What do you do when you run out of article ideas? You read this article and discover 50 places to look for writing inspiration. Whether you write product reviews, offer tips and ideas or you write research articles, you’ll catch something on this list to inspire your next Associated Content article.
Associated Content Article Inspiration Inside the Home
1 – Favorite Book – Take your favorite novel or book off the shelf. Read the cover again. Some idea may jump out at you. You could write an AC article about the author or do a book review.
2 – Photo Album – A photo album holds memories of special people and places. You could write an AC article about places you’ve visited or events captured in the photos.
3 – Cookbook – Browse through a cookbook and explore if anything reminds you of one of your have recipes. You could do a cookbook review or you could write an AC article about the benefits of eating sure foods.
4 – Indulgences – Sort through your collection of perfumes, candles, and bath indulgences. Do a product review or an AC article about using specific luxury items.
5 – Household Chores – As you do those ordinary household chores, think writing an AC article about cleaning tips, energy saving tips, or fresh household products.
6 – Family Events – When the family gathers for an event, why not interview an elder member about his or her life? You could write an AC article about particular family functions or about the family social unit.
7 – Holiday Celebrations – Let decorations inspire you. Write a how-to AC article on making a certain decoration, or write about gift or party ideas for specific holidays.
8 – Outdoor Chores – Mow the lawn, spread fertilizer, dig up garden space, hang the birdfeeder–any one of these outdoor chores could inspire an AC article.
9 – Purse or wallet – Look in your purse or wallet. Every scrap of paper, candy wrapper, or business card has some manufacture of AC article inspiration written all over it.
10 – Catalog – Before you throw out that stack of catalogs, flip through them and look at products. You could do a product review or you could write an AC article about manufacturing or recycling a particular product.
11 – News – Whether it’s on the Internet or television, new stories are hot topics. You could write a human interest article about people affected by a natural worry or a traumatic event. You could write an AC article about something related to a news story–something the story left out.
12 – Magazine – Have you noticed all the ads in magazines? You could analyze advertisements, the use of advertisements, persuasive techniques used to get you to lift, or you could write an AC article about marital bliss or lack thereof.
13 – Mail – You find e-mail and mail delivery. Let your mail and junk mail inspire you. You could write about e-mail viruses, mail theft, identity theft, loss of natural resources–there are so many ways to be inspired by mail.
14 – Radio – Turn your radio setting to a talk show, and let the talk show topics inspire a persuasive AC article.
15 – Television or DVD – Sitcoms, public broadcasting, infomercials, famous actors or directors, current movies, reality TV–there’s a wealth of inspiration to be found on your television.
16 – Neighborly Chat – Lean over the fence and chat with the neighbor. It might inspire you to write an AC article about acts of kindness, interpersonal conflict, barking dogs, parenting issues, or neighborhood crime.
17 – Home Delivery – Many business have home delivery. You could focus you next AC Article on a particular delivery service, or you could focus on the job itself.
Associated Content Article Inspiration Outside the Home
18 – Restaurant – A fast-food or sit-down restaurant offers lots of article possibilities. You could write an AC article about quality control, age of employees, food service, or menu selections.
19 – Public School – Teachers, students, educational practices, bussing, playgrounds, lunch programs–a public school provide lots of AC article inspiration.
20 – Nursing Home – Older and disabled people have many concerns. You could write and AC article about specific disabilities, health concerns, aging, or patient rights.
21 – Hospital – In hospitals you find a many inspirational topics for AC articles, from nursing to patient care. You also find volunteers, gift shops, surgery, therapy, covered parking, trauma, and natal care.
22 – Sports Events – A baseball game, basketball game, football game–major and minor sports events can offer up lots of AC article ideas. You could focus on the game itself or on players, umpires, or fans.
23 – Home Improvement Center – Home decoration, major appliances, plumbing, electrical, outdoor furniture and grills, indoor lighting–do you witness the possibilities for an AC article?
24 – Car Dealership – Car sales, new cars, blue book, mileage, trade-ins, registration, taxes, leasing, and automotive parts could inspire an AC article in a car dealership.
25 – Gym – Think of the article possibilities. You could write about personal training, expend equipment, weight management, or a whole host of health-related issues.
26 – Health Food Store – Diets, vitamins, minerals, health food, natural cures, home remedies–these are several of the topics that near to mind when you visit a health food store.
27 – College Campus – On a college campus you find people from all over the word and many walks of life. A campus library, bookstore, course catalog, career center, and testing services could also inspire an AC article.
28 – Farm – Life on a farm inspires writing. You could write an AC article about farmyard animals, ranching, machinery, crops, cost of production, supply and ask, or childhood memories of life lived in a rural setting.
29 – Office Supply Store – An office supply store could remind you of vaults and business safes, clerical work, waiting in line, typos, and miscommunication.
30 – Furniture Store – New furniture styles, classic designs, art history, manufacturing processes, different woods, plastics, and fabric–these topics are AC article material.
31 – Automotive Shop – Car repair, accidents, accident prevention, driving tips, detailing, automotive parts–so many AC article ideas could come to mind in an automotive shop.
32 – Doctor’s Office – The long wait, medical costs, insurance concerns, privacy issues, malpractice, health conditions–any one of these issues lends itself to an AC article.
33 – Construction Site – On a construction site, you could be reminded of housing prices, lumber, natural resources, blue-collar workers, unions, the economy, safety, and a whole host of other possible AC article ideas.
34 – Courthouse – The jail, courtrooms, judicial system, police, criminal justice system, legal system, contracts, and fraud are some of the things that could come to mind at a courthouse.
35 – City Park – Walking the dog, playground equipment, feeding the ducks, fireworks, community events–these things happen in the city park.
36 – Supermarket – Go up and down the aisles of any grocery store and you see trucked-in items, high grocery prices, food additives, organic claims, and a paper or plastic choice at the check out.
37 – Church Sermon – Sunday’s sermon is loaded with possibilities for an AC article. You could do a deeper survey on a Bible verse, a church-related article, or a church history article.
38 – Airport – Sit in an airport and watch people walk by. Watch the planes taking off and landing. Watch people accumulate their luggage or summon a taxi. Transportation and travel AC article ideas could easily come to mind.
39 – City Bus – Read the writing on the outside of the bus. Take a ride on a city bus. Observe people and note bus stops. Consider transportation costs and savings. You could write an AC article about recession-related issues that are obvious on a city bus.
40 – Country Fair – Cooking tips, sewing tips, livestock tips, carnivals, and rodeos–there are so many angles for an AC article at a county fair.
41 – Veterinary Clinic – When you visit the vet, you’re salubrious to see dog and cat interaction, pet food, and pet meds. A vet clinic is one place that could inspires AC articles about domestic animals concerns.
42 – Zoo – For more exotic animal inspiration, you might want to visit a zoo. You could focus on a particular species or you could write an AC article about zoo visitors, maintenance, or public relations.
43 – Nursery – People are interested in plants and gardening. A nursery could inspire an AC article about assorted flowers, vegetable starts, fruit trees, fish ponds, or lawn decorations.
44 – Daycare – Childhood, parenting, arts-and-crafts, educational supplies, child protective services–these are honest a few of the AC article topics that could come to mind in a daycare center.
45 – Movie Theater – Movie reviews, celebrated people, games and arcades, dating, and movie rating are subjects that make for a great AC article.
46 – Reunion – A class reunion or family reunion could bring together long lost friends and relatives. It could also inspire you to write an AC article about old times, loyal friends, in-laws, aging, careers, or retirement.
47 – Work – Don’t rule out where you work. You could write an AC article about subjects you hear in the break room, or you could cover employee relationships, hiring practices, job hunting, layoffs, downsizing, or management.
48 – Parking – Cost of parking, parking lots, shopping carts, tickets, traffic, lack of parking, and handicapped parking are issues that could inspire an AC article.
49 – Beach – If you live advance the beach, take a leisurely walk and pick up shells. Let the water remind you of natural resources, shipping, busy lifestyles, fishing, or water sports. You could find much AC article inspiration at the beach.
50 – Camping – Pitch a tent, take a hike, hook a fish, or build a campfire; the camping experience could be just what it takes to unlock your writer’s block.
Find inspiration for your next Associated Voice article at any one of these 50 places. What are you waiting for? Go derive inspired!
Filed under Automotive Repair Insurance by on Mar 14th, 2011. Comment. 
Statehood:
Containing four distinct physiographical regions including the Mississippi Alluvial Plains Lowland in its bootheel-shaped southeastern fragment, a portion of the Interior Plains Central Lowland in its northern region, the Ozark Plateau in most of its southern share, and a portion of the Western Plains in its southwestern region, the Missouri Territory was acquired from France as part of the Louisiana Bewitch and became the 24th State on August 10, 1821.
Name:
Possessing the Sioux Indian name “missouris” meaning “wooden canoe people,” “he of the big canoe,” or “river of the big canoes,” and bordered by Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Tennessee, Missouri's name, often taken to mean “muddy water,” according to the Smithsonian Bureau of American Ethnology translates into “town of the large canoes,”
Native Americans:
Along with the Prehistoric Mississippian Moundbuilders other Native American Indian tribes that resided in the territory that became the State of Missouri included the Caddo, the Dakota, the Fox, the Illinois, the Iowa, the Kickapoo, the Missouri, the Omaha, the Osage, the Deleware, the Oto, the Sauk, the Shawnee, the Chickasaw, the Quapaw, the Hopewell, the Piakeshaw, the Blackfoot, the Chippawa, the Sioux, the Crow, the Cheyenne, the Shoshone, the Arapaho, the Winnebago, the Sac, the Potawatomi, the Cherokee, the Chickamauga, the Saponi, the Miami, the Wea, and the Peoria.
History:
The earliest known recorded use of the name “Missouri” was found on a 1673 arrangement drawn by the French Jesuit Missionary Explorer Jacques Marquette.
The first immigrant villages established in the territory that became the Situation of Missouri were Fort de Chartres, Kaskaskia, Prairie du Rocher, and Fort Orleans, and the first European settlement in the territory, created in 1750, was Ste. Genevieve.
Spain acquired the Missouri Territory as part of Louisiana under the 1762 Treaty of Fountainebleau following Britian's defeat of France in the Seven Years War, and ceded it back to France in 1800, who realized they could not protect the territory from the United States and sold it as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Part of the Western Frontier, and a major cattle and agricultural region, Missouri was the home of several War of 1812 military forts including Fort Bellefontaine, Fort Osage, and Fort Cap au Gris. Missouri was also the site of many battles from that conflict including the May 24, 1815 Battle of the Sink Hole involving the Missouri Rangers and Sauk Indians led by Chief Black Hawk.
The March 28, 1857 Platte Remove added Atchison County, Andrew County, Buchanan County, Nodaway County, Platte County, and Holt County to Missouri's southern border.
During the California Gold Hasten Independence, Saint Louis, Saint Joseph, and Westport became considerable wagon train departure points for trips that took as long as six months to complete, making Missouri the “Gateway to the West,” which has been commemorated by the Gateway Arch in Saint Louis.
Important agricultural products of the State of Missouri have included tobacco, hemp, hogs, corn, sorgham, hay, rice, horses, turkeys, wine, and a famous breed of mules.
The May 10, 1861 Camp Jackson Affair, where Union forces killed twenty-eight citizens of Saint Louis, drew Missouri into the Civil War, and divided the Status between both sides, with Saint Louis becoming a major supply base for the Union Army.
Missouri was the third largest area of conflict during the Civil War with battles faught at Carthage, Wilson's Creek, Lexington, Pilot Knob, Saint Louis, Glasgow, Runt Blue, Byram's Ford, Independence, and Westport, as well as widespread guerilla warfare by such well known organizations as the Quantrill's Raiders, the Bloody Bill Anderson Gang, Jesse James, and the Bald Knobbers.
Major companies that originated in the State of Missouri include Hallmark Cards, the A.P. Green Fire Brick Company, the Booth Farms and Hatchery, that led to Clinton becoming famous as the “Baby Chick Capitol of the World,” the Anheuser and Company Bavarian Brewery, Anheuser Busch, the manufacturer of Budweiser, the most celebrated brand of beer in the world, the Pierce Petroleum Company, the Bass Pro Shops Sporting Goods Company, the Missouri Fur Company, and live Country Music performances in Branson.
