American River Trails

American River Trails Traveling along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers to Little Rock Arkansas Memphis Tennessee Kansas City Missouri Alton Illinois Dubuque Iowa and Alexandria Minnesota

Little Rock and the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum Little Rock is a cultural, economic, government, and transportation center within Arkansas and the South located on the south bank of the Arkansas River in Central Arkansas. Fourche Creek and Rock Creek run through the city, and flow into the river.

Little Rock is an Intermodal River Port with a large Industrial Business Complex

Memphis Tennessee and the Mississippi River Museum Memphis is a city with a rich and eclectic history: Home of the Blues, Birthplace of Rock ’n’ Roll, BBQ Pork Capital of the World; it began with the Native Americans who settled on the Fourth Chickasaw Bluff, then onto Hernando De Soto, the Civil War, yellow fever, the blues and rock ‘n’ roll music.

A Display of Fine Art history-making Music and a Celebration of American Heritage and Culture

Mud Island River Park by day, take the monorail, which boasts some of the city’s best views, over to the Mississippi River Museum, where you can check out genuine Civil War garb and gunboat reproductions. By night, catch a live performance at the Amphitheater with the Memphis skyline as your backdrop and the rolling river at your back. The Mississippi River Museum traces the evolution of transportation on the river from the earliest canoes through the golden age of steamboats and modern diesel towboats efficient transportation and the economic impact of river transportation played a vital role in the development of trade routes and the growth of river cities.

Kansas City was founded in the 1830s as a Missouri River port at its confluence with the Kansas River. The City Market, bordering the Missouri River, contains one of the country's largest and longest lasting public farmers' markets in the nation with several unique shops and restaurants.

An Inland Port on the Missouri River KC is the 2^nd Largest Rail and 3^rd Trucking Hub in America

The Arabia Steamboat Museum is a time capsule of life on the American frontier in the mid-nineteenth century and an opportunity to experience the everyday objects that made life possible for pioneers in the 1800s.  It contains the largest single collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the world.

The Arabia Steamboat Museum has been a popular Kansas City attraction for over 20 years

Alton Illinois and the National Great Rivers Museum Alton is located 25 Miles north of St. Louis amid the confluence of three navigable rivers, the Mississippi, the Illinois and the Missouri, as a river trading and industrial town. The Great Rivers Region is accessible from six interstates, an international airport and an Amtrak station.

River Trails where Great Rivers Converge with Great Moments in History at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center

Grafton’s riverfront was packed with manufacturing companies, mills, quarries, loading docks, and riverboat traffic in the 1800s. Today, it is a tourist destination with its specialty shops and wineries.

Architecture Trails many blocks of housing in Alton were built in the Victorian Queen Anne style during the prosperous period in the river city's history at the top of the hill in the commercial area, several stone churches and city hall.

The National Great Rivers Museum and Melvin Price Locks & Dam feature the importance of the river system to America’s economy from her grand history and cultural significance, to her ecological importance and role as a transportation corridor.

The Mississippi River, over 2,200 miles long, is the second longest river in the United States and the third largest river basin in the world, exceeded in size only by the Amazon and Congo basins. The central portion of the river is known as the Middle Mississippi, a 300-mile reach from Saverton, MO, to Cairo, IL. Further defining the Middle Mississippi are the confluences of three major tributaries, the Illinois, the Missouri and the Ohio Rivers.
The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 marked the opening of the West, and river settlements began to grow. In 1817, the first steamboat arrived in St. Louis and the population soared. Steamboat arrivals had increased more than a thousand-fold by 1858, turning the river into a superhighway.
The Corps of Engineers continually examines the biological impact of the navigational structures on the river’s ecosystem, balancing navigational needs with those of the environment.

The National Mississippi River Museum in Dubuque is located along the Mississippi River at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin. It serves as the main commercial, industrial, educational, and cultural center for the Tri-State Area. One of the few cities in Iowa with hills, it is also a tourist destination featuring unique architecture and river views.

