African American Settlers of the Cheyenne Valley WI383
The Cheyenne Valley near Hillsboro was Wisconsin's largest rural African American settlement in the 19th century. The State's early defiance of the 1850 Fugitive slave Act and the later demise of the slavery system after the Civil War encouraged freed slaves to settle in Wisconsin. Nearly 150 African American settlers, with the assistance of the Quaker religious order, came to Hillsboro, where they successfully farmed. Many settlers became landowners and a few, like Thomas Shivers who was born on a Tennessee plantation, owned large acreages. The African American settlers socialized well with neighboring European immigrants, establishing among the State's first integrated schools, churches and sporting teams. Thomas Shivers' son, Alga Shivers, was a notable builder, designing and constructing many of Vernon County's round barns in the early 20th century. The advent of the automobile, and other elements of change led to the gradual decline of the rural African American population.

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S.S. Meteor, Last of the Whalebacks WI205

The Great Lakes whaleback fleet was the revolutionary result of Capt. Alexander McDougall's attempts to improve conventional ship design. Between 1888 and 1898, 43 whalebacks were launched and became forerunners of the bulk fleet on the Great Lakes today. Thirty-nine whalebacks were built in Superior-Duluth, and most of them were launched from a site about one mile west of here, now the Fraser Shipyards.

The S.S. Meteor was launched at Superior in 1896 as the Frank Roclifeller to carry iron ore. Later, as the South Park, she carried such diversified cargoes as grain and automobiles. In 1943 she was converted to an oil tanker and renamed Meteor. She has been preserved as a memorial to her builder and a tribute to Superior.

As a boy, Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Superior with his father to watch the launching of a whaleback. In his enthusiasm to get a good view, he was swept into the slip by waves. A member of the Superior Fire Department rescued him before he reached deep water.

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Wisconsin's First Home-Built Flying Machine WI385
On June 23, 1911, near this location, Wausau native John Schwister became a pioneer of Wisconsin aviation. Research indicates that on this date Schwister flew the state's first home built airplane capable of sustained, powered flight. Constructed of wooden ribs covered with light cotton cloth and powered by an early-model aircraft engine, Schwister's biplane flew for several hundred feet at a maximum altitude of twenty feet. Calling his plane the Minnesota-Badger, Schwister began the design and construction of his "flying machine" in St. Paul, Minnesota, but finished it in Rothschild, Wisconsin. Initially, Schwister flight-tested his biplane as a glider, towing it behind an automobile like a kite. He also built his own airplane hangar here. Schwister made many flights in 1911, including a 27-mile flight in which he soared to 2,000 feet, higher than nearby Rib Mountain. In 1912, Schwister was seriously injured in a plane crash, yet he continued to construct and fly his own airplanes making him Wisconsin's first successful "home-builder".

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The Spark WI72
In 1873 the Rev. Dr. J. W. Carhart of Racine designed and operated the first light self-propelled highway vehicle in the United States and probably the first in the world. He named it "the Spark." It was driven by a two-cylinder steam engine, steered by a lever, and had a speed of five miles per hour. When his "infernal machine" first appeared, the hideous noise created by its operation caused the people of Racine to threaten to run Carhart out of town. Carhart seems to have agreed with the general opinion of his invention but added, "It must be remembered that at the time there was no liquid fuel, ball bearings or rubber tires." At the 1908 International Automobile Exposition held in Paris, France, Carhart was addressed as the "Father of Automobiles" and received a cash award and a certificate of honor for his invention.

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Kissel WI154
The Kissel Motor Car Co. was located across the river from this site. Kissel manufactured vehicles here for 25 years, from 1906 until 1931. Passenger cars, trucks, ambulances, funeral cars, taxicabs, and fire trucks were among the varied types. In 1918 Kissel introduced a line of low, graceful, sporty cars which were style leaders for years. The Kissel "Gold Bug" and White Eagle Speedster models achieved international acclaim and brought many celebrity purchasers to Hartford. The famous design of these cars has a lasting beauty and today they are prized collector's items.