Missouri has experienced several natural disasters including the December 16, 1811 New Madrid Earthquakes, the worst in United States history, the 1844 Substantial Flood of the Missouri and Upper Mississippi Rivers, severe blizzards, and destructive tornados.
Approximately ninety percent of the non-recycled lead supply of the United States is mined in Missouri, with barite, zinc, silver, timber, and limestone also heavily produced.
Since 1904, with the exceptions of 1956 and 2008, Missouri's results in the US Presidential Elections have accurately predicted the next President of the United States.
Missouri is known as a Border State between Southern and Midwestern cultures, and between the Eastern and Western United States, because Saint Louis has long been regarded as the “westernmost Eastern City,” and Kansas City as the “easternmost Western City,” of the Country.
Missouri Compromise:
Agreed to in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery sectors of the United States Congress regarding slavery in the Western Territories the Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north of the 36'30 North Parallel except in Missouri. The Missouri Compromise also allowed Maine to enter the Union as a Free State, thereby maintaining the balance of power between the two factions of the Country.
George Washington Carver National Monument:
Founded by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and located two miles west of Diamond, the first National Monument dedicated to an African-American preserves the 1881 Moses Carver House, the Carver Family Cemetary, a nature shuffle, a museum, two hundred and ten acres of woodlands and prairies, an interactive area, the boyhood home, and a statue of the famous Scientist, Educator, Botanist, and Inventor George Washington Carver as a young boy.
Harry S. Truman National Historic Site:
The Harry S. Truman National Historic Site preserves the Truman Family Farm in Grandview, the long time home of the thirty-third President of the United States in Independence, the homes of Truman's two brothers, favorite Aunt, and several cousins, the Truman Presidential Library, the Harry S. Truman Historic District, a smokehouse, the Grandview Post Office Truman turned into a garage, and other buildings.
Jefferson National Expansion Memorial:
Located in Saint Louis, and the starting point of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, a ninety-one acre park along the Mississippi River, possesses the Old Courthouse where the Dred Scott Slavery Case was debated, the Gateway Arch, and the Museum of Westward Expansion.
Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail:
The approximately 3700 mile long Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail from Wood River, Illinois to the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon commemorates the 1804 to 1806 expedition that explored the newly acquired Louisiana Purchase through the States of Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon.
Oregon National Historic Trail:
Traveling over more than two thousand miles of rough terrain from Independence, Missouri through Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon, with extensions into Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, and Washington, the historic wagon train route known as the Oregon National Historic Trail is the oldest Northern United States slump and played a major developmental role in the fur trade of the early 1800s.
Ozark National Scenic Riverways:
Protecting the Jacks Fork River and the Current River, two of America's clearest rivers, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways offer horseback riding, hiking, fishing, sightseeing, and canoeing opportunities to more than one million visitors a year, and are the home of some of the largest springs in the United States including the Montauk Springs, Cave Spring, Welch Spring, Round Spring, Ebb and Flow Spring, Pulltite Spring, Fire Hydrant Spring, and Blue Spring. The Ozark National Scenic Riverways also contain more than three hundred caves including the Devil's Well Sink, Jam-Up Cave, and the Round Spring Caverns.
Pony Insist National Historic Trail:
Famous for the advertisement “Wanted: young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred,” and headquartered at the Patee House in St. Joseph, Missouri, with mail carried by horseback riders who could not weigh more than 125 pounds, riding up to 75 miles a day between 157 relay stations spread approximately ten miles apart, the Pony Squawk, begun by the Leavenworth and Pike's Peak Mail Delivery Service, and operated from April 3, 1860 to October 1861, became the most direct means of communications between the Eastern and Western portions of the United States, with mail taking about ten days to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
Santa Fe National Historic Trail:
Covering more than twelve hundred miles of deserts, plains, and mountains, with its eastern end in Franklin, Missouri, the Santa Fe Trail was a major transportation, commercial, military, and international trade route through the Comanche and Apache Indian Territories that helped open up the southwestern United States and features such notable historic locations as the Arrow Rock Ferry Landing, the Aged Franklin town site where the first travelers on the Santa Fe Trail began their journeys, the Boone's Lick State Historic Site where Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone developed the salt business that shipped salt used to tan hides and preserve meat up the Missouri River, the Santa Fe Spring that supplied water to the early travelers along the Santa Fe Trail, the Arrow Rock Tavern, the oldest continuously operated restaurant west of the Mississippi River, Fort Osage, the westernmost fur trading factory in the United States fur factory system, the aged town of Wayne City, the National Frontier Trails Museum dedicated to the Santa Fe, Oregon, and California Trails, and the New Santa Fe Cemetary Trail Ruts on the boundary of the Indian Territory on Missouri's western edge made as wagon trains traveled the Trail.
Trail of Tears National Historic Trail:
Passing through Cape Girardeau County the Missouri section of the Hotfoot of Tears, the result of the 1830 President Andrew Jackson policy to forcibly remove approximately 16,000 members of five tribes of Chickasaw, Creek, Cherokee, Choctaw, and Seminole Indians to Oklahoma, features the Arcadia Valley Campground at Pilot Knob where fourteen hundred Cherokees camped along the Paddle, the Laughing Park field at Roubidoux Spring, the Maramec Spring Park and Mussey Iron Works, the first successful ironworks plant west of the Mississippi River, the 1247-acre Star City Ranch and Slouch segment, the Wire Road used to string telegraph lines, Civil War troop movements, and the Butterfield Overland Mail Stagecoach route, the Trail of Tears State Park arrive Jackson, where nine of the thirteen groups of Cherokees removed from their lands crossed the Mississippi River in the severe Winter conditions of 1838-1839, and the burial space of Nancy Bushyhead Hildebrand whose memorial marks the lost lives of all the Cherokees that died along the Trail,
Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site:
Known as White Haven, and containing the childhood home of Julia Dent Grant, as well as the plantation site of the Grant Estate, including the main house, slave quarters, and several outbuildings, the Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in Grantwood Village celebrates the military career, life, and Presidency of the 18th President of the United States.
Wilson's Creek National Battlefield:
Faught August 10, 1861 the Battle of Wilson's Creek, the first major engagement of the Civil War west of the Mississippi River, kept Missouri in the Union and features the Wilson's Creek Civil War Museum, a five mile long trail loop, the 1852 Ray House, a Confederate Field Hospital, and Bloody Hill.
Designate Twain National Forest:
Containing approximately one and a half million acres, in twenty-nine counties, the Trace Twain National Forest features the Glade Top Trail National Scenic Byway, Greer Spring, the largest spring on National Forest property, the Bell Mountain Wilderness with the highest mountain in the Saint Francois Mountain Range, the Rockpile Mountain Wilderness with a name taken from a circle of granite rock built by Prehistoric man, the Piney Creek Wilderness east of Cassville, the Hercules-Glades Wilderness, the oldest wilderness area in Missouri, with some of the most scenic country in the Midwestern portion of the United States, the Paddy Creek Wilderness with rugged and enthralling hiking trails, and the Irish Wilderness with Fiddler Spring and overlooks of the Eleven Point River.
State Parks:
Missouri is the home of eighty-three State Parks and Historic Sites including the Arrow Rock Location Historic Position that contains historic homes, the 1834 Huston Tavern restaurant, and an launch air museum, the Babler State Park in Wildwood with popular hiking trails, the Sam A. Baker State Park in the Saint Francois Mountains of the Ozarks, the Battle of Athens State Historic Site on the Des Moines River that commemorates the most northerly faught Civil War battle west of the Mississippi River, and the only one contested on the Iowa border, the Battle of Carthage State Historic Site near Joplin, won by the Confederate Missouri State Guard, that helped encourage recruitment for Southern regiments, the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, where the Battle of Hemp Bales consolidated Confederate control of the Missouri Valley, and also the site of the Second Battle of Lexington, another Confederate victory during the Missouri Expedition, the Bennett Spring State Park a popular flyfishing location arrive Lebanon, the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site that preserves the Kansas City home of the famous Muralist and Leader of the Regionalist Art Movement, the Big Lake State Park, Missouri's largest oxbow lake, the Titanic Oak Tree State Park in East Prairie that possesses some of the largest trees on United States farmland, the Mountainous Sugar Creek Position Park that protects the Elk River water system in the southwestern part of Missouri, the Bollinger Mill State Historic Site in Burfordville with the oldest Covered Bridge in the State, that predates the Civil War, the Nathan Boone Homestead State Historic Place at Ash Grove that preserves the home of Daniel Boone's youngest son, the Boone's Lick State Historic Site at Arrow Rock that protects the spring that provided water for Nathan and Daniel Morgan Boone's well-known salt mill, the Bothwell Lodge Residence Historic Site north of Sadalia that possesses the 1890 Stoneyridge Farm, the Castlewood State Park a popular trail hiking location on the Meramec River, the Clark's Hill/Norton State Historic Site near Jefferson City that possesses the Lewis and Clark campsite, the Confederate Memorial State Historic Site at Higginsville that protects the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri, the Crowder Plot Park near Trenton that features large-mouth bass fishing on Crowder Lake, the Cuivre River Site Park east of Troy with ten popular hiking trails, the Current River Set Park north of Eminence with many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, the Deutschheim State Historic Status in Hermann with many mid-eighteen hundreds German immigrant buildings, the Dillard Mill State Historic Station in Crawford County, the Governor Daniel Dunklin's Grave State Historic Site in Herculaneum, the Elephant Rocks State Park in the Saint Francois Mountains with Precambrian Period granite that resembles a train of pink circus elephants, the Felix Valle House State Historic Site in Ste. Genevieve that preserves an 1818 authentically stocked mercantile store, the Finger Lakes State Park at Columbia that features reclaimed strip mined land from the Mark Twain Coal Mine and more than seventy miles of off-road, motorcycle, ATV, and motocross trails, the First Missouri State Capitol Complex Historic Site in St. Charles, the Fort Davidson Status Historic Site where the September 27, 1864 Battle of Fort Davidson, the opening conflict of Price's Missouri Raid occurred, the General John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Location in LaClede that protects the home of the Leader of the American Expeditionary Forces of World War One, the Graham Cave State Park in Montgomery County that preserves a historically important Pre-Columbian Era archaeological site, the Grand Gulf State Park in Thayer with a forked canyon from a Prehistoric cave system and the largest natural bridge in Missouri, the Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Camdenton with many sinkholes, caves, and bluffs overlooking the Lake of the Ozarks, the Harry S. Truman Birthplace Dwelling Historic Station in Lamar, the Harry S. Truman Status Park, dam, and largest man-made lake in the State of Missouri, found between Warsaw and Clinton on the Osage River, the Hawn Site Park in Ste. Genevieve with popular State-Designated Natural Areas including the LaMotte Sandstone Barrens, Pickle Creek, Orchid Valley, and Botkin's Pine Woods, the Hunter-Dawson State Historic Area in Original Madrid, the Iliniwek Village State Historic Status in Clark County, the Jefferson Landing State Historic Site in Jefferson City featuring the Christopher Maus House, the Lohman's Landing Building, and the Union Hotel, the Jewell Cemetary State Historic Site in Columbia, the Johnson's Shut-Ins Dwelling Park on the East Fork Black River in the St. Francois Mountains with many cascades and a natural water park, the Edward and Pat Jones-Confluence Point Spot Park where the Missouri River and the Mississippi River meet north of the Saint Louis Arch, and where the Lewis and Clark Expedition began in 1804, the Katy Trails State Park along the Missouri River, one of the longest Rails-to-Trails right-of-ways in the United States, the Knob Noster State Park in Johnson County with reclaimed land that began as the Montserrat National Recreational Demonstration Area, the Lake of the Ozarks Place Park, the largest Space Park in Missouri, featuring more than eighty-five miles of shoreline, twelve hiking trails, the Ozark Caverns, and Anderson Hollow Cove, popularly known as Party Cove, that according to the New York Times newspaper, is the “oldest established permanent floating bacchanal festival in the Country,” the Lake Wappapello Residence Park in Wayne County, the Lewis and Clark State Park in Buchanan County, the Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site in Linn County, the Long Branch State Park in Macon County, the Impress Twain Birthplace State Historic Set and Mark Twain State Park in Monroe County, the Mastodon State Historic Archaeological and Paleontological Station in Imperial with the renowned Kimmswick Bone Bed and one of the most extensive Pleistocene Ice Age deposits in the United States, the Meramec State Park in Sullivan with hardwood forests, woodland glades, and more than forty caves, the Missouri Mines State Historic Residence in Park Hills with a mining and geological history museum featuring the Missouri Lead Belt Mining District, the Missouri State Capitol Complex and Missouri Situation Museum in Jefferson City, the Montauk State Park in Salem with celebrated trout fishing on the Current River headwaters, the Morris State Park in Dunklin County, the Onondaga Cave State Park in Leasburg, the Osage Village State Historic Plot in Vernon County that commemorates the Osage Indian Nation, the Pershing Position Park in Linn County, the Pomme de Terre State Park in Hickory County, the Prairie State Park in the Central Forest-Grasslands Transition Ecoregion of the Great Plains, the Roaring River State Park in Barry County, the Robertsville State Park in Franklin County, the Rock Bridge Memorial State Park south of Columbia, the Route 66 State Park in the outmoded town of Times Beach, the St. Francois Spot Park with the Pike Run Hills and Coonville Natural Area, the St. Joe State Park in Park Hills with the historic St. Joe Minerals mill building and a mining museum on the St. Francois Mountain flanks, the Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site in Saline County, the Scott Joplin House State Historic State in Saint Louis, the Stockton State Park, on a peninsula between the Big and Little Sac arms of Stockton Lake in Cedar County, with ancient burial mounds, campsites, and villages from several Prehistoric cultures, the Table Rock State Park in Stone and Taney Counties, the Taum Sauk Mountain State Park with the highest elevation point in Missouri and the Mina Sauk Falls, the State's tallest waterfall, the Thousand Hills State Park west of Kirksville with Native American Indian petroglyphs and the home of the Baker/McConnell Kids Fishing Tournament, the Towosahgy Location Historic Site with an extensive Mississippian Mound system that preserves a Woodland Period Baytown Culture, the Trail of Tears State Park in Cape Girardeau County commemorating the Cherokee Indians that died along the Go of Tears during their forced relocation to Oklahoma, the Union Covered Bridge State Historic Site in Monroe County that protects the 1871-built bridge across the Elk Fork of the Salt River, the Van Meter State Park in Saline County, in the Pinnacles bottomland area, with many old Native American Indian burial mounds, the Wakonda State Park in Lewis County, the Wallace State Park in Clinton County, the Washington State Park, with Native American Indian rock carvings, in central-eastern Missouri, the Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site in Lawson that possesses the buildings, machinery, and business records of the 1859-built Watkins Wool Mill, the Weston Bend State Park in Platte County, and the Roger Pryor Pioneer Backcountry in the Pioneer Forest with hiking trails, two wilderness areas, and four hundred year old trees.
