US State Capital History Alabama Alaska and Arizona
The history of Montgomery, Juneau, and Phoenix
Capital by the Alabama River
At one time the left bank of the Alabama River was inhabited by the Alibamu tribe of Native Americans. On either side of the river lived the Alibamu and the Coushatta, who were great mound builders. The city of Montgomery was built on the site of two Alibamu towns. European colonization began and many changes occurred in the area.
The city of Montgomery was incorporated in 1819 and became the capital in 1846. Jefferson Davis the only President of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865 was inaugurated on the steps of the Montgomery State Capitol.
On April 12, 1865, Major General James H. Wilson captured Montgomery for the Union. In 1886 the city became the first city in the U.S. to install city-wide electric street cars along a system, nicknamed the Lightning Route.
Montgomery was thrust into the spotlight of the early African-American Civil Rights Movement. The Montgomery Improvement Association was created by Martin Luther King, Jr., who was then the pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
Today people visiting Montgomery can see the black granite Civil Rights Memorial. See the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the Alabama State Capitol dating from the 1850s, and the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
Indian Fishing Grounds
The Gastineau Channel was a favorite fishing ground for local Tlingit Indians in Alaska. The native cultures were rich with artistic traditions among them carving, weaving, singing, and dancing. The area around Juneau became a major social center for the native Tlingit and other tribes of southeast Alaska.
In 1880 Joe Juneau and Richard Harris went to the Gastineau Channel and in Snow Slide Gulch discovered gold nuggets. They marked the town site and set up a mining camp and soon the camp became a small town. After different names were tried the town was named after Joe Juneau. In 1906 the capital of Alaska was moved from Sitka to Juneau and it soon became the largest city in Alaska.
Growth in Juneau expanded greatly when the construction of the Alaskan Pipeline was begun in 1977. Today it does very well with cruise lines making this their stop during the summer season. The city continues to be the only U.S. state capital located on an international border. It’s bordered on the east by Canada.
Land of the Hohokam People
The Hohokam people lived on the land that would one day become Phoenix, Arizona for over 1,000 years. They created irrigation canals to make the land more arable. These canal paths were later put into use for the modern Arizona Canal and others. The first Europeans arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries.
An American Civil War veteran named Jack Swilling was involved in the history of Phoenix as it became a city. He was the one to build a series of canals following the paths of the ancient canals built by the Native Americans. The name Phoenix for the city was suggested by Lord Darrell Duppa due to the fact that like the bird this city was born from the ruins of a former civilization.
In 1902 the 26th U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act that let dams be built on western streams. The Roosevelt Dam was completed in 1911. It was under the 27th U.S. President William Howard Taft that Phoenix became the capital of Arizona. Phoenix grew quickly and developed and many decaying neighborhoods got a new facelift.
Today Phoenix, Arizona is known for its year-round sunshine and warm temperatures. Tourists enjoy the spa resorts, golf courses, and nightclubs. Tourist attractions include the Desert Botanical Garden, South Mountain Park, Camelback Mountain, and the Phoenix Zoo.
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Rasma Raisters
My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.
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William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and one of the most influential figures in world literature. His plays and poems have crossed centuries, cultures, and languages, shaping storytelling, drama, and even everyday speech. Yet, despite his immense fame, much of Shakespeare’s personal life remains a mystery. What we do know paints the picture of a remarkable man who rose from a small market town to become the most celebrated playwright of his age. William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a small town in Warwickshire, England. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but church records show that he was baptized on April 26, 1564, and it is traditionally believed that he was born on April 23. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove maker and a local businessman who also held public offices, including that of alderman and bailiff (similar to a mayor). 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