nickssquire12 – Page 2 – The Exasperated Historian

Stop Attacking Female Secret Service Agents

Posted on July 16, 2024July 16, 2024 by nickssquire12

Okay people there is one thing about the Trump story PISSING ME OFF. Here is a quick little rant that I originally posted on my Facebook page but figured I would also record my thoughts here, for posterity, in regards to the attempted assassination of former President Trump over the past weekend.

(And if you somehow are living under a rock and haven't heard the news, here is a news article about the attempted assassination: https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/trump-rally-assassination-attempt-july-14 Unfortunately I haven't been able to locate a source that does not name or identify the shooter, but as per my own policy I will continue to NOT name or glorify/martyr the shooter on this site.)

But back to my rant and what exactly about this story pisses me off.

It's probably not what you're thinking it is. Many of you have probably seen Conservative pundits like Matt Walsh and Awaken With JP saying that there should be no female Secret Service agents, and that women in general do not belong as agents or in other government/military roles. These pundits have been saying this because of one, albeit cowardly*, agent who was seen hiding while bullets rang out around her. What they have conveniently left out is the fact that another female agent actually did her job and protected the former president by throwing her body over his.

But that's not the only reason I am upset. For those unaware of history, sure, they might think there is some credence to the fact that women do not belong as agents protecting the president, president-elect, or former president--or the rest of his family or that of the Vice President. However, if one examines the basic facts and history of the Secret Service, they would realize this is false.

The Secret Service was not formally established until after the assassination of President Lincoln in 1865. Before that time, Presidents had bodyguards and protective details, but they were not categorized as their own functioning body like the Secret Service we know today. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, violent threats against the President were becoming more common, especially after Lincoln managed to win the presidency despite his name not appearing on the ballots of several states (thanks to a little thing called the Electoral College but that's a tangent for another day).

When it came time for President-elect Lincoln to travel from his home state of Illinois to Washington DC for his inauguration in March of 1861, the Pinkerton Detective Agency (a private detective bureau that later inspired and possibly led to the creation of the FBI--however Pinkerton as a company still survives to present-day as well) was tasked with protecting the president-elect. Two agents were given the task-- Allan Pinkerton himself, and a woman named Kate Warne.

However, what's important to note is this: Kate Warne, and the female agent who did shield President Trump this past week, are heroes. They saved the life of the man they were assigned to protect, and they did their jobs.

You know who didn't do their jobs? Who did NOT protect their president?

Example #1: The bodyguard assigned to protect President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865. He got bored because he couldn't see the play from his post, so he went to the bar next door and was drinking heavily while his charge was shot in the back of the head.

Example #2: The three MALE secret service agents, alongside several other bodyguards, assigned to protect President McKinley when he was shot in 1901.

Example #3: The MALE Secret Service agents who abundantly bungled what happened in Dealey Plaza in November 1963, when President John F Kennedy was struck in the head by a bullet and declared deceased soon after.

(The JFK assassination was bungled so horribly almost no on believes the "official story" that Oswald acted alone. Most point to the CIA as the culprit--including the president's own nephew Robert F Kennedy Jr, but in my own humble opinion, it was the incompetent Secret Service agents, who had spent the night before partying [according to some sources], that accidentally killed the president themselves in the panic following Oswald's shots).

You know who else WASN'T protected by their male secret service agents?

Example #4: President Reagan in 1981, who was nearly killed by a man obsessed with actress Jodie Foster, and decided to get her attention by shooting the president. Luckily Reagan survived his wound, but what can't be denied is that he was wounded in the attack.

And if we go back even further, in 1912, we find Example #5: President Theodore Roosevelt was shot in the chest by a would-be assassin...and lived. Once again, his MALE bodyguards failed to protect him. President Roosevelt would survive...and in fact go on to give a speech while actively bleeding because TR was a bada** like that, but the point still stands.

Female Secret Service Agents Two...Male Agents...ah...yeah hmm

And to the male Conservative pundits who continue to make the idiotic statement that all women should be barred from a job in which they have a better track record than men, I say this:

STOP MAKING ME SOUND LIKE A STARK RAVING FEMINIST. It's honestly embarrassing and literally takes only a few minutes to do some basic research and look all of this up. So once again, STOP IT and give Agent Warne and the other Agent from this past weekend the respect they deserve.

Signed,

The EXTREMELY Exasperated Historian

*After writing this, I saw a news article come out saying the reason why the female agent in question was seemingly hiding behind the podium was because she was checking President Trump for other injuries after he was shot. If this is true, then she not only is NOT bad at her job, but was actually fulfilling the duties of her role--and that makes the ridicule and scorn directed at her even worse. The internet sucks you guys.

Sources:

https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/trump-rally-assassination-attempt-july-14

https://fords.org/lincolns-assassination/

https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1860

https://www.pearcemuseum.com/education/seventh-grade-curriculum/facts-from-lincolns-assassination-and-death/#:~:text=Lincoln%27s%20bodyguard%20was%20in%20the%20saloon&text=President%20Lincoln%27s%20bodyguard%2C%20Officer%20John,the%20time%20of%20the%20assassination.

https://www.ohiohistory.org/the-assassination-of-william-mckinley-and-the-development-of-presidential-security/

https://www.jfklibrary.org/learn/about-jfk/jfk-in-history/november-22-1963-death-of-the-president

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/276333.Mortal_Error

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/3993563-robert-kennedy-jr-sees-overwhelming-evidence-cia-involved-in-jfk-assassination/

https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/jfk-secret-service-agents-too-hungover-to-react

https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/permanent-exhibits/assassination-attempt

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/13/john-hinckley-ronald-reagan-assassination-attempt

https://www.history.com/news/shot-in-the-chest-100-years-ago-teddy-roosevelt-kept-on-talking

All My History Travels (So Far!)

Posted on January 25, 2024January 27, 2024 by nickssquire12

Since I was seven or eight years old, I have been fascinated by all things history. Luckily in my (now almost twenty-four) years of living, I have managed to visit some pretty interesting places and learn lots of local history. Here are some of my adventures I've had along the way.

2007-Visiting Sentimental Journey at the Commemorative Air Force Museum, Mesa, Arizona, United States of America

Sentimental Journey is a B17-G Flying Fortress who served the United States military doing active bombing raids during World War II.

According to the Commemorative Air Force Museum's website, (linked here), Sentimental Journey is one of only five B17 bombers still flying today.

Sentimental Journey holds a special place in my family's heart. My maternal grandfather Dale raised my brother, cousins, and I to love and appreciate this particular aircraft from the time we were tiny. These pictures are from just before my seventh birthday, when my brother and I were lucky enough to step inside of the airplane.

Sentimental Journey spends the majority of her time at the Commemorative Air Force Museum, located near Falcon Field airport in my hometown of Mesa, Arizona.

When we were tiny, my grandpa would always take my cousins and I to Falcon Field to watch the planes take off and land. He would always buy us a cup of hot chocolate and some Cheetos from the vending machine. The ladies who worked in the office at the air field always knew us on sight because, while my grandpa intended for us to sit still and watch the planes, in reality us kids were too busy running around and banging ourselves up on the rocks. We frequently used up all of the bandages in the office first aid kit. Falcon Field will always hold memories for my family, and Sentimental Journey was one of the first pieces of history I was given the opportunity to learn about and see and feel with my own eyes and hands.

2011, 2012, and 2021--The Copper Queen Mine Tour, Bisbee, Arizona, United States of America

I have had the opportunity to visit the Copper Queen three times in my life, and if you ever visit Bisbee, Arizona I HIGHLY recommend taking the tour yourself (unless you are claustrophobic and hate being underground in which case you won't have nearly as much fun...like my poor friend Sierra on our Seventh Grade History trip which is the top photo in this section).

Copper was mined in Bisbee from the 1880s until 1975. Bisbee was one of the leading exporters of copper for the state of Arizona, to the point that schoolchildren in Arizona are taught about the "Five C's of Arizona" -- Copper, Climate, Citrus, Cattle, and Cotton.

The Queen Mine Tour officially opened in February of 1976, less than a year after the mine had officially closed. The tour has continued ever since, with participants getting to take a ride deep into the mines on the same train that used to carry miners to work and back every day.

To learn more about the Copper Queen, or to schedule a tour yourself, visit their website here.

2012- Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, Arizona, United States of America

On that same seventh grade history trip I mentioned above, my class also stopped at the Pima Air and Space Museum, in Tucson, Arizona.

The museum's initial idea dates back to 1966, and remains open to this day. Of all the aerospace museums I've visited over the years, the Pima Air and Space Museum is definitely one of, if not the coolest museums I have ever stepped foot in, and if you have not had the chance to visit yourself, I cannot recommend it enough. To learn more about the museum or get tickets, visit the museum's website here.

2015--Alcatraz Island, San Francisco, California, United States of America

Before I say anything else, first let me apologize for my face in this photo. I was a stupid fifteen year old who thought it was a good look. I know now that it most definitely was NOT a good look for any photograph, especially one with my dad at a historic site.

But I can't change the past and this is the only photo I have remaining so with that said...

Alcatraz Island, also known as "The Rock."

I visited Alcatraz with my parents and brother in June of 2015, which is the warmest month of the year to visit San Francisco. I know this because a few years later, one of my oldest friends competed in a swimming competition from Alcatraz back to San Francisco and every year that competition is held in June because again, its the only month out of the year that the water is warm enough for the swimmers to compete safely. Yikes!

As for Alcatraz itself, for those unaware, the island is best remembered for being a federal prison for many years, but is so much more than that. As described by the National Park Service, Alcatraz has been a "Civil War fortress, military prison, federal prison, bird sanctuary, first lighthouse on the West Coast, and the birthplace of the American Indian Red Power movement."

Alcatraz served as a military installation from 1850 to 1934, a federal prison from 1934 to 1963, and was occupied by several different Native American activist groups in 1964, as well as again from 1969 to 1971. In 1973, Alcatraz Island officially opened as a tourist destination for the general public and is now considered a National Park.

In order to get to Alcatraz, tourists take a ferry ride from San Francisco across the bay to the island. The standout part of the journey for me was the fact that all of the TV screens on the ferry, which displayed safety information for guests once they reached the island, also had interpreters giving those same instructions in American Sign Language. This is much more common now in 2024, but eight years ago in 2015 this was something I hardly ever saw and so it stood out in my memory.

To learn more about Alcatraz and its history, click here.

2015--The Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California, United States of America

After leaving Alcatraz, and San Francisco, behind, my parents, brother, and I traveled to San Jose, in order to visit the famous Winchester Mystery House.

To learn more about the house and its famous owner, check out my article on Mrs. Winchester herself, here.