Position Forests:
Missouri contains many State Forests including the Beal State Forest, the Blair Creek State Forest, the Bloom Creek Position Forest, the Cardareva State Forest, the Carrs Creek State Forest, the Clow Dwelling Forest, the Hartshorn State Forest, the Indian Creek State Forest, the Mule Mountain State Forest, the Powder Mill State Forest, and the Rocky Creek State Forest in Shannon County, the Bear Creek State Forest, the Coffin State Forest, the Flatwoods Church Position Forest, and the Osage Fork Space Forest in Laclede County, the Bluffwoods State Forest in Buchanan County, the Bozarth State Forest, the Deer Speed Set Forest, the Dickins Valley State Forest, the Graves Mountain State Forest, the Logan Creek Set Forest, the Paint Rock Dwelling Forest, the Riverside State Forest, and the Webb Creek State Forest in Reynolds County, the Castor River State Forest and the Club Creek Area Forest in Bollinger County, the Cedar Grove State Forest and the Indian Trail State Forest in Dent County, the Coldwater State Forest and the Poplar Bluff State Forest in Wayne County, the Elmslie Memorial State Forest in Marion County, the Eva Neely Davis Memorial Residence Forest in Andrew County, the Fourche Creek Position Forest in Ripley County, the Grand Stamp Space Forest in Harrison County, the Hackler Ford State Forest and the Lead Mine State Forest in Dallas County, the Huckleberry Ridge Position Forest in McDonald County, the Fiery Fork Area Forest in Camden County, the Lester R. Davis Memorial State Forest in Barton County, the Daniel Boone Memorial State Forest and the Little Lost Creek State Forest in Warren County, the Lone Star Tract State Forest in Pulaski County, the Poosey State Forest in Livingston County, the Painted Rock State Forest in Osage County, the Ruth and Paul Hennings State Forest in Taney County, the Sugar Creek State Forest in Adair County, the White River State Forest in Howell County, and the Wilhelmina State Forest in Dunklin County.
Lakes:
The largest lakes in the State of Missouri include Bull Shoals Lake in the Ozark Mountains that impounds the White River with one of the largest concrete dams in the United States, and contains hundreds of miles of coves and nineteen parks around its shorelines, the Lake of the Ozarks, the largest reservoir on the Osage River, that possesses more than 1150 miles of shorelines, Fellow Lake, the water source for the city of Springfield and one of the State's premiere Muskie fishing locations, Lake Taneycomo on the White River in the Ozark Mountains, a approved tourist destination for visitors to Branson and Rockaway Beach, the Mark Twain Lake on the Salt River southwest of Hannibal, with the town of Florida, the Author's birthplace, next to the lake, McDaniel Lake on the Tiny Sac River containing several varities of fish, Pomme de Terre Lake north of Springfield with a French name meaning “earth apple,” a type of potato, and more than one hundred and thirteen miles of shorelines, the five thousand acre Smithville Lake on the Platte River containing more than one hundred and seventy-five miles of shorelines, the “V”-shaped Stockton Lake that is surrounded by tree-covered hills and ranked among the Top Ten lakes in the United States for sailing, Table Rock Lake on the White River in the Ozark Mountains, a popular Branson area tourist destination, the Truman Reservoir, Missouri's largest man-made lake, Lake Springfield in Greene County, Norfolk Lake in the Ozark Mountains with secluded coves and popular sailing opportunities, Weatherby Lake arrive Kansas City, and Wappapello Lake in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains that was named after the Shawnee Indian Chief Wappepilese.
Rivers:
Major rivers located in the State of Missouri include the Missouri River, the Mississippi River, the Arkansas River, the Neosho River, the Elk River, the Flat Branch River, the Buffalo River, the Table Rock River, the Bass River, the Spring River, the Jacks Fork River, the Current River, the Eleven Point River, the White River, the Black River, the Cache River, the James River, the North Fork River, the Roaring River, the Bennetts River, the Little North Fork White River, the Kings River, the Little Sunless River, the St. Francis River, the Microscopic River, the Castor River, the Little St. Francis River, the Whitewater River, the Old River, the Meramec River, the Bourbeuse River, the Big River, the Little Bourbeuse River, the Little Meramec River, the River des Peres, the River aux Vases, the Loutre River, the Gasconade River, the Osage Fork River, the Maries River, the Niangua River, the South Grand River, the Tiny Maries River, the Little Niangua River, the Pomme de Terre River, the Sac River, the Tiny Pomme de Terre River, the Little Sac River, the North Dry Sac River, the Little Osage River, the South Dry Sac River, the Marmaton River, the Green River, the Moreau River, the Marais des Cygnes River, the Lamine River, the Blackwater River, the Little Chariton River, the Grand River, the Thompson River, the Weldon River, the Crooked River, the Fishing River, the Blue River, the Little Blue River, the Platte River, the Little Platte River, the Nodaway River, the One Hundred and Two River, the Big Tarkio River, the Nishnabotna River, the Cuivre River, the South River, the Salt River, the North River, the North Fabius River, the Wyaconda River, the Fabius River, the Itsy-bitsy Wyaconda River, the Middle Fabius River, the Fox River, the South Fabius River, the Little Fox River, the Des Moines River, and the Immense Piney River.
Mountains:
Major mountains found in the State of Missouri include Bell Mountain in the Potosi-Fredericktown region of the Mark Twain National Forest, the Ouachita Mountains, the Saint Francois Mountain Range featuring the Boston Mountains, Taum Sauk Mountain, Missouri's highest elevation point at 1772 feet tall, Pilot Knob Mountain, Hughes Mountain, Proffit Mountain, Goggin Mountain, Lead Hill Mountain, Clark Mountain, the highest isolated elevation point in the State at 1450 feet spacious, and Wildcat Mountain in Iron County.
Wildernesses:
Missouri contains eight wilderness areas including the Bell Mountain Wilderness that protects an old-growth oak-hickory forest, grassy glades, granite outcroppings, a variety of plant species, several gorges, and wildlife including white-tailed deer, turkeys, Pileated Woodpeckers, woodthrush, and ovenbirds, the Devil's Backbone Wilderness, supported by a long narrow ridge down its center, that is full of hickory, oak, shortleaf pine, red maple, and sassafras trees, several hollows, Blue Spring, Amber Spring, McGarr Spring, the North Fork Recreation Area, the McGarr Ridge Trail, the Collins Ridge Trail, deer, foxes, bobcats, coyotes, eagles, hawks, vultures, owls, skunks, squirrels, and snakes, the Hercules-Glades Wilderness with some of the most panaramic views of Missouri, forested knobs, steep rocky hills, several hollows, open grasslands, dogwoods, maples, eastern red cedars, roadrunners, quail, collared lizards, Pilot Knob, and Coy Bald, the Irish Wilderness, the State's largest wilderness area, with more than 16,277 acres of sinkholes, the Whites Creek Cave, overlooks of the Eleven Point National Scenic River, shortleaf pines, dogwoods, persimmons, Bliss Springs, Fiddler Spring, and a variety of Ozark wildlife, the Mingo Wilderness that possesses bottomland hardwood, tupelo, and Giant Cypress trees, Bald Eagles, Mississippi Flyway migrating waterfowl, otters, beavers, rolling hills, and Monoply Marsh, the Piney Creek Wilderness with wild growing strawberries and tomatoes, four hundred foot expansive ridges, many hollows, several springs, Table Rock Lake, sycamore, elm, ash, and buckeye trees, Great Blue Herons, armadillos, and the Pineview Tower Trail, the Rockpile Mountain Wilderness in the St. Francois Mountains, Missouri's smallest wilderness area, featuring an customary circular pile of granite rocks built by Prehistoric peoples, broken ridges, butternut, basswood, and Kentucky Coffee trees, five man-made ponds, backcountry exploring, and the Miniature Grass Mountain Ride, and the Paddy Creek Wilderness with a mixed hardwood forest, steep cliffs, many caves, distinctive rock formations, the Big Piney Trail, and the Roby Lake Recreation Area.
Ozarks:
Covering approximately 47,000 square miles, and known as the Ozarks Mountain Country, the Ozark Mountains, and the Ozark Plateau, the Ozarks are a dissected plateau highlands space of the central fragment of the United States that cover much of southern Missouri, part of northern Arkansas, extend into eastern Oklahoma, and the extreme section of southeastern Kansas, form a broad dome around the Saint Francois Mountain Range, and feature such well known areas as the Ozark Mountain Forests, the Springfield Plateau, the Salem Plateau, the Lake of the Ozarks, Truman Lake, the Buffalo National River, the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the Eleven Point National Wild and Scenic River, the Ozark Highlands Trail, the Ozark Lope, the Archaic Ozark Auto Trail, the Green Country rolling hills, the Carthage Underground marble quarries, the 1863-built USS Ozark Warship, the USS Arkansas Warship, and the USS Ozark World War Two Vehicle Landing Ship.
