 cars--all but one or two of the first ones were tanker cars.  Three times as I was counting I noticed that the numbers on the side of the car (the last two anyway) were one below the number of car it was in that train.  Strange coincidence or somebody's strange sense of humour as they assembled the train?  Probably the former, but the later could make an interesting plot point in a work of fiction, eh?     10:57

Adler Planetarium, lower level waiting for 13:45 show, 13:32 CST 

There are no photographic restrictions anywhere but the theaters that I have seen so far--not even in the "Mapping the Universe" exhibit.  I'm not sure if that will make for a better experience or not.  Perhaps if I consciously take notes along with pictures it will work out.
The theater reminds me of a mini-Omnimax: tiered, curved, dome screen, and center projector.  I think I'd better eat some lunch after this show, I don't want to be full or too hungry at or before dinner time.  I want Panda Express to hit the spot! 

I've definitely decided to give up on the Sears Tower or Hancock Building this trip--the weather hasn't been great (i.e. no visibility).  I'm still not sure what to do tomorrow besides get up quite early.  I might try for a bus ride down to Science and Industry or just finish up at the Field and Planetarium with a possible visit to the Shedd.  If I ever plan a D.C. trip I'd better plan on plenty of time!     13:44

Galileo's Cafe, Adler Planetarium, 14:20 CST

I decided to buy lunch today as you cannot eat a sack lunch inside either museum and I don't want to eat as I'm leaving because I'll then be on my way to dinner.  Hopefully after going through "Mapping the Universe" I'll go back to the Field.  There were a couple of souvenirs there that I wanted to pick up.

I'm enjoying the museum here, but not so much because of the limited time.  I know I cannot see it all.  I'm somewhat tempted to not try but just survey because I can visit again for free.     14:27

Thus ends a short day.  I think I took plenty of pictures, but as previously mentioned I don't have access to them so I cannot post them.

~Matt

Trip to Chicago, pt IV [Dec 2007]

Read part I, part II, and part III of the account of this trip from 2007.

December 09, 2007

Food Court, McDonald's
Ogilvie Transportation Center 08:06 CST

I caught the early train this morning.  As it is Sunday I had a choice between the 6:45 and 8:45.  As the later train arrived 45 min after the Field opens (not counting the walk time) I chose the early train.  I think it takes me around thirty minutes, so I'll leave in a few minutes to arrive a bit before nine.  Today I have long underwear and an extra set of gloves, I should be fine in the wind, but hopefully not too warm inside.  I also have directions to a Borders so I can spend some time there tonight.  Sadly though they do not have the new Dinotopia book in stock--but neither does my home store.  I'd rather just order from Amazon with cheap shipping if I can't go in and buy it right away.

Today I visit the Maps exhibit!  I think that after that I'll go to the [Adler] Planetarium and come back to the Field in the afternoon.  I need to take many pictures.  I think I'll go the aquarium tomorrow--base admission isn't bad, I just have to decide how many extras to see.  I think I can pass on the Sponge Bob Square Pants 4-D Show.     08:17

The Maps exhibit was the reason that I travelled to Chicago when I did.  It was amazing and I wish I could have afforded the exhibition book (but it was $55 and I couldn't justify that).  The Field still has an archived version of the exhibit site on-line.  There is even a photo gallery with some images of the exhibit pieces (which I couldn't photograph).  I'll be inserting both some pictures from this gallery (sadly pictures of all my favorite places aren't included) and sketches that I jotted down with these entries.  It is interesting reading back through these entries as I'm currently reading a book on history and geography: The Fourth Part of the World.

Maps, Field Museum
Entry at 09:30, 9:45 CST

No food, no photography--signs only, no verbal.  Audio tour $5, sold just before entry, headphones plug into

1905 - Photographic Automobile Guide: Chicago to Lake Geneva

Turn by turn guide with pictures and arrows on map.  This was made because signage was bad (or rare) in the early days of automobile travel.  This isn't a bad idea to give maps to a friend--digital photographs should make it a snap.

1290 - Mediterranean sea chart--oldest surviving portolan chart--visual information, previously only written, it is worth researching if maps of the sea existed before this, but were just not preserved--this has implications for my fantasy works. I would still make maps, but perhaps not allow characters to have them.

1252 - Route from London, England to Apulia, Italy

This map shows a city to city route through the columns.  Obviously it isn't to scale, but this may be indicated--distances that is.  This was made for pilgrimage purposes.

[This entry is also quite interesting to me at present as I am currently listening to one of The Great Courses on English History.  I just finished one that covered the Medieval period--from King Arthur to the Tudors--while the current one covers the Tudors and the Stuarts.  This map would have been used during the period covered by these courses.]

