-=> Quoting Sondra Ball to Robin Arnhold <=-
Hi, Sondra,
 RA>It is certainly more interesting learning about, say, a Civil War battle
 >by touring a battlefield of that war with a knowledgeable individual than
 >it is reading about it in a history book, especially one of those written
 >in a pedantic style.
 SB> 
 SB> We learned all sorts of things about the Civil War when we toured
 SB> Gettysburg.  And teaching the Revolutionary War is ever so easy around
 SB> here.  We live within easy driving distance of all sorts of major
 SB> sites: Valley Forge, the site of Washington Crossing the Delaware,
 SB> Independence Hall (where the Declaration of Independence was signed),
 SB> etc.  As a matter of fact, a Revolutionary War battle was fought about
 SB> seven miles south of us, at Hancock's Bridge.
Fascinating!  Actually, I grew up near/on the site of a battle between
the Dakota and Anishinabeg.  Every spring thaw brought up a fresh crop of
arrowheads and spear points of various types.  Unfortunately, I don't
think there are too many people left who know about this battle or the
council grounds a mile or so up the road where both peoples met for
trade, celebration, and serious discussion of intertribal problems.
In this part of the state, the battle that most people know about is the
Blackhawk war when white soldiers hounded Blackhawk and the Musquakie
people all over the southwest part of the state and into Iowa.  It is
possible to follow the trail that Blackhawk's people took--in fact, for
some miles US 12 runs close to it.
Take care,
Robin
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