0:00:02 > 0:00:07I have crossed the Atlantic to ride the railroads of North America
0:00:07 > 0:00:09with my reliable Appletons' Guide.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14Published in the late 19th century,
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Appletons' General Guide to North America will direct me
0:00:18 > 0:00:20to all that's
0:00:20 > 0:00:23beautiful, memorable
0:00:23 > 0:00:25and striking in the United States.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27THEY SPEAK OWN LANGUAGE
0:00:27 > 0:00:30As I journey across this vast continent,
0:00:30 > 0:00:34I'll discover how pioneers and cowboys conquered the West...
0:00:35 > 0:00:39..and how the railroads tied this nation together,
0:00:39 > 0:00:43helping to create the global superstate of today.
0:01:03 > 0:01:05TRAIN HORN
0:01:09 > 0:01:12My rail journey along the Upper Mississippi has brought me
0:01:12 > 0:01:16to a part of the river where Appletons' says there's
0:01:16 > 0:01:19"grandeur and sublimity in every mile.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22"It becomes monotonous after a time,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26"the eye becoming surfeited with too much beauty."
0:01:26 > 0:01:29In my travels around the United States, I've learned that you can't
0:01:29 > 0:01:34understand the nation's history or even its psyche without grasping
0:01:34 > 0:01:36the geography of its rivers.
0:01:36 > 0:01:40With 31 states draining into the Mississippi
0:01:40 > 0:01:45and two Canadian provinces, this is the mightiest of all the waterways.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50I want to understand how white settlers altered its flow,
0:01:50 > 0:01:55supplanted its population, and introduced new customs.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11I started my journey in Minnesota in the Twin Cities.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15I'm now travelling alongside the Mississippi River
0:02:15 > 0:02:18before crossing into Wisconsin at La Crosse.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20I'll then head east
0:02:20 > 0:02:23towards the shore of Lake Michigan at Milwaukee.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Turning south, I'll spend time in Chicago
0:02:26 > 0:02:30and then travel the length of Illinois via Centralia.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32I'll rediscover the Mississippi
0:02:32 > 0:02:35as I end my journey in Memphis, Tennessee.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40On this leg, I'll begin in Red Wing, Minnesota,
0:02:40 > 0:02:43on the trail of a renowned storyteller.
0:02:43 > 0:02:45I'll then cross the Mississippi river to
0:02:45 > 0:02:51the Wisconsin city named after what is now an international sport.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I'll visit an all-American tourist magnet,
0:02:54 > 0:02:56before ending in Portage,
0:02:56 > 0:03:00where I discover a feat of 19th-century engineering.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08On my travels, I immerse myself in Native American culture...
0:03:08 > 0:03:12- How do you like it? - I love it.- Yeah?
0:03:14 > 0:03:18..take a crash course in lacrosse...
0:03:18 > 0:03:20That's all right. We've got a helmet for a reason!
0:03:20 > 0:03:23Didn't even see it!
0:03:23 > 0:03:26I bury myself in a Thanksgiving harvest...
0:03:26 > 0:03:31We are moving a vast number of cranberries.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33..and find out how the railroad
0:03:33 > 0:03:36spread the joy of the Greatest Show On Earth.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Here comes the train, and there's an elephant trunk
0:03:38 > 0:03:40sticking out of one of it,
0:03:40 > 0:03:42there's a clown sitting on the vestibule of another.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02My first stop will be Red Wing, which Appletons' tells me is
0:04:02 > 0:04:05"beautifully situated on a broad level plain
0:04:05 > 0:04:08"at the foot of majestic bluffs.
0:04:08 > 0:04:10"A favourite resort in summer
0:04:10 > 0:04:14"for hunting, bathing, fishing and sailing."
