Friday, August 17, 2018

Arrowhead Park Native Plants



BLUE FLAX
Grows 18-20 inches tall but leans at an angle. Flowers are pale blue, with 5 petals about 1-1 1/2 inches across, veined in darker blue. The seeds are produced on the lower flowers while those above continue to bloom. The young stem is leafy as it matures it will gradually losing most of its leaves.  Leaves are narrow and about 3/4 inch long.


Black-eyed Susan
Flowers have colorful yellow-gold single petals that are often two to four inches across with large black centers.
They bloom with eight to twenty-one yellow-orange ray florets and dark purple to brownish disk florets. The disk is up to 0.8 inch across.


Purple Prairie Clover
is unbranched and grows to about 3' tall. Older plants may send up multiple stems, creating a bushy effect. The central stem is slightly ridged and hairless. They consist of 3-7 leaflets and tend to be quite short, approximately 2-5" long. Each leaflet is dark green, linear in shape, and about 1" long and 1/8" across.  Each purple flower is about ¼" across, with 5 small petals and 5 golden anthers that protrude outward.



Showy partridge pea
is a plant that reaches a height of 1 to 3 feet. showy yellow flowers, grow 2 to 4 together in clusters on the stem about 1 inch across. The leaves consist of 10 to 16 pairs of small, narrow leaflets that are somewhat delicate to the touch. Flowers normally bloom July-September.  



Big bluestem
it grows to a height of 3 to 9 ft. Bunchgrass stem base turns blue or purple as it matures. They have strong, tough roots that forms very deep strong sod. It blooms in the summer and seeds into the fall.



Lance-leaf Coreopsis
tickseed grows in small clumps but forms extensive colonies. It is 1-2 1/2 feet tall and has leaves 3-4 inches long,  Some of the leaves are deeply cut, almost forming 3 leaflets. Flower heads are yellow, 1-1 1/2 inches across. The yellow center or disk flowers stand out from the ray flowers, which appear to be attached just below them.


Indiangrass
is a warm-season perennial bunchgrass. It grows 3 to 7 feet tall, The leaf is about 3 feet long. It blooms from late summer to early fall  The spikelets are golden-brown during the blooming period, and each contain one perfect floret that has three large, yellow stamens and two feather-like stigmas. One of the two glumes at the base of the spikelets is covered in silky white hairs. The flowers are cross-pollinated by the wind.


Lemon Mint
 When crushed, the leaves emit an odor reminiscent of lemons, especially late in the season. Its purple flowers are highly attractive to butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.


Rosy Red Yarrow
 has reddish-pink cluster-like flowers. This plant tolerates a wide range of soils and climates. It can be somewhat aggressive. This perennial Yarrow blooms in the summer and is a colorful addition when planted with other yarrows or in a flower mixture.


Sideoats Grama
 is a warm-season grass. The flowering stems are 12–39.5 in tall, and have alternate leaves that are concentrated at the bottom of the culm. The leaves are light green to blue-green in color, and up to (1/4 in) across. The flowers bloom in summer and autumn.


Little Bluestem
 or beard grass, is a North American prairie grass native to most of the United States. Its has always been in the Midwestern prairies. Little bluestem is a perennial bunchgrass. It is a warm-season species it grows to become an upright, roundish mound of soft, bluish-green or grayish green blades in May and June that is about two or three feet high. In July it starts to send up its flowering stalks until it gets to be about four to five feet high. In fall, it displays a good coppery or mostly orange color with tints of red or purple. Sometimes it displays in some places, as in sandy soils, a more red fall color. In winter it becomes a more orangish-bronze until it becomes more tan in early spring.


Western Wheatgrass
 though the common nickname is red-joint wheatgrass, from the red coloration of the nodes. This is a sod-forming perennial grass which is native and common throughout most of North America. It grows in grassland and prairie in the Great Plains, where it is sometimes the dominant grass species. It is the state grass of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. It is a valuable forage for animals such as bison and black-tailed prairie dogs, and it is good for grazing livestock. For low-maintenance lawns Wheatgrass generally tolerates mowing to four inches, but does not tolerate shade.