1590 - du miroir de la navigation (The Mirror of Navigation)--first printed collection of sea charts.  A profile view of the shore is included at the top of the map.

1940s - Stick chart made of wood an twine.

This is native to the Marshall Islands and represents ocean waters, especially the patterns and directions of ocean swells (long distance waves).

Perhaps the Ka'yana* would use devices such as these.  Yes they are primitive, but also simple and durable.  Perhaps there could be an underwater application as well.

*The Ka'yana are a genetically engineered "sub-species" of humanity I created for a science-fiction universe.  They have gills and live primarily on "water worlds."

1884 - Inuit carvings--perfect size to carry in kayak.  These are not to scale, but represent major coastal features.  One is double sided--follow the right side and then flip it over to read the left side in the opposite direction.

1949 - London Underground rail system by Harry Beck

This was the first to make stations equidistant on a map regardless of actual distance--lines also laid out at 90° or 45° angles.  [Image found via Creative Review blog in a fascinating post about Harry Beck's connection to the Paris Metro.]

1927 - Lindburg's New York to Paris flight chart 

The route is circular, perhaps not a great circle, but not a straight line on a flat map.  Every hundred miles he would adjust his course for the next straight line segment.

1892 - Route to World's Columbian Exposition--Michigan Central Railroad 

This map includes written descriptions and pictures of tourist destinations, travelers are cautioned not to bring excess luggage and trust only railroad ticket agents, baggage handlers and hotels.

Understanding maps--center and edges
Center--focal point of cartographer's world, e.g. Mediterranean or sacred mountain
Edges--less important/understood; e.g. contours of a distant land
This can certainly be the case for fictitious maps--leave the unknown at the edge to fill in later or leave full of uncertainty.

1448 - Medieval Christian world map 

Interpretation of original circa 600 AD.  The world was long known to be a sphere, but the ability to use proper perspective to illustrate this was unknown.

1616 - brass astrolabe 

Measures the angle of the sun or north star above the horizon.  This lets you calculate distances north or south of the Equator, i.e. latitude/invented by ancient Greeks?

1679 - Captain Cook's chronometer (used on second and third voyages, 8 sec/day maximum fluctuation) 

The timepiece was synchronized to the port of departure.  Planetary rotation is 15 degrees per hour so knowing the difference in time lets you calculate the ship's longitude.

This is also something quite recently relevant to me. When we were in Washington D. C. recently I bought a book at the Smithsonian: Below the Convergence.  A good bit of the book explained the development of the chronometer as part of the search for an easy method of determining longitude.

1553 - Medieval Islamic world map; interpretation of 1135 original by Muhammad al-Idrisi
Map oriented to the south [i.e. south at top] and centered on Arabia, curved red lines indicate climate zones and spherical planet

1698 - Celestial and terrestrial globes by Vicenzo Maria Coronelli (engraver)

Labels include: Ocean currents for navigators, habitats for naturalists, constellations for astronomers.  California is an island!

1452 - Renaissance Christian world map, highly detailed coastline

Used portolan charts--Jerusalem at center (eastern Mediterranean  towards top) and Paradise at top (East)--the center really seems to be important in early maps, more so than how much is included.

1569 - Mercator, Gerard--new projection "preserves the direction between any two places"--following a single bearing you can accurately go between any two places.  California is a peninsula!
Size is distorted, especially closer to the poles.  Nova Fran--New France/Canada.  Hiƒpania nova--New Spain/Mexico.

[Note in margin] Why do people bring infants and the very young to such exhibits?

Audio tour - 100 series are for Maps; 10 series for Darwin--I may visit that tomorrow--I wonder if this is the same player used for the museum itself.  I think I'll get one of those this afternoon or tomorrow.  The audio is good, but I wish there were more.  I know I travel slowly, but the infrequent number of numbers hardly necessitates leaving headphones on.

1300 BC (clay) - Town plan of Nippur, Babylon

Mesopotamian religious center, ruins approximately 100 miles south east of Baghdad on the Euphrates.  Labels are in cuneiform script which I would duplicate if I were graphically able.

1748 - Plan of Rome, 2,000 points of interest listed in the index; #936 Anfiteatro Flavio detto il Colosseo, or the Flavian Amphitheater--the Colosseum 

1502 - Sketches for street plan of Imola, Italy--da Vinci 

He probably sketched on this folded paper as he walked the city.  The actual map is owned (along with the sketch) by Elizabeth II.  This was to be the first modern city plan.

203-211 (marble) - Fragments of plan of Rome, original wall 40 ft high by 60 ft long
From the Temple of Peace, data from property tax maps

1689 - Bouillon, Belgium (plaster, paint, and wood)
This was used by military planners under Louis XIV during the 1688-1697 War of the Grand Alliance.

