Chapter 12
American Potpourri
West
Copyright © 2007 by Nelson, a division of
Thomson Canada Limited
2
American West



Old West
Larger than Life
Dramatic



Natural
Man-made
Car travel preferred
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3
North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt National Park






www.nps.gov/thro/home.htm
colourful badlands provides the scenic backdrop
park memorializes the 26th president for contributions to the
conservation of resources.
70,447 acres
badlands, open prairie, bison, prairie dogs and other wildlife
Little Missouri River
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South Dakota

Mt Rushmore

www.nps.gov/moru/start.htm




Insert <photo Mt
Rushmore> pg 204
Deadwood



Wind Cave
Jewel Cave
Badlands

www.deadwood.org
Entire city is a national
historic landmark
Crazy Horse Monument



www.crazyhorse.org
sculpture started in 1948
Still in progress
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5
Nebraska

Fort Robinson



www.stateparks.com/fort_robinson.html
Former US Army outpost in Pine Ridge region – NW Nebraska
www.nebraskahistory.org/sites/fortrob



75 years of military history
Scenic beauty
Historical & cultural significance
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6
Kansas


www.travelks.com
Topeka - state capital
Dodge City

www.americanwest.com/pages/dodge.htm

Cowboy Capital 1875 - 1886

Boot Hill


Buried with their boots on..
Old Cowtown Museum



www.oldcowtown.org
Stop on Texas-Kansas cattle route
Interactive living history
Famous & infamous past
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Copyright © 2007 by Nelson, a division of
Thomson Canada Limited
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Texas

www.traveltex.com
Lone Star State

“Buckaroo Break$”

Packages designed for Canadian market
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9
Texas (cont.)

Dallas-Fort Worth

More shopping centres per capita than any other US city




9th largest city in the US
12 entertainment districts
State Fair – fall > 3M visitors annually
Sports

Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars, Rangers, Desperados
JF Kennedy Memorial www.jfk.org

Mansion on Turtle Creek


Rosewood Hotel
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10
Texas (cont.)

Houston

Largest city in Texas



www.houston-guide.com
4th in US
NASA/Space Center Houston
Astrodome




www.ballparks.com
First ball park with a roof
First park with Astroturf
Minute Maid Park
Astros, Rockets, Comets, Texans, Aeros
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11
Texas (cont.)

San Antonio

Riverwalk




www.sanantoniocvb.com
Paseo del Rio
Tree lined cobblestone walks
5km through shops, restaurants and bars
Alamo



www.thealamo.org
Most famous spot in Texas
1836 battle with Mexicans
189 defenders fell
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12
Texas (cont.)

Austin

“Live music capital of the world”


www.austintexas.org
State Capital
Bats




Congress Ave bridge
More than 1.5 M bats fly out at dusk
Apr-Oct
Largest urban bat colony in N.A.
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13
Texas (cont.)

Padre Island

National Seashore

Longest undeveloped barrier island


www.nps.gov/pais
South Padre Island


www.sopadre.com
Resorts, fishing, boating
Wildlife watching

Dolphin, sea turtles & birds
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Okalahoma

Oklahoma City

Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum

Preserving the heritage of the American West


Stockyards City

see Oklahoma cowboys working the livestock.


www.nationalcowboymuseum.org
www.stockyardscity.org
Oklahoma Rodeo Opry

300 seat Opry house offers great country & western music

www.ohfo.org
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Copyright © 2007 by Nelson, a division of
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Colorado
www.colorado.com

Denver

Mile High City



Mild weather outdoor recreation
300 days of annual sunshine
Mesa Verde

Archaeological wonder


www.denver.org
Cliff dwellings built A.D. 450 - 1300
Colorado Springs


www.experiencecoloradosprings.com
World class whitewater
Wild to mild outdoor adventures
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17
Colorado (cont.)

Ski Resorts

Aspen

Year round resort



Vail

Aspen, Snowmass, Highlands, Buttermilk
West-central Colorado – 3 ½ hrs from DEN
www.newvail.com
Claims to N.A. top ski resort destination


www.aspenchamber.org
Billion $ renewal
Telluride & Mountain Village

www.visittelluride.com
Old & new, unique & sophisticated

Southwest Colorado
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Wyoming

Yellowstone www.nps.gov/yell


First national park
Old Faithful www.yellowstone.net



Erupts every 35 – 120 min. for 1 ½ -5 min.
Max height 27 – 56 M
Grand Teton


www.nps.gov/grte
Teton Mountain range
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Wyoming (cont.) www.wyomingtourism.org

Jackson Hole

Extreme Skiing



1262 M. base-to-summit vertical
Freefall leaps
Snake River


www.jacksonholechamber.com
Rafting & Fishing
Devil’s Tower



www.nps.gov/deto
Nearly vertical monolith
386 M above Belle Fourche River
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Montana

Little Bighorn


Custer’s attack on the Sioux, 1976
National Monument & Cemetery

Glacier National Park www.nps.gov/glac


Glaciated landscape
Intact ecosystem
350 historic sites

1932 Glacier & Waterton (Alberta)

www.nps.gov/libi
were designated as a Peace Park
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Idaho

Sun Valley




www.sunvalley.com
1936 Sun Valley resort opened
Very poplar with Hollywood stars
Casual elegance
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Copyright © 2007 by Nelson, a division of
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Washington

Maryhill



www.experiencewashington.com
www.maryhillmuseum.org
Museum of Art in castle-like chateau
Major cultural resource in the Columbia River Gorge
region
Seattle

Space Needle


www.spaceneedle.com
1962 built for World’s Fair
848 steps from bottom to Observation Deck
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Washington (cont.)