Attractions:
Popular Attractions found in the State of Missouri consists of the many Country Music, Dinner, and Variety Shows and theater venues Branson is world famous for including The Haygoods, the Dutton Family, the Hughes Brothers, the Great Country Music Hall, the Liverpool Legends Ultimate Beatles Experience, Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede Dinner Show, the Moe Bandy Theater, the Jim Stafford Theatre, Tony Roi's Elvis Experience, the Andy Williams Moon River Theater, the Baldknobbers Jamboree Show, the Mickey Gilley Theatre, the Motown Downtown Show, the Americana Theater, and the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre, other popular Attractions found in Missouri include the Buffalo River Zip Lines, the Hollywood Wax Museum, the Branson Scenic Railway, the Dinosaur Museum, the Branson Exhibition Center, the Wilderness Chapel, the Indian Creek Caverns, the Mud Cave, the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, the Butterfly Palace, Moonshine Beach, the Table Rock Dam, the White Water Park, the Silver Dollar City Theme Park, the World's Largest Toy Museum, the Veterans Memorial Museum of Branson, the Bonniebrook Historical Society and Kewpie Museum, the Shepherd of the Hills Fish Hatchery, nationally popular bass fishing on Table Rock Lake, the Marvel Cave, the Ride the Ducks Sightseeing Tour, the New Shanghai Circus and Acrobrats of China Show, the Branson Family Fun Factory, the Expansive Museum, the Pony Relate National Museum, the Society of Memories Doll Museum, the National Military Heritage Museum, the Jesse James House Museum, the Lazer Force Lazer Tag Zone, the Lake of the Ozarks, the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, the National Frontier Trails Museum, the Mark Twain Cave, the Mark Twain Boyhood Home and Museum, the Becky Thatcher House, the Optical Science Center and Museum, the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Statue, the Dickerson Park Zoo, the Discovery Center of Springfield, the Missouri Civil War Museum, the Lewis and Clark Center, the St. Charles Historic District, the Missouri Wall of Fame, the Cape Girardeau Conservation Nature Center, the Missouri State Capitol Complex, the Cole County Historical Museum, the Museum of Missouri Military History, the Six Flags St. Louis Theme Park, the Hidden Valley Ski Resort, the Route 66 State Park, the Reptile World Zoo, the Joplin History, Cookies, Science, Sports, and Dolls Museum Complex, the Sachs Butterfly House, a piece of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Move that travels through eleven States, the National World War One Museum, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Airline History Museum, the Harley Davidson Motorcycle Factory, the Kansas City Zoo, the College Basketball Experience, the International Money Museum, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the International House of Prayer, the Hallmark Greeting Cards Factory, the Kansas City Water Fountains, Union Station, the American Jazz Museum, the Missouri Town 1855 Replica, the Kaleidoscope Children's Museum, a portion of the Santa Fe Trail, the Kansas City Museum, the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, a portion of the Oregon Slouch, the State Ballet of Missouri, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Saint Louis Zoo, the Anheuser Busch Brewery Tours, the Gateway Arch, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, the Ulyssess S. Grant National Historic Site, the St. Louis Art Museum, the Museum of Transportation, the Museum of Westward Expansion, the Missouri History Museum, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial Park, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts, the Jefferson Barracks Historic Park, the Jasper's Antique Radio Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art, the Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, the Black World History Wax Museum, the St. Louis Walk of Fame, the Old Post Office and Customs House Historic Set, the Center of Contemporary Arts, the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, the St. Louis Federal Reserve Bank, the Talking Rocks Caverns, the Museum of Art and Archaeology, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home and Museum, the Historic Daniel Boone Home and Boonesfield Village, the Winston Churchill Memorial and Library, the Arrow Rock State Historic Site, the Jesse James Bank Museum, the Historic Aircraft Restoration Museum, the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, the Hunter Dawson State Historic Site, General Sweeny's Museum of Civil War History, the Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine, the Fort Davidson State Historic Set, the Onondaga Cave, the Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site, the American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog, the Wild Animal Safari, the Snow Creek Ski Area, the Fort Charrette Historic Village and Indian Trading Post, the Harry S. Truman Birthplace State Historic Site, the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park, the Iron Mountain Scenic Railway, the Jesse James Farm and Museum, the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site, the Mark Twain National Forest, the Bonne Terre Mine, the Blue Spring Geyser, the George Washington Carver National Monument, the Meramec Cavern, the Swan Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the Missouri Mines State Historic Site, the Battle of Lexington State Historic Site, the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the Lone Jack Battlefield Museum and Soldier's Cemetary, the Promised Land Zoo, the Ozark Caverns, the Stars and Stripes Museum, and the National Tiger Sanctuary.
Kansas City:
Founded in 1838 as Town of Kansas, and comprising more than three hundred and eighteen square miles in Clay, Cass, Jackson, and Platte Counties, Kansas City is located at the point where the Missouri and Kansas Rivers meet.
The Spanish and French controlled the region that became Kansas City until it was sold to the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
Incorporated March 28, 1863, and an important stop along the California, Santa Fe, and Oregon Trails, Kansas City was settled in the Westport Landing area along the Missouri River by the Kansas Town Company, who gave the city its name after the English spelling of the word “Cansez”.
Heavily divided over the issue of slavery in Kansas and Missouri upon their entries into the Union as Free States many Civil War battles were faught in the “Bleeding Kansas” area including the August 11, 1862 First Battle of Independence, the October 21-22, 1864 Second Battle of Independence, and the October 23, 1864 Battle of Westport that ended the last Confederate operation west of the Mississippi River in what has popularly become known as the “Gettysburg of the West”.
Possessing more than two hundred fountains, the second most of any city in the world, Kansas City is known as the City of Fountains.
Kansas City is regarded as the “Paris of the Plains” because it features more boulevards than any other city in the world except Paris, France.
Located close to the geographic center and the population center of the contiguous United States Kansas City is often referred to as the “Heart of America”.
The population of Town of Kansas exploded after 1869 when the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad bridge over the Missouri River opened and the town became known as Kansas City.
Possessing a Humid Continental climate, and laying in the “Tornado Alley” Region of the Country, Kansas City has experienced several devastating weather phenomenons including the Northeast Kansas Flood of 1951, the 1957 Rushkin Heights-Hickman Mills tornado, the 1982 Kansas City derecho windstorn, the July 27, 1993 Great Flood of Kansas City, the January 2002 Kansas City Ice Storm, the May 4, 2003 Kansas City tornadoes, and the Great Flood of June 22, 2008.
Famous for steaks and barbeque Kansas City contains 214 urban parks, the Cliff Drive State Scenic Byway, Swope Park, one of the largest city parks in the United States, and gambling casinos on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers.
Several Feature Movies and television programs have been filmed in the Kansas City area including The Delinquents, The Truman Show, Article 99, Kansas City, Paper Moon, In Cold Blood, Sometimes They Arrive Back, North Street, The Bruno Movie, and The Day After.
Major Corporations that have been headquartered in Kansas City include the Kansas City Southern Railway, Commerce BancShares Incorporated, the American Century Investments Company, the UMB Financial Corporation, the HNTB Architecture and Design Firm, the Burns and McDonnell Engineering Company, Novastar Financial Incorporated, the HOK Sports Company, the 360 Architecture Company, the Handmark Mobile Media Company, the Assurant Employee Benefits Insurance Products Company, the Boulevard Brewing Company, the Smith Electric Vehicles Manufacturing Corporation, the Andrews McMeel Universal Corporation, the Sprint Nextel Corporation, the AMC Theatres Company, the Applebees Restuarant Company, Garmin International Incorporated, the Seaboard Corporation, the Russell Stover Candies Corporation, Hallmark Cards Incorporated, Dairy Farmers of America Incorporated, the Black and Veatch Company, the Ferrellgas Company, the Long-Bell Lumber Company, the Sanafi-Aventis Drug Manufacturing Company, Marion Laboratories, the Ford Kansas City Assembly Plant, the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant, the Kansas City Non-Nuclear Components Plant, H&R Block, and the KC Masterpiece Barbeque Sauce Company.
Kansas City is the home of the extremely popular Kansas City Farmer's Market, the Country Club Plaza, the first US suburban shopping district for customers arriving by automobiles, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Kansas City Federal Reserve, and the Kansas City Animal Health Corridor.
Kansas City has hosted three National Presidential Conventions including the 1900 Democratic National Convention, the 1928 Republican National Convention, and the 1976 Republican National Convention.
Popular Kansas City Attractions include Kauffman Stadium, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the Kansas City Museum, the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Science City at Union Station, the Kansas City Zoo, the National World War One Museum at Liberty Memorial, the Steamboat Arabia Museum, the Airline History Museum, the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, the American Jazz Museum, the National Archives and Records Administration: Central Plains Region Facility, the Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic Site, the Shadowy Archives of Mid-America Research Center, the Kansas City Starlight Theatre, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, the Irish Museum and Cultural Center, the Kansas City Stockyards, the Kansas City Livestock Exchange Building, and Arrowhead Stadium.
Saint Louis:
Famous for the Gateway Arch, and the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, St. Louis was founded in 1764 south of the meeting spot of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers by Colonial French fur traders.
Seceding from St. Louis County on August 22, 1876 and becoming an Independent City, one that is not part of any other local government, St. Louis is known as the “Gateway to the West” because of its role in the westward expansion of the United States.
Incorporated December 9, 1822 St. Louis became the second largest US port and hosted the 1904 World's Graceful and the 1904 Olympic Games.
The many German breweries possessed by St. Louis, including such companies as the Falstaff Brewing Corporation, Anheuser-Busch, and the Lemp Brewery, helped define beer in the United States.
Originally explored by the French, who named it Louisiana, after King Louis XIV, the status that became St. Louis was a center for the Prehistoric Mississippian Mound Building culture, and the town is known as “Mound City” because of it.
St. Louis was established as the capitol of Upper Louisiana in 1765, and controlled by the Spanish and the French until 1803, when it was sold as piece of the Louisiana Grasp.
St. Louis was the home of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark as well as the starting point of their May 1804 Expedition to the Pacific Ocean.
A Rust Belt City St. Louis received the 2006 World Leadership Award for urban renewal.
St. Louis is the home of the Wainwright Building, one of the world's first skyscrapers.
The July 27, 1817 arrival of the Zebulon M. Pike began the Steamboat Era in St. Louis helping make the city a announce town and a approved inland port.
St. Louis contains more than one hundred city parks including Forest Park, one of the world's largest urban parks, the Missouri Botannical Garden, one of the world's leading botannical research centers, Tower Grove Park, one of the oldest walking parks in the United States, and Citigarden, an urban sculpture park with an urban gardens theme section, a river bluffs theme area, and a flood plains theme plot.
Major Corporations that have been located in St. Louis include the Graybar Electric Company, the Edward D. Jones Financial Services Company, the Scottrade Discount Retail Brokerage Firm, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Holdings Incoporated, the Emerson Electric Company, the Boeing Defense, Space, and Security Company, the Energizer Battery Company, the Sigh Scripts Pharmacy Benefits Company, the Charter Communications Company, the Monsanto Agricultural Biotechnology Corporation, the Purina Mills Animal Feeds Company, the Citigroup Incorporated Financial Services Company, the Wells Fargo Advisors Company, the MasterCard Worldwide Corporation, the Brown Shoe Company, the Curtiss-Wright Aircraft Company, the Success Automobile Manufacturing Company, the DaimlerChrysler Minivan Manufacturing Plant, and the DaimlerChrysler Truck Manufacturing Plant.
Popular St. Louis area Attractions include the St. Louis Art Museum, Forest Park, the Pulitzer Foundation for the Arts Building, the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, the Missouri History Museum, the Saint Louis Union Set, the Cathedral Basilica Saint Louis, the Basilica of St. Louis the King, the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, the Gateway Arch, the Saint Louis Zoo, the Municipal Theater, the oldest and largest outdoor musical theater in the United States, the St. Louis Science Center, the James S. McDonnell Planetarium, the Jewel Box Floral Conservatory, the Saint Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum, Busch Stadium, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, the starting point of Old Route 66, the Magic House City Museum, the Cahokia State Historic Site and Cahokia Mounds Museum, the Museum of Transportation, the Laumeier Sculpture Park, the Black World History Wax Museum, the Challenger Spacecraft Learning Center, Six Flags St. Louis, the World Bird Sanctuary, and the Tom Sawyer Paddlewheeler.
Springfield:
Incorporated in 1838 Springfield is known as the “Queen City of the Ozarks,” the “Cultural Center of the Ozarks,” the “Birthplace of Route 66,” and the “Gateway to the Ozarks”.