Between 1886 and 1922, Sarah Winchester converted an eight bedroom farmhouse into a confusing mansion with the following features (according to the official Winchester House website, which you can access here).

-24,000 square feet
-10,000 windows
-2,000 doors
-160 rooms
-52 skylights
-47 stairways and fireplaces
-17 chimneys
-13 bathrooms
-6 kitchens
-Built at a price tag of the $5 million dollars in 1923 or $71 million today

My family sprang for the fancy tour, so we were allowed to see the inside of the mansion as well as some of the outer buildings. Unfortunately the tour did not allow for guests to take photos inside of the mansion, so enjoy our crusty, low-quality photos of us outside the house instead!

2015--Visiting a Random World War II Tank in Pennsylvania, United States of America

For my brother's eighteenth birthday, our dad took us on a trip back east to visit his family's farm in Pennsylvania. While we were out driving around, we stumbled across an M4 Sherman Tank just parked on the side of the road. I don't know why an actual World War II tank is sitting in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, but I got a photo of it! So, enjoy!

2015--Gettysburg Battlefield, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America

Once again I find myself apologizing for being a goofy fifteen year old. I know now this is not the most appropriate pose for a person to be taking while standing on a literal scarred battlefield, but what can I say I was fifteen and thought it was a good idea.

Anyway! On that same trip for my brother's birthday I mentioned earlier, my dad also took us to Gettysburg, which is both a town people live in and also a National Park, which was really cool to experience firsthand.

For those unaware, Gettysburg was the site of one of the most horrific battles during the War Between the States (and according to the Gettysburg website, linked here, it was actually the largest battle of the entire conflict). The battle occurred over three days in July of 1863, during which time over 51,000 soldiers either died, were wounded, or declared missing--in THREE DAYS.

Immediately after the battle, residents of Gettysburg and preservationists began efforts to ensure Gettysburg would remain as a testament and memorial to those who died. In 1895, the land where the battle had taken place was declared a National Military Park, and in 1933 the area was re-designated to become a part of the National Park Service.

Today, visitors to the park can take a driving tour from their own vehicles, to scout around the area and see just how massive the battle was. There is also a museum and walking areas as well.

2015-Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, United States of America

While on that same trip when I was fifteen, we also visited Arlington National Cemetery, the most hallowed burial ground in the United States--but it did not start out that way.

For a more complete history of Arlington, check out my article on its most famous owner, Mary Custis Lee. The short version is this: Mary owned the property and happened to be married to General Robert E Lee, the most famous Confederate General during the War Between the States.

After General Lee went off to fight in the war, his wife and family fled further down into the Confederacy (because Arlington is within sight of Washington DC, which was the capitol of the United States still).

Soon after, it became time for the Custis Lee family to pay their property taxes. Because the United States federal government was upset with General Lee for choosing to fight with the Confederate army, the federal government seized the property after the Lee family failed to pay their taxes.

Soon after seizing the property, the Union army began burying their dead at Arlington. The military did not begin the burials because of Arlington's beautiful and scenic views however. Unfortunately, the burials began to spite the Custis Lee family.

After the conclusion of the war, the Custis Lee family then spent several years fighting with the federal government over the property. Eventually, the federal government purchased the land from the Custis Lee family and continued to bury military veterans there.

As I said, this is an extremely shortened version of events, so please read Mary Custis Lee's biography here on my website or check out the Arlington National Cemetery website here to learn more.

When I visited the cemetery in 2015, I was stunned to not only learn the history behind the property, but also to take in the breathtaking views as well. There are thousands and thousands of graves as far as the eye can see, as well as countless memorials, statues, and other tributes to those who gave their lives for their country. Arlington has graves dating from the Revolutionary War (graves that were re-interred at the cemetery after the creation of the graveyard) all the way to today. According to Arlington's website, they conduct between twenty-seven and thirty funerals every week day and several on Saturdays as well.

If you happen to be in the Washington DC area and have spare time, I highly recommend visiting Arlington National Cemetery to see, honor, and remember.

2015--Washington DC, United States of America

Why we thought visiting Washington DC in July was a good idea, I don't know, but we did! While in DC, we saw all the major sites--the Vietnam War Memorial, the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Memorial are pictured here, alongside our stop at Ford's Theater. We also stopped the White House and the US Capitol Rotunda. And we did it all while drenched in sweat from the humidity!

2015- The American Civil War Museum/White House of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, United States of America

A little known historical place to visit is located in Richmond, Virginia. "The White House of the Confederacy" is exactly what it sounds like, the executive mansion and home of President Jefferson Davis and his family during the War Between the States.

Today, the home is open for tours, which my dad, brother, and I went on. Attached to the house is a museum dedicated to taking a more nuanced take on the War Between the States, which was also very interesting. To learn more about both the house and the museum, visit their website here.

2015-The Mariner's Museum, Norfolk, Virginia, United States of America

Zoe and Jerome in a replica Titanic lifeboat

While we may have traveled to the east coast to celebrate my brother's birthday, my dad told me I could pick a few museums I wanted to see myself. Number one on my list was the Mariner's Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. The reason? My favorite battle to research from the War Between the States happened extremely close by, the Monitor vs the Merrimack, the world's first ironclad battleship battle.

Not only is the museum extremely close by to the battle location, but, the museum also holds the recovered pieces of the Monitor itself, which was lifted from the sea floor in 2002 and brought to the museum for preservation.

The museum dates all the way back to 1930 and remains open to this day. Also included in the museum are other artifacts and exhibits, including those from the RMS Titanic.

To learn more about the museum, visit their website here.

2016--Visiting Old Ironsides, also known as The USS Constitution, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America

Zoe with the USS Constitution, Old Ironsides

When I was sixteen, my dad and I took a trip to Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. We landed in Boston, and unfortunately the museum for the USS Constitution had just closed for the day! So while I did not get a chance to go into the museum, I did get this quick selfie with the ship herself.

For those who do not know her history, the USS Constitution was designed and built between 1794 and 1797. Yes, you read that right, 1797.

The Constitution was one of six frigates created under the order of President George Washington, in order to create the fledgling United States' first true navy. It took three launches before she finally became truly seaworthy, and in 1798, the Constitution completed her first long-distance journey, sailing all the way to the Caribbean islands. Over the next thirty-two years, the ship would see battle in several conflicts along the Eastern Seaboard and garnering fame as she did so.

In 1830, rumors began to swirl that the Constitution would be scrapped. As a rallying cry to save the aging ship, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr wrote a now-famous poem defending the ship, by-then nicknamed "Old Ironsides." This poem and public interest helped ensure the Constitution would survive being decommissioned and scrapped.

Between 1844 and 1846, the Constitution completed a sailing journey around the world. In all, she sailed 52,370 miles during that one journey.

By August of 1860, the Constitution was removed from active military duty and transformed into a naval school ship instead. To be fair though, by then the ship had been rebuilt several times and was sixty-three years old!

For the next several decades, the ship would serve as a training vessel for naval academy students as well as a transport vessel. In 1925, schoolchildren across the country would raise $154,000 in order to facilitate the latest round of restoration work for the ship.

In 1976, the USS Constitution Museum officially opened in the Charlestown Navy Shipyard. That same year, a group of white oak trees in Indiana are specifically set aside and designated for future repairs the ship might need.

In 1995, a copper spike from the ship went to space on a mission on the space shuttle Atlantis! Two years later, the Constitution would set sail under her own power for the first time in 116 years. She celebrated her 200th birthday in 1997.

All of these dates were provided by the official USS Constitution timeline posted on the museum's website, located here.

As you can see from my photo, when I visited the ship she happened to be undergoing her latest round of renovations, hence the scaffolding all over her. But even though I didn't get to spend as much time with the ship as I would have liked, it was still really cool to see a piece of history almost as old as the United States itself.

2016--Springfield Armory National Historic Site, Springfield, Massachusetts, United States of America

I think everyone knows the best adventures are the ones that happen on accident.

During my dad and I's trip back east, during which time we saw the USS Constitution, we also visited Springfield Armory, by accident.

We were driving along the freeway through Massachusetts when my dad pointed to a brown road sign on the side of the freeway.

"Springfield Armory!" he shouted excitedly before quickly changing lanes and exiting the freeway.

"What's Springfield Armory?" I remember asking him confused.

Little did I know, Springfield Armory is a hidden National Park that not enough Americans know about. I knew I had found a special place to hold in my heart when the first park ranger we met quickly introduced himself and then said:

"If you have any questions I will be right back! I left my car windows down and its about to rain. Be right back!"

Then he ran out the door we had just walked through, jingling his car keys as he went!

Springfield Armory began manufacturing muskets in 1794, but dated back a few years earlier, to when General George Washington declared it as a holding arsenal for the Revolutionary War Soldiers. The last weapons manufactured at Springfield Armory were produced in 1968, after two hundred and four years of continual manufacturing. Let me restate in case you missed it the first time--204 YEARS.

In 1978, Springfield Armory reopened as a National Historic Site, continuing to provide educational materials to guests to this day. The Armory holds the world's largest collection of American military firearms. To learn more about the armory, visit their website here.

2016-- 9/11 Memorial in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States of America

While on the same trip to New England with my dad, we stopped at multiple places in Manhattan, but also stayed at a hotel in Jersey City.

No offense New Jersey, but that was the most disgusting hotel room I have ever stayed in.

Anyway! While on that side of the river, we also stopped at the 9/11 Memorial, which was one of the most haunting and moving spots I have ever visited. Here I am standing alongside some of the rubble taken from the site of the Twin Towers.

2016--Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty

Once again I must apologize for my awful sense of fashion. I was sixteen and...well there's really no excuse for why I thought that was a good look. I also chose to wear extremely uncomfortable shoes and so I was miserable most of the day we were hiking around Manhattan, Ellis Island, and the Statue of Liberty.

With all that said, I did really enjoy the day, which started at Ellis Island.

For those who do not know, Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are both operated as part of the same national monument, which has been dubbed the "Statue of Liberty National Monument, NJ, NY" according to the park's website, which can be accessed here.

Ellis Island was operated as an immigration checkpoint for the Eastern United States between 1892 to 1954. During those years, over twelve million immigrants traveled the halls of Ellis Island to be inspected, both physically and on paper, before they were told whether or not they would be allowed to travel within the United States.

In 1965, Ellis Island became a part of the Statue of Liberty National Monument, as I mentioned above. Between 1976 and 1984, the island was opened to tourists wanting to visit, however, it was badly in need of repairs. $156 Million later, the island reopened for tourists in 1990, and has remained open ever since.

As for the Statue of Liberty, she has a history of her own.

