Anne and Mary visit West Frankfort

Jenna Eubanks

On November 13, 2007 I took Anne and Mary to West Frankfort, IL (37.90 N Latitude and 88.92 W Longitude) to the Coal Miner's Memorial, located at 100 E. Main. The memorial is dedicated to all Southern Illinois coal miners who lost their lives doing their jobs. In particular, this historical site recognizes the 119 miners who lost their lives on December 21, 1951 in the New Orient No. 2 Mine. Although it was fun traveling with Anne and Mary, thinking about this tragedy made me a little sad. But overall, Anne, Mary, and myself traveled 27.15 miles to West Frankfort and 27.15 back to SIU. For a total of 54.30 miles with me and a grand total of 5223.16 miles.

This week, I was thinking back to the fun time we had on the Ohio River in Elizabethtown. The four of us had so much fun while on the business trip. We had fun in the cabin that is owned by the Franks, even though we were threatened by the looming elk hanging on the wall. I thought I might have heard whispers of dogs in mouths, but that may not have been the case. We had so much fun that time. We love remembering the travels of the past and anticipate the travels of our future!

It was 73 miles to Elizabethtown and 73 miles back to Carbondale. That makes for 146 total miles traveled by Anne and Mary on this trip. The the latitude and longitude coordinates for this location are 37.47N - 88.32W. We have traveled over 4,000 miles this past semester! It is so exciting!

Veterans Memorial Plaza

On November 11, 2007, Mary, Anne, and I traveled to the Veterans Memorial Plaza in Carbondale. It was exciting to see a historic place that was only 1.17 miles away! We drove to the town square where the plaza is located. It was built in 1998 by the Carbondale VFW to commemorate local soldiers that passed away in 20th Century wars. Mary, Anne, and I were very intrigued by the lighted wall that was built in 2003. It identified the plaza, but it was the plaques behind the wall that were the most interesting. Each one described one of the 20th Century wars and the losses that befell the United States. After reading some very interesting information on the plaques, we also realized that Carbondale holds the Veterans Day celebrations at the plaza. We decided that we would have to visit tomorrow for Veterans Day! The latitude is 37.727N and the longitude is -89.216W. We piled back into the car and drove the 1.17 miles back home reflecting on all the interesting information we learned. Mary and Anne have now traveled 4,171.2 miles!

Mary and Anne's visit to Fort Defiance

On Novemeber 23, 2007, Mary, Anne, and I traveled to Fort Defiance, in Defiance, Ohio after a long morning of Christmas shopping. We were tired after traveling 435.29 miles to get to this destination from Carbondale. This landmark is located -84.355 degrees longitude and 41.284 degrees latitude. We thought this was an important site to visit while visiting my home town. Anthony Wayne had the fort built in 1794 during his campaign against Ohio Native Americans to provide his men protection and as a staging ground for future operations. The fort was a rough square with a blockhouse located on each corner. After the Battle of Fallen Timbers, Wayne ordered the destruction of all Native American villages and crops within a fifty-mile radius of the fort. With the signing of the Treaty of Greeneville in 1795, the natives permitted the Americans to maintain a trading post and fort at Fort Defiance. Until the War of 1812, Fort Defiance helped protect local citizens from native attacks. We had fun reading about this important landmark, playing on the cannons, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery around the Maumee and Auglaize Rivers. After our visit, we piled back into my car and traveled back to Carbondale. Mary and Anne have now traveled 4,168.86 miles.