2408, 2011

Old Mackinac Point Light

Lighthouses
669

During the 19th century, booming settlements around the Great Lakes effected a great increase in Great Lakes shipping. Increased ship traffic created the need for a lighthouse to guide ships through the Straits of Mackinac, connecting Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. By 1890, a fog signal building had been constructed on the site of the former Fort Michilimackinac, a British fort that had been dismantled and moved to nearby Mackinac Island in 1781. The Old Mackinac Point Light Station was first lit in 1892. It served ships under four different lighthouse keepers and, like many lighthouses, had minor upgrades over the years to implement new technologies such as electric motors and radio signals. The lighthouse ended

1808, 2011

Black River, Wisconsin

Scenic Earth
452

Wisconsin’s Black River begins at the Minnesota border and winds through northwestern corner of the state, joining with the Nemadji River and entering Lake Superior. The scenery of the Black River is at its best as it passes through Pattison State Park, thirteen miles south of the city of Superior. The river’s tranquility is eventually broken by the dramatic Big Manitou Falls– Wisconsin’s tallest waterfall– farther downstream. The Black River gets its name from the dark color of the water. This “root beer” color comes from decomposing organic matter from the forest. A similar phenomenon can be seen at Michigan’s famous Tahquamenon Falls. Cindy Bradley is an award-winning jazz trumpeter. She has toured the world as

1307, 2011

Portland, Oregon River Ride

American Cities
426

The 187-mile-long Willamette River runs through downtown Portland, Oregon, where it is spanned by eleven bridges. Many of these bridges hold world records or set records when constructed. The Steel Bridge, featured in this scene, is the second-oldest vertical-lift bridge in the world– second only to the Hawthorne Bridge a little farther downriver. In this video, eScapes takes you on a late-afternoon ride down the river from the Broadway Bridge past the double-lift Steel Bridge. Sitting in the channel are the Korean freighter Eastern Queen and the Italian Michele Bottiglieri, reminders of Portland’s role as an aptly-named port city. Euge Groove is a smooth jazz saxophonist who has lent his talent to recordings and tours from