0:04:14 > 0:04:16I want to find out what the place was like
0:04:16 > 0:04:18before the tourists arrived,
0:04:18 > 0:04:22when the settlers wrestled with raw nature.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32Named after a Native American chief, Red Wing is on tribal land.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Like much territory west of the Mississippi,
0:04:35 > 0:04:39this area was bought by the United States from France in 1803,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Within 50 years,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48white settlers began to arrive in this unknown wilderness.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51These were the determined pioneering Americans
0:04:51 > 0:04:56whose lives were made famous by the popular children's TV series
0:04:56 > 0:04:58Little House On The Prairie.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Many of us grew up watching the show,
0:05:01 > 0:05:05which was based on the books of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08The stories reflect her own settler childhood,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11just across the river from here.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15Pamela Smith Hill is the author of Laura's biography.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19- Hello, Pamela. - Hello. How nice to meet you.
0:05:19 > 0:05:22Michael. What sort of life was her father trying to have?
0:05:22 > 0:05:26I think he wanted a very...uncomplicated life.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31He liked being in the wild. He liked being surrounded by wild animals.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33He was a hunter and a trapper,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37and I think that's a love that he instilled in his daughter, Laura.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42Laura's first book, Little House In The Big Woods,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45was inspired by the cabin where she was born,
0:05:45 > 0:05:48a replica of which stands here today.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50It sounds rather desolate for a childhood.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55I think so and if you drive out from Pepin today,
0:05:55 > 0:05:57it's about a six-mile drive
0:05:57 > 0:06:02on a windy road, and if you think about all the miles and miles
0:06:02 > 0:06:05of wood, that makes this cabin seem even more isolated.
0:06:05 > 0:06:10You can really get a sense for how alone the family was out here.
0:06:10 > 0:06:12So what happened to the family?
0:06:12 > 0:06:16The family moved from here outside of Pepin
0:06:16 > 0:06:18when Laura was about two years old
0:06:18 > 0:06:22and they eventually settled in Indian Territory
0:06:22 > 0:06:27on the Osage Diminished Indian Reserve in about 1869.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31They lived there for a couple of years and then moved back to Pepin,
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and when Laura was about five or six,
0:06:35 > 0:06:40she was back here and Little House In The Big Woods is based on
0:06:40 > 0:06:43her memories of the second time the family lived there.
0:06:43 > 0:06:46Charles Ingalls had this incurable wanderlust,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49and he sent the family further west
0:06:49 > 0:06:53after a few years here in Pepin.
0:06:54 > 0:06:58The family shifted between Wisconsin, Minnesota,
0:06:58 > 0:06:59Kansas and South Dakota,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02all before Laura was a teenager.
0:07:03 > 0:07:09I think her overriding theme is an American family, moving west,
0:07:09 > 0:07:13struggling against adversity to find the Promised Land.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15But beyond that,
0:07:15 > 0:07:18there are themes that deal with courage in the face of adversity,
0:07:18 > 0:07:24how to deal with poverty. There's also the sense of Laura growing up.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30The family was like thousands of others on this new frontier -
0:07:30 > 0:07:33self-sufficient and hard-working people,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36setting forth, seeking success.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40In Pepin, each year the community celebrates those times
0:07:40 > 0:07:43with a festival devoted to Laura.
0:07:47 > 0:07:51UPBEAT FIDDLE MUSIC
0:07:51 > 0:07:55- Good day.- Good day. That is the darndest instrument I ever saw.
0:07:55 > 0:07:56- What is it?- It's a cigar box fiddle.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00Something that folks would make in the United States here
0:08:00 > 0:08:03if they couldn't afford a nice violin.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05- Where did you get this one from? - I made that.- Wow!
0:08:05 > 0:08:08That is extraordinary. I mean, it's not exactly a Stradivarius, is it?
0:08:08 > 0:08:11No, sir. Not a Stradivarius!
0:08:11 > 0:08:13Does that simple life appeal to you at all?
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Oh, without the health care and all the doctors and medication
0:08:17 > 0:08:20and things, it would have been tough. It was a hard life.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23If you cut yourself with your axe, what do you do?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26What happens when your wife is delivering a baby and you're out
0:08:26 > 0:08:28there all alone in the snow storm?
0:08:28 > 0:08:30It was very difficult.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33- How do you do?- What is the appeal, do you think, of Laura Ingalls?
