Frank Carlson Library

In the early 1960s, the River Valley Local School District built its middle school, its high school and its athletic fields in the former Marion Engineer Depot. During World War II, the depot had used the land for heavy equipment rehab, military artillery practice, materials storage, burial of construction debris and burning of waste materials and fuels. In 1997, a River Valley High School nurse grew concerned about the high rate of leukemia and other...

Wisconsin is famous for the Packers and homebrews, but the state offers so much more. This handy guide by Mary M. Bauer covers hundreds of unique attractions all around the Badger State. Take a simple day trip, or string together a longer vacation of activities that catch your interest. Sections are divided by themes like waterfalls, lighthouses and family days, so you can decide what to do and then figure out where to do it. No more information overload!...

Carved out of the wilderness seemingly overnight, Harrison had its beginnings with the coming of the railroad and its controversial new location as the seat of Clare County. Businessmen, a few families, and armies of lumberjacks soon gave Harrison a reputation as the toughest town in Michigan. More than 10 years of the lawless lumber era gave way to the beginnings of a peaceful village in 1891. The streams and lakes previously used for water, ice,...

For nearly 100 years, the Ewald family has been associated with delivering the "world's finest milk" to families of Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs. In 1886, the 16-year-old Chris Ewald, who had recently emigrated from Denmark with his widowed mother and siblings, secured a position on a milk route to help pay his family's expenses. Chris eventually purchased the milk route, which is now marked as the beginning of the dairy. Ewald Bros. grew by...

Whether you want to marvel at Mount Rushmore, stroll the historic Wild West town of Deadwood, or explore Badlands National Park, the local Fodor's travel experts in South Dakota are here to help! Fodor's Black Hills of South Dakota guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This brand new title has been designed with an easy-to-read...

Robbinsdale was named for entrepreneur, politician, and real estate developer Andrew B. Robbins. While serving in the Minnesota State Senate, Robbins often passed through the area just north of Minneapolis by train. Impressed by the landscape, he purchased 90 acres of rolling hills and lakes. In 1887, he platted a tract called Robbinsdale Park. Five years later, the development was incorporated as a village bearing his name. Robbins worked tirelessly...

This splendid novel about an unsung hero of American history carries its prodigious learning lightly in order to tell vividly the authentic story of William Wells's remarkable life. Blacksnake's Path recreates an entire period (1770-1812), showing how the Indians lived, fought for their homeland, and dealt with defeat. Because Wells was always the man in the middle, moving between two clashing cultures, the novel also dramatizes the lives of the pioneers...

The true story of a woman who abandoned Chicago for a secluded life in a remote shack-and became an early twentieth-century sensation. In the fall of 1915, an educated woman named Alice Gray traded her life in bustling Chicago for a solitary journey in the remote sand hills of northwest Indiana along Lake Michigan. Living in a fisherman's shack, she measured herself against nature rather than society's rigid conventions. Her audacity so bewitched...

The presence of birds, bees, and butterflies suggests a healthy, earth-friendly place. These most welcome guests also bring joy to those who appreciate watching them. Now, you can turn your yard into a perfect habitat that attracts them and, more importantly, helps them thrive. Acclaimed author and expert entomologist Jaret C. Daniels provides all the information you need in this must-have guide for Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North...

Graceland Cemetery is one of Chicago's most outstanding memorial grounds. It's like a little town with a private lake and mausoleums lining its streets. The funerary architecture is spectacular. Here lie Chicago's deceased: baseball players, boxers, ballerinas, fire victims, detectives, politicians, department store owners and inventors. They passed through nature and on to eternity but not without a pawky connection to Sherlock Holmes.