Jackpot: How a Questionable Indian Tribe Built the Richest Casino in the World and then Lost it All in Ledyard, CT

June 12, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

In 1995 the richest casino in the world was not located in Las Vegas or Atlantic City. It was located in Ledyard, CT. Foxwoods Resort Casino operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Indian tribe enjoyed gross earnings exceeding $1 billion, with net earnings in excess of $300 million. Because it was…

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New Jersey, The East

Uncovering the Crime of the Century: The Hall-Mills Murders in New Brunswick, NJ

May 28, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Crime of the century? The words conjure up thoughts of a single shocking offense, a crime so appalling it stands out above all the others. But in fact, many crimes have been labeled as such. The O.J. Simpson case (1994), the Patty Hearst kidnapping (1974), the Manson murders (1969), and…

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New Jersey, The East

Ghost Towns of New Jersey

May 22, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

When I first learned of the ghost towns of New Jersey, I could hardly believe it. How could a state with more than 1,200 people per square mile have ghost towns in it? In New Jersey there are people everywhere. And the traffic? Hell, you can’t even make a left…

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North Carolina, The South

A Honeyed Slice of Americana: Visiting the Real Mayberry in Mount Airy, NC

May 1, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

For those of us who enjoy classic television, few shows hold such a warm place in our hearts as The Andy Griffith Show. Running for eight seasons between 1960 and 1968, the show about Sheriff Andy Taylor and the good people of Mayberry had something few other shows could match,…

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Missouri, The Midwest

Sandbagged: How a Hapless Ex-Con Got Blamed for the 1993 Flood in West Quincy, MO

April 17, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

For three months in the spring and summer of 1993 rain pounded the Mississippi River basin relentlessly. From Minnesota to Missouri, rivers were out of their banks. Engorged tributaries carried flood waters into the Mississippi. The great river rose steadily. By July 13th the river was fifteen feet above flood…

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Iowa, The Midwest

There be Monsters: The Outlandish Terror of the Van Meter Visitor

April 10, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

In early autumn of 1903, something bizarre and terrifying happened in the town of Van Meter, Iowa. People have been talking about it ever since. On the night of September 29th a farm implement salesman named U.G. Griffith was returning late from his rounds when he saw something odd. It…

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Minnesota, The Midwest

Springtime Doesn’t Last Forever: The Rise and Fall of the Indoor Shopping Mall in Minneapolis, MN

April 3, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

There are innovations that, when we first experience them, are so striking, so clearly a terrific idea, that we cannot conceive of their ever fading away. For anyone born before the year 2000, the indoor shopping mall was one of those things. Repositories of consumer culture and social engagement in…

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North Dakota, The Plains States

The Gateway to Hell in Tagus, North Dakota

March 20, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Do a simple Google search on “gateway to hell” and you’ll be surprised at how many results you get. Some are sites of underground fires that keep on burning, such as a natural gas fire in Turkmenistan, or an underground coal fire in Centralia, Pennsylvania. Others are active volcanoes like…

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Idaho, The Mountain States

Meltdown: How Two Hotheads May Have Caused America’s First Nuclear Disaster

March 6, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

The story goes like this. Two young enlisted men in their early twenties were tasked with operating a nuclear reactor in the Lost River Desert of Idaho. They were not scientists or engineers. They lacked college degrees. They were graduates of a crash course in how to operate a nuclear…

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The West Coast, Washington

Leavenworth, WA and the Making of a Bavarian Dream

February 20, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

In 1945 at the end of World War II a soldier named Bob Rodgers found himself stationed in the German province of Bavaria. While there, he fell in love with the people, the food, and the charming Bavarian architecture. After returning home to Seattle, he took a job as an…

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offbeat travel destinations

Jackpot: How a Questionable Indian Tribe Built the Richest Casino in the World and then Lost it All in Ledyard, CT

Uncovering the Crime of the Century: The Hall-Mills Murders in New Brunswick, NJ

Ghost Towns of New Jersey

A Honeyed Slice of Americana: Visiting the Real Mayberry in Mount Airy, NC

Sandbagged: How a Hapless Ex-Con Got Blamed for the 1993 Flood in West Quincy, MO

There be Monsters: The Outlandish Terror of the Van Meter Visitor

Springtime Doesn’t Last Forever: The Rise and Fall of the Indoor Shopping Mall in Minneapolis, MN

The Gateway to Hell in Tagus, North Dakota

Meltdown: How Two Hotheads May Have Caused America’s First Nuclear Disaster

Leavenworth, WA and the Making of a Bavarian Dream

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