The Red Wing Minnesota Historic Mall District

Public Buildings Church Steeples Residences Rail Depots Ferry Landings and Parks

The Red Wing Historic Mall District is located at the center of the original town; a piece of land running north and south between the Mississippi River and Seventh Street and along East and West Avenues and Broadway roughly outlines the District. The town's streets were laid out parallel to the river.

The buildings within the district are oriented primarily towards the river and along East and West Avenues and Broadway. As the land slopes gently upward from the river, the Mall widens, creating an impressive rise of parks, public buildings, church steeples, and assorted residences and other buildings. The irregular street formation, the open parklike spaces, the rich vegetation of landscaping around the churches and in the parks, and the concentration of churches and large public and institutional buildings set the mall apart visually and functionally from the commercial part of town to the east and the residential sections to the south and west.

The boundaries of the Red Wing Historic Mall District are determined largely by this unity that sets the Mall apart from its surroundings. Most of the buildings included in the District are located between East and West Avenues and bordering along these streets and Broadway from the river to Seventh Street. These boundaries jog out to include four areas that extend beyond the property immediately adjacent to the major streets defining the area:

Levee Park is included as the entrance to the mall; here are located the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Passenger Depot and the ferry landing.

The Fleischman complex extends west to approximately Dakota Street and serves as an anchor to the northwest portion of the District. The boundaries extend on West Third Street and West Fifth Street to include the C.F.J. Smith House and C.C. Graham House.

Dating to the 1850s, these houses anchor the district on the west side and contribute to the historic and architectural character. Both houses pre-date the buildings located between them and the mall: when they were built they bordered the mall directly.

The southern boundary of the District has been determined by the location of significant buildings which serve to anchor the corners of this part of the District.

Of the 49 buildings comprising the District twenty-two were built by 1890

Public and Institutional buildings of the Mall are the most prominent. Their scale and masonry construction make them stand out from the smaller, more modest residential and commercial buildings around them. The Goodhue County Courthouse occupies a prominent position on Fifth Street between East and West Avenues; Central High School occupies the block to the east of the Courthouse and faces the Mall; The Post Office, Red Wing Public Library, and T.B. Sheldon Memorial Auditorium flank the Mall off of Third Street; the YMCA stands prominently on the northeast corner of Main and Broadway; the Milwaukee Road Passenger Depot is located to the east of Broadway in Levee Park at the river and railway entry to the city. Seven churches are also scattered along the Mall, the most prominent being Christ Church, which faces John H. Rich Park and the river on Third Street.

The three parks located within the District, Central Park, John H. Rich Park, and Levee Park, further set this portion of town apart as a public place. They are integral to the Mall's composition, providing ample open spaces and vegetation to set off the large public buildings. Several residences and commercial buildings and one industrial complex on the waterfront are also located within the District and contribute.to its historic character and active role in the community's history.

The appearance and function of the Historic Mall District has not changed over time

The Mall changed the most during the first decade of the twentieth century when many of the more substantial civic buildings were built and when the John H. Rich Park and Levee Park were established.

The continuity of the mall's design and function makes it distinctive and worthy of recognition and preservation. Additionally, Red Wing's mall is unusual in that civic malls of this size are very rare in Midwestern towns.

The Galena Illinois Historic District

History Tourism Geography the Environment and Main Street

History the French arrived in the 1650s and called Galena La Pointe; the early American settlers who reached the area in 1821 adopted this name as The Point; by 1828, it became the largest steamboat hub on the Mississippi between St Louis and St Paul, with shipments of lead ore and control of the mines by the US Government as local native tribes permitted settlers to mine in established areas in Galena.

Galena is Named for a Mineral Mined by Native Americans for over a thousand Years

However, the growth of the city led settlers to encroach on native land claims, seeking new veins of lead, resulting in the Winnebago War. Following a sharp decline in the demand for lead, Galena's population dropped from 14 thousand in the mid-19^th century, to 3,396 in the early 1900s.

The Galena Historic District is Listed in the National Register of Historic Places

Tourism until the late 1980s, Galena remained a small rural farming community. The Country Fair in Grant Park has helped the town’s transition to tourism. The craft show attracts visitors to the area and once boarded-up Main Street buildings have been preserved.

President Ulysses S Grant and Eight Other Civil War Generals Came from Galena

Geography the Galena River is part of the Driftless Area of Wisconsin and Illinois. It is 52.4-miles - 84.3 km – long and flows through the city before joining the Mississippi. Because it escaped glaciation, this region is known for its hills, valleys, bluffs and exposed rock; Horseshoe Mound is located outside Galena and is 1,063 feet - 324 m- above sea level.

