Printed in the Feb. 23, 2005 edition of the I.V. News February 15, 1841 was an important day in the history of Oregon. This was the day that Ewing Young died. We don’t usually commemorate death dates but there is no recorded birth date for Young, and his death had[Read More…]

Printed in the Jan. 26, 2005 edition of the I.V. News I have recently been asked several times why the Nifty Tidbits articles have not been in the newspaper as regularly as in the past. There are several different reasons but I can only explain one very clearly. I have[Read More…]

Printed in the Jan. 5, 2005 edition of the I.V. News In 1682 Robert La Salle, a Frenchman, traveled from the Great Lakes down the Mississippi River to its mouth and claimed all the land draining into the Mississippi for France. This region came to be known as Louisiana, named[Read More…]

Printed in the Oct. 20, 2004 edition of the I.V. News Snakes always seem to have a negative impact on peoples minds. From the beginning, according to the Bible, snakes have been in need of a good public relations expert. I will try to change some ideas about their importance.[Read More…]

Printed in the Oct. 6, 2004 edition of the I.V. News A few weeks ago, I was having a quiet, peaceful early morning walk around the town. On coming to a corner, I noticed a couple of scrub jays squawking and flying at an object on the ground by the[Read More…]

Printed in the Sept. 8, 2004 edition of the I.V. News A weed, as defined by Webster’s New World Dictionary. is any undesired, uncultivated plant that crowds out a crop or disfigures a lawn. It doesn’t indicate that weeds have to be ugly, toxic, or obnoxious. Some people think dandelions[Read More…]

Originally printed in the July 21, 2004 edition of the Illinois Valley News In August 1838 the United States Exploring Expedition sailed from Chesapeake Bay. Like the Lewis and Clark expedition, it was composed of military personnel as well as civilians. Unlike Lewis and Clark, the group contained several scientists[Read More…]

Originally printed in the June 23, 2004 edition of the Illinois Valley News This morning I had the opportunity to take an early morning walk through the Forks State Park. It was cool and quiet, that is if you ignore the constant rumbling coming from the highway. I could hear[Read More…]

Originally printed in the June 23, 2004 edition of the Illinois Valley News There are three dates coming up in the near future that will probably receive some attention from the publishers of magazines, newspapers and producers of educational television programs.Beginning in June 1962, The New Yorker magazine, began publishing[Read More…]

Originally printed in the April 7, 2004 edition of the Illinois Valley News In my reading about the early United States, I have occasionally come across the term “The Year Without a Summer.” This is usually used as part of the explanation why a family has moved out of the[Read More…]