Understanding Backwards: Coming to Terms with the Past in Oxford, Mississippi

October 16, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” That quote by the 19th century philosopher Kierkegaard lies at the heart of the novels written by William Faulkner, one of the giants of American literature. Faulkner believed the reality of one’s life experience almost invariably falls short…

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Illinois, The Midwest

Toxic Hysteria: The Strange but True Tale of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon

September 25, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Even before the newspaper story, even before anyone reported it, a man named Urban Raef awoke in the middle of the night with a foul odor in his nostrils. It was so awful it made him sick. He stumbled into the bathroom and vomited until he was weak. His wife,…

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The Midwest, Wisconsin

Hell on Earth: The Forgotten Firestorm of Peshtigo, Wisconsin

September 11, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

On the night of October 9th, 1871 sailors on the deck of the schooner C.I. Hutchison two miles off the coast of Wisconsin in Lake Michigan saw something incredible. Wind driven cinders fell from the sky, setting the boat’s rigging on fire. Five miles further out, flaming roof shingles landed…

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Michigan, The Midwest

The Remarkable Johnston Women of Sault Ste Marie

September 4, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Early 19th century history is filled with men of consequence. But in an era when most women were expected to remain at home and focus on domestic chores, few females made their marks, especially in the areas of trade, diplomacy and the arts. Exceptions can be found in the remarkable…

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Michigan, The Midwest

Labyrinth: The Perplexing Maze of the Robison Family Murders in Good Hart, Michigan

August 28, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

The smell was something awful. It wafted in on the breeze, making the members of Mrs. Moore’s bridge party curl up their lips and comment on it. Mrs. Moore phoned Monnie Bliss, the owner of Blisswood Cabins and asked him to check into it. Monnie tracked down the smell. It…

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Michigan, The Midwest

Corrosive: Flushing Out the Truth about the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

August 21, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

The Law of Unintended Consequences says that intervening in complex systems tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes. To those of a conservative mindset this argues in favor of leaving well enough alone. But to liberals and progressives, deteriorating social and economic conditions are a call to action that…

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New York, The East

Sam Patch, the Tragic True Story of America’s First National Celebrity

August 7, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

On November 6th, 1829 a man dressed in a white shirt and spinner pants stepped to the edge of a stone precipice ninety-four feet above the High Falls of the Genesee River in downtown Rochester, New York. Below him, some 8,000 spectators lined the banks. He bowed to the crowd…

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New York, The East

Sliding into First: Examining Baseball’s Pointless Plunge into Irrelevance at Cooperstown, NY

July 31, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Sliding into first base is dumb. Diving head first into a thick, immovable bag at top speed can result in injury and is almost always unnecessary. In baseball a runner can run through first base without the risk of being tagged out by the simple method of turning right after…

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Maine, The East

A Perfect Summer’s Day in Bar Harbor, Maine

July 17, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

The painters noticed it first, the beauty of the place. To the Native-Americans it was mostly about the clams, how they littered the banks, the sandy shores strewn with their cast off shells, pried and discarded by the Wabanaki who came here to fish and hunt. In 1604 French explorer…

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Connecticut, The East

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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US travel

Understanding Backwards: Coming to Terms with the Past in Oxford, Mississippi

Toxic Hysteria: The Strange but True Tale of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon

Hell on Earth: The Forgotten Firestorm of Peshtigo, Wisconsin

The Remarkable Johnston Women of Sault Ste Marie

Labyrinth: The Perplexing Maze of the Robison Family Murders in Good Hart, Michigan

Corrosive: Flushing Out the Truth about the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

Sam Patch, the Tragic True Story of America’s First National Celebrity

Sliding into First: Examining Baseball’s Pointless Plunge into Irrelevance at Cooperstown, NY

A Perfect Summer’s Day in Bar Harbor, Maine

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

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