The statue was first gifted to the United States by the people of France in 1886, and was designated a national monument in 1924. The National Park Service began caring for the statue in 1934, and today hundreds of tourists flood the island each and every day to get photos like my dad and I posed for.

You can make reservations to travel up inside the statue itself, all the way up to her crown, but my dad and I didn't have the time nor did we want to battle our way through the crowd either. To learn more about the statue or to plan a trip, you can visit the National Park Service website for the statue here.

You can reach both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty by a ferry. My dad and I embarked on our journey from New Jersey, and ended up in Manhattan where we continued on as tourists for the day.

2016- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Manhattan, New York, United States of America

Ah, the Met. One of the most well-known art museums in the world, thanks to celebrity functions like The Met Gala that happens every year.

When I visited the Met, my dad and I were in a bit of a hurry, so we didn't get to see the entire museum. We did, however, spend a large amount of time in the Ancient Egypt wing. I don't have a photo of it here, but my favorite artifact in the entire Met was the actual floral wreath that was placed over Pharaoh Tutankhamun's mummified remains.

The history of the Met begins in 1866, when a group of Americans in France decided to bring art and art history to the United States in order to better educate the American public. In 1870, the Met officially opened its doors on Fifth Avenue, however it was a different Fifth Avenue location from where it is today. The museum would not open at its current site until 1880.

To learn more about the Met and its various collections that are on display, visit their website here.

2017- Tortilla Flat and Hayden, Arizona, United States of America

When I was seventeen, my dad and I both decided I should probably learn to drive. A right of passage for most American youth, I already owned a car (I had bought a 1999 Mercury Grand Marquis from a friend of the family when I was fourteen for $2,000), and so all I needed to know was how to drive it.

You would think learning to drive would be fairly straightforward, and for a lot of teenagers it is. For me though? Not so much. For those who do not know their late 90s vehicles, my car was basically a boat. Picture a 90s police car--that's basically what I was driving just without the red and blue flashing lights.

And if you also don't know, I wear glasses and have extremely poor depth perception. So when it came time for me to learn to drive, my dad and I were in for a bit of adventure.

Most Arizonans living in the eastern half of the Valley of the Sun know exactly what Tortilla Flat is, but if you're an out-of-towner, I'll let you in on a little secret. Tortilla Flat is a tourist spot but is also the oldest still-operating stagecoach town in the state of Arizona, originally built in 1904. They even have a website, which you can access here.

Today, Tortilla Flat has a restaurant, a museum, and a gift shop. If you've driven into town, you've seen it all, but its still worth it to park and wander around for a bit. In order to get to Tortilla Flat, you have to drive along a long and winding road...with several cliffsides along side it.

If you ask my dad, he will heartily inform you that I nearly drove off several of those cliffs while learning to drive. In my defense! I had no idea where we were going at the time. My dad had me sit behind the wheel, and drive. He was giving me directions as we went. Luckily we didn't die! Or drive off a cliff! And now its a funny memory to look back on.

That same day, after leaving Tortilla Flat, we continued on our little road trip and headed out to Hayden, Arizona. If you've never heard of Hayden don't worry--I hadn't either. The town still has a few residents, but most of the buildings are abandoned. We drove out there because my dad used to sell furniture to a store out there called Gila, shown here, which opened in 1948. Hayden may be tiny, but they do still have an active website, which you can reach here.

2017-- Lincoln, New Mexico, United States of America

I can't believe this is the only surviving photo I took of my trip to Lincoln! While not much survives in Lincoln today, the tiny town was once the sight of one of the nastiest wars in the Old West, The Lincoln County War. And you know who the most-famous character to walk away from that war was?

Billy the Kid.

The Lincoln County War is a story that deserves a fully fleshed out retelling, which I don't have space for here, but the war took place because of local politics and street-vengeance. Some of the battles took place on the very streets tourists can now walk every day.

According to the Lincoln Historic Site website (which you can reach here), the little town is now the most-visited historic site in New Mexico. There are multiple buildings that have survived from the 1870s and 1880s, as well as gift shops and museums tourists can visit. This photo is of a painting of Billy the Kid and some other notable western figures involved in the local history at the time.

If you're ever passing through Southern New Mexico, I highly recommend stopping by Lincoln. Ruidoso, New Mexico is a short drive away and has beautiful sights and hotels to stay in. Another random fact--if you're in a rental car that does not have Bluetooth or an Aux Cord, you can tune into the local classic rock station, KIDX 101.5 "The Kid" named in honor of the area's most famous outlaw.

2017- Montezuma's Castle, Toozigut, Fort Misery, and Jerome, Arizona, United States of America

At one point in 2017, my mom and I took a road trip around the area of Prescott, Arizona--unfortunately not many pictures of this trip survive. While we were driving around, we visited Prescott and Jerome, Arizona, as well as national monuments like Toozigut and Fort Misery.

I have actually visited Jerome three or four times throughout my life, but I don't have any photos somehow! So that's disappointing, but yes, Jerome holds a special place in my family's heart. Jerome has been dubbed the "Wickedest Town in the West" according to the town's website (which can be accessed here). Originally founded in 1876, Jerome eventually became the fourth largest city in Arizona, with a population of around 15,000 people in the 1920s. This number is incredible given the fact that the town is literally built into the side of a hill, and constantly looks like its about to collapse and fall.

No I am not kidding.

The population today has shrunk to around 400 people, but its a thriving tourist spot and has a major scene in the art world, alongside its close-by neighbor Sedona.

To learn more about Jerome here on my website, you can read articles on its most famous Madam, Jennie Bauters, as well as the town's strange connection to Winston Churchill through his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill.

Fort Misery, on the other hand, has been deemed the oldest still-surviving log building in the state of Arizona. Originally built in either 1863 or 1864, today the log cabin has been moved from its original site to now being a part of the Sharlot Hall Museum (which you can read more about here). My takeaway? The doors were really, really, short.

Because no trip around Arizona would be complete without visiting Native American sites as well, my mom and I also stopped at Montezuma's Castle, pictured above, and Tuzigoot National Monument.

Best estimates from archaeologists date Montezuma's Castle to around 600 years ago, when the Sinagua people called it home. Built into the side of a cliff, Montezuma's Castle is a pueblo ruin comprising of over forty ruins. Archaeologists theorize that the Sinagua people lived in and around Montezuma's Castle for four hundred years.

The site was one of four national monuments created in 1906 by President Theodore Roosevelt, making it one of the oldest historic landmarks to be declared a national monument in the United States.

Early visitors could actually step foot inside the ruins thanks to scaffolding ladders that had been erected on the cliffside, but extensive damage to the ruins by tourists eventually made it so that the public was no longer allowed access after 1951.

The closest visitors can get today is from where I took the photo you can see above. The reason why it is so fuzzy is because I had to zoom in quite a bit on my phone's camera. While its disappointing that we as the general public can no longer get closer, at least the site will be preserved for generations to come.

To learn more about Montezuma's Castle, you can read about it on the park's website here.

As for Tuzigoot National Monument, this pueblo structure holds over 100 rooms inside and was occupied by several hundred people for several hundred years.

The site was abandoned by the Sinagua people sometime in the 1300s and was left abandoned until the 1930s. At that point, archaeologists excavated the site and in 1939 it was turned into a national monument. To learn more about Tuzigoot, you can read about it here.

I don't have any photos that survive from my time at Tuzigoot, but I did purchase one of the most interesting books in my entire collection while there, which is really saying something given the fact that I own almost 1300 books at this point.

The book in question is called Finder's Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession by Craig Childs. Mr. Childs dives deep into the question of archaeological ethics, and whether or not archaeologists should remove artifacts from their ancestral homelands to display in museums and other places. The book made me question what I thought I knew about anthropology and the field of archaeology, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in those fields, along with Southwestern Native American studies as well.

2018-- Sentimental Journey, again! Mesa, Arizona, United States of America

For my grandmother's 76th birthday, my mom, brother, and I took her to a big band swing dance that was a fundraiser for the Commemorative Air Force Museum. The main showstopper attraction was Sentimental Journey, so I posed for a photo with my old friend.

2019--Joining the Daughters of the American Revolution, Chandler, Arizona, United States of America

While this technically wasn't "visiting" a historic site, this is definitely a historic achievement.

The Daughters of the American Revolution are a genealogy based organization that hope to promote historic preservation, patriotism, and education. In order to join the society, you must be a woman who can prove direct lineage from a patriot who fought in the American Revolution.

Since DAR's founding in 1890, over one million women have become members, and I happen to be one of them.

To learn more about DAR, and see if you might be able to join and become a member yourself, visit the national website at dar.org.

2019--Visiting The Madonna of the Trail Statues in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Springerville, Arizona, United States of America

2019 was a big year for me and my DAR journey. A few months after joining the organization, I got the chance to visit two of the statues DAR erected across the United States, from Maryland to California.

The project began in 1911, when the national society decided to erect twelve identical statues across the "Old Trails Road" that stretched across the country. The first statue was dedicated in 1928, when then-judge (and future president) Harry S Truman spoke at the unveiling.

The twelve statues are located in the following locations:

-Bethesda, Maryland

-Beallsville, Pennsylvania

-Wheeling, West Virginia

-Springfield, Ohio

-Richmond, Indiana

-Vandalia, Illinois

-Lexington, Missouri

-Council Grove, Kansas

-Lamar, Colorado

-Albuquerque, New Mexico

-Springerville, Arizona

-Upland, California

I have personally visited the statues in Springerville, Arizona, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, and hope to one day visit some of the others as well. The statues were erected to honor the pioneering spirit of mothers along the old wagon roads across the country. Unfortunately today, some see the statues as problematic and take issue with them as a result, but so far, all twelve have remained standing.

To read more about the statues, and the controversy surrounding them, click here.

2020--Visiting Butte View/Adamsville Cemeteries, Florence, Arizona, United States of America

I won't spend much time on this section because I already wrote a blog post about these old cemeteries, which you can read here.

This is simply an acknowledgement that in late 2020, I visited these two adjoining cemeteries outside of Florence, Arizona.

2020--Visiting Historic Pinal Cemetery, outside Superior, Arizona, United States of America

Once again, I already wrote a more extensive blog post about Pinal Cemetery, which can be read here.

I visited the abandoned cemetery in late December 2020, but my dad, brother, and cousin first visited in 2006 or 2007. Its way off the beaten path and hard to locate for those who have never visited before, but its still worth a stop if you happen to be in the area.'

2021--Boothill Graveyard, Tombstone, Arizona, United States of America

Once again, I already have a blog post written about my stop at Boothill, which can be read here. I've been to Tombstone twice now, and it is a lot of fun if you like old west tourist things! (Ignore the Flat Brandon, its a long story!)