A Center for Culture with Five Institutions of Higher Learning

Downtown Dubuque is the center of the city's transportation and commercial sectors, and functions as the hub to the various outlying districts and neighborhoods. An area of special note is the Port of Dubuque which has seen a massive amount of new investment and new construction.

Alexandria Minnesota and the Legacy of the Lakes Museum

The Village of Alexandria was settled in 1858. The form of the name alludes to Alexandria, Egypt, a center of learning and civilization. W.E. Hicks was pivotal to the early development of the town. He purchased the townsite in 1868 and established a mill, hotel, newspaper, and store. He donated property for a courthouse, jail, and two churches: Methodist and Congregational.

The Legacy of the Lakes Museum, originally known as the Minnesota Lakes Maritime Museum, promotes lake traditions and legacies as well as preserve Minnesota history.

Minnesota is home to skilled watercraft builders since Native Americans first fashioned birch bark canoes hundreds of years ago. The museum boasts the most complete collection of Minnesota-made boats from Larson to our own Alexandria Boat Works.

The Delaware River Valley

The Delaware rises in two branches and flows 419 miles – 674 Km – into Delaware Bay. Its watershed drains an area of 14,119 square miles - 36,570 km² - in the five Atlantic Coast States of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

Tributaries and Creeks there are 216 tributaries and 14,057 miles of streams and creeks in a watershed that is home to 4 million people and drinking water to 17 million. The Delaware River basin sustains fishing, transportation, power, cooling, recreation, and other industrial and residential purposes. With no dams or impediments on the river's main stem, the Delaware is one of the few remaining large free-flowing rivers in the United States.

The Hudson and the Delaware were originally called the North and South Rivers

History the river was first visited in 1609 by Henry Hudson and the Dutch East India Company resulting in Dutch and Swedish settlements along the lower section of river. The River was renamed Delaware in 1664, after Baron De La Warr, an English nobleman and the Virginia colony's first royal governor. With the removal of the Lenape Indians, the name has been spread to municipalities and counties in the American Midwest and Canada were the tribes resettled.

Development the Delaware River played a key factor in the economic and social development of the Mid-Atlantic region. In the 17^th century it provided the conduit for colonial Dutch and Swedish settlement followed by the Quakers in Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley.

Canals Philadelphia’s importance as a commercial center led to improvements on the upper river; the Pennsylvania Canal running from Easton to Bristol, opened in 1830; the Delaware & Raritan Canal ran on the New Jersey side of the river while the Morris and the Delaware & Hudson Canals provided connections to the Hudson River. The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal linked the Delaware with Chesapeake Bay.

Recreation the Delaware Gap National Recreation Area resulted from the failure of a controversial plan to build a dam to control water levels for flood control and hydroelectric power generation. In 1978, environmental opposition led to a takeover by the National Park Service; surrounding communities developed recreational facilities and worked to preserve the remaining historical structures.

The Lehigh and Delaware River Valley are ideal anchor locations to visit New York City, the Hudson Valley, Philadelphia and South Central Pennsylvania.

Bethlehem Pennsylvania and its Historic Districts

Bethlehem was named on Christmas Eve, 1741, by a group of Moravians who relocated from North Carolina and settled at the confluence of the Lehigh River and Monocacy Creek. The canal and the railroads lured large-scale industry to the south bank of the Lehigh River and the Bethlehem Iron Co., soon dominated the town’s economy and way of life. Steel made from local iron, coal and limestone was milled and forged, launching the Industrial Revolution of the late 19^th Century.

Bethlehem is the Lehigh Valley’s Oldest City

Bethlehem has six distinct National Historic Districts as well as two National Historic landmarks. Many of its original structures built by early settlers still line downtown streets.

The Central Bethlehem Historic District includes 165 buildings, 6 sites, 9 structures, and 4 objects. It is primarily residential, but also includes commercial buildings along Main Street. Most of the buildings were built between the mid-18^th to early-20^th century. The district encompasses building that reflect Bethlehem's development from a Moravian community, 1741-1844, to an industrial based economy, 1845-1938.