0:08:33 > 0:08:36Why are these people gathered here to celebrate her?
0:08:36 > 0:08:39It's a simple, innocent time.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44- And I think all of us need that in life.- A very tough time.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Laura's mother wouldn't have known any different.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50She only knew she had to get the meal on the table.
0:08:50 > 0:08:52They only knew they had to get the haystack.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56They only knew they had to get the crop in.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05This is a very enjoyable and also very impressive festival.
0:09:05 > 0:09:09There is a genuine enthusiasm
0:09:09 > 0:09:13for their local heroine, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16And the tribute is paid in all sorts of ways,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19not least by so many people wearing the bonnet.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24And the settlers also learned a thing or two
0:09:24 > 0:09:25from the Native Americans
0:09:25 > 0:09:29who'd known these lands for thousands of years.
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Hello.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- Now, what are you offering here? - We're throwing tomahawks.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38- We are, are we?- Yes, we are.- All right. And who would have done that?
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Native Americans, frontiersmen, hunters.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43Any ideas on technique?
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Keep your wrists straight, bring it up over your head,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- step into it like you're throwing a ball.- OK.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- Wow!- Perfect!
0:09:51 > 0:09:53No, over the top, that one.
0:09:54 > 0:09:55Right idea.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Oh, that was a poor one.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02Sadly, just beginner's luck!
0:10:06 > 0:10:10Returning to Red Wing, I'm picking up the Empire Builder service,
0:10:10 > 0:10:14which runs over 2,000 miles across North America.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18Today, though, I'm travelling only about 60 miles.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31Next stop - Winona, Minnesota. Appletons' says,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35"A prosperous little city, one of the most important
0:10:35 > 0:10:38"lumber-distributing points on the upper Mississippi.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42"As a grain shipping point, it ranks amongst the first."
0:10:42 > 0:10:47You can be sure that if it was a strategic place for the white man,
0:10:47 > 0:10:50it was also precious for the Native American.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05The settlers founded Winona in 1851.
0:11:05 > 0:11:09And by the end of the century, there were more millionaires per head here
0:11:09 > 0:11:13than in any other city in the United States.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17The extreme wealth was generated by the lumber and wheat industries
0:11:17 > 0:11:19that sprang up on the river.
0:11:19 > 0:11:24To find out what happened to that industry, I'm meeting Curt McCurl,
0:11:24 > 0:11:28who maintains a wildlife refuge on the Mississippi.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31- Hello, Curt.- Welcome to the refuge.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33- It's wonderful to be here. - It's beautiful weather.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36- Great day to get out on the water. - Beautiful spot. Let's go.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38All right, hop on.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46At over 2,300 miles long,
0:11:46 > 0:11:50the Mississippi is the greatest river in North America.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52And it teems with wildlife.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06Curt, this is the most beautiful riverscape.
0:12:06 > 0:12:09Is this a natural environment we're looking at?
0:12:09 > 0:12:14Well, it's a combination of natural and man-influenced landscape here.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19The water level is unnaturally high now compared to previous times,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22before the lock and dam, because they had to raise the water level
0:12:22 > 0:12:24to maintain the navigation channel.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27So the mighty Mississippi was not navigable?
0:12:27 > 0:12:32It was not navigable year round before the locks and dams, no.
0:12:32 > 0:12:36It would be subject to extreme water level changes.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39There would be dry land here where you couldn't even get one of these
0:12:39 > 0:12:41boats through in certain places.
0:12:41 > 0:12:45You're talking about an extraordinarily large project there.
0:12:45 > 0:12:48- Who undertook that work?- That was the US Army Corps of Engineers.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51They built all the locks and dams
0:12:51 > 0:12:56from Saint Louis all the way to Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
0:12:56 > 0:12:57In the 1860s,
0:12:57 > 0:13:02the Corps cleared the river of debris such as log and tree stumps.
0:13:02 > 0:13:07For that heavy-duty work, they used impressive twin-hulled boats
0:13:07 > 0:13:10which became known as Uncle Sam's Tooth Pullers
0:13:10 > 0:13:13because of their capacity to extract whole trees.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16Did the river stand a chance against the railroads?