2021--The Titan Missile Museum, Green Valley, Arizona, United States of America

Do you like large and intimidating nuclear warheads? Do you enjoy smacking your head on metal scaffolding if you happen to be above five and a half feet tall? Do you like going up and down lots of metal stairs?

If you said yes to any of the above questions, do I have the museum for you!

Once again, no I'm not kidding!

The Titan Missile Museum is a de-activated nuclear missile silo that allows visitors to step inside a window into the past. There isn't a lot of information about the history of the site itself--I'm guessing because part of it might still be under lock and key from the federal government.

The Titan Missile Museum teaches visitors about The Cold War and the nuclear missiles developed during it, specifically the Titan II Missiles. Visitors get to see artifacts on the surface as well as traveling down into the silo itself. And don't worry, the photos of the missile shown here are real, BUT the missile has been deactivated and is not harmful to the general public.

To learn more about the museum and the Titan II missiles, visit their website here.

2021--Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona, United States of America

I also have a blog post about the cemetery at the Grand Canyon, which can be read here.

If you are ever visiting Arizona's most famous landmark, make sure to stop at the cemetery to see some of the most unique headstones I have ever seen.

2021--Philo Farnsworth Grave (Provo City Cemetery, Provo, Utah, United States of America) and Reva Beck Bosone Grave (American Fork Cemetery, American Fork, Utah, United States of America)

Once again, I wrote more extensively about both cemeteries in a blog post that you can read here.

If you would like to learn more about why I visited the two individuals I did, you can read about them both here:

Philo Farnsworth, inventor of the all-electric television

Reva Beck Bosone, first female politician elected to national office from Utah

2021--Sacagawea Cemetery, Fort Washakie, Wyoming, United States of America

Once again, I have a more conclusive writeup on the cemetery that can be read here.

2021--The Buffalo Bill Center of the West, Cody, Wyoming, United States of America

If you ever find yourself in Cody, Wyoming, you simply have to stop at one of the largest and most fascinating museums I have ever stepped foot in, The Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

For one thing, its more than just a regular old museum. In fact, its five museums in one, all located under a single roof!

According to their website, the five museums are as follows: "Draper Natural History Museum, Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indian Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, and Cody Firearms Museum."

I didn't have a chance to step into the art museum, but my mom and I did go through the other four. My favorites were the Plains Indians Museum and the Cody Firearms Museum, both of which I included photos of above.

One of the most fascinating artifacts in the entire building was the actual Native American teepee which has survived to present day. Its hard to get the full experience from a photograph, but picture this. I am five feet six inches tall, and it towered above me!

The Buffalo Bill Center of the West gets its roots from the Buffalo Bill Museum, founded in 1927 by William Cody's niece, Mary Jester Allen. The current location of the center was donated in 1935 by Whitney Vanderbilt. The art museum was added in 1959, and ten years later the Plains Indians museum was added as well. The firearms museum was opened to the public in 1991, with the fifth and final section, the Draper Natural History Museum, added in 2002.

To read a full timeline history of the museum, click here.

To view the museum's website to plan a visit of your own, click here!

If the center sounds vaguely familiar to you, maybe its because one of my favorite history Youtubers uploaded two videos on the center only a few months ago. Below are links to both of The History Underground's videos on the center, which give you a much better look inside at the exhibits.

2021--Fort Caspar and Lou Taubert's Ranch Outfitters, Casper, Wyoming, United States of America

For some of my younger and more internet-attuned audience members, you might read "Casper, Wyoming" and think--JEFFREE STAR!

But unfortunately, while I was in Casper I did not see Jeffree Star or any of his now-famous yaks. This was also before Jeffree opened his "Makeup and Meat" store in Casper as well, but I really want to go back and visit it someday!

(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, the internet personality, makeup mogul, and ranch owner Jeffree Star happens to own a ranch outside of Casper, Wyoming, and he opened a storefront there to sell both his makeup and products from his ranch).

Anyways! Like I said, Jeffree had yet to open his store while I was in Casper, so instead we stopped at the Fort Caspar Museum and the world-famous western wear store Lou Taubert.

Fort Caspar dates to 1847, when Brigham Young led his wagon train of LDS Pioneers across the midwestern states. In June of that year, the pioneers constructed a ferry boat to cross the North Platte river. The remains of that same ferry exist today in the museum, along with other structures built in 1859 that still exist today as well.

If you visit in the summer months, you can walk around those older structures outside and look within. There is also a small indoor museum to walk around as well, and the staff is very enthusiastic about answering your questions.

(They also had a very wide ranging selection of books to buy in the gift shop!)

To learn more about Fort Caspar, visit their website here.

Lou Taubert's, on the other hand, is both a store and a piece of history.

According to their website, Lou Taubert's has been supplying the west with their products since 1919! (Technically the western wear store opened in 1947, but the original owner opened his first store in 1919). I had no idea what to expect when we arrived, but my mom knew she wanted to visit.

In fact, she'd been wanting to visit since she was a member of FFA (Future Farmer's of America) in high school. Visiting Lou Taubert's was checking an item off a bucket list she hadn't actually ever written down, and boy was it worth the stop!

The ranch outfitting store is unlike any other. For one thing, the store is in a building that covers NINE different floors, or approximately 55,000 square feet of floor space. Lou Taubert's is also family owned and has been operating over three generations.

(Which is kind of impressive that they've managed to stretch three generations across one hundred years. My own family has been running our own small local business for just over sixty years and we're on our fourth generation already!)

From 1980 to 2018, the family expanded to having a second store in Billings, Montana, but today they only operate the original store out of Casper.

My favorite part about visiting Lou Taubert's was the extraordinary number of old photographs located around the store. We spent most of our time on the floor with the cowboy hats and other women's clothing. While my mom shopped, I looked around the photos of all the different rodeo queens who had competed across the country for various titles, all of whom seemed to have shopped at Lou Taubert's.

To learn more about this famous store, visit their website here.

2021--The Big Boots of Cheyenne and Lakeview Cemetery, Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States of America

zoe w the big governor boot, cheyenne WY 2021

Cheyenne, the capitol of Wyoming. Our last stop in my favorite state in the United States allowed me to visit one of the strangest man-made landmarks in the country, the so-called "Big Boots."

According to an online brochure, which you can read here, there are thirty eight-foot-fall hand painted boots located all over the city. Each was painted by a local artist and shows an aspect of history for Cheyenne or Wyoming. Here I am pictured with the Governor's Boot, which lists--you guessed it--every governor of the state of Wyoming, at least at the time of the boot's creation. I am underlining Nellie Tayloe Ross's name--the first female governor of Wyoming, whom we also stopped to visit at Lakeview cemetery that same day (also pictured).

2021--Visiting the Tabor Ladies, and the Inventor of Tampax, Denver, Colorado, United States of America

While my mom and I didn't spend a ton of time in Denver on our road trip through, I did make sure to have us stop off at two cemeteries: Mount Olivet Catholic Cemetery (technically in Wheat Ridge, Colorado) and Riverside Cemetery.

At Mount Olivet, we visited both Gertrude Tenderich-Sears, the inventor of the first modern tampon, and Elizabeth "Baby Doe" Tabor, the second wife of silver baron Horace Tabor. Mount Olivet is a beautiful cemetery, with perfectly manicured lawns and interesting headstones in a picturesque environment for those who like to wander.

Riverside Cemetery, on the other hand, was extremely depressing to witness. First of all, it is located directly across the street from a water treatment sewage plant, which made the entire cemetery smell like...well...rotting corpses. If that isn't bad enough, the cemetery is very old and very overgrown. I managed to find Augusta Tabor's grave (the first wife of the aforementioned Horace Tabor) simply because it is tall and easy to spot from a distance, but other graves that were smaller and closer to the ground were almost impossible to identify. My mom and I still took some time to wander, but the cemetery does not have clear roads to drive down or any other markers to help visitors find who they are looking for either, so we didn't stay as long as I would have wanted to otherwise.

2021--The National Museum of World War II Aviation, Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States of America

My mother and I found this museum by complete accident, but what a find it was!

I have always loved aerospace museums, and this one was one of the best I've visited so far. Not only is the hangar full of all sorts of old planes, engines, and other machinery from World War II, but the museum also had short biographies on some of the most famous pilots from the period, and before.

The only downside to this museum was the gift shop, which was pretty lackluster, at least when we visited. We spent several hours wandering around, taking in the sights as well as calling and texting various family members, to tell them to stop by the next time they visited that part of Colorado.

To learn more about the National Museum of World War II Aviation, visit their website, here.

2021--The Loretto Chapel, Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States of America

the staircase at the loretto chapel, santa fe nm, 2021

The story of one of the most famous staircases in the world starts in 1850, when the local Catholic order in New Mexico decided a school for girls was needed.

The sisters of Loretto took up the call, and built the Loretto Academy in 1853, after a journey which cost the Mother Superior her life, and during which time the sisters had to quickly learn Spanish in order to communicate with the locals.

Twenty years later, the sisters were able to begin construction of a chapel to go alongside the school. While the architect in charge was able to complete most of the building, he died before he could build a staircase that would reach the chapel's loft.

Because of the shape of the chapel itself, a standard staircase would have taken up too much floorspace and would have shrunk the available seating on the floor of the chapel to make not sustainable. Not knowing what else to do, the sisters of Loretto prayed for nine days to St. Joseph, the Patron Saint of Carpenters.

This is what happened next, according to the Loretto Chapel's Website:

"A carpenter appeared with only a hammer and carpenter’s square. He built what is now known as the Miraculous Staircase with simple tools and wooden pegs. The rare wood is not native to the American Southwest. When the Staircase was complete, it is said that the carpenter disappeared without receiving thanks or payment. The Sisters tried all local lumber stores but could not find accounts open for supplies for their stairs. Some believe the carpenter was St. Joseph himself while others believe that is was someone sent by St. Joseph. What is known is that the Sisters of Loretto prayed, and their prayers were answered."

The stairs are not just beautiful, but practical as well. Designed with two 360 degree complete turns, the stairs provided a way to the chapel's loft while also taking up as minimal floor space as possible. Because of the way they are designed, the entire weight of the staircase lays on the bottom step. They did not originally have railings, but about ten years after the miracle took place, the railings were added to help those climbing up and down.

Today, the Loretto Chapel is as much a tourist attraction as it is a Catholic place of worship. For a couple of dollars per person, visitors can sit in the pews and listen to an audio recording recount the story of the miracle. I very much enjoyed the entire experience, and the gift shop was equally amazing!

To learn more about the Loretto Chapel, visit their website here.