Clasping Coneflower
or Clasping-leaf coneflower
This is a smooth-stemmed, annual coneflower, 2-3 ft. tall, with terminal, solitary flower heads. The leaves are oblong with heart-shaped, clasping bases. The yellow petals, with reddish-purple bases, are numerous and droop away from the dark, elongated, cone-shaped center.


Bishop's Flower
An erect, branching annual easily established from seed. Native to North Africa and Eurasia, it has naturalized throughout much of the United States. The plant produces an abundance of large, rounded, five to six inch flower heads made up of small snow-white florets. Does not seem to be temperamental about soil conditions, but does require full sun. Looks very similar to Queen Anne's lace and will produce blooms the first year.



Perennial Lupine
A hardy perennial, native to Maine and Southern Ontario extending westward throughout the central and mid-western regions of the United States south to Florida. Flowers are arranged on upright spikes varied in color from deep blue to purple shades. Requires a dry, well-drained sandy or gravelly soil in full sun. Cannot tolerate heavy soils. A very adaptable and versatile species.



Purple coneflower
A perennial with smooth, 2-5 ft. stems and long-lasting, lavender flowers. Rough, scattered leaves that become small toward the top of the stem. Flowers occur singly atop the stems and have domed, purplish-brown, spiny centers and drooping, lavender rays. An attractive perennial with purple (rarely white), drooping rays surrounding a spiny, brownish central disk. The flowers of Echinacea species are used to make an extremely popular herbal tea, purported to help strengthen the immune system; an extract is also available in tablet or liquid form in pharmacies and health food stores. Often cultivated, Purple Coneflower is a showy, easily grown garden plant.



Gloriosa Daisy
is Annual Flower Also known as Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia, Orange Coneflower A prairie native, Gloriosa Daisy dazzles with vivid flowers in combinations of red, yellow and orange shades offset by dark brown centers. Great for cut flowers. Prefers cool weather.



Thank-you for all your comments and viewing the video. I have other videos on my YouTube page.

Other Links:

https://www.youtube.com/Johnthemousevideo

https://twitter.com/JohntheMouse

Music:
USUAN1500068 - The Show Must Be Go
"The Show Must Be Go" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1200102

Links:

native plants, BLUE FLAX, Black-eyed Susan, Purple Prairie Clover, Showy partridge pea, Big bluestem, Lance-leaf Coreopsis,

Arrowhead Park, Sioux falls, SD

Arrowhead Park, Sioux falls, SD

The park is named after a large, arrowhead shaped granite quarry that is one of three historic quarries now lakes in the park. Stones from these quarries were used to build Old Courthouse Museum building in downtown Sioux Falls.  Some claim the restored 1888 barn was designed by famous architect Wallace Dow , who is also known for designing the South Dakota School for the Deaf in Sioux Falls. Up for a walk try the hiking trails.

Open 5am-10pm daily.



 Built in 1888, The Barn’s design is unique in that the front facade was extended with a false “storefront” for commercial use as a stagecoach stop. Koch Hazard performed extensive historic research starting with the only photograph in existence of the Barn on it’s original East Sioux Falls site. Complete restoration of the exterior was accomplished using original historic components as a guide for reproduction of new materials where required. This project is a 2003 AIA South Dakota Design Merit Award winner.


Thank-you for all your comments and viewing the video. I have other videos on my YouTube page.

Other Links:

https://www.youtube.com/Johnthemousevideo

https://twitter.com/JohntheMouse

Links:

arrowhead, 1888 barn, historic quarries, Arrowhead Park, Sioux falls , SD, stagecoach stop,




Friday, August 10, 2018

Atchison Family Passenger of the Steamboat Bertrand



This video is on the Atchison Family that was riding on the Bertrand when it sunk.

Lets Start out with a little background history before the accident.

John Atchison was born in Galena, Illinois on December 13, 1835. His wife Mary was was born in the District of Columbia in 1839.

They had two children born in Winona, Minnesota. Charles was in 1860 fallowed closly by his sister Emma in 1861.

John Atchison moved to Virginia City, Montana in May of 1864. In September, he was appointed Notary Public at Virginia City by Governor Edgerton.
He was partnered with Joseph Millard (president of Omaha National Bank) and B.F. Allen of Des Moines to establish a gold exchange near Alder Gulch.