0:13:16 > 0:13:19Apparently it did, cos it's still here and still functioning.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22Are you moving freight on the river on the Upper Mississippi today?
0:13:22 > 0:13:25Oh, yeah. There's lots of freight going up and down the river today.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29It's still a very viable source of transportation.
0:13:29 > 0:13:31If we were lucky today, what wildlife might we see?
0:13:31 > 0:13:38If we're lucky today, we'll see some pelicans and some bald eagles.
0:13:38 > 0:13:40Is it a healthy bald eagle colony?
0:13:40 > 0:13:45At one point, we had single digits for eagle nests on this refuge,
0:13:45 > 0:13:47and now we are up over 300.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54Use of the river for navigation
0:13:54 > 0:13:58takes its toll on vegetation and wildlife.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01The winds that blow across these vast stretches of water
0:14:01 > 0:14:03make it hard for plants to regenerate.
0:14:06 > 0:14:11So as part of the environmental restoration programmes,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14the Corps and the Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies have come
0:14:14 > 0:14:19in and built these man-made islands to help break up that fetch.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22Trees can grow again and vegetation gets re-established,
0:14:22 > 0:14:24so the water is cleared up,
0:14:24 > 0:14:28it's not muddy and it continues
0:14:28 > 0:14:33the ongoing cycle of vegetation and habitat creation.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36The light is wonderful. The colours are beautiful.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39The water is still.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42We can hear nothing but the sound of our own boat.
0:14:42 > 0:14:43Divine!
0:14:43 > 0:14:46- Some pelicans up ahead of us. - Yes. I wondered what those
0:14:46 > 0:14:49white things were. I thought they were too big to be egrets.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51They're pelicans, are they?
0:14:51 > 0:14:55One of Curt's jobs is to check the growth of the vegetation on which
0:14:55 > 0:14:57the wildlife depends.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59Tool of the trade.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01And grab some vegetation.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03- Is it this stuff you want to look at?- It is.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05Anything under the water there.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Lots of wild celery hanging on that rig - that's a good sign.
0:15:12 > 0:15:16So this long leaf right here is wild celery.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18That's good. We want to see that.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20Favourite duck food for the canvasback.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22A sort of spaghetti for ducks.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26- So the islands are doing their job? - The islands are doing their job.
0:15:26 > 0:15:28And I think I'm looking at a happy man.
0:15:28 > 0:15:30Pretty happy, pretty lucky!
0:15:34 > 0:15:37The name Mississippi
0:15:37 > 0:15:40comes from a Native American word for "great river."
0:15:40 > 0:15:42The Dakota Sioux Indians
0:15:42 > 0:15:46had lived around Winona since the 17th century.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48But settlers were hungry for land,
0:15:48 > 0:15:53and the US negotiated two treaties with Dakota tribes
0:15:53 > 0:15:56to buy all but a fraction of their lands.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The United States broke those agreements
0:15:59 > 0:16:02and there followed a century of hatred.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06Appletons' perfectly describes
0:16:06 > 0:16:09the scenery that I see here around Winona.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12"Bluffs with precipitous fronts,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15"worn by the weather into most fantastic shapes,
0:16:15 > 0:16:19"the river almost filled with islands."
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Winona was apparently a young Dakota maiden who loved a young hunter.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29But she leapt over the precipice to her death rather than marry the man
0:16:29 > 0:16:31of her parents' choice.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34The tribes have experienced much suffering.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37And today, groups of people gather
0:16:37 > 0:16:40to understand the past and to be reconciled.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48TRADITIONAL SINGING
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Today it's the annual Dakota Gathering, a modern-day pow wow.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57It's a gorgeous display of colour, dance, and joy.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05What we have here is a gathering of many Native American tribes,
0:17:05 > 0:17:07but not at all exclusive.