Environment Because of the city's proximity to the Galena River, buildings have been threatened on numerous occasions by flooding. In 2011, over a 12-hour period, Galena received nearly 15 inches of rain and he Galena River rose to more than twice its normal height. A dike and floodgates were built to prevent flooding of the city.

Main Street was among the first to require the architectural review of exterior building modifications. Also, zoning restrictions contributed to the prevalence of brick buildings and efforts to improve the existing infrastructure while preserving the character of this neighborhood. Trolley Cars follow parade routes north and south on Main Street and connect shopping to parks and wineries. Main Street in Galena has specialty shops, restaurants and is home to DeSoto House Hotel which opened in 1855 and is the oldest operating hotel in Illinois.

The Gargano Peninsula in Puglia Italy

The Gargano Promontory is in the Foggia province of Apulia. Also referred to as the spur of Italy’s boot, it is along the Adriatic Sea and includes Monte Calvo - 1,065 m 3,494 feet - and the Gargano National Park. This peninsula is partly covered with a beech and oak forest that once blanketed much of Central Europe. The poet Horace mentions the oaks as Garganus in Ode II,ix.

The Gargano National Park is one of the few national protected areas efficiently contributing to the "a Forest for Kyoto", which has involved several schools in the realization of projects for social and responsible tourism. It is also unique for renowned for fire reductions and its environmental awareness program.

Monte Sant’Angelo’s medieval quarter is characterized by terraced houses, traces of its Longobard period and the Sanctuary with the cult of the Archangel Michael who, according to tradition, appeared in a grotto. Also, the Norman Castle, the historic center and St’ Michael’s Basilica.

Art Cities and Medieval Castles in Puglia

The Coastline features several beaches, resorts and historic small town, including:

Vieste receives blue flag awards for the quality of its waters. During mediaeval times, its port was frequently attacked by pirates, Saracens and other enemies of the Kingdom of Naples. In 1554 around 5,000 inhabitants were executed by the Turks; they were considered too elderly or infirm for transport into slavery, an event is commemorated every year. The eastern coast around Vieste features numerous coastal watch towers.

Mattinata is the only town in Apulia facing south on the Adriatic Coast. The main urban area is located on two hills enclosed by mountains on the northern, western and southern sides; eastward, there is a valley facing the Adriatic Sea. The northern coast is known for its chalky white cliffs, its large number of suggestive sea grottos and, above all, for its two Faraglioni stacks, located in the Zagare Bay area. The area is also a popular destination for botanical experts, due to the existence of around 60 different species of orchids.

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Chesapeake Bay and the Maryland Eastern Shore

history geology hydrology fishing and the environment

Chesapeake Bay is an estuary and the largest such body in the contiguous United States and is a very important feature for the ecology and economy of the Middle Atlantic Region. More than 150 major rivers and streams flow into the bay's 64,299-square-mile - 166,534 km² covering parts of six states.

History in 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed past the Chesapeake, but did not enter the bay. Spanish explorers may have been the first Europeans to explore parts of the bay which they named Bay of the Mother of God. In the late 16^th century the British founded a colony and Captain John Smith explored and mapped it between 1607 and 1609. The first designated all-water National Historic Trail was created in 2006 following Smith's historic 17^th century voyage.

The US Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic States

The Eastern Shore is home to crabbers, oystermen, gentlemen-farmers and sharecroppers, boat builders and antiques dealers. Activities include fishing, crabbing, swimming, boating, kayaking and sailing. 

Geology and Hydrology the bay was formed starting about 10,000 years ago when rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age flooded the Susquehanna River valley.  Much of the bay is shallow; it is approximately 200 miles - 320 km - long and 2.8 miles  - 4.5 km - wide at its narrowest and 30 miles - 48 km - at its widest point. Average depth is 21 feet - 6.4 m. Because the bay is an estuary, it has fresh water, salt water and brackish water.

Fishing once employed up to nine thousand watermen and their skipjacks, the only remaining sailing workboats in US waters, engaged in the seafood production of blue crabs, clams and oysters. Now, runoffs from farms and urban areas, over-harvesting and foreign species invasions have made the bay less productive. Oyster farming helps maintain the estuary's productivity and is a natural effort for filtering impurities and reduce the amount of nitrogen compounds entering Chesapeake Bay.

Environment in the 1970s, Chesapeake Bay was discovered to contain marine dead zones - waters depleted of oxygen and unable to support life – that weaken the base of the estuary and its food source. The runoff and pollution have many components that help contribute to the algal bloom which is mainly fed by phosphorus and nitrogen. This algae prevents sunlight from reaching the bottom of the bay while alive and deoxygenates the bay's water when it dies and rots. Also, the overharvesting of oysters has made it difficult for them to reproduce, which requires close proximity to one another. The depletion of oysters has had a particularly harmful effect on the quality of the bay as they serve as natural water filters, and their decline has further reduced the water quality of the bay.