The geology of the Great Plains is a product of long epochs of sedimentary build-up followed by equally long epochs of erosion. The result today is a dramatic landscape of bluffs, pinnacles and badlands that contain the rich story, of ancient sea creatures, dinosaurs and long extinct, giant land mammals. But it was the rising up of the Black Hills in the vast Great Plains that created incredibly dramatic geological features. Chapter 1: Devils Tower National Monument (Wyoming) Chapter 2: Jewel Cave National Monument (S. Dakota) Chapter 3: Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (Nebraska)
The Northern Great Plains stretch from Minnesota in the east to the Rocky Mountains in the West. During the 19th century, this vast land of prairie grass and buffalo was the domain of the Sioux Indian Nation . . . a nation that would soon be at the heart of the Plains Indian wars. Chapter 1: Pipestone National Monument (Minnesota) Chapter 2: Little Bighorn Battle Site National Monument (Montana)
When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory from the French in 1803, he essentially added the Great Plains to the United States. From that point forward, Americans looked to form a nation from sea to sea . . . A great continental nation. This push west was called Manifest Destiny. Two National Monuments commemorate the heroic struggle of ordinary Americans to fulfill the American dream of Manifest Destiny. Chapter 1: Scott's Bluff National Monument (Nebraska) Chapter 2: Homestead National Monument (Nebraska)
The southern Plains are distinguished by short grass prairies . . . hot, dry summers, and cold, windy winters. But in spite of these tough climatic conditions, the area is rich in human history. Indeed, the southern Plains are called the cradle of North American culture Chapter 1: Alibates Flint Quarry National Monument (Texas) Chapter 2: Capulin Volcano National Monument (New Mexico) Chapter 3: Fort Union National Monument (New Mexico)
In the South are ruins of prehistoric cities, rivalling any in the ancient world. They were built by Native American cultures living in the South. It is a largely unknown story ... A story you can learn by travelling to the region's three national monuments devoted to pre-history. Monuments on this Program: Poverty Point National Monument -Tells the story of America's oldest city (Louisiana) Russell Cave National Monument - The longest continually occupied cave in North America (Alabama) Ocmulgee National Monument - One of the great City-States of the Mississippian Culture (Georgia)
Of the three European countries vying for control of what would become the United States; Spain was the first to establish a colony more than 40 years before the English founded Jamestown. Three monuments tell the rich story of colonial Spain in the South. Monuments in this Program: Fort Matanzas and Castillo de San Marcos National Monuments - These two monuments tell the rise and fall of the Spanish Empire in what would become the United States (Florida), Fort Frederica National Monument - Today a colonial ghost town, where the pivotal battle between English Colonists and Spanish colonists took place (Georgia)
The American South is home to some of the world's most spectacular ecosystems, from coral reefs to salt water marshes. It is also home to the origin of slavery and the plantation system in America. Three national monuments present this profound legacy of ecology and history ... a history that includes the birth of the nation's first and greatest president, George Washington. Monuments in this program: Virgin Islands National Monuments - Buck Island Reef and Virgin Islands Coral Reef National Monuments are underwater paradises and a lynchpin of the slave trade George Washington Birthplace National Monument - The early story of George Washington and the origin of the plantation system (Virginia)
The Civil War was the most devastating event in American history. Three southern national monuments tell the story of the war's origin ... The attack that started the conflict ... And how the American Civil War changed the country and the very nature of warfare itself. Monuments in this program: George Washington Carver National Monument - Born into slavery, he became one of America's greatest scientists (Missouri) Fort Sumter National Monument - On these hallowed grounds, the first shot of the Civil War was fired (South Carolina) Fort Pulaski National Monument - The site where the nature of warfare changed forever (Georgia)
National Monuments Featured on this program: Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument - Home of the ancestor of modern horses Fossil Butte National Monument - The world's greatest fossil site with millions of specimens John Day Fossil Beds National Monument - 10,000 square miles spanning 40 million years of ancient life
National Monuments featured in this program: Pinnacles National Monument - Home to the California condor Craters of the Moon National Monument - The ghostly splendour of desolation and geology is revealed in its spectacular black lava Devils Postpile National Monument - Tells the story of Sierra Nevada Mountain Range
National Monuments featured in this program Lava Beds National Monument - Ancient volcanic history mixes with America's Indian wars Muir Woods National Monument - Honours the origins of America's Conservation and Preservation Movements Minidoka Internment National Monument - Tells the shameful story of the internment of loyal Japanese Americans in WWII
National Monuments featured in this program: Cabrillo National Monument - An amazing story of marine and terrestrial biodiversity Oregon Caves National Monument - Spectacular cave geology is combined with the diversity of plants and animals to tell a unique story of the Pacific Northwest