Over 140 models of 101 sites exist.

One inch on the plan equals 50 feet on ground.
Military plans focused on fortifications.
~5-6 feet by 4 feet

[This is one of the maps I drew amidst my notes that comprise the text of these blog entries. I actually did all of my writing on yellow legal sheets.  However, when I took the pictures they all turned out as if they were taken of white sheets of paper.  I'm not quite certain why that might have happened.]

1860 - Buddhist temple complex in Japan (Detailed chart of Mt. Koya in Saikoku)--clouds are drifting across this map, I can only assume that they don't obscure anything important.  Japanese script runs from top to bottom.

c. 1360 - Gough map (name of later owner); Great Britain 

First road map of Great Britain--long thought to be a map for merchants, now perhaps seen as imperial--expansion into Scotland and Wales; East is at the top, 600 settlements and 200 rivers are shown.

c. 1644 - View of Amsterdam by Jan Christaenszoon Micker 

Canals, idividual buildings, fields, and anchored ships are all beautifully depicted.  He even painted the shadows of high clouds!  Three masted ships.

19th Century print of 1136 carving - China Yu Ji Tu (Places visited by Emperor Yu)  All land area (including Hainan island) is gridded--each side of square equals 100 li ~ 30 miles.  This is the oldest surviving map with uniform scale over such a large area.

c. 1450 The islands of Nisyros and Kos in Liber Insularum Archipelagi (Atlas of the Aegean Islands). 

With more than 70 maps and descriptions this was the first isolario (island book); Kos--birthplace of Hippocrates.  Volcano on Nixaros (Nisyros).  The drawings are nicely drawn to the edge of pages and in between blocks of text.

1562 - America, The Fourth Part of the World Newly and Exactly Described--Diego Gutiérrez
African coastline shows lion, rhino, and elephant just inland, many ships at sail--detailed waves

Also "one of the earliest references to California"--not enough is visible to see if it is an island or not.

1508 - World map showing the Americas (Columbus died 1506)
First modern map of entire globe, North America appears to be extension of Asia while South America is separate

1424 - Nautical chart of Atlantic, Zuane Pizzigano, Venetian
Are islands Antilia and Satanzes based on pre-Columbian journeys or just figments of imagination/legend?
Off the coast of England? [below]

1524 - Tenochtitlan by Hernán Cortés

This map was sent to the king as part of Cortés' justification for attacking/conquering the Aztecs.  Some details may never have been seen by Cortés and thus a native informer may have given him certain details.

1581 - Silver medal by Michael Mercator--commemorates Drake's circumnavigation of the globe, one half on each side

1755 - A Map of the British and French Dominions in North America by John Mitchell
This map challenged French land claims, expanding British colonial boundaries in the south (Virginia to Georgia) out to the Mississippi. 

This copy was annotated by peace delegates at Paris in 1782-83 to show the boundaries of the new United States--this is George III's copy

Coastal colonies are the same as modern states; Pennsylvania is squarish into modern New York and across Lake Erie to complete shape.  New Hampshire includes much of Vermont.  Province of Sagadahock between Province of Maine and Nova Scotia/Acadia

1849 - California Gold Rush Route from Emigrant's Guide to California by Joseph E. Wave
Distances, roads, islands, rivers, are all shown.  Profile map at the top tracks changes in elevation along the entire route.

Laying out America 

Four main ways to divide land
>English metes and bounds
Area: British control, 13 colonies plus Vermont, Main, Kentucky, and Tennessee
Based on: natural features and settler's desires
Looks like: highly irregular parcels 

>French long lots
Area: French control, Louisiana rivers, Illinois along Mississippi and Illinois and Indiana above the Ohio river, Wisconsin south-west and right at Lake Michigan
Based on: river's course, maximizing number of owners with frontage
Looks like: linear, parallel parcels 

>Spanish and Mexican land grants
Area: Spanish control; California--San Joaquin, Bay Area, LA to San Diego, Southern Texas, New Mexico/Arizona, Florida, remnants of Spanish Louisiana along the Mississippi River
Based on: requests from individuals and communities
Looks like: often large and rectangular parcels 

>American Township Grid
Area: Settled after 1785, Federal land survey--lower 48 minus Texas and English areas above
Based on: 36 square mile township divided into one mile square sections
Looks like: uniform, rectangular grid

1723 - Long lots in New Orleans

1784 - Proposed boundaries of 14 new states--names by Thomas Jefferson
2. Michigania (Ojibwe for "big-sea-water")--Wisconsin
3. Cherronesus (Greek for "peninsula")--lower peninsula of Michigan
6. Illinoia (Miami-Illinois for "Illinois river")--Indiana area?
8. Washington (from George) Ohio area