0:17:07 > 0:17:10There are lots of non-Native Americans here as well.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14And the dancing is not by way of a performance or a display -
0:17:14 > 0:17:18it's an invitation to the non-Native Americans to learn about the customs
0:17:18 > 0:17:23and to participate, to join in friendship and to heal old wounds.
0:17:29 > 0:17:31- Hello, Michael.- Hello.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34You can join me in circle in a tribal dance.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36- Of course. Thank you. Lead the way. - All right.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57- How do you like it? - I love it.- Yeah? Good.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05- Not too bad, right? - Not too bad at all.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Despite the treachery of the past,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12these days, there's a unifying spirit.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16Aaron Camacho is the event's president.
0:18:16 > 0:18:18- Hello, Aaron.- Hello, how are you?
0:18:18 > 0:18:20- What a wonderful day.- Thank you!
0:18:20 > 0:18:22How long have you been having these gatherings?
0:18:22 > 0:18:25It's the 13th annual gathering.
0:18:25 > 0:18:26And what's the idea behind it?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29The idea behind it is reconciliation, right?
0:18:29 > 0:18:34When they were celebrating the 150th anniversary of, you know,
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Minnesota being here, they wanted to have Native Americans come in
0:18:38 > 0:18:39and just kind of dress up for them,
0:18:39 > 0:18:42and they realised that that wasn't quite equitable.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46And so what we decided to do as a city is make sure
0:18:46 > 0:18:48that we're representing Native American culture
0:18:48 > 0:18:50in an accurate and appropriate way.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52What do you think you've achieved?
0:18:52 > 0:18:55A lot. If you think about it, in the circle,
0:18:55 > 0:18:59there are people of all different nationalities,
0:18:59 > 0:19:01and we were all able to do this in a peaceful way,
0:19:01 > 0:19:04and everybody was smiling together.
0:19:04 > 0:19:06Think about the 1960s, you know?
0:19:06 > 0:19:08That wasn't happening.
0:19:10 > 0:19:15Tensions between the Dakota and United States have eased,
0:19:15 > 0:19:18but still remain because of the bitter legacy.
0:19:22 > 0:19:27When the government reneged on its land deal with the Dakota in 1862,
0:19:27 > 0:19:29war broke out.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32600 civilians and United States soldiers
0:19:32 > 0:19:35and up to 100 Dakota Indians were killed,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38and a further 38 Dakota were hanged.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43To find out more, I want to talk to Danny Seaboy.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49- Hello. May I tuck in here for a moment?- Sure.
0:19:49 > 0:19:51You've been MC-ing today. Congratulations.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53Oh, well, I've been doing it for 14 years.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56Danny's great-great-grandfather
0:19:56 > 0:19:58was a chief who signed one of the treaties.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02After 1862 came about,
0:20:02 > 0:20:05then a decision was made by Congress
0:20:05 > 0:20:11to eliminate the land that we were given along the Minnesota River.
0:20:11 > 0:20:14It took a lot of harsh feelings to what happened to us.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16So there's uprising.
0:20:16 > 0:20:21When we left here, knowing that signing this...
0:20:21 > 0:20:27his name, or using his X and witnessed it, that's who he was.
0:20:27 > 0:20:33It was for the betterment of the people that he was a chief for.
0:20:33 > 0:20:36And he felt very...
0:20:36 > 0:20:38betrayed.
0:20:39 > 0:20:40Today, despite everything,
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Danny wants to get along with his neighbours, whatever their history,
0:20:44 > 0:20:48to live happily, to understand each other.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51With all that the Native Americans have suffered,
0:20:51 > 0:20:53how can you be so big-hearted, so generous?
0:20:53 > 0:20:58I guess I've been through a lot. We don't all have the point of hate.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01We don't all have a point of revenge.
0:21:01 > 0:21:06But if we can make them understand that
0:21:06 > 0:21:08we've got to forget this.
0:21:16 > 0:21:20Given all that the Native Americans have endured,
0:21:20 > 0:21:24I've been struck by the generosity of spirit displayed by
0:21:24 > 0:21:26their representatives here today.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29But this has been a gathering of people on all sides
0:21:29 > 0:21:31who wish to be reconciled.