Seattle

Pike Place Market




“soul of Seattle”
9 Acres
100 years
Pike Place Fish Market



Fish-flinging fishmongers
World Famous
Motivational Video “Fish!”
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Washington (cont.)

Mt St Helens

Erupted 1980

earthquake measured 5.1
Now a national monument for
research, recreation & education


www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/mshnvm
Mt Rainer


www.nps.gov/mora
97% designated wilderness
Rainer is an active volcano
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26
Oregon

www.traveloregon.com
Oregon Coast






644km coastline drive
Towns, lighthouses
Viewpoints
Dramatic scenery
Mild temperatures
Wine & golf
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27
Oregon (cont.)

Portland


Rose City
 Climate ideal for rose growing
Columbia River Gorge www.crgva.org

80 mi


www.pova.org
forms border between Oregon & Washington
Crater Lake National Park



Rim Drive
Lodge, hiking trails
Boat tours

www.nps.gov/crla
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Copyright © 2007 by Nelson, a division of
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Nevada www.travelnevada.com

Reno




Lake Tahoe



www.visitrenotahoe.com
‘Biggest Little City in the World’
>5 million visitors annually
Gaming, dining & entertainment
www.tahoesbest.com
Border of California & Nevada
18 ski resorts, golf courses, casinos
Gaming centres


Laughlin
- mature, budget clientele
Primm - family, budget clientele
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Nevada (cont.)

Virginia City

Living history, Boardwalk,





www.virginiacity-nv.org
Mark Twain first used pen name
Bonanza television series
Silver rush town
Wealth & opulence of by-gone era
Hoover Dam

Black Canyon

Colorado River
48 km SE of Las Vegas

www.usbr.gov/lc/hooverdam

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Las Vegas

Weather

Evenings cooler





Elevation >610 m
Winter cool 0°-17°C
Summer 22° - 40°
Spring & fall pleasant
Travel Patterns



3 & 4 nt ITCs popular
Weekends more expensive
Top convention destination
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32
Las Vegas (cont.)

Getting There





Scheduled & charter air
ITCs available from most gateways
Car rentals, taxis
Monorails, buses
Tours operate to distant attractions

Coach, helicopter, small planes
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Las Vegas (cont.)

Why People Go

Entertainment





Shows, performances, plays, magic, sporting
Gambling
Weddings
Dining value
Hotels


Themed
Attractions on their own
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34
Las Vegas - Accommodations

Bellagio



Circus, rides
Excalibur

Medieval Castle
Luxor



Tropical sand & surf
lagoon, shark reef
MGM Grand


Egyptian pyramid
Mandalay Bay

Rome, Colosseum, fountains
statues
Circus Circus


Tuscany 5◊
Dancing water
Caesars Palace



Entertainment
Mirage

Polynesian volcano
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Las Vegas – Accommodations (cont.)

New York-New York


Paris Las Vegas


1149 feet, drop ride, revolving restaurant
TI ( Treasure Island)


½ scale Eiffel Tower
Stratosphere


Big Apple, Coney Island roller coaster
Sirens & pirate show, sinking a ship
Venetian

Venice, gondolas, Grand Canal
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Utah

www.utah.com
National Parks

Zion
Bryce Canyon

Monument Valley

Arches
Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Lake Powell


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37
Utah (cont.)

Salt Lake City

Mormons


Temple Square


worldwide icon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints
Mormon Tabernacle


1847 first party of Mormons arrived in Salt Lake Valley, led by
Brigham Young
Home of the world famous Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Family History Library

Worlds largest collection of genealogical information
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38
Utah (cont.)

2002 Winter Olympics

Ski Resorts




Snowbird
Park City
Deer Valley
Alta
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39
New Mexico

Sante Fe

Capital
Arts & crafts
South-western cuisine
Sante Fe Music Festival

Gateway Albuquerque



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40
New Mexico (cont.)

Carlsbad Caverns




UNESCO world heritage site
>100 caves
Stalactites, stalagmites, bats
www.carlsbadchamber.com
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41
New Mexico (cont.)

Taos

World class Ski resort



300 days of sun 300 inches of snow
www.skitaos.org
Historic Artist colony



www.taosguide.com
Art colony started in 1898
www.arttaos.com
Taos Pueblo



Living Native American community
UNESCO World heritage Site
www.taospueblo.com
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42