The Historic Moravian Bethlehem Historic District encompasses a complex of the oldest surviving buildings in Bethlehem. The district was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012 for its unique assemblage of communal religious buildings and history. It occupies a 14.7-acre (5.9 ha) area of central Bethlehem; at its core is the Moravian Museum of Bethlehem and adjacent properties, located at Main and West Church Streets. The museum property includes a connected series of 18^th century stone buildings, several of which served as communal living facilities, and a 1751 chapel.

The museum also owns properties near the creek, including the industrial 1761 tannery building, and the Old Waterworks which is also a National Historic Landmark as the first pump-driven North American municipal water supply. This area is also archaeologically significant, as the early Moravians developed it industrially from an early period. 

God's Acre has been established as one of the oldest colonial cemeteries in America

Sun Inn was created as a place for non-Moravian people to take up residence while they did any sort of business with the people that lived in the town. The Sun Inn was used often during the American Revolution, including George and Martha Washington, Ben Franklin, John Hancock, john and Samuel Adams.

 

Build Operate and Transfer Projects

Travel and Mobility Services, Energy Efficiency and Water Conservation

The Concept a program anchored in communities with a history as hub cities, hence a reliance on connections and collaborations within and among regions, resulting in a national trading platform with economies of scale utilizing historic trade routes and state of the art products and services to the benefit of community commuters, residents and visitors.

The Objective achieve economies of scale pricing in selected communities around the US in the areas of travel, destination management, transit, energy efficiency and water conservation.

Ways and Means a build operate and transfer project, unique to each community but connecting participating towns via customer sharing, transit programs, energy management and similar measures.

Participants a team of product and services providers who provide know-how and resources to jump-start projects in collaboration with local partners.

The BOT is established for a set duration, renewable - with transfer to local partners, inclusive of training for local individuals, existing businesses, local government and nonprofits, where applicable.

Client Targets: US and International Vacationers, Business Travelers and Commuters

Connecting major air and rail metro hubs with micropolitan communities via

Intercity Multi modal and Local Micro Transit hub and spoke services to

Leverage travel client relationships and engage local product and service providers in:

travel   transportation   energy efficiency   water conservation and manufacturing services

Creating Local Virtual Hotels Increasing Productivity and Improving Customer Service.

Developing Deploying Managing and Marketing Systems and Tools that

Benefit Your Community

The Susquehanna River Valley

The Susquehanna River is 464 miles (747 km) long and is the longest river on the US East Coast. With its watershed, it is the 16th-largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United States without commercial boat traffic today. In the Canal Era, navigation improvements were made to enhance the river for barge shipping of bulk goods by water on the Pennsylvania Canal.

History the river has played an important role throughout American history. In the 18^th century, William Penn’s negotiations with the Lenape led to settlements in the lands between the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers and, in late colonial times, anthracite coal was transported. During the American Revolution, an expedition came downriver from its headwaters; the upper portion navigable by damming the river's source at Lake Otsego, allowing the lake's level to rise and then destroying the dam and flooding the river for miles downstream.

Bridges Ferries Canals and Dams prior to the Port Deposit Bridge opening in 1818, the river formed a barrier between the northern and southern states. The earliest dams were constructed to support ferry operations in low water. Its many rapids meant that commercial traffic could only navigate down the river in the high waters of the spring thaws. Two different canal systems were constructed on the lower Susquehanna to bypass the rapids. The Port Deposit Canal was completed in 1802, followed by the larger Susquehanna and Tidewater Canal. Later, bridges replaced ferries, and railroads replaced canals.

200 Bridges and Two Ferries cross the Susquehanna. Canals are preserved as Historic Parks

Harrisburg, the Capital of Pennsylvania, was inhabited by Native Americans as early as 3000 BC. Known as Peixtin, the area was an important trading post for Native American traders, as trails leading from the Delaware to the Ohio Rivers, and from the Potomac to the Upper Susquehanna intersected there.

