Au revoir mon amour

The first reference to the site of the current city of Chicago as "Checagou" was by Robert de LaSalle around 1679.  During the mid-18th century, a Native American tribe known as the Potawatomi had taken the place of the Miami, Illinois and Fox tribes that had inhabited the area previously. In the 1780, the Native Americans saw the arrival of non-indigenous settlers in Chicago.

Relief sculptures on the Michigan Avenue bridge tender houses depict scenes from Chicago’s history.  The one on the southwest corner is a scene from the battle of Fort Dearborn in 1812.  The differences in cultures between Native Americans and Immigrants caused extensive tension, ethnic violence, and social disruption. 

Soldier Field is the oldest NFL football stadium.  The field is a memorial to American soldiers who have died in wars. Its design is in the Greek neoclassical tradition with Doric columns rising above its entrance.  It has been the home of the Bears team since 1971.  In 1985 the Bears defeated the Patriots 46-10 and became Super Bowl XX champions.  I remember the celebrations that continued late into that very cold night on January 26 of that year. 

Je t'aime Chicago, au revoir!

The Train Trip

Our 2,300 miles journey from San Francisco to Chicago is considered one of the most scenic train rides in the United States.   The California Zephyr took us from the City by the Bay to the Windy City, by the way of the Sierra Nevada, Utah desert, the Rockies and the Great Plains. Crossing the mighty Mississippi was an added bonus in this classic train ride.

The Utah flag has in its center a beehive and a sego lily.  The lily stands for peace while the “industry” motto means steady effort. The national flag shows that Utah supports the United States.  The date 1847 represents the year Brigham Young led his people to the Salt Lake Valley and reestablished the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints.  The date 1896 represents the year that Utah gained admission in the United States.  The word Utah derives from the Apache language and means “one that is higher up"

The colors of Colorado’s flag represent the natural features seen in abundance in the Centennial State.  The white symbolizes the snow, gold the prevalent sunshine, red it’s for the red soil in its Canyons, and blue is a symbol of her clear deep blue skies.  The C is for Colorado.  The word Colorado derives from Spanish and describes the reddish hue of the silt the river carries from the mountains.  

The flag of Nebraska has views of the land’s natural riches.  The Rocky Mountains and the Missouri River.  The sheaves of wheat and settler’s cabin represent agriculture and the blacksmith represent industry.  The train and steamboat represent transportation.  The state was admitted in the Union in 1867.  The name Nebraska derives from the Otos’ language meaning “flat water”.

The flag of Iowa is a vertical tricolor of blue, white and red reflecting Iowa’s history as part of French Louisiana Territory.   The bald eagle with the ribbon is taken from the Seal of Iowa and the word Iowa is directly below in red.  The name Iowa derives from the Iowa River and was given by a Sioux tribe with the same name.

The flag of Illinois was originally designed to emulate the Great Seal of the United States.  In the eagle’s beak there is a banner with the state motto, “State, Sovereignty, National Union”.  The dates on the seal, 1818 and 1868, represent the year Illinois joined the Union and the date the seal was redesigned. The state took its name from the French version of an Algonquin Indian word for “warriors” or “tribe of superior men”.