2021--I Debuted as Debutante for Daughters of the American Revolution, Fountain Hills, Arizona, United States of America

From the time I joined DAR at the age of nineteen, I had it in my mind that I wanted to participate in their version of a Debutante Ball. Girls are allowed to debut as "Debs" between the ages of eighteen and twenty-two in DAR, and so I was originally supposed to be a part of the ball in 2020 (the first year I was eligible because the ball only happens once a year, and had already taken place by the time my paperwork came through in 2019).

Well, then covid happened.

I feel like no further explanation is needed than that!

So, 2020 was out for that particular endeavor, but luckily the ball was rescheduled for 2021 and I was ready to go.

I'm not wearing them in this particular photo, but I did have white gloves that I wore for part of the ceremony. There were five of us debutantes in all that year, but one of the girls missed this photo. I wore a long ivory gown with a bow on the back, and my grandmother Helen's pearls. My stepsister did my hair, I managed to do my own makeup, and my father served as my chaperone for the presentation itself.

Part of the reason why I agreed to take part in the ball was because I knew it would be the only time my family would see me in a white/ivory formal gown. Ever since I was a child I have been determined to marry in a black gown (the color of life in Ancient Egyptian culture) and not white. White wedding dresses only became the fashion after Queen Victoria married Albert in a white gown (before their fairy tale wedding, women usually married in the nicest gown they already owned, regardless of color). Not only that, but white is also the color associated with death in Ancient Egyptian culture--and neither of those traditions particularly excite me when I think about my future wedding.

With that tangent aside, however, I definitely think being a debutante counts as a historical venture I took part in. As for what a debutante ball actually is... well, that largely depends on who you ask and whether or not you identify as a feminist.

Historically, debutante balls were a way for young women in high society to debut themselves. What this meant was, when a girl reached the age in which she was eligible for marriage, she would "come out" to society to introduce herself, her family, and what all she could bring to her marriage.

Today, many feminists view debutante balls as something to look down upon, because they view these ceremonies as though women are being presented for the sole purpose of getting married and being a man's property. Whether or not you agree with that is up to you and has nothing to do with this blog post, however.

While the first confirmed date for a debutante ball has been lost to history, the first notable ball that has made it into the history books dates all the way back to 1780 in England. The last presentation of ladies in England in this manner ended in 1958.

I enjoyed my night as a debutante--except for the fact that my dress was fairly tight and I had to keep standing up and sitting down, over and over, for standing ovations and various other reasons. Other than that though, the night was quite fabulous!

Because the ball I debuted at was a part of DAR, I was sponsored by my chapter, Cactus Wren. The three other girls in the photo with me were all from the same chapter, and the fifth girl was from a third beside that. The DAR Debutante Ball is a good way for younger DAR members to get to know one another, and show our community that DAR is not just for little old ladies. While some of the other girls wore their mother's wedding dresses, or a dress they bought online, I chose to buy my dress from a local store that only sells modest dresses, "Modest Wedding and Prom." I was happy to support a local business and loved my dress! I bought it even though they offered rentals, even though I doubted even then that I would ever wear it again.

To learn more about the history of Debutante Balls, here is an article from Encyclopedia Britannica.

2022--Visiting Pearl Hart's Grave, Central Heights, Arizona, United States of America

As you can tell, I like visiting historic cemeteries and well, dead people. I can't believe it took me nineteen years of living in Arizona to realize Pearl Hart is buried in my home state, but in July of 2022 I got the chance to visit her in person.

To learn more about the cemetery Pearl is buried in, read my blog post about it here.

2023--Hearing Zahi Hawass Speak at a Lecture, Phoenix, Arizona, United States of America

Zoe at the zahi hawass lecture in phx, may 2023

I won't say much about it here because again, I already wrote a blog post (that you can read here), but ever since I was a little girl, Zahi Hawass has been my hero, and so when I found out he was coming to Phoenix I had a proper fan-girl freakout.

Yes he is an old man who is an archaeologist, and I was a twenty-three-year-old-girl at the time, but still! Dr. Zahi Hawass! Chances are if you have watched a documentary on Ancient Egypt at any point in the last twenty years he was probably in it. Thanks again to my mom for getting us the tickets! This was a dream come true.

2023--My First Rodeo, Taylor, Arizona, United States of America

How I managed to make it to twenty-three years old without seeing a real rodeo, I'm not sure, but wow was Taylor a great place to start!

Before I met my boyfriend in March of 2022, I had heard of the town of Taylor, had driven through a time or two, but it never registered as anything more than that, a town up north.

After meeting my boyfriend, that all changed. Taylor is a little slice of heaven to his family, and a big part of the reason why is the fact that his ancestors literally helped found the town. According to the town of Taylor's website, the founder of Taylor, AZ was James Pearce, my boyfriend's great-great-great-grandfather through his paternal grandmother's side.

My boyfriend's family still owns a house in Taylor, which has been in the family for generations, and every year they go up for the annual rodeo. 2023 was Taylor's 69th Annual Rodeo, and it was AWESOME. I can't wait to go back again.

The only downside? The rodeo takes place over 4th of July weekend and it was a bit toasty to say the least. The weather was in the low nineties and it was bright and sunny. My cowboy hat and sunglasses were a lifesaver until the sun went down. If you ever want to visit the rodeo, plan on arriving early! Almost as soon as the gates open, the bleacher seats will be packed full, even though the main event doesn't start until hours later.

The rodeo featured all of the typical rodeo competitions you might expect: bronc riding, bull riding, barrel racing, trick riding, calf roping, and more. They also kicked off the night with an anvil launching!

And in the future...

I know I will have more historical adventures in the years to come, but I thought a fun way to kick off 2024 would be to look back on my life and everything I've done so far.

In the future I will continue to update my website with blog posts every time I do anything fun and historical in any way, but again, I thought this would be a good way to start the year and to remember all the places I've been and the things I have seen. I have a passport, but I've never left the United States. I'm about to turn twenty-four, and I think I've seen and done quite a bit in my time already.

To the future!

And beyond 🙂

Testing a Fannie Farmer Recipe…

Posted on August 19, 2023 by nickssquire12

Hello All!

Today I present you with a (possibly) new series of posts, testing vintage recipes. I use the word possibly because I have no idea if I will continue this trend or not, seeing as I stumbled across this one by accident.

With that being said...

A few weeks ago, I (like many other fans) purchased Dylan Hollis's first cookbook: Baking Yesteryear, in which Dylan explores various desserts and treats from the 1900s through the 1980s.

I have always considered myself more of a baker than a cook, and so I decided that while I had some free time I would test out a recipe from the book. Usually when I buy a cookbook, I look at it once or twice, then add it to my library and forget it exists. I'm fairly certain this is the first time I've actually tried to bake a recipe out of a cookbook I've purchased and not a random recipe I've found online.

But I digress, back to Dylan.

As I was flipping through the various recipes, I came across one for "Pioneer Brownies" in the 1900's chapter. As I read the short description Dylan provided, my eyes landed on a familiar name--Fannie Farmer. Yes, Dylan had copied this recipe from Mrs. Farmer herself (and you can read more about her by clicking her name above). Mrs. Farmer is renowned in the history of cooking and American culinary arts because she was a pioneer in using exact measurements, as opposed to a sprinkle of this and a dash of that.

Fannie-Farmer-circa-1900, courtesy of Wikipedia-BPL

As a fan of brownies and intrigued by the opportunity to try a vintage recipe, I quickly jotted down the ingredients in my own typical fashion (that is to say, I went off memory of what ingredients I already had in my cabinets and then wrote down exactly zero amounts of how much I needed to buy of anything else) and then headed off to Target.

After coming home with my supplies, I set to work. First I had to dig around and find a measuring tape to see if the rectangular pan I owned was in fact a 9 by 13" pan (luckily for me it was!).

Once I was sure my pan was a sufficient size, I got to work.

And immediately encountered my first problem. The recipe called for "Unsweetened" chocolate and I had purchased a mix of both milk and dark chocolate chips. Oops.

Second problem, the recipe called for melted chocolate, but didn't specify what form it was supposed to come from. After attempting to melt some chocolate chips in my microwave (and almost starting a fire while melting the plastic bowl the chips were in instead of the chips themselves), I resorted to melting the chocolate chips in a saucepan on my stove, which worked much faster!

(Although I still don't quite know if I had the correct amount of chocolate by the time I was done. I'm not very good with converting grams and ounces and so on--Mrs. Farmer probably would not approve of my cooking methods!).

Eventually though, I got my batter all mixed together and into the baking pan.

My first observation? The dough wasn't very dark. I'm pretty sure I put more chocolate into the recipe than I was supposed to, and yet the dough still looked much lighter than a traditional (Boxed) brownie batter. But I stuck it in the oven anyway and hoped for the best.

The recipe also stated it needed to bake 25-30 minutes. Luckily I knew from previous experience that brownies need to bake much longer than cookies or even cakes.

However, what I was not prepared for was the fact that at 26 minutes in the oven, the brownies were still completely raw in the center! Usually my oven runs hot so this made me only a little nervous.

As you can see, it took me four total tries of poking the brownies with a fork before I finally got the indication they were done.

(For those unaware of the fork technique, you can tell when brownies are fully cooked by sticking a fork or other sharp object into the batter. If the fork comes out clean, they're done! If the fork comes out and the batter sticks or is still runny, then it needs to keep cooking).

It ended up taking my brownies just over forty minutes to bake fully in the oven. The recipe then said to let them cool completely before removing them from the pan, so I waited another forty minutes.

At this point I found myself frowning at my creation. They definitely do not look like the traditional brownie we expect today. And unfortunately for me, this was one of the recipes that Dylan neglected to include a photo of in the cookbook. I also tried to do a quick Google Image search of "Fannie Farmer Pioneer Brownies." Half of the results looked similar to mine (a good sign!) but the other half looked like the darker brownies I'm used to.

As for the taste, well, they definitely taste more like vanilla than chocolate--to the point I'm left with a bit of a vanilla aftertaste after taking a bite. They're still good! I think they're very tasty, and they have the typical brownie consistency and texture as well. These brownies have a crinkly and flaky top, as well as a chewy/fudgy texture underneath. They just don't taste like brownies!

Maybe I messed the recipe up, or maybe Mrs. Farmer didn't think brownies needed to taste like chocolate. My mom asked me if this treat is actually supposed to be a "Blondie" since they are so much lighter and taste more like vanilla, but you would think Dylan would have mentioned that in his cookbook...

I honestly have no idea if I made this one right or not. But it was fun to try something new! I'll include the recipe below in case you want to try it yourself--and if you do, let me know your results!