Founded by John Polk Campbell in 1829 Springfield possesses a portion of the Trail of Tears, the Old Wire Road, and the Budge of Tears National Historic Trail Auto Route.
Several Civil War battles were contested in the Springfield area including the August 10, 1861 Battle of Wilson's Creek, known as the “Bull Run of the West,” and won by the Confederacy, the October 25, 1861 First Battle of Springfield, the only Union victory in southwestern Missouri in 1861, the March 6-8, 1862 Battle of Pea Ridge in southwest Arkansas that gave the Union control of Missouri, and the January 8, 1862 Second Battle of Springfield that featured rare, for the Civil War, house-to-house and urban fighting.
The “rapidly arrangement” shootout dual between Wild Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt Junior on July 21, 1865, in the Springfield town square, helped begin the Wild West Period of the United States.
Major industries that have been located in Springfield include the railroads, education, health services, manufacturing, retail, hospitality, business services, and tourism.
Major Corporations that have been headquartered in Springfield include the Bass Pro Shops Company, the O'Reilly Auto Parts Company, the BKD Accounting Firm, and the John Q. Hammons Luxury Hotels and Resorts Corporation. Other major Corporations that have been located in Springfield include Kraft Foods Incorporated, the Solo Cup Company, the Regal Beloit Electric Motors Corporation, the Northrup Grumman Interconnect Technologies Corporation, the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company, and the St. Louis-San Fransisco Railroad Company.
Several popular television programs have originated from Springfield including the Ozark Jubilee hosted by Red Foley and featuring such Top Named Country Music Performers as Billy Walker, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, Porter Wagoner, Jean Shephard, and many more, the Five-Star Jubilee Country Music Variety Show, and the Talent Varieties Country Music Talent Show.
National Register of Historic Places sites found in Springfield include the Walnut Street Historic District, the Drury Stone Chapel, the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, the Springfield National Cemetary, the Landers Theatre, the Christ Episcopal Church, the Abou Ben Adhem Shrine Center, the Gillioz Theatre, and the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge.
Popular Springfield area Attractions include the Air and Military Museum of the Ozarks, the History Museum for Springfield-Greene County, the Riverbluff Cave, the Battle of Springfield Driving Tour, the Dickerson Park Zoo, the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, the Springfield Art Museum, the Creamery Arts Center, the Dr. Michael J. Clarke History Museum of Ozarks Scouting, the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center, and the Wild Bill Hickok-Davis Tutt Junior Shootout Site.
Independence:
Independence is known as the “Queen City of the Trails” because of being the departure point of the Oregon, California, and Santa Fe Trails.
Independence is the International Headquarters of many Latter Day Saints denominations, especially the Community of Christ, the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), and the Restoration Branches. Independence is also the home of that religion's New Jerusalem Temple.
Originally inhabited by Osage and Missouri Indians, and founded on March 29, 1827, Independence became an important Frontier town of the Old West.
Two minor Civil War battles were contested in the Independence area including the August 11, 1862 First Battle of Independence that allowed Confederate soldiers to control the town, and the Second Battle of Independence, faught on October 21 and 22, 1864 that began the decisive phase of the Confederate Missouri Campaign.
Independence was the birthplace and boyhood home of President Harry S. Truman and houses the Harry S. Truman National Historic Site and the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum.
Popular Independence area Attractions include the National Frontier Trails Museum and Interpretive Center, the Leila's Hair Museum, the Puppetry Arts Institute, the 1859 Jail and Marshal's Museum, the 1881-built Vaile Mansion, a thirty room house regarded as one of the best examples of Second Empire Victorian architecture in the United States, the Bingham Waggoner Estate, the Harry S. Truman Home, the Merrill J. Mattes Research Library and Archives, Independence Square, the Children's Peace Pavilion, and the Chicago and Alton Railroad Depot Transportation Museum.
Columbia:
Settled by the Prehistoric Mississippian Moundbuilding Culture of Native American Indians, and one of the most highly educated cities in the Country, Columbia is known as the “Athens of Missouri,” “CoMo,” and “College Town USA”.
Located along the Missouri River, between the Ozarks and the Northern Plains, and originally incorporated in 1818 as Smithton, then renamed Columbia in 1821, the city has been ranked by Money Magazine as their Second-Best Place To Live In The United States.
Claimed in 1678 for France by French Explorer Robert LaSalle, Lewis and Clark traveled by the area that became Columbia in 1803, and well-known Frontiersman Daniel Boone established a salt lick northwest of the city along the Booneslick Trail.
A Civil War Slave Place Missouri remained in the Union, and no battles were faught in Columbia, although nearby Centralia and Booneville saw much major actions including the First Battle of Booneville on June 17, 1861, the Second Battle of Boonville on September 13, 1861, Shelby's Mammoth Raid on October 11, 1863, the Centralia Massacre on September 23, 1864, the Battle of Centralia on September 27, 1864, and the Army of Missouri's Fourth Battle of Boonville on October 11, 1864.
Major industries that have been found in Columbia include higher education, research, business, health care, medicine, insurance, technology, stagecoach transportation for the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails, agriculture, and government.
Major Corporations that have been located in Columbia include the Shelter Insurance Corporation, the Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Company, the Situation Farm Insurance Operations Center, the Columbia Insurance Group Incorporated, the Slackers CDs and Games Company, the Port of Rocheport Trading Post, the Missouri Farmers Association Regional Agricultural Cooperative, the Missouri Farmers Association Oil Cooperative, Datastorm Technologies Incorporated, the Carfax Data Center, and MBS Textbook Exchange Incorporated.
Located along the Mississippi Flyway several species of wildlife make their homes in the Columbia area including urbanized coyotes, whitetail deer, Canadian Geese, Great Blue Herons, wild turkeys, Bald Eagles, cottontail rabbits, opossums, and a wide variety of birds.
Columbia contains four National Historic Districts including the East Campus Neighborhood, Downtown Columbia, the North Ninth Street Historic District, and the Francis Quadrangle, the historical center of the University of Missouri, with the 1893-built Jesse Hall Administration Building, the 1843-built Academic Hall's six columns, and the Memorial Union Community Center.
Popular Columbia region Attractions include the Missouri Theatre Center For The Arts, the True/False Film Festival, the Museum of Art and Archaeology, the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series, the Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival, the Minerals and Fossils Museum, the Boone Junction Village in Nifong Park, the Museum of Anthropology, the Walters-Boone County Historical Museum, the Boone County Fair, the Living Windows Festival, the Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, the Lake of the Woods Recreation Situation, the Alpine Park and Garden, the Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Garden and Nature Trail, the Boy Scouts of America Troop 101 Statue of Liberty Replica, and the World War One Liberty Memorial To The Fallen.
Series:
The United States Series I am writing here on associatedcontent.com provides an indepth look at all fifty States that make up this Broad Country of ours and their five largest cities.
The current list of Articles for the United States Series I have published to date include:
So This Is Sweet Home Alabama
Arkansas – People of the South Wind
Alaska – The Land of the Midnight Sun
Arizona – The Valley of the Sun
California – The Golden Gate, Earthquakes and Grizzly Bears
Colorful Colorado – The Rocky Mountains, Skiing, and High Technology
Connecticut – The Land of Steady Habits
Delaware – The Small Wonder
Florida – The Snowbirds R Us State
Georgia – Goobers, Peaches, and Buzzards
Hawaii – Luaus, Pineapples, and Beaches
Idaho – The Gem of the Mountains and Potatoes State
Illinois – Mining, Factories, and Labor Unions
Indiana – Land of Steel and Ducks
Iowa – The Ethanol and Food Capitol of the World
Bleeding Kansas America's Flattest State
Kentucky – The Land of Tomorrow
Louisiana – The Child of the Mississippi
Maine – Lobsters, Lighthouses, and Black Bears
Maryland – The “Oh Say Can You See” State
Massachusetts – The Cradle of Liberty
Michigan – The Automotive State
Minnesota – The Bread and Butter State
Mississippi – Where Cotton Was King
Comments from readers are always welcome so let me know what you think about these Articles.
Sources:
This Article was compiled from several websites that provide much more information about Missouri including:
visitkc.com, explorestlouis.com, springfieldmo.org, visitindependence.com, and gocolumbiamo.com
Filed under Automotive Business Insurance by on Mar 14th, 2011. Comment.
If you’re a middle-aged adult and you think your insurance premiums are too high, you must not have had to insure a teenager or young adult recently! Auto insurance rates have definitely skyrocketed, but especially so for teenage drivers. The fact is, for new and inexperienced drivers, the costs can be exorbitant!
The rates that are already excessive can increase even more for drivers who fall into a demographic group that insurance companies conception as high risk. One example of such a group is: young men between the ages of 16 and 21 years broken-down. They are actually considered to be the worst drivers, at least in terms of frequency of accidents, and quite frankly, the Insurance companies don’t concept teenage girls that much differently. It may seem discriminatory, but teenagers and young adult drivers just get a bad rap, all the way around!
To these young people, it might appear unfair, but the truth of the matter is, there are statistics that show that young drivers are more likely to be involved in an accident than any other group. Statistics such as these can be credited for the skyrocketing insurance premiums for teen and young adult drivers.
So what should you do if you’re a parent, or someone interested in purchasing auto insurance for a young driver, and what things can help to support your auto insurance costs lower?
If you’re reading this information, you probably have already purchased a vehicle for your teenage new driver, but if you haven’t, here are some things to keep in mind before you bewitch a car for a young person. Even if you are in a position to purchase a brand modern car, especially a muscle car, SUV, or high end car, like most young people want to drive. While money may or may not be a factor in your purchase, hold in mind, the type of vehicle is directly connected to the type of insurance rates you will be paying. That being said, let your teen drive a car that will not aid recklessness.
Since the insurance companies read the statistics, and make generalizations about types of drivers, generally speaking, if a teenager is driving a Chevy Corvette, they are more likely to speed and drive recklessly. The temptation to show off and perform illegal traffic maneuvers is stronger in this type of car, then something like a Ford Focus. Because the insurance companies realize this, the auto premiums for teenagers who drive sportier cars is going to be much higher than for those driving other kinds of vehicles. It is wise to keep this point in mind, regardless of what type of car you decide to buy. Doing so may place you thousands on the vehicle of choice, as well as on the monthly insurance premiums.
Compare Insurance Coverage
When shopping for automobile insurance, it is very considerable that you don’t simply stop at the first quote you get from an insurance company. For the best rate, it is necessary to shop around. One good ideal is to go with an experienced Licensed Broker. Because they work with multiple companies, they are in a better position to get you the best rates for your money. They actually do the shopping around for you, and they even have broker secrets that you will be able to monopolize on. In the long run, you could end up saving hundreds, and sometimes thousands of dollars.
Insurance Is Not Impartial Coverage
When it comes to insuring young drivers on the road, it goes beyond the kind of car they are driving, and the type of coverage they possess. It is also about (among other things) how they drive, who rides with them. Many young drivers end up grounded or with their licenses taken, through no direct fault of their own. This is because they failed to be mindful about certain driving related issues. To help your young driver stay on track, regularly communicate with them, and make sure they know and understand your rules and restrictions, when it comes to how they are allowed to drive, who they are allowed to drive, and where they are allowed to drive. Keeping these lines of communication initiate will help to insure your young person on the road. Unprejudiced think of it as additional coverage
How Much Coverage Is Really Necessary
If the economy is in a slump, people generally win ways to trim the beefy wherever they possibly can. Some expenses that are not really necessities may be reduced or eliminated altogether. While many things can be scaled down to accommodate a tight budget, should auto insurance be added to the long list of non essentials? When it comes to automobile coverage, just how much is really essential?
Most people mistakenly contemplate if they have liability auto coverage, at least that covers the basics. They are under the misguided impression that liability auto coverage will at least take care of the other driver if there’s ever an accident. In actuality, even if you have liability coverage, it may only partially cover the other vehicle and driver. That doesn’t necessarily take into account the complete amount of damage to their vehicle, or the total amount of passengers (if any) in the other vehicle. So getting objective liability auto insurance still may not be enough coverage!
For a more insight on the, topic, construct sure you have read Part 1 of this article. It discusses some Auto Insurance Strategies and some California Auto Insurance Laws.