0:21:31 > 0:21:34They've thrown a pebble in the water.
0:21:35 > 0:21:39And the question is, how far will the ripples spread?
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Picking up my journey,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00I'm about to leave the state of Minnesota and cross into Wisconsin.
0:22:11 > 0:22:14I'll be leaving the train at La Crosse, Wisconsin,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16which Appletons' tells me
0:22:16 > 0:22:19"is a city on the east bank of the Mississippi,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21"where the train crosses over the river
0:22:21 > 0:22:26"and follows the west bank amidst remarkably picturesque scenery."
0:22:26 > 0:22:31I shall be intrigued to visit a little city with such a sporty name.
0:22:38 > 0:22:41- PA SYSTEM:- 'Attention, ladies and gentlemen. We are now approaching
0:22:41 > 0:22:44'our next station stop of La Crosse, Wisconsin.'
0:22:59 > 0:23:02This had long been a Native American settlement.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06French fur traders came here in the late 17th century.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09But it was New Yorker Nathan Myrick
0:23:09 > 0:23:13who started a trading post here in 1841.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15The railroad arrived within 20 years,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17and La Crosse quickly became
0:23:17 > 0:23:21an important commercial and transport hub.
0:23:21 > 0:23:24And it has strong ties to the sport of lacrosse.
0:23:24 > 0:23:26At the University of Wisconsin,
0:23:26 > 0:23:30I'm meeting the president of the men's team, Joel Vitrano.
0:23:32 > 0:23:35- Hello, Joel.- Hello.- I'm Michael. - Nice to meet you, Michael.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37Good to see you.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40The sport of lacrosse, how was that invented or discovered?
0:23:40 > 0:23:43Well, when the first fur traders came to the area initially,
0:23:43 > 0:23:45they saw the Native Americans playing the game.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48- The Indians played it the way you do today?- No, not at all.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50The game was originally played with
0:23:50 > 0:23:52upwards of thousands of players at a time.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53It was a game for combat.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55They would use it to train and settle disputes.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59- So they were hacking away at each other with their sticks?- Correct.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01It's kind of how the game a little bit today still goes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:04We're allowed to hit each other and it's a lot of fun.
0:24:04 > 0:24:06Have you any idea how it passed from
0:24:06 > 0:24:09being a Native American, sort of, curiosity
0:24:09 > 0:24:11- to being a mainstream sport for white people?- Yeah.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13In the second half of the 19th century,
0:24:13 > 0:24:15William George Beers created a set of rules
0:24:15 > 0:24:18which is about the same set of rules for years today.
0:24:18 > 0:24:20It remains a very physical sport.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22What it is you're allowed to do in lacrosse?
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Well, in the sport of lacrosse, we're given lots of equipment.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27We're given helmets, shoulder pads, elbow pads and gloves
0:24:27 > 0:24:29and our sticks, of course, which allow us to hit each other
0:24:29 > 0:24:32from the shoulder pads down, waist up.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Anything on the head is malicious
0:24:33 > 0:24:35and you get a minute penalty and you have to sit out.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- And you volunteered for the sport? - Yeah, it's really great.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40One of the first weeks of volunteering,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42I actually got my nose broken.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45- I think I was hooked ever since! - MICHAEL LAUGHS
0:24:45 > 0:24:47It's a curious way to get addicted!
0:24:48 > 0:24:52Aside from all the violence, the idea of the sticks is to catch,
0:24:52 > 0:24:57carry and throw the ball down the field and into your opponent's goal.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59Now, I'm rather reluctant to say this,
0:24:59 > 0:25:02because it sounds to me like a pretty brutal and physical sport
0:25:02 > 0:25:04but would you mind showing me a few pointers?
0:25:04 > 0:25:06Definitely. We'll get you a helmet and pads
0:25:06 > 0:25:08and we'll rough you up a bit. Let's get started.
0:25:08 > 0:25:10Sounds...great(!)
0:25:12 > 0:25:17It seems like...getting right back to Native American times here.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18We're going to do battle!