(Editor's Note--uh, this is kind of embarrassing but when I got the book back out to type out the recipe I realized what I did wrong. This is the first time I've ever made brownies from scratch, and also the first time I've ever made a recipe that uses ounces and grams as part of the method. I definitely...definitely got the ounces to grams part on the chocolate confused. I just realized I only used half of the amount of chocolate I was supposed to...uh...my bad! Things are definitely making more sense now...So, definitely make sure you use the full amount of chocolate required. OR use half and enjoy a brownie texture with a vanilla flavor like I managed to do. Whoops! You live and you learn, right?)

Pioneer Brownies, a Fannie Farmer Recipe, from Dylan Hollis's Baking Yesteryear.

Prep Time: 15 Minutes (It probably took me closer to 20)

Cook Time: 30 Minutes (or 40, depending on the oven apparently!)

Ingredients:

2 Cups (400g) granulated sugar

1/2 Cup (115g) butter, melted

2 large eggs

4oz (113g), unsweetened chocolate, melted

2 tsp vanilla

1 cup (140g) all-purpose flour

1 cup (115g) chopped walnuts

Method:

1: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (or 165 degrees C)

2: Line a 9x13 inch (23x33cm) pan with parchment paper, if your paper doesn't cover the entire pan, grease the sides not covered

3: Beat together the sugar and butter

4: Whisk in the eggs one at a time, beating smooth after each addition

5: Whisk in the chocolate, and then the vanilla

6: Fold in the flour, and then fold in the walnuts

7: Turn the batter into the parchment-lined pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes

8: All the brownies to cool completely in the pan, then remove the brownies by grasping the sides of the parchment. Cut into bars and serve

I Did a Thing (My ASU Graduation)

Posted on June 2, 2023 by nickssquire12

In May of 2023, I graduated from Arizona State University's College of Interdisciplinary Sciences and Arts (better known as CISA by those associated with ASU). I majored in History and minored in English.

Graduation itself went fairly smoothly, unlike my actual college experience. Unfortunately for me and my family, it took place at 9 AM on the Thursday morning leading up to Mother's Day week here in the United States. Also, the ceremony took place at Desert Financial Arena on the ASU Tempe campus. Graduation was the first, and hopefully last, time I ever set foot on ASU's Tempe campus.

I managed to sneak across the stage my friend, Flat Russell. Flat Russell is a representation of my prison-pen-pal (its a long story!) Russell. Since Russell can't get out and travel himself, I take him along with me on various adventures. Since Russell might not ever have a graduation ceremony of his own, I decided to take him with me.

As I mentioned, my ASU journey was...interesting to say the least. During my five semesters at the university, I had many headaches, horrible teachers, incredibly dimwitted fellow classmates, and many assignments that made me grab my temples and attempt to not scream at the top of my lungs.

My saving grace was my professor for my capstone class, HST495, Methods of Historical Inquiry. Dr. Eric Nystrom is one of the few reasons I actually managed to graduate with my sanity intact. His reviews on Rate My Professor are mixed, but that's because he also teaches History of Engineering, and let's be honest, not many engineers are probably in any way interested in the history aspect of their field. So I don't blame him for the less than favorable reviews.

If you are an ASU student and are a history major/minor, or are wanting to become a social studies teacher, I highly recommend taking a class from Dr. Nystrom. I spent five years in college overall (starting at Mesa Community College, part of the Maricopa Community College network in December of 2017), and through all of those long semesters and classes, Dr. Nystrom was the only history professor I had who actually seemed interested in the field and willing to help his students succeed both in the classroom and beyond.

Because of the bad-timing of the graduation ceremony itself, a lot of my family was unable to attend the ceremony because they had to work (understandably so! Seriously, 9 AM on a Thursday?!). Anyway, my dad, his girlfriend, my boyfriend, his mom, and my maternal grandmother all came to support me at the stadium itself, while other members of my family watched on the ASU livestream video. Here I am with my dad--buying the hat was my mom's idea but my dad was nice enough to pose for me with it on!

After the ceremony was over, and I got a few photos with my professor and family, I raced to get to work to help out my mom at our family's flower shop. Later that evening, once the craziness from Mother's Day had calmed down, I posed with my mom for a few photos by our newly rebuilt fountain in front of the flower shop. I am holding my ASU diploma envelope behind my mom's head to display her "Grad Mom" head-boppers!

After the Mother's Day madness had ended, my family took me out to celebrate at our favorite restaurant, The Old Spaghetti Factory. That was when my boyfriend and I finally got a chance to pose for some photos as well since we had forgotten to on the graduation day itself.

My boyfriend prefers his internet anonymity, and so I have decided to cover his face and refrain from naming him in case you are wondering.

Also, my knee has been swollen for six weeks now and the green KT tape helps support it--in case you are wondering about that!

My mom bought me a set of "2023 Grad" head-boppers, and my boyfriend's mom also gave me a smaller head-bopper that says "Grad" on a more-standard looking graduation cap. Both are able to be layered and you can bet I wore them at work for a few days after graduation to continue the celebration!

(I apologize for misspelling Jamie Fraser's name...I blame autocorrect.)

In case some of you are unaware, before I met my boyfriend I purchased a life-size cardboard cutout of the Outlander character Jamie Fraser and claimed he was my "boyfriend."

I was very upfront about Jamie's presence when my actual boyfriend and I started dating, and Jamie has continued to stand guard in my room ever since. After the graduation festivities came to an end, I didn't really know what to do with my cap, gown, and other graduation-related items I had been gifted, including a balloon from my friend Ronda!

Anyway, since I didn't want the balloon to escape my room and scare my brother down the hall, I decided to be-deck Jamie with all my stuff and make him an ASU grad. I think its a good look for him.

So friends, seeing as I got an email from ASU yesterday letting me know my diploma is officially in the mail and on its way, I figured it was time to announce my graduation and make it clear that I am technically now an *actual* historian, whatever that means anyway. I have no idea what the future holds, but my college career is officially over...until I recoup my savings and go back for my masters in any case.

I will never return to ASU, I have heard nothing but bad things about their history masters program, and also my actual experience at ASU (sans Dr. Nystrom) was ATROCIOUS to say the least. Even though I had a high enough GPA to technically graduate with honors, I was told that I was ineligible because I was two-credits short of the minimum to wear honor cords to graduation. And yet, when I received my email confirmation that my diploma was in the mail, I was informed I graduated summa cum laude--so really I have no idea what is going on, and I graduated already! It really was that bad...

One day I will be selecting another school to go for my masters, but that will be far in the future. I would love to eventually earn a PhD, in part because I would love to have that distinction and also in part to honor my paternal grandmother, who graduated from ASU with her PhD in 1989. She passed away just over ten years later, a day before I was born.

Framed fuzzy photo of Helen in cap and gown

In the meantime, I will continue to work at my family's flower shop, and am also in the process of becoming a licensed substitute teacher in my home state of Arizona. Hopefully I will also be able to one day publish my final project for ASU, a short-history of the floral industry in Arizona, that incorporated standard print sources as well as interviews with some of the men and women who have been involved in the industry for decades.

As I proudly displayed on my graduation announcements, The Best is Yet to Come. Who knows what the future holds? All I know is, I have many many many more stories to share with the world, and I am happy that I will finally have more time to share those stories again.

Thank you to my readers and supporters who have followed my website since the beginning, or have joined along the way. Continue reading and learning! And if you have any stories you think should be shared on this site, send me an email and I'll add them to the list!

Thanks again everyone,

-Zoë, the Slightly-Less Exasperated Historian

I Spent an Evening with Dr. Zahi Hawass (Kind of Anyway!)

Posted on June 2, 2023 by nickssquire12

On 2 May 2023, my mother and I attended the first stop of Dr. Zahi Hawass's North American lecture series, "An Evening with Dr. Zahi Hawass."

During Dr. Hawass's lecture, he spoke on many upcoming digs and excavations happening in Egypt this coming fall. He was most excited about new research into the Great Pyramids at Giza, as well as trying to discover the lost tomb of Nefertiti.

Dr. Hawass also made sure to include plenty of jokes along the way to break up the serious nature of the talk. In the beginning of his program, Dr. Hawass made light of the History Channel's attempts to claim aliens built the pyramids. According to Dr. Hawass, neither aliens or Elon Musk were responsible for the creation of the Giza Pyramids, despite what some would have you believe!

Dr. Hawass and his team were also selling books as part of the lecture tour. He was selling the two books shown above, Secret Egypt and Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh, the Centennial Celebration. Were they overpriced? Of course, but are they also both really cool? Most definitely.

Secret Egypt is a travel guide to all of the best archaeological sites, restaurants, hotels, and so-on across Egypt that Dr. Hawass recommends. This book is part of the push to get more people to visit Egypt as part of the traveling tours Dr. Hawass is now a part of via the company Archaeological Paths.

The book on Tutankhamun is very large and has many glossy photos, which makes the high price worth it to book collectors like myself.

I really enjoyed this lecture by Dr. Hawass. To most people, who are not as well-versed in Egyptian Dynastic history like I am, they probably got lost a time or two as Dr. Hawass raced through several different topics and subjects during his hour and a half talk. At the end of the lecture, Dr. Hawass had time for questions and also did a book signing (which I did not hang around for because it was getting late and was an over-half-an-hour drive home for me on a Tuesday).

Did I get to shake hands with my childhood hero? No. But being in the same room with him, surrounded by people who were also interested in learning more about Ancient Egypt was very exciting and made for a fun evening.

Thank you to my mom who bought us both the tickets to attend the event as part of my graduation presents from Arizona State University for my bachelors degree.

Giving Thanks and Credit Where It’s Due

Posted on October 15, 2022 by nickssquire12

Hey everyone!

If any of you are regular visitors to the site, you may have noticed some appearance changes in the past few months.

Some of you may also know that I am not an artist, by any means. The written word is my strong suit, and any time I am asked to do anything creative for an assignment for school or work or anything, my brain immediately freezes up and I go into panic mode. I thought I was going to be an artist, like my aunt Lynne in first grade. You know what happened? I had an assignment on the fennec fox and I ended up drawing a hideous looking creature--the artist dream went up in smoke.

Anyway! Back to the purpose of this post. As you may have noticed, the site has gone through some upgrades in the past few months, and this is all thanks to two local artists that I owe a million and one thanks to.