Hershey is a year-round, world class travel destination with an amusement park, exclusive resorts and family attractions. Surrounded by some of America’s most productive dairy farms, the world’s first modern chocolate factory and model town is a real community.

City Island is a 63-acre tourism and recreational destination containing archaeological treasures of the Susquehannocks and Iroquois tribes which established seasonal settlements here. The island was a stopping off-point for Union soldiers during the Civil War; they crossed over it by way of the Camelback Bridge to defend Harrisburg from the threat of invasion by the Confederate Army. Today, City Island is a tourist and sports venue for the Harrisburg Senators Baseball Stadium, the City Islanders Soccer Stadium, the Pride of the Susquehanna, City Island Railroad, and the City Island Stables.

Millersburg Borough nestled along the Susquehanna River, is quaint community radiating out from a Victorian Market Square Park featuring a Gazebo dating back to 1891. Millersburg evolved along with the introduction new forms of transportation; travel back to the 17^th century and visit the Wiconisco Canal in MYO Park and a restored 1898 passenger rail station on West Center Street. The National Historic Register's Millersburg Ferry System traces its roots to 1817.

Pride of the Susquehanna River Boat is one of the last remaining authentic paddle-wheel riverboats in America. Since her construction and launch in 1988, "The Pride" has carried almost a million passengers who have enjoyed themed cruises and River School Educational Trips.

Microgrids and Energy-as-a-Service

 Energy as a Service enables the efficient utilization of resources and assets by helping customers modify energy consumption with time-of-use and real-time pricing.

microgrid systems with equipment re-use re-manufacturing and redeployment

A client-centric approach that reduces energy consumption and costs in collaboration with local utilities and service providers. EaaS:

o   requires no money down or investments by the project beneficiaries

o   includes equipment and components life cycle management and after sales services

o   offers local and regional employment opportunities as well as contracting opportunities

o   features environment friendly services

o   utilizes performance-based payment systems and client discounts

Utilities are project(s) participants. Clients own plant and equipment after 5 years

Distributed Generation occurs on a property site when energy is sold to the building occupants; Power Purchase Agreements - PPAs - enable businesses and governments to purchase electricity directly from the generator rather than from the utility. 

PPAs are a legal contract between an electricity generator and a power purchaser

Microgrids are electric grids that manage energy and ensure reliable delivery. A self-sufficient, energy plant, the microgrid serves a specific geographic area, neighborhood, and community with distributed energy resources - solar, wind, CHP, other - energy storage, as well as electric vehicle charging stations. Interconnected to nearby buildings, the microgrid provides electricity, heating, and cooling.

community-friendly microgrids: a cheaper alternative in infrastructure development

As-a-Service Models work particularly well for capital-intensive energy projects; EaaS shifts long-term capital expenditures into a short-term operational expense.

EaaS secures microgrid benefits without risk. The microgrid can serve as the primary source of electrical power, as the emergency backup source of power in the event of a grid outage as it captures reduced energy consumption and utility bills, and sells surplus electricity to the local grid operator. 

 

Dallas Culture Enterprise and Environment

Dallas is a relatively young city with a colorful past. In 1839, John Neely Bryan, a lawyer from Tennessee with a taste for adventure, wandered into the area and was impressed with what he believed to be the perfect ingredients for a trading post and eventually a town: plenty of raw land, Indians with whom to do business, and the river. The young city’s can-do spirit helped bring the railroads to the area in the 1870s, the Federal Reserve Bank in 1914, Southern Methodist University in 1915, Love Field Airport in 1927, the Texas Centennial Exposition in 1936 and DFW International Airport in 1973.
Fashion and Elegant Living came here in 1907 when Neiman Marcus opened in downtown Dallas and J.S. Armstrong opened his exclusive Highland Park shopping development.
Oil Discovery when C.M. "Dad" Joiner struck oil  in 1930, 100 miles east of the city, Dallas became a center of oil-related activity, setting the stage for the region's role as the financial and technical center for the drilling industry and commerce.
 