1836 - Survey plat of Huron, Illinois by Abraham Lincoln
Three presidential surveyors (Washington, Lincoln, and ?[Jefferson])--"town" popular ferry crossing on Sangamon River but only few houses--"paper city"

1941 - February 21, LA Times Pacific war zone

1701? - Edmund Halley, compass variations in West and Southern Oceans demonstrated difference between True and Magnetic north on map

1919 - Ethnographic map of the Balkan Peninsula made for diplomats at Paris Peace Conference post World War I

1865 - Tableaus de la nature (Scenes from Nature) Vegetation zones from the Andes by Alexander von Humboldt, German 

Profile view of mountains showing how vegetation changes along the slope.  Chimborazo (Ecuador) is "one of the world's tallest volcanic mountains" and goes from "lush tropical rainforests" to "at its peak, glaciers."

1861-1865 - The Civil War in Four Minutes--one week equals one second
From Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois

1851 - Whale chart--global distribution of sperm and right whales
Matthew Maury plotted sightings and discovered that whales migrate

1860 - Aerial photograph of Boston--James Wallace Black
Second ever aerial photograph--first (1858) from France has been lost--he used a glass negative

1726 - Lilliput, plotted by cartographer Herman Moll (at Swift's request) south of Sumatra

Tolkien Maps 

c. 1930 - Thror's Map, manuscript, ink, and graphite on paper from the Hobbit.  I can only read a very few words such as "Bilgo.  He loved maps..."  But here are sketches of a couple parts of the map.

[the word Laketown is cut off in the bottom left of the above picture]

c. 1943-44 - Notes on Times and Distances, manuscript, ink and graphite on paper
Helm's Dike to Road ford at mouth of Deeping Coomb: 5 miles

Road ford to Fords of Isen: 15 miles
Fords of Isen to Gates of Isengard: 30 miles
Very precise calculation of sunset at approach to Isengard
Also times of trips e.g. "kin leaves in late afternoon at about 3:30 pm"
(A student exam on Beowulf is on the back [or this is on the back of that ;-)]) 

c. 1944 - Topographical view of Minas Tirith--from Return of the King--manuscript, printed map [right]
The topographical portion of the map is fascinating, I just cannot read any of the labeling!

1588 - Theater of the World--atlas 

Abraham Ortelius gathered the best maps and drew this to a uniform size in 1570--very popular.  By 1512 at least 7,300 copies in 31 editions and seven languages.

1959 - Risk board--square blocks--1 army? prism--10 armies?

Left gift ship (I purchased a Field hat and Maps T-shirt)     14:25

Adler Planetarium
15:00 CST 

I'm at the Adler Planetarium now.  I didn't expect Maps to take so long, but I guess I shouldn't really be surprised.  I wrote about twelve pages of notes.  The book was too expensive ($55) and no photographs were allowed. 

I do not have time for much at the Planetarium, but basic admission was free, so I bought tickets to two shows.  Tomorrow morning I'll be back to see whatever other shows sound good and to take in the "Mapping the Universe" exhibit. 

I liked the fact that the Field audio tour used headphones (so I substituted my own) but the one here reminds me of the Titanic tours, only slightly less bulky. I  may get both (general Field tour) tomorrow--it depends on how much time I have.  I'd like to go to Science and Industry, but do not want to walk that far.  It would be cheaper, and more interesting than the Aquarium. 

I just heard someone asking how many tickets sold for a show over the museum radios.  Also when I purchased my tickets the agent told me I didn't want to see two shows that might overlap--no late admission is allowed and I heard to arrive 10 minutes early. 

Again I forgot to eat my lunch--but I'm not too worried.  I can munch on my way to Borders.  I'd have to fix something at my aunt's (they're gone for dinner) anyway.  Last night we had Chicago style deep dish pizza.  It was very good, but filling!     15:16

www.adlerplanetarium.org/podcasts

Adler Planetarium
16:04 CST 

Just finished Night Sky Live!  It was an interesting presentation--it had Fall stars featured prominently.  Apparently the show varies with each season.  I did not get to see Orion at the end in the pre-dawn Fall or post midnight winter sky.  The show was a live narration and at times she was obviously reading (a red light illuminated her script).  Someone walking out said it was the worst show they'd heard--I didn't think it was too bad. 

I am quite interested to see if the next show is similar or quite different.  It is (with some visuals updated) apparently very old, dating back to the opening of the Planetarium.  The title is "Star of Wonder."  Once I see the Christmas Planetarium this Friday (or early on Saturday) I'll have seen three Christmas star shows.  Comparing should be fun at that point.   16:10
PS Staff are setting up for a dinner event.

~Matt