“Go West, young man, and grow up with the country,” goes the famous 1851 quote, and many young American men (and women) took the advice. Once they finished their farewells to the friends and family they might never see again, it was time for the tough part — surviving a 2,000 mile journey. The Oregon…
Author: Jocelyn Mackie
In 1892, when Christopher Columbus was still considered a hero, the United States wanted to hold a world’s fair to commemorate the 400th anniversary of his mis-navigation. Chicago, which existed on the blood of slaughterhouses and continued to rise from the ashes of its Great Fire of 1871, threw in a seemingly hopeless bid that…