Turmoil and Success the 1960s were a time of turmoil for many American cities and the lowest point in Dallas history when on Nov. 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on a downtown street. The event cast the city. The people of Dallas took it hard and entered a period of self-evaluation and introspection which lead to a series of entrepreneurial success stories culminating in DFW International Airport, realizing John Neely Bryan's dream of a major inland port. Since the 1980s Dallas has become home to many major corporate headquarters and a dominant force in the convention, meetings and tourism industry.

Arts Culture and Museums

Anchored by the Dallas Arts District, the city is home to many cultural venues and activities.

African American Museum located in Fair Park, it showcases the rich heritage of African American art and history housed in four vaulted galleries and a research library. Experience African American culture through educational programs at the educational plaza’s theater.

Dallas Heritage Village a history museum that depicts life in Dallas from 1840 – 1910. Visit the country church, the saloon, the rustic school house, and many houses where interpreters greet you and tell you more about ole life in Texas.

Dallas Holocaust Museum established in 1984 by survivors who wished to preserve the memory of what they endured, it features stories by volunteer survivors, special lectures from World War II veterans and those who experienced of the genocide first-hand.

The Dallas Museum of Art established in 1903, the museum has an encyclopedic collection of more than 23,000 works spanning 5,000 years of history. The collections focus on the art of the ancient Americas, Africa, Indonesia, South Asia and Europe, as well as American painting, sculpture and decorative arts.  American and international contemporary art is also on display. 

The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum serves as a resource for the study of life and career of President Bush, while also promoting a better understanding of his presidency, American history, and important public policy issues.

The Nasher Sculpture Center is a longtime dream of Raymond Nasher and his late wife Patsy, who together amassed one of the finest collections of modern and contemporary sculpture in the world.  The Center was designed by Renzo Piano; Landscape architect Peter Walker designed the outdoor garden.

The Old Red Museum inspires and educates visitors about the rich and varied cultural, economic, political, and social history of the Dallas County Area and its heritage with exhibits featuring elements that range from fossils and war weapons to sports.

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science is home to 11 permanent exhibit halls and various traveling exhibitions throughout the year. The museum delivers hours of fun for children, adults, and life-long learners alike. Catch a view of downtown Dallas from the glass-encased elevator.

The Sixth Floor Museum located on the sixth and seventh floors of an early 20^th century warehouse formerly known as the Texas School Book Depository, chronicles the life, death, and legacy of President John F. Kennedy. The permanent exhibit features films, photos, and artifacts.

                                                                    An Environment Conscious City

Dallas is among the top purchasers of green energy in the nation and is the first American city to be ISO 14001 certified, the international environmental standard which sets environmental goals for organizations and communities. Dallas is among the first cities to adopt a green building program and now boasts 5 LEED Gold, 1 LEED-EB Silver and 2 certified buildings. New projects in the city include pedestrian-friendly parks such as Main Street Garden, Belo Garden and the Klyde Warren Park. Dallas is home to the Trinity River Audubon Center, a LEED certified building with several sustainable building features: a vegetated roof, rainwater collection system, energy efficient systems and recycled materials. The Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Victory Park is the nation’s largest and most successful brownfield project that utilizes biodegradable and reusable materials, solar panels, rainwater collection and sustainable products.

Green Initiatives the Dallas Bikeway System allows for the implementation of a 1,296-mile network incorporating new and existing pathways for citizens that prefer alternate forms of transportation. City Forestry programs promote tree planting projects and cultivate foresters with basic knowledge of tree skills to act as advocates for Dallas’ urban forests. Through the use of e-cycling programs, consumers have access to free and convenient recycling options for computer, television and electronic equipment.

Hotels & Meeting Spaces several Dallas properties are LEED Certified and have incorporated green elements, such as energy conservation, recycling, sheet-changing programs and environmentally conscious towel hangers. The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center has become one of the greenest facilities in the nation due to a determined effort to reduce energy consumption, install solar panels, practice water conservation and gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau also promotes a grass-roots industry initiative that seeks to affect positive environmental practices through national, regional and local outreach and education.