Mary age 24 with her 5 and 4 year old, got on the Steamboat that was bound for Fort Benton, Montana Territory to re-unite with her husband.
The Steamboat Bertrand sank on April 1, 1865, after hitting a snag in the river north of Omaha, Nebraska.

All of their baggage was lost in the sinking of the Steamboat Bertrand. They only had one, maybe two boxes of belongings.

We do know what was left behind,





Pony Cart:
Perhaps the most well known of the Atchison's possessions was this child's toy: a tin trotting pony with a two-wheeled tin cart attached to it.
Sadly, only one wheel was located. The pony came from two pieces of tin and was painted a dark gray color with red-orange spots on the horses back and nose.
The cart was only one piece of tin with folded edges and painted a red-orange color. It was a well used toy indicated by the dents and scratches found on the exterior of it.

Fur Stole:
This stole was a soft, brownish-black color (perhaps mink) in a shoulder style with a rounded oblong shape.
Silk lines the cloth where the stole would touch the shoulders; no silk is located on the central section.
There were also some loose buttons and beads found attached to the stole.



Knitted Wool Cap: This wool cap was made out of reddish-brown and black colored yarn and was semi- circular in shape with a stripped socket pattern of knitting.
The cap had been stretched, indicated it was well worn. This style of hat was meant to be tied on the head with two hanging tassels, but only one tassel remains.










Drake’s Plantation Bitters:
One of the rather unique items found on the Bertrand would have to be the amber colored, cabin shaped bottles known as Drake’s Plantation Bitters.
They first appeared during the American Civil War and contain 17% alcohol; it is a St. Croix Rum. Twelve of these bottles were found in the Atchison belongings.







School Building Blocks:
Another of the children’s toys was the thirty light-weight blocks; one side being gray and the other side a pale red.
Both sides of the blocks had black building patterns painted on them along with the word HILL’S painted over three small windows.
The gray side, though, contained the words VILLAGE SCHOOL underneath HILL’S, while the red side said UNION COLLEGE under it.

Shorty after the sinking of the Steamboat, the gold exchange near Alder Gulch got sold.

Joseph Millard and B.F. Allen then established a bank in Helena, MT named Allen and Millard Bank; John ended up running the bank for them.

In 1866 the bank turned into The First National Bank of Helena, Montana.

In 1870 Federal Census in Montana Territory shows that Mary was a housewife John was a banker Charles was 10 and Emma was 9.
They had $25,000 in personal property and a 25-year-old domestic servant from Prussia; Barbara Newman (who was possibly a passenger on the Bertrand. Unknown).


After Mary passed away, John moved to Mentone, California to live with Charles around 1884/1885.  He lived there for about 13 years before dying at the age of 97.




Thank-you for all your comments and viewing the video. I have other videos on my YouTube page.








Other Links:

http://www.peachridgeglass.com/2012/05/information-on-the-drakes-plantation-bitters-variants/

http://explorebig.org/items/show/13

https://terracehill.iowa.gov/bf-allen

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Millard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidney_Edgerton

https://www.mininghistoryassociation.org  Photo Credits Johnny Johnsson

http://www.jmaw.org

http://usgwarchives.net

http://virginiacitymt.com

http://rahs.org/

http://www.galenahistory.org

https://hogsheadwine.wordpress.com/2013/09/11/bomford-lindsay-and-smith-the-early-vineyards-of-washington-dc/

https://www.minnpost.com/mnopedia/2013/09/when-wheat-was-king-minnesota

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Valley_of_the_Mississippi_from_Winona,_Minn._c1898.jpg

http://www2.smumn.edu/deptpages/~history/sesqui/growth/index.htm

https://www.fws.gov/refuge/DeSoto/

https://www.youtube.com/Johnthemousevideo

http://www.facebook.com/JohntheMouse

https://twitter.com/JohntheMouse

Music:


Links:

John Atchison, Galena, Illinois, Winona, Minnesota, Mary, Charles, Emma, Helena, Montana, Drake’s Plantation Bitters,