The first facelift we received a few months back was the integration of an actual logo for the first time since I launched the site in July of 2019. And by logo, I mean the simplistic but quite ingenious outline of my glasses you now see at the top of every page, as well as the thumbnail icon for individual tabs, save icons, and so on. I had been struggling with the idea for that particular thumbnail since I launched the site. The first few years (and yes, I cringe when I typed the word years), I was using an old photo of me as a baby. Not very professional by any means, and luckily now we have something much better! The logo was created by my wonderful boyfriend (who prefers his internet anonymity) and so he'll remain unnamed here, but still I wanted to say a massive thank you to him! <3

Now, the newest update we just launched last night. For the first few years, the home page of the site here had another family photo. I always wanted to replace it, but once again I struggled for years with what I wanted and, once I decided, how I would acquire whatever it was.

Again, I am not an artists by any means, so once I had the idea, I was lucky enough to be put in contact with another amazing, local artist named Duncan Robertson. You can find Duncan on his Instagram page here: duncan.art. Duncan has been a friend of my family for many years and after giving him the idea, he came back with this wonderful cartoon version of me!

And yes, in case you're wondering I do assume this very pose whenever I become particularly exasperated by something or other, which happens quite often.

After Duncan supplied the sketch, my boyfriend and I put our heads together to figure out how best to implement her on the front page of the website. After a few sets of trial and error, we eventually landed on the image you see now.

And in case you don't want to click back over there, you can view it below.

Yes, its wordy. Yes, its a little over the top. And yes, a few of the facts will probably piss off certain people who get offended by every little thing. But here's the thing--I am EXASPERATED for many reasons, and these are just six of those reasons. If one person reads these little fact bubbles and retains that knowledge, I'll be happy.

Hopefully more than one person will walk away remembering these women's names and will be able to implement that knowledge somehow. Or maybe they'll see the numbers of the women and realize just how many thousands of people have lived throughout human history, and how varied and complicated those lives can be.

Big things are coming in the future, and this was just the first step. Thank you for being readers or users, and hanging in there with me this far. I can't wait to see where the future takes us from here.

Thanks again to Mr. Anonymity (my boyfriend!) and Duncan Robertson. Please please please follow Duncan on Instagram and follow his artistic journey there--I'm sure he'll appreciate it!

Thanks again everyone.

Stay informed, stay interested, and keep reading.

-Zoë, The Exasperated Historian

Pinal Cemetery

Posted on July 15, 2022July 23, 2022 by nickssquire12

In July of 2022, my boyfriend and I planned a trip up to the White Mountains to take a well-deserved vacation. On the way, I asked if we could stop off at Pinal Cemetery (not to be confused with Historic Pinal Cemetery, which I previously visited and covered in a different blog post!)

So, why stop off at Pinal Cemetery? Well, what other reason did I need other than the Bandit Queen of Arizona herself is buried there?

But before we visit Pearl Hart's final resting place, let me take you on a short tour. The cover photo for this blog post is from Find a Grave, but all other photos shown here were taken by me on my quick jaunt around the graveyard.

Pinal Cemetery first opened in Central Heights (a small suburb of the historic city of Globe) and was operated by a local mortuary, but once the Spanish Flu struck the fledgling state in 1918, Gila County took over the operation and management of the cemetery in order to provide more burial accommodations for the flu's many victims.

However, the county did not care for the cemetery long, and it soon fell into disrepair. According to Globe Miami Times, "The property is no longer listed on tax rolls, so taxpayer money can’t be used to cut down the weeds, water trees and repair fences. And there have never been any maintenance funds set aside – as is mandated by state law when a cemetery is owned by a mortuary – because no mortuary owns it, and the law does not apply to fraternal/beneficial organizations."

Several times a year, volunteers like local members of the Elks Lodge and Boy Scouts come to the cemetery to support some clean up efforts, but nothing concrete has been done for the abandoned cemetery in many decades.

It was too hot to stay long (probably around 95 degrees Fahrenheit that afternoon), but I did notice one thing that made Pinal Cemetery unique--at least from other cemeteries I have visited so far.

At Pinal, every grave, or at least every few graves, is surrounded by a concrete berm of some sort. Some of the graves have concrete covering the entire face as well as around the sides, while others have the concrete as siding with open dirt on top to provide a sort of flower bed in the desert. Why this cemetery is laid out this way I do not know, but it did provide a hint of uniqueness among the desert landscape.

The other surprising thing about the cemetery is just how large it is. From the front gate looking in, you would think the cemetery only encompasses an area directly in front of you. But once inside, you realize the graves actually cover a sprawling hillside. To your left are graves going up the hill, to your right is a concrete jungle going slightly downhill. Towards the center the graves are either in the dirt or have lots of gravel covering.

Now, if you're visiting Pinal Cemetery in order to find Pearl Hart, the prospect might seem daunting when you first walk through those gates. However, I'm here to help you, because I felt the same way!

The easiest way to find Pearl is to pull up her Find a Grave profile (linked here) on your mobile device once you reach the cemetery. If you click the link on her profile that says "Show Map" (next to the name of the cemetery) your mapping system will bring you fairly close to her grave. Just keep in mind that she has the image of a burro with a cowboy and a cactus carved on the headstone and you'll find her fairly quickly, this is what I did! The image on her headstone is unique to the cemetery (at least from the graves I saw) and so it is much easier to look for the design rather than her name, which is a little worn by now.

If you don't have good enough cell signal to get the map to load it'll be a bit harder but still doable if you have enough time (and if you visit in the heat of the summer, remember to bring plenty of water to stay hydrated!!! As someone who has lived in Arizona most of my life I cannot stress the importance of water and staying hydrated in our heat enough. Please please please be careful when venturing outside in our summers!).

To find Pearl, once again keep in mind that her grave has that image of a burro (or possibly horse?) with a cowboy and a saguaro cactus. If you walk straight in through the front gates, her grave is on the right hand side in the middle of the area I dubbed the "concrete jungle" in my mind. It took me a few minutes of circling, but I did eventually find her. She is fairly close to the grave with the metal cross I showed a photo of earlier in this article.

Tah dah!! After only a few minutes of searching I found her, and I'm sure if you are ever in the area and want to look for her to visit you will too.

Thank you for taking this virtual tour of Pinal Cemetery. To learn more about the cemetery click here. I don't know when I'll get out of town and able to visit another historic graveyard, but when I do I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures and mental notes to blog about here.

And remember, if you're exploring the great state of Arizona at any time, but especially in the summer, it does not matter what part of the state you're visiting, please pack plenty of water. We crack jokes about it being a "Dry Heat" around these parts, but that saying is very true. Stay hydrated, stay happy, and keep learning. Thanks for reading!

Provo City, American Fork, and Sacajawea Cemeteries

Posted on June 27, 2021January 16, 2022 by nickssquire12

Over the past two days, my mother and I have visited three more cemeteries: Provo City (Provo, Utah), American Fork (American Fork, Utah), and Sacajawea (Fort Washakie, Wyoming--Located on the Wind River Reservation).

I wanted to visit each cemetery for a specific purpose; someone from my lists are buried in each one.

Provo City was first. This sleepy little cemetery is tucked away in the university town of Provo. When my mother and I visited, around five PM on a Saturday afternoon, only two other cars with other visitors were there with us. Provo is most well known today for being the home of Brigham Young University (BYU), and so of course the majority of folks who live, and have died, in the city are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Though not LDS (or more commonly known as Mormon) myself, my hometown is also largely populated by the LDS community and so their customs and iconography are familiar to me. My mother and I almost felt home when we saw the multitude of headstones engraved with an image of a temple; only in this case the majority of these grave markers showed the local LDS temple in Provo and not the one we are more familiar with--though there was one headstone in the Provo City Cemetery that showed the temple located in my hometown, so that was pretty cool.

With all that said, the person I most wanted to visit in Provo City Cemetery was Philo Farnsworth, the inventor of the all-electronic television and so much more. For a man who gave the world so much, his final resting place is fairly simple. Philo died in Salt Lake City, but is buried in Provo. The GPS coordinates listed on Find a Grave can be linked through Google Maps, and if you use that link you will get fairly close to his gravesite, but its not exact. In any case, my mother and I found Philo and his wife within a few minutes of arriving within the cemetery.

Provo City Cemetery is a good mix of different types of headstones and grave markers. Most traditional city cemeteries that are still allowing burials today have mostly flat along the ground or upright rectangular markers. Provo City does have a mix of these more traditional markers, but there was a variety of other sculptures and other works of art to designate a final resting spot within the cemetery as well. Here are a few of the more unique markers we spotted.

This grave was marked with a tall angel statue

This grave is marked with a millstone made by the deceased's husband in the 1800's

This grave marker is a simple boulder engraved with a name

This grave is adorned with a white statue to top it

This is the grave of one of Provo's early pioneers

If you're passing through Provo during daylight hours, I highly recommend stopping by the cemetery for a quick walk around. The graves each tell a story and the artwork is unique, as you can see. Sadly, there are quite a few graves for children and young adults--many of whom are from recent years.

Twenty to thirty minutes down the road is the American Fork Cemetery, located in American Fork, Utah.

Like Provo City, American Fork is a unique blend of more traditional and very distinctive headstones. When my mother and I visited around nine AM on a Sunday (at the end of June), the weather was cool and windy but still perfect for wandering a cemetery. I didn't take as many photos here because a lot of the more unique graves are newer and I didn't feel comfortable photographing the graves of people whose family are still around to visit them--if that makes sense.

In any case, I wanted to visit American Fork for one reason: to visit the grave of Utah's first female Congresswoman, Reva Beck Bosone. Reva's grave is very easy to find. Go through the cemetery's main entrance and drive near the back. Halfway between the second to last and last drivable rows, park your car on the right hand side of the road. Several of Reva's relatives are all buried together, and a headstone that reads "Beck" is plainly visible from your car. Reva's headstone faces away from the road, low to the ground, but again is easy to find.

Here are the few other photos I snapped at American Fork.

The cemetery hosts a large monument to the Pioneers of the area. Several of their stories are located on the standing plaques around the sides of the monument (shown here).

This large obelisk is a monument to the Chipman Family.

Another side of the Chipman Monument

The third side of the Chipman Monument

After leaving the American Fork Cemetery, my mother and I headed for Wyoming. Because we were visiting Utah on a Sunday, all of the museums and things we were planning on seeing in Ogden were closed. Well, hopefully we'll get a chance to visit again in the future.

In any case, a few hours into Wyoming we found the Sacajawea Cemetery in Fort Washakie, Wyoming. This cemetery is a still active graveyard on the Wind River Reservation, meaning those buried in the cemetery are tribal members. Because of that fact, as well as the fact that, once again, a majority of the graves are actually new and still visited often, I didn't take many photos of those graves. Instead, I trained my camera instead on the reason the majority of people visit the cemetery in the first place--the grave of famed Shoshone guide Sacagawea.