The Kissel family's own steam car inspired two of the brothers, George and William, to build a car of their own in 1905 that was powered by a gasoline engine. On June 6, 1906, they acquired a state charter and began manufacturing with only $15,000 cash. By 1922 they grew to an enterprise worth over $3 million. During Kissel's peak year, the company built some 4,000 units. The company was a casualty of the Great Depression in 1931 as an automobile producer, but was reorganized and manufactured a variety of products including governmental material during World War II.

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S. S. Badger WI369
Built by the Christy Corporation of Sturgeon Bay in 1952, the S. S. Badger is the last of fourteen Ludington, Michigan-based car ferries still crossing Lake Michigan. Commissioned by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, the S. S. Badger, named for the University of Wisconsin athletic teams, provided passenger and freight service between Manitowoc and Ludington. After railroad car ferry service declined, the Lake Michigan Carferry Service purchased and renovated the S. S. Badger in 1992. Today, the ferry transports truck freight, automobiles, and passengers.

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Wisconsin's First Aviator WI144
The nation's first commercially built "aeroplane" was assembled and flown here November 4, 1909, by Arthur P. Warner, Wisconsin's first pilot. Self-taught, Warner was the 11th American to pilot a powered aircraft and first in the US to buy an aircraft for business use. Built by Glenn H. Curtiss, the biplane was "sister" to the aircraft in which Curtiss won the Bennett trophy race in Rheims, France, August 29, 1909. Inventor and manufacturer, Warner used the aircraft in research and to publicize his automotive products. He developed the automobile speedometer, automotive and machine tool accessories, and built the first electric power plant in Beloit. For his contributions to the aviation and automotive industries, Warner was posthumously elected to the Wisconsin Industrial Hall of Fame in 1962.

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First Street, Fort Myers FL123

The post-Civil War era brought South Florida its first wave of settlers. In 1866, Manual A. Gonzalez and Joseph Vivas took up residence at recently abandoned Fort Myers. Arrival of other settlers led to the establishment in 1876 of a post office. First Street, delineated in the original 1876 town plan occupied a central position in community development. By 1901, frame buildings housing stores and offices lined downtown First Street. Banks, a theatre, a church, a school, and the Keystone Hotel, which first welcomed Thomas Edison in 1886, occupied locations along its route. Railroad construction and tourism, twin forces for growth in late 19th century Florida, contributed to community expansion. The paving of First Street to ease the way for tourists and automobiles and the construction of "modern" buildings replacing many frame structures reflected early 20th century attitudes among many Floridians. Electrification of the city street lights in the early 1920s symbolized the onset of Florida's Boom Period, an era of rapid growth especially significant in South Florida history. Fort Myers' palm-lined First Street has continued to embody the appeal of sub-tropical Florida.

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Arrowhead Trail II NV197
The name "Arrowhead Trail" is of doubtful origin. This portion was regularly used between the 1860's and 1924. Earlier it was an alternate wagon route to the Mormon settlement at San Bernardino, California. Heading south along this trail toward Bishop Mountain, one would turn through El Dorado Pass and continue on the Nelson, Searchlight, Nipton, Wheaton Springs, and thence to San Bernardino. The trail was popular as an early automobile road (1914-1924) when communities along the route volunteered the reconstruction of the historic trail and, local Chambers of Commerce vigorously promoted its use between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

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The Ormond Garage FL406

Built by Flagler's East Coast Hotel Company in 1903 for the 1904 races. This landmark in the history of the American automobile industry was the setting for the preparation, testing and servicing of some of the most famous racing cars of the world which made racing history and records on the nearby beach. It was a proving ground for pioneer automobile manufacturers such as Olds, Winton, Ford and Chevrolet. Some of the famous drivers who made world speed records here were William K. Vanderbilt, Jr., Arthur MacDonald, Fred Marriott, Ralph DePalma, Barney Oldfield and Tommy Milton.

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