Filed under Automotive Liability Insurance by on Feb 27th, 2011. Comment.
Ecotourism is described as tourism involving travel to areas of natural or ecological interest for the purpose of observing wildlife and learning about the environment. Ecotourism must do more than execute a series of activities to attract visitors, it must offer them an opportunity to interact with nature in a way that makes it possible to preserve or enhance the special qualities of the plot. With ecotourism becoming more common, how will it affect the environment? Will the growing popularity do more harm to the environment than good? This case view examines the impact of ecotourism on an area in Wyoming called ‘Jackson Hole.’ The areas of research involving Jackson Hole are ecotourism and the ski industry, the economy, and the impact of Hollywood.
Ecotourism and the Ski Industry
The history of Jackson Hole dates back over ten million years ago. In the article, “Creating the Cowboy State” the author writes about how the space of Wyoming became what it is today. “Wyo- ming offered grazing residence, timber, coal, iron, precious metals, marble, soda, oil-bearing shale, along with a “fine system of rail, stage and telegraph. Agriculture was also promising in 1877, but mining and stockraising calm claimed “the greatest attention”. Along with the ranches, farms, mines, and timber cutting, manufacturing and vital urban development were sure to come”(Knobloch, 17).It started out with puny hope of having a soaring economy because of the lack of factories, buildings, and people in the state. Today, Jackson Hole is a huge help to the economy of Wyoming along with Yellowstone National Park and the Tetons. The population of the Town of Jackson is currently 8,452. Jackson Hole is a frequent name for this station and refers to the entire valley. “Neighbors include Bridger Teton, the largest national forest in the lower 48 states; Yellowstone, the oldest national park in the world; and Grand Teton
National Park, home of the Tetons, reportedly the most photographed mountains in the world” (JHMR) did not know these mountains were the most photographed in the world!. Lewis and Clark were the first to write about their experience at Jackson Hole in 1803 and before then no written documents existed about the area. It was one of the last places to be settled in the west. Jackson Hole is named after David E. Jackson who was portion of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. The concern for Elk started a long time ago because many of them were starving so the people of Jackson Hole helped feed them. This is what began the National Elk Refuge and they help feed over 7,000 elk a year. The National Elk Refuge here is one of 548 National Wildlife Refuges all over the country managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An interesting fact about the Jackson elk herd is that they were used as a nucleus herd to restock other elk herds and elk reproduction across the country also consuming that there was a centralized population of elk used to replenish the rest of the country’s populations. In the early 1900′s people began making Jackson Hole a hiking, horseback riding, fishing, and hunting destination. The town is still said to have that “small town feeling”.
In 1929, the area started to become a tourist attraction. Jackson Hole is famous for its skiing resorts and it has the largest vertical rise, which is 4,139 feet above Teton Village. There are nearly 3,000 people who visit the area every year to join the activities that go on all year long. In 1966, the area got its first aerial tram at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR). Fresh studies have found that interruption by outdoor winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing is a cause of stress for wildlife.
The ski industry is sinister to the environment because it takes away trees, shrubs, grassy areas, and many other plants ski slopes are between the forest and still allows for the natural forest to grow around them, do they really severely affect the environment that much? Don’t golf courses do more damage to the environment than skiing? . It takes land, water, and other resources away from the wildlife that live in the area. Although, we can clearly sight it affects the wildlife we still do not have enough evidence to fully support the statement. This is a frightening idea for all wildlife, but especially intimidating for the endangered species. Not only do the actual activities affect the wildlife and landscaping but the other construction such as aerial trams and lodges are just as bad for taking over the land. “The construction of ski lifts has pro-foundly modified the landscape through total destruction, degradation and/or fragmentation of the original natural habitats” (Wipfet al.2005).
When people first arrive in the West looking forward to places like Jackson Hole and Yellowstone National Park they usually head straight to their lodge or resort usually by a shuttle or a taxi. For transportation into town the city of Jackson Hole has public transportation system that is cheap and easy to access. Although, the town of Jackson has free parking most people do not rent cars because of the plentiful amount of snow in the area and if driving to Teton Village has daytime parking charges. Jackson Hole not only has skiing and snowboarding activities but they also have several other winter activities to join in such as snowshoeing, dog sledding, snowmobiling, wildlife viewing, snow tubing, sleigh riding, cross-country skiing, ice skating, snow kite boarding, heli-skiing, Nordic skiing, get a massage, go shopping, YURT, or objective lay by the fireplace and relax.
In the article, “Of Growing Interest: How Green Is My Mountain? ” People are wondering if all of these places claiming to be “green” and eco-friendly really are or not. Many of the resorts and lodges still only expend things such as recycle bins to represent their eco-friendly map which are things that were from the infancy of our environmental awareness programs. “Members appear to be displaying free-riding behavior, expecting to improve their ‘green’ reputation without actually implementing it…” Studies show that these companies do not really demonstrate eco-friendly programs as noteworthy as they argue they do. Thomas M. Power, chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Montana, in Missoula basically says the fate of resorts lies in the hands of skiers themselves because whatever they want is ordered practically the same day. They are the people who have say in whether the industries change for the better or worse.
The National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) wrote a rebuttal in response to all of the criticism they were undergoing from environmentalist. They have to defend themselves in some way even if they are not doing all they can to help the environment. The NSAA writes that Jackson Hole Mountain Resort receives 10% of its electrical power usage through wind energy; this energy is used to power such things as chairlifts. They believe this is a befriend to the environment because the wind energy is tidy and helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In order to attend the vegetation in the area the NSAA has made a vegetation management conception which claims to be taking responsibility for reclaiming land in the region for native plant communities. I have been skiing to Colorado and Washington and both had locations that were closed for revegetation and they were very strict as to skiers going in these areas. There were workers that were actually parked near these areas preventing anyone from entering. So I do think that many of these places are responding to the criticism that they are receiving.”We will locate and seek to protect the habitats of rare plants contributing to the biodiversity of the Bridger Teton National Forest” (Vegetation Management Concept). They hope to manage the spread of harmful weeds in the ski area. JHMR is trying hard to become more eco-friendly when it comes to waste reduction. “We are replacing all of our toilet paper, paper towels, tissues and napkins with 100% recycled materials that have at least 15% post-consumer waste and are unbleached paper products. JHMR now has a community recycling center in Teton Village” (NSAA).
In the book “The Unbearable Whiteness of Skiing” by Annie Gilbert Coleman, she talks about how white people started skiing and are smooth the dominant speed of the sport. “Except for the manual labor workers and service employees, who are in many ways hidden from conception, the ski industry has crafted unusually “white” settings within the American West”. Minorities do not usually ski, but they do occupy jobs in the areas doing things to help clean up and operate the resorts. The whiteness of the sport has historical roots because the European immigrants were first to observe the west and during the winter they were reliant on skis to get things done in the community such as mail, doctors, ministers, and it was the people’s main way of transportation at the time. When ski advertisements for clothes, ski gear, and other things that occupy ski magazines such as Powder, Chill Factor, and Backcountry, the Untracked Experience. Whenever any of these national ski magazines display images they give the idea that only white people ski. None of these pictures have anything to do with people of different races or ethnicities except for white people. How about basketball? The sport began with predominantly white men playing and now the white men are the minority in the sport and most of the advertisements (actually, almost 100% of them) feature black males. I would say the same goes for basketball for black people. “Like many popular images in the 1950′s, ski industry advertisements featured blonde women and handsome white men achieving fulfillment through the purchase of a certain brand of ski, jacket, or package tour”. This makes sense considering the best skiers during the 1930′s had first learned to ski in Europe.
Not only does this sport have many issues with other races and ethnicities, but it has a lot to do with gender issues too. When skiing first came into play women still did not do anything too masculine. Once they started skiing the barrier between men and women in activities was broken. If a person was going to ski, then they were going to have to interact and associate with the opposite sex. Most people that participate in the West act as not only skiers, but tourists and consumers too. They do not realize that many of these concepts and things that go on there in our ski areas are things we learned mainly from European ski areas. The way the landscaping and lodges are presented, the clothing that is worn, and the atmosphere that is both physically and culturally different are all ideas from Europe to make people feel like they are really in the Alps. “Restaurant and hotel owners at western ski resorts also shouted their ethnic intentions. Names such as the Hotel St. Bernard, the Alpenhof, the Innsbruck Lodge…”
Hal Rothman has studied the impact of tourism on communities and he says it is like ”’killing the goose that laid the golden egg”’. Once something wonderful or extraordinary happens and others hear about it, then they all want a piece of it and somehow it gets ruined. The majority of people do not realize how detrimental their actions can be towards the environment. Although, it is natural to want to discover and experience as many things as possible in a lifetime, sometimes it has a negative effect on they way things turn out. The larger and more occupied of a place, the more damage that is done to the environment and wildlife habitat in the area. Everyone knows our everyday decisions affect our future, but it affects more than fair us. One must assume about our environment and if what he/she is doing is hurting or helping everyone around them.
Ecotourism and the Economy
Tourism of any kind needs to be profitable to exist. Ecotourism attempts to balance conservation and preservation with economic get. This section aims to provide examples of the trickle down effect different types of Ecotourism activities have had and continue to have on the city of Jackson Wyoming and the greater Teton county area commonly known as “Jackson Hole”. It is the intent to focus on those attractions that have had a positive impact on the environment as well as mixed impacts on the economy and those who are employed in that economy. The Teton Science School, Grand Teton National Forest and National Elk Refuge are three sites that have had gargantuan impacts not only on the environment with education and preservation but also on the local economy for employment and secondary spending such as retail and hospitality services. This contemplate will reply many economic questions: can ecotourism support a local population? What kinds of jobs are created? Do those jobs support local residents in a similar fashion enjoyed by the tourists themselves? What happens when tourists become permanent residents? In the end it hopes to evaluate if ecotourism is good or bad for Jackson Hole.
The Teton Science School in Kelly, Wyoming offers programs in environmental education for students from the third grade through graduate level. Established in 1967 it has evolved into four facilities with the main Kelly campus located inside Grand Teton National Park. There are residential and commuter programs creating “student tourists” who contribute to the local economy by way of tuition, lodging and local spending. The tuition in itself supports the economy as it in turn purchases local supplies and employs an educated labor force (Coupal 7). The school as a tourist site can be measured by the number of students coming from outside the local state and the amount of money that entered the economy from the school. Of the over eight thousand students who attended from 1997 to 1999 over 60% were from outside Teton County (Coupal 9). Yet the 40% of in county participants can suggest a community approval for the school. It is estimated that students spend on the average $544,530 in non-tuition related expenditures. The following shortened table provides a breakdown of those expenses for non-local students who lived off campus (Coupal 12).
Industry Non-resident Resident total
Trade 44,558 44,558 89,116
Eating/drinking 83,219 0.00 83,219
Lodging 176,923 0.00 176,923
Recreation 64,217 0.00 64,217
Imports 131,054 0.00 131,054
Total 499,971 44,558 544,530
The school generates fifty-four jobs with forty-five of those directly employed by the school, the rest are created by return investment in the local economy (U.S Department of Commerce). By this assessment the Teton Science School may not be an employer in grand numbers but it directly supports the local economy in tourist/student cash flow.
The Grand Teton National Forrest and National Elk Refuge scheme large numbers of Eco-minded tourists each year. Hunters in particular, as regular visitors spend large amounts of money. Hunters as a group as opposed to other types of tourists tend to have a single purpose in their trips. The U.S. Geological Survey asked hunters to complete a survey of just what they spent and in what industries so they may better manage the hunt areas and apply feedback as to the economic impact of hunting. Of the over 2000 surveys returned over half were from non-residents. The results showed local hunters spending on the average $338, non-local but state resident $402 and non-state residents $1,382. The services patronized included car and horse rental, guides, horse and human food, lodging, outfitting, game processing and taxidermy. It did not include fees for hunting licenses which averaged $37 for residents and $387 for non-residents (Koontz 6). While the amount of spending by non-residents is substantially higher, the number of actual trips taken by locals was greater. The average number of trips taken by local residents was 10.4, non-local residents 2.6 and non-residents 1.7 for Grand Teton National Forrest alone (Koontz 12).
