Frank Carlson Library

Frederick Jackson Turner (1861-1932) presented an essay at the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893 that would change the study of American History forever. This essay would ultimately be published with twelve supporting articles to form "The Frontier in American History". Turner was an innovator in that he was one of the first to call attention to the Frontier as an integral part of the study of The United States of America. Turner himself grew up on...

History and Hauntings of the Halloween Capital takes a look into why the small village of Anoka, Minnesota, has been declared (by Congress and everything!) to be The Halloween Capital of the World. This fun look at the elements that make up this unique town, from the rivers along its borders and limestone underfoot to the historical locations and rich characters that helped put Anoka on the world map—to those characters who have seemed to

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Desperadoes like Frank and Jesse James earned Missouri the nickname of the "Outlaw State" after the Civil War, and that reputation followed the region into the Prohibition era through the feverish criminal activity of Bonnie and Clyde, the Barkers and Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Duck into the Slicker War of the 1840s, a vigilante movement that devolved into a lingering feud in which the two sides sometimes meted out whippings, called slickings, on...

In the 1850s, the eyes of the world were on Kansas. The Civil War in Kansas will be an overview of the years 1854-1865, since the war began in Kansas nearly seven years before it spread to the rest of the nation. From the repeal of the Missouri Compromise to its entry in the Union, Kansas played a small role in the war as a whole, but its effects on the state were nonetheless important. With regards to the Kansas citizens who played a part, it would...

In the summer of 1957, a young Holmes County farmer was gunned down in cold blood. There was little to distinguish this slaying from hundreds of others throughout the United States that year except for one detail: Paul Coblentz was Amish. A committed pacifist, Coblentz would not raise a hand against his killers. As sensational crimes often do, the "Amish murder" opened a window into the private lives of the young man, his family and his community—a...

Depicting its turbulent beginnings to its current status as one of the world's most dynamic cities, City of the Century tells the story of Chicago-and the story of America, writ small. From its many natural disasters, including the Great Fire of 1871 and several cholera epidemics, to its winner-take-all politics, dynamic business empires, breathtaking architecture, its diverse cultures, and its diverse population of writers, journalists, and artists,...

"In the law of the gun, a man must shoot his way to innocence. At least that's how Captain McKelly of the Texas Rangers puts it to Buck Duane. On the run for killing a man to save his own skin, Duane must now infiltrate the deadly Chelsedine gang. These ruthless rustlers are running amok in Texas and it's going to take a matchless gunfighter to stop their rampage. With the legendary Rangers providing firepower, Duane has more than a fighting chance....

Learn the story of the firefighters, departments, museums and fire towers in Indiana.History of Fire FightingThe book begins with a history of firefighting from the earliest firefighting equipment and formation of the first fire departments. Early firefighting equipment and methods are also discussed.United States Firefighting HistoryReaders will learn about the first fire companies formed in the United States as well as some of the earliest destructive...

The Waugoshance Lighthouse was the first offshore lighthouse on the Great Lakes and it has been left abandoned for decades. This is the story of one man's fictional visit to this historic beacon to shine a light from the tower one last time before it crumbles into Lake Michigan. Through the challenges of living one more day in isolation at the forgotten lighthouse the history of Great Lakes Lighthouses comes to life. Woven throughout the story are...

Unearth the history behind northern Ohio's best treasure tales, from sunken ships to misplaced spoils of war. Encounter a cast of characters as rich as any secret hoard, such as the notorious gangster John Dillinger, who left a trail of robbed banks, dead bodies and buried loot across the northwest stretch of the state. Read about the disaster that befell the "G.P. Griffith," the tragic massacre of a family for money and the Ohio counterfeiters who...