The monument to Sacagawea

Sacagawea's son Jean Baptiste is honored beside her

Now, in case you happen to be well versed in your history of Sacagawea, you may be vaguely remembering hearing at some point that the famed guide has two graves. If you remember hearing that, then you would be correct. The site my mother and I visited, in Wyoming, is the site Sacagawea's people claim is her burial site. According to their version of her story, Sacagawea left her French fur-trapping husband, moved away, married a Comanche man, and eventually made her way back to her people and her adopted son Bazil, before dying around the age of 100 in 1884. The woman who claimed to be Sacagawea is who is buried in this grave. But was she really?

The other version of the story is the one I, and most historians, believe today. According to the second story, Sacagawea died in 1812 soon after giving birth to her daughter Lizette. If this story is the correct one, than the second burial site for Sacagawea is located somewhere near where she died at Fort Mandan in South Dakota.

It makes sense that people would prefer the first story to be the accurate one; that the grave my mother and I saw today is where America's most famous Indigenous woman is buried after living a long and happy life. And who knows, maybe it really is the place where Sacagawea was laid to rest. To learn more, I have linked two articles from different sources at the bottom of this blog post.

As for the rest of the cemetery itself; its located on a hillside on an unmarked road, but once again Google Maps will take you straight to the graveyard. When my mother and I were there, about five or six other carloads of people were visiting as well, all of whom were clearly tourists.

View of the cemetery from the top of the hill

Also on the property is an old church building that has been moved from its original site, as well as informational placards for more information.

The old church building in the cemetery is marked with this placard

The only other marker I took a photo of is this memorial stone to two pioneers who were killed during a raid on their homestead.

The Sacajawea Cemetery is a few miles off of the main freeways, but is still an important place to visit for anyone interested in Native American or Western history of the United States. Please remember that this burial ground is still in use by the tribe today and that appropriate precautions should be taken. Be respectful and kind, and behave as you would hope others would behave near the graves of your own family members. This goes for Grand Canyon Pioneer, Provo City, and American Fork cemeteries as well. Even graveyards that are no longer actively burying folks should be regarded with respect and kindness befitting the dead.

That's all for this post folks. Thanks for taking the time to read! Hopefully we'll be stopping by some other cemeteries in Colorado and New Mexico on this trip so look out for those posts in the future as well.

Grand Canyon Pioneer Cemetery

Posted on June 25, 2021January 16, 2022 by nickssquire12

Tucked away from the road within Grand Canyon National Park is a small, tranquil graveyard that is open to the public, despite what Google will have you believe.

When my mother and I arrived at the park entrance today, we asked the ranger if the Pioneer Cemetery was in fact open to the public. The surprised ranger asked, "You mean the cemetery with the Shrine of the Angels?" When we said yes, that is in fact the place we were looking for, the ranger then asked if we were visiting anyone in particular. When we said no, that we just wanted to see the place, the polite ranger told us we were free to walk the grounds. When he asked if that's all we wanted to do in the park and we said yes, he seemed even more surprised. Then he handed us a map of the park and waved us through. Google brought us right to the parking lot attached to the cemetery, which lies adjacent to the Shrine of the Angels, which is used as a church for various congregations and religions today.

The cemetery closed to burials as of 2017, though there are a few newer graves within the boundaries of the graveyard today. Family members who have already purchased plots or are eligible to be buried alongside a spouse, parent, etc, are still allowed to be buried there.

The most surprising fact of the cemetery, to my mother and I in any case, was the high number of young individuals buried there. Some of the graves date back to the beginning of the twentieth century, when white settlers first began to move to the rim, but many of the graves are far newer. And many are for babies, children, or young adults who died in their twenties.

The word I would use to describe the place is tranquil. In the fifteen or so minutes we spent walking around, no one else joined us in the cemetery itself. Judging by the ranger's reaction when we entered the park, the cemetery itself doesn't receive a lot of traction or interest from visitors. However, I would highly recommend a stop for anyone already visiting the canyon, or anyone interested in visiting cemeteries like my mother and I. The headstones are all unique, so very different from the standard rectangles we see at our normal city cemeteries like where the majority of my family is buried.

Here are some photos of the burials within the cemetery.

This memorial was dedicated to the 128 souls lost during the collision of two planes over the canyon in 1956

Memorial to those lost during the mid-air collision of two flights over the canyon in 1956.

A double headstone for a couple united forever in death. Roy worked at the Canyon for many years, as did Edna. The Fred Harvey Company operated most of the buildings at the canyon for many years, and "Harvey Girls" were usually waitresses at the various restaurants and cafes around the canyon rims.

The Wilcox's have very intricate headstones that are separate but united by their familiarity. The stones are decorated with epitaphs on the front and engravings on the back.

Emery Kolb and his brother have often been considered the true pioneers of Grand Canyon tourist attraction and excavation work. Emery's headstone here, shared with his wife, is simple and located just inside the gates of the cemetery to the left. Unfortunately during our visit his grave marker was directly in line with a port-a-potty outside the cemetery gates.

This young man's headstone features a Marvin the Martian engraving

This poor soul was lost in the canyon for several years before his remains were identified and laid to rest in the cemetery. Several of his relatives are at rest nearby.

This headstone dates from 1928, one of the older markers in the cemetery

Another young man taken from this world too soon

These two graves are littered with a bed of pine cones on each

Ada's headstone claims she was the first white woman to raise a family on the canyon's rims

Another child taken too soon

This headstone dates from 1927

These two headstones are for a father and son buried side by side

As I mentioned above, the cemetery itself only takes about fifteen minutes to meander through. Whether or not you'll find a ranger willing to waive the fee to enter the park is a luck of the draw thing, but I was more than willing to pay the $35 single car entrance fee to visit the park. Of all the cemeteries we have visited so far, Grand Canyon Pioneer is the most tranquil and peaceful we have found yet.

Not enough visitors know about this place, but maybe that's secretly a good thing. The swarms of tourists who mob the rims of the canyon can be overwhelming at times, but the cemetery itself will always be there, waiting in the wings for those willing to find their way to it.

Tomorrow, my mother and I will continue on our road trip and head into the great state of Utah. It will be my first time visiting the state, and at the moment we plan on visiting two cemeteries tomorrow but we'll see if things go according to plan. My next cemetery update will likely be an amalgamation of the several stops we make throughout the state as opposed to focusing on one cemetery in particular. Until next morrow...

Boothill Graveyard

Posted on June 24, 2021January 16, 2022 by nickssquire12

Ah Boothill, the most famous of Arizona's "Wild West Cemeteries."

Boothill claims that title for various reasons, including its proximity to Tombstone, arguably Arizona's most famous "Wild West Town", as well as the fact that many well known individuals are buried within the confines of Boothill Graveyard itself.

My family (and by family this time I mean myself, my mom, my brother, and my mom's boyfriend) visited Boothill Memorial Day weekend in 2021. Boothill is definitely a tourist trap; the exact opposite of Historic Pinal, Adamsville, and Butte View (the historic cemeteries I have previously visited and blogged about here on this site). First of all, there's an entrance fee to get into Boothill (don't worry--its only a couple bucks and kids are free), but visitors are also given a pamphlet with an explanation of all individuals buried within the graveyard and a bit of information about each of them.

The Historian Outside the Entrance to Boothill

(In case you're wondering, the little dude I'm holding is "Flat Brandon"--its a long story and not really relevant to this blog post...so anyway moving on).

(PS, like my tank top? Its official merchandise from Caitlin Doughty's Etsy store--gotta represent the fact that one day we'll all be laid to rest somewhere, just like those in the graveyard).

The entrances to Boothill are well marked and Google Maps will bring you straight to it. Be warned, the parking lot is fairly small and you may have to park up the road and walk a ways on busy weekends like we had to.

Once inside the cemetery, the burials are laid out in neat rows on a small hillside. The graveyard is gravel, so I recommend wearing closed toes shoes with some sort of grip to them in order to avoid slipping and sliding!

Here are some photos of some of the more interesting graves within the confines of Boothill.

Here is the most famous gravesite within Boothill

The graves of the McLaury brothers and Billy Clanton, all of whom were killed in the infamous Gunfight at the OK Corral. These are the most visited and most famous burials within Boothill, and are tucked away in the corner, near the bottom of the burial portion of the hill.

This simple cross grave marker is labeled as one "S McFarland"

No relation to the man who created Family Guy, American Dad, The Orville, and more.

One of the wordier epitaphs in the graveyard

A man who was the victim of a lynch mob

(Please ignore Flat Brandon...)

China Mary was one of the better known Chinese citizens in Tombstone. Considered the Godfather of the Chinese community by some, China Mary was generous and gave back to her community; opening various businesses and protecting the less prosperous citizens in Tombstone.

One of the more modern looking headstones

Here is a view of how the cemetery is laid out near the bottom of the hill.

One of the more interesting aspects of Boothill Graveyard is the Jewish Memorial. Located at the very bottom of the hill, down a meandering path, travelers will find this tranquil moment to Jewish and "Indian" settlers. This area is set apart from the Gentile portion of the cemetery, but is the most intricate and well kept up portion of the entire graveyard. The entire area is fenced off, and in our short visit my family didn't see a way to get closer, so this photo was taken after zooming in on my camera for clarification.

Parked on the street, before entering the graveyard, is this old hearse. I had to get a few photos with it! My dream car would honestly be a hearse, and the captioning on this one is hilarious. With phrases like "Why go around half-dead when we can bury you for $49.50?" "I have been shot, robbed, burned, graffitied, and mistreated. 'Please' I'm almost there," "You furnish the bones, we'll furnish the stones," "When you get shot and before you are stiff, we'll be there in just a jiff!" and my personal favorite, "We'll be the last to let you down!" this little hearse adds to the overall atmosphere and fun of the graveyard.

Wandering around Boothill only takes about fifteen to twenty minutes for the casual viewer, a bit longer for those more interested, but its still a fun stop if you're touring historic graveyards.

My family had a great time in southern Arizona over the Memorial Day weekend. We visited the Queen Mine in Bisbee, Kartchner Caverns, did the Bisbee Ghost Tour come nightfall, jaunted around Kent's Tools in Tucson, and also toured the Titan Missile in Green Valley. But out of everything we saw that weekend, my personal favorite stop was Boothill.

And just because I want to post this but had nowhere else to put it on my website, check out this cool sign that now hangs in downtown Bisbee; erected for the centennial celebration of the Nineteenth Amendment to the US Constitution:

Did you know Arizona women won the right to vote in 1912, a full eight years before the federal government ratified the nineteenth amendment?

And that concludes our tour of Boothill Graveyard. I am heading out on a weeklong car trip starting tomorrow, so hopefully I'll have another historical post to add soon. Thanks for reading!