The impact local hunters have had on the economy needs to be evaluated using only those hunters who are not of the local populace. It is the injection of unique money into the economy that determines growth by tourism. The observe estimates the impact of hunters to have direct results. Per every 100 hunters and average of 2.08 jobs with salary of $39,067 each is created for Grand Teton National Forrest and 1.20 jobs with a salary of 23,650 for the National Elk Refuge (Koontz 13). Also based on this eye it was estimated that hunters in both areas of Teton County not only had an impact on the area but the state of Wyoming as they traveled on their way to the hunting grounds. It was determined that an estimated 60 jobs with a total income of $1,055,700 was created by hunters in Grand Teton alone, while the National Elk Refuge brought in 6 jobs and an income of $111,852. The economic impact of hunters can be seen as rather small compared to other forms of tourism (Koontz 16).
An additional survey was performed in 2004 of visitors to both parks. It questioned not only age and income statistics but the activities in which they choose to participate. The survey was taken of tourists who first choose the Sleigh ride as the primary activity and then choose other activities to complete their visit. The results were as follows:
Activity Percent also participated
Hiking 70.0%
Picnicking 47%
Pleasure driving 70%
Sightseeing 93%
Bird watching 5.6%
Horseback riding 0.7%
Snowshoeing 9.3%
Snowmobiling 26%
Snow Skiing 47.8%
Bison viewing 24%
Elk viewing 82%
Wildlife museum 58%
This was taken from a sample of 457 visitors. It also determined that the average tourist was willing to drive more than 500 miles and usually stayed at least four days (Loomis 12). Researchers used this study to determine if the number of tourists would change if there were changes made to the management of elk and bison herds. The questions posed were dependent upon tourists’ willingness to change their favorite activities or substitute an activity for an absent one. In particular was the feeding of the elk and bison. As this was a long favorite of tourists, how noteworthy economic impact would it have if it were taken over or reduced by park management? It was determined that the average non-resident who came with the primary goal of sleigh ride with feeding spent an average of $149.00 a day per person on personal services such as food, park fees, shopping and lodging (Loomis 26). The result of the explore showed that reducing the number of feedings would affect the number of tourist visits whose necessary aim included the feeding sessions. This example directly shows the impact ecotourist activities have on the economy.
Ecotourism has proven to have a positive impact on bringing tourist dollars to Jackson Hole but what about the people that provide the services required to make the vacations not only memorable but possible? Also, what of the tourists that choose to become permanent residents? The changes to the local population by tourism and inbound migration are often long reaching. High tourist areas attract different types of people, for this study they will be divided into three basic groups: Under 30 years of age, 30 to pre-retirement and retirees.
Most of the youngest group is what fills the lower paid, less skilled service industries. They are often temporary or seasonal befriend with no long term commitment to the station (Johnson 28). Modern community statistics show that over 75% of the population earns less than $60K a year with an average real-estate listing price of $1, 785,900 for 2008. While this average home price appears quite high in relation to the average income the lowest price offering found was a one bedroom/one bath condo for $350.000 (trulia.com). Still out of reach for most lower paid workers. So where do they live? Wyoming Labor Force Trends, a publication of the Wyoming department of Employment showed that in 2000 of the over 14,000 persons working in Jackson, over 7,000 came from outside the city itself. 703 of those came from established nearby towns but the rest were listed as unknown. They credit this to the seasonal nature of workers having residency in other states and stout fluctuations of employment levels due to the seasonal work (Gerth and Glover 4).
In response to this imbalance of home brand to salary workers either returns home out of state when the season ends or they commute from outlying areas. This can have a positive return on outlying areas for development of services such as schools and housing to cater to the commuters. One such development has been proposed by The Meridian Group to create a planned community in the neighboring town of Alpine. It will have affordable homes, shopping and postal service as well as a projected commuter bus to Jackson (Gerth and Glover 2).
Older potential residents reach seeking not only the amenities offered by the state but also increase the demand for services of health care and public safety creating a draw for higher skills and higher wages. Retirees and part-time residents compound these needs but also provide economic growth. Need for construction crews, architects and designers increase with the demand for second homes yet part-time residents do fewer demands on services in their absence (Johnson 31). The balance residents, housing, salaries and services are weighed against the draw of tourism on the local ecosystem of humans and nature.
Ecotourism and Hollywood
America’s film industry plays a part in Jackson Hole’s economy. Jackson Hole has an old west feel, gleaming snow-covered Tetons, sunshine and low precipitation, which makes filming in this area easily accessible. This fragment is going to discuss the negative and obvious affects that the film industry brings to the community. Can Jackson Hole keep its eco-friendly tourism with films being made in the residence? Is the film industry good for Jackson Hole’s economy? With all of the movies being filmed at Jackson Hole, how does it affect the people in the community?
Over thirty major motion pictures, in full or part, have been filmed in Jackson Hole. Examples of movies include John Wayne’s Big Trail (1930), Shane (1953), Spencer’s Mountain (1963), The Mountain Men (1980), The Rank Guys (1987), Dances with Wolves (1990) and A River Runs Through It (1992). A few of the ‘Russia’ winter scenes from Rock IV(1985) were filmed at Jackson Hole. Besides films, many television commercials are made here every year. A few of the companies that take advantage of this beautiful location are Chevrolet, Jeep, Toyota, Levis, Maxwell House Coffee, and Ski Doo. The community has a western feeling, but it also has luxury upscale resorts which attract visitors, including celebrities. This appeal brings in more tourists, which boosts economy. Celebrities that frequent this Wyoming hideaway are Uma Thurman, Tiger Woods, and Matthew McConaughey. Sandra Bullock and Harrison Ford fill houses near Jackson Hole. Occasionally, Harrison Ford uses his helicopter to rescue stranded hikers (Forbes.com).
The film industry affects Jackson Hole in many ways, including the environment. The volume of people filming puts a strain on the area, more people cause more pollution. Filming commercials/movies can be hazardous. One tourist complained about filmmakers that cleared out brush by the shore, which destroyed the ecosystem and his friend had hit a platform on the river causing her to extinguish her kayak. (JHNews) What does the government do to keep Jackson Hole eco-friendly? To help control the hazards that can happen while shooting in Wyoming, the local, state, and federal governments have made a list of rules and regulations filmmakers have to follow. More than 50% of Wyoming’s total land location is administered by federal agencies (Wyomingtourism.com). One of the regulations involves animal handling. Jackson Hole is known for its diverse wildlife, so filmmakers have to have permits for the import of trained animals for filming. A few examples of animals that someone would need a permit for include exotic birds and fish, elk, moose and deer. Status parks and historic sites, like Yellowstone and the Substantial Teton, require special permits and insurance coverage before shooting can begin. To help control air quality, vehicles used must comply with standard size and weight limitations and fuel permits are also required. The scenic tribal reservations are beautiful to make a movie in, but it needs to be protected. In addition to the normal permits needed to film, permits from each of the tribe’s business council are mandatory. Also, anyone who is shooting in the Jackson Hole area has to purchase general liability with a minimum required $1,000,000 (some complex shoots require more). Other regulations set by the government include child labor, tax regulations, unemployment insurance, workman’s compensation and tax regulations (WFAE).
Although problems have risen with Hollywood filmmakers, the production of films in Jackson Hole has helped the economy. The state requires anyone filming to pay fees to use land. The following is a fee schedule based on the size of the crew that all filmmakers are required to pay (WFAE).
MOTION PICTURE
…… STILL
1 to 10 people – $150/location/day
……
1 to 3 people – $50/location/day
11 to 30 people – $250/location/day
……
4 to 10 people – $100/location/day
31 to 60 people – $500/location/day
……
11 to 30 people – $150/location/day
Over 60 people – $600/location/day
……
31 to 49 people – $250/location/day
……
50 to 100 people – $300/location/day
Forrest Service requirements:
Motion Picture/Video
1-2 people camera & tripod only
zero
1-10 people
$150/day
11-30 people
$250/day
31-49 people
$500/day
Over 50 people
$750/day
Commercial Still Photography Rental Schedule
Number of People
Daily Rate for Region
1-10
$ 50
11-30
$150
30+
$250
Wyoming has an incentive program to promote filming in the state. The Film Industry Financial Incentive (FIFI) program is a cash rebate program for production companies. Companies can receive up to 15% on money spent in Wyoming during a film shoot. Some requirements are spending a minimum amount of $500,000 and additional criteria to qualify (WFAE).
The residents who live in Jackson Hole and the surrounding dwelling befriend from Hollywood filmmakers. In the documentary ‘Discoveries….America-Wyoming,’ a man named Joe Brandl discusses his local business. Joe and his wife Jean own a business just outside of Jackson Hole called ‘Absaroka Western Designs and Tannery,’ where they tan hides that hunters bring in. Even though business is good, Joe knew he needed another market to keep his business going. He now makes costumes for local historic reenactments and costumes for the major film industry. He made Wes Studi’s costume in Dances with Wolves, and a few of the cast members in the movie Wind River. The film industry, Joe discusses, is only worried about the clothes looking good on camera, but he wants everyone to know how the authentic old west looked. He wants viewers to get a clear image of history, so he will give technical support whenever he can. An opportunity came up for Wyoming residents when Used Milwaukee planned to shoot a beer commercial; there was a casting call for “Authentic-looking Jackson Hole fishermen.” One newspaperman put it, “Looking for fishermen in Jackson Hole is like looking for criminals in the state pen” (JHN). When the public views a movie with gorgeous scenery, it brings out the curiosity of what the location really looks like. If a movie has a historical theme, a chance to visit a piece of real history interests many people. Like Tombstone, AZ, Jackson Hole employees dress up as cowboys and have ‘shoot-outs’ for visitors entertainment. With a number of movies filmed in Jackson Hole, the inquire for movie location tours is on the rise. Tourists can now visit the locations where their current scene was shot. Having filmmakers interested in the Jackson Hole residence creates jobs for the local residents and keeps tourists coming back.
As this study proves, many different forces interact to balance the ecotourism industry of Jackson Hole. Skiing, Hunting, and National Parks are just some of the attractions that draw people, both tourist and permanent resident to the station. It is this mix of people that have the responsibility to sustain the economy and ecosystem they utilize for business and play. Advertising, promotion and services are necessary to not only preserve the natural beauty but also the lives of those who call it home. Ecotourism in many ways is what keeps Jackson Hole the great attraction it has become.
Bibliography
Coupal, Roger, “Economic Impact of the Teton Science School and n the Teton County Economy” Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wyoming, December 1999.
Johnson, Jerry, “Impacts of Tourism-related In-migration: the Greater Yellowstone Region”, Environmental Impacts of Ecotourism edited by Ralf Buckley, CABI publishing, Cambridge, MA 2004.
Koontz, L, and Loomis, J, “Economic Importance of Elk Hunting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming” U.S. Geological Peruse, 2004.
Loomis, J and Caughlan, L, 2003, “Economic Analysis of alternative bison and elk management practices on the National Elk Refuge and Grand Teton National Park: A comparison of household and visitor responses”: U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Discipline, Inaugurate File report, 2004-1305.
Teton Science School. Budget and Enrollment Data. P.O. Box 68, Kelly, Wyoming
U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic and Statistical Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Information System 1969-1997, RCN- 0203, May 1999.
Gerth, K, Glover, T, and Toups, C., Wyoming Labor Force Trends, Vol. 38 No. 9, September 2001, Wyoming Department of Employment.
www.jacksonholeshamber.com October 30, 3008
www.tetonscience.org October 22, 2008
www.trulia.com/real_estate/Jackson_hole-wyoming/community-info October 29, 2008
Coleman, Annie Gilbert. “The Unbearable Whiteness of Skiing”. 2004. University Press of Kansas. Retrieved Oct 20, 2008, from http://books.google.com/books? id=kC4qYeafQzMC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=the+unbearable+whiteness+of+skiing+by+annie+gilbert+coleman&source=bl&ots=bOw3DJXycH&sig=f-UPqsIOa4TirnSPaGe3M3QrAhA&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result#PPA142,M
http://www.jacksonholehistory.org/history.shtml Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum. 2007. Retrieved Oct 14, 2008
http://www.jacksonhole.com/images/pr/environmentalReport.pdfBlan, Jerry & Foster, Bryan. Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. “Sustainability Report 2005″. 2005. Oct 14, 2008
http://home.gwu.edu/~jrivera/NYTimesArticle,Nov2004.pdf Johnson, Kirk. The New York Times Company. “Of Growing Interest: How Green Is My Mountain? ” 2004. Nov 6, 2008
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3650773 Knobloch, Frieda. The Western Historical Quarterly. “Creating the Cowboy State”. 2001. Nov 6, 2008
http://www.nsaa.org/nsaa/environment/National Ski Areas Association. “The Green Room”. 1993. Retrieved Nov 5, 2008
http://mail.google.com/a/asu.edu/? ui=2&ik=22f4c4941b&view=att&th=11d4aa44f7c8f71d&attid=0.1&disp=vah&zw Patthey, Patrick, Wirthner, Sven & Signorell, Natalina. British Ecological Society. “Impact of outdoor winter sports on the abundance of a key indicator species of alpine ecosystems”. 2008. Nov 5, 2008
http://www.jacksonholechamber.com/ Turiano, Thomas. Jackson Hole Chamber; Jackson Hole Historical Society & Museum; “Teton Skiing: A history & guide to the Teton Range”. Nov 5, 2008
http://www.fws.gov/nationalelkrefuge/ U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. National Elk Refuge. Nov 5, 2008
“Selling suds, Madison Avenue uses Jackson Hole to hook beer drinkers,” Jackson Hole News, Sept. 24, 1986, p. 37.
Lorimer, Kerry, Code Green ‘Experience of a Lifetime,’ Lonely Planet 2006.
http://www.wyomingtourism.org/ ‘Wyoming Tourism’. March 13, 2008
http://www.jacksonhole.com/info/faq.env.asp ‘Jackson Hole’. 2006
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/grte2/hrs18b.htm ‘Picturing Jackson Hole and Immense Teton National Park’. July 24, 2004
http://Forbes.com ‘Jackson Hole Hideaway’. 2008
http://www.wyomingfilm.org/ ‘Wyoming, Film, Arts and Entertainment’. 2008
Discoveries … America – Wyoming, Bennett-Watt HD Productions, Inc. 2003
Filed under Automotive Liability Insurance by on Feb 27th, 2011. Comment.
About a year and a half ago a new member joined our family. My grandmother came to live with us. She was 79 years old and starting to slip a little bit. Because we had a four bedroom house there was plenty of room for “Nanny”. When the steps to her upstairs bedroom got to difficult we knew we would have to move her down to the first floor. Fortunately we had a family room which saw little use. There was a bathroom adjacent to the family room so this move would work out OK. While I could see this modern addition was a burden on my mom’s shoulder, she did seem to be relieved to have her here. She could now stare after her
mother and wouldn’t have to rely on other brothers and sisters who lived out of town. When the time came and additional help would be necessary, it could be secured from the outside.
Nanny did bring her pride and joy with her and did I start to procure a ribbing from my friends. She owned and still drove a red 1967 Ford Mustang convertible. Can you imagine a 79 year mature lady zipping around town in a red convertible? When she and my grandpa bought the car they didn’t realize what a work of art this car would become. They could care less, they just wanted a nice, reliable car my grandma could drive around town.. My grandpa had a company car so this Mustang had very exiguous use. Today there was less than 10,000 miles on the speedometer.
When granddad passed away, Nanny just couldn’t procure rid of the car. To this day the car was still titled in both their names. This was the last physical memento Nanny had of her husband.
One day my mom asked “do you think we should have Nanny sign the title now? ” This would eliminate any problems should the car be sold when she wasn’t here to the imprint the title in person. We weren’t sure how we would explain the reasoning to label the title now. I told Nanny this would keep the car out of probate with a considerable tax saving. She wasn’t 100% sure, but she went ahead and signed the title. Several days later my mom asked “what’s the big deal having this old car kept out of probate? ” I had to end for a moment because what I was about to tell her she would not believe.
“Mom would you fill this car could be worth $25,000.00 or more. Because of the low mileage, condition of the body and the largest engine Ford made would make this car a modern day hot rod that the collector car people go crazy over. This is a rare car!”
“That’s insane, who would pay that much for such an old car”.
.
One thing Nanny looked forward to was keeping the car spic n span. She polished it hours on end. At the time Nanny arrived we didn’t have room for her car in the garage. After Mom found out what the car was worth she said we should keep the car out of the weather. She could park the car in my space.
When Nanny wanted to polish her baby she’d pull it out in the open. I would guess on “polish” day at least one person would stop and ask to look at the car. When they asked who owned the car Nanny would reply “I do”. The next thing always asked “Would you be interested in selling the car”. Nanny would always answer “Positive $35,000.00″. They would thank her and deny her they’d think about it. If the truth were know these people would always ask themselves, ‘I wonder how she knew so much about collector cars’.
Fortunately Nanny was well off financially. Owning a car required some expenses such as gas, oil and the main thing, insurance. Because of Nanny’s financial picture she required more that just the basic coverages. High liability limits were mandatory.If an accident happened with Nanny being at fault with serious injuries. Once a lawyer found out what Nanny’s financial condition was would he have a field day. One area that caused concern was the fact that due to the age of the car coverage for comprehensive and collision wasn’t available from the insurance company. I checked with a collector car insurance company and the premiums were out of sight. Also they required three independent appraisals and the car would have to be a locked enclosed garage with a central station fire/burglar alarm. I discussed this with mom. As always, she would say “what do you think? ” I replied “let’s take a chance. Nanny doesn’t drive that much any more”.
For most families, getting the daily mail was pretty much routine. As mom wasn’t there when the mail lady came by and Nanny was watching GMA, I was the only one to hear the mail being dropped through the mail slot., I was usually outlining what my studies would be for the day. Studing for the bar exam ( I don’t judge I mentioned I just graduated from the University of Florida law school) was intense because the case studies covered the entire spectrun of Florida law.
As I finished my daily outlineI heard the mail topple. I went over and picked it up. I would do a quick scan for mail addressed to me and I would lay the rest on the desk for mom’s review. The last envelope caught my seek for two reasons, first it was addressed to Nanny and second the envelope was that burnet orange color goverment agencies liked to use. Also the fact it was addressed to Nanny raised a question because rarely did Nanny receive any mail. I looked to see who sent the letter, “State of Florida, Department of motor vehicles, Drivers License Diviison”.
I couldn’t imagine what this was all about. Should I open the letter now or wait until mom came home? . Mom arrived home at the usual time . After discussiing the events of the day at her office (she still worked in my deceased father’s law firm) she reviewed the mail and I told her the dates for my bar exam came in.. “Finally” she said. I then slid the letter addressed to Nanny across the table. “This came in for Nanny today”. Mom quickly scanned the envelope noting who the letter came from. She opened the letter and after reading it she passed it over to me. I could see the look of dispare her face.
“Dear Mrs. Wilson. On January first of this year the Florida legistlature amended the requirements for renewing drivers licenses. It requires any driver reaching their 80th birthday will be subject to these amendments. In the State of Florida all driver licenses expire on the license holder’s birthday. Our records display your license is to renewed on your 80th birthday, April 20,2007. Consequently you must meet the revisions inacted by our legislature.
To renew your license it will be necessary for you to appear at a local driver license office. Your eyesight, hearing and your knowledge of the rules of the road will be tested. Successfully passing these examiinations it will be necessary to take the standard road test. Upon successful completition of this test you license will by renewed”.
After reading this letter I looked at mom and asked her “How are we going to handle this? ” A full microscopic went by before she said anything. “Let me contemplate about this. In the mean time please don’t mentioned anything to Nanny”.
This was going to be hard as I know mom had been thinking about having a birthday party inviting all of Nanny’s church buddies. What effect would this letter have on these plans?
Several days went by with nothing said. Then one night after the the dishes had been washed she asked Nanny to come into the kitchen. Nanny was in the habit of watching the evening news. “I’ll be there when the news is over”. Mom replied “Mom we have somethng to discuss so if you could come now I would
appreciate it”. Reluctantly Nanny came and stt down. Mom asked me to stick around so we all were sittiing at the dining room table.
“Mom, as you know your brithday is fair around the corner. A letter was sent to you by the spot of Florida concerning renewal of your driver license. Your current license will expire on your birthday. The Location has new guidelines for renewing driver licenses for anyone reaching their 80th birthday. These current rules are going to apply to your renewal’.
“O.K.” she replied “What do I have to do? ” I replied “the first thing we must to is to go down to the driver license office and pick up a copy of a driver license manual. They will test your knowledge on knowing objective what the rules are, then they will test your eye sight and hearing. Successfully passing these tests you will have to take a road test in the presence of a state examiner. After passing these tests your license will be renewed”.
“A allotment of cake” replied Nanny. “If you could get the manual for me I can read it over the I”ll go down an pass these tests”. I got the manual the next day.The first thing Nanny asked me “What do the rules of the road mean? ” Right then I knew we were in trouble. “Nanny the rules of the road are contained in the license manual. For example, what does a railroad crossiing sign look like? ” She pointed out the correct retort and I told her to look at all the road signs and remember what they meant. I said “After you regain all the signs down pat, read the rest of the book. Then we’ll review for your test”. It seemed she had a basic grasp of the manuals content. We then reviewed all four tests. After we talked about the driving test I don’t consider she was quite as confident as she was when we initally discussed the exams. “When shall we go down to the driver office? ”
“Next” said a boomng voice “number 384 third window.
“Nanny that’s our number. Step over to the third window”. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a deputy sheriff standing in the corner.
“Your name and birthdate please”.
“Wilma Wilson, April 25, 1927″.
“Hearing pass” said the examiner.
“In front of you is an eye chart. Please read second line from the bottom”.
“E A Z 4 0 5″ replied Nanny.
“Glimpse sight pass’
Next was the rules of the road exam. “Please read and answer True of False for the first 10 questions”. The lady was pointing to a yellow sheet of paper she put in front of Nanny. Slowly Nanny began putting X marks in each box. After she finished she handed the answer sheet to the lady. Quickly the examiner checked her answers and said “Rules Pass”. With that she told Nanny to return to her seat and wait to be called for the road test. As she sat down Nanny gave me a wink..
Moments later another booming voice said “”number 384 record to the road examiner desk” .As Nanny got up she squeezed my hand and went to the window.
“Driver license and proof of insurance please” I’m not sure Nanny knew exactly what proof of insurance was. Fortunately I had stapled the insurance ID card to her driver license.
“Bewitch me to your car and follow my insturctions”.
That was the last I saw of Nanny for the next 45 minutes. I was starting to get concerned when she walked through the door. The look on her face told the whole legend.
“Nunber 384 step to window 6 please” Nanny and I walked over to the window where the deputy sheriff was standing. Seated was a motherly looking lady.
“Mrs Wilson, I’m sorry but you did not pass the road test. Your license cannot be renewed”
Silence.
Nanny keep her head down shaking slowly. “Come on Nanny, let’s get out of here” I said. We went to the car and she got into the drivers side as she had done for 60 years. On the blueprint home the silence continued. As we pulled into the drive way I was trying to determine how I would tell mom that Nanny couldn’t get her license renewed. She failed the road test. As we entered the door a big shout went out “Happy birthday Nanny!” Distinct enough mom had gone ahead and arranged the party. All her church friends had turned out. No one knew about the driver test. It was best not to bring it up. After they sang happy birthday we had her birthday cake. Mom baked it special. While nothing was said, I think mom knew Nanny couldn’t pass the exam. None the less, the party was a success and a good time was had by all.
After the singing Nanny pulled me aside. “I wanted to tell you why I failed. I never have been able to parallel park a car. The examiner gave me five chances before he said ‘I’m Sorry’. It was just as well. I decided before we left that I wouldn’t pass the test. and my license would’nt be renewed. I’ve had such a wonderful birthday with the presents and all. I wanted to give you a little present for trying so hard to help me pass. With that she handed me a little box. “This is for you” she said.
I opened the box very gingerly. Inside were the keys to her Mustang. “It’s yours now. All I ask is that you keep it looking like it does today”.
Filed under Automotive Liability Insurance by on Feb 24th, 2011. Comment.