0:25:29 > 0:25:31- Let's go.- Thank you for that!
0:25:31 > 0:25:33- Hello, coach.- How's it going? - I'm Michael.
0:25:33 > 0:25:36- Mike, nice to meet you. - Now, I've never played this before.
0:25:36 > 0:25:38Give me some basics here.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41All right. First, let's start with scooping up the ball off the ground.
0:25:41 > 0:25:42So the ball is going to be down.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45And you're going to come with two hands towards the ground
0:25:45 > 0:25:48and you're going to scoop, just like shovelling snow,
0:25:48 > 0:25:49and up to your ear.
0:25:49 > 0:25:54Right. Hands well down, stick, come in low, a bit of speed and off.
0:25:54 > 0:25:55We could turn you into a pro yet!
0:25:55 > 0:25:57Catching wrist, just going to slide up.
0:25:57 > 0:26:00- So one hand's right at the top, one hand in the middle.- Gotcha!
0:26:00 > 0:26:03- Arms out.- Yeah. - And when it comes in,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- you're going to watch it in and then just give it a go.- OK.
0:26:09 > 0:26:11That's all right.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14That's all right. We got a helmet for a reason.
0:26:14 > 0:26:15Didn't even see it!
0:26:18 > 0:26:19- There you go!- Whoa!
0:26:28 > 0:26:30Got it. Perfect.
0:26:32 > 0:26:35- Ready for the team?- That was nice. Ah...not quite yet.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38- We do have something I think can handle, though.- Oh.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41- We're going to do a face-off. - Oh, a face-off. OK. Great, great.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Down!
0:26:45 > 0:26:48Get those sticks squared up. Get those sticks squared up. OK.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50Set!
0:26:52 > 0:26:54Go!
0:26:57 > 0:26:59I don't know what I've started here.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02Suddenly, the field is populated with screaming people
0:27:02 > 0:27:04hurling the ball around.
0:27:04 > 0:27:07Quite apart from all the physical violence,
0:27:07 > 0:27:10the ball moves at the speed of a bullet,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13or I should say, given its size, a small cannonball.
0:27:13 > 0:27:16At my school, we played rugby.
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I was a wimp and I had a tooth knocked out.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I'm so grateful it wasn't lacrosse!
0:27:23 > 0:27:24Oh! MICHAEL CHUCKLES
0:27:24 > 0:27:26There we go! Nice hit!
0:27:26 > 0:27:27You can see at once how the Native Americans
0:27:27 > 0:27:29used this for war training.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31It's the most brutal and vicious game,
0:27:31 > 0:27:33they're smashing into each other. Kill! Kill!
0:27:46 > 0:27:48I'm hungry again!
0:27:48 > 0:27:52And there's a place in town that I've heard is not to be missed.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55Oh, my goodness.
0:27:55 > 0:27:57Now, I know you wouldn't normally do this,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59- but would you sit down for a moment? - Of course!
0:27:59 > 0:28:02Because I am from out of town, and I need a bit of explanation.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04What have you brought me?
0:28:04 > 0:28:06We have a selection of desserts here.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09We have a cinnamon roll, we have marshmallow creme,
0:28:09 > 0:28:13cinnamon toast crunch - cinnamon sugar, caramel drizzled on that one.
0:28:13 > 0:28:15We have the lemon poppy seed,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17we have two samples of cheesecakes.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20So we have a sample of the chocolate crust with a dirt cup.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23- A dirt cup? That sounds inviting(!) - Dirt cup, yeah!
0:28:23 > 0:28:25Dirt would be the Oreos,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27and then, of course, we have worms, to go with our dirt.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30And then peanut butter M&M - very popular.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33OK, Jennifer, thank you. Leave this in my hands.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35- All right, it's all up to you. - Thank you.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Where to begin...
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Actually, I quite like the sound of the cinnamon,
0:28:43 > 0:28:44so let's give that one a bite.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53Yeah! That's quite nice.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57And this one...was, I think, lemon drizzle.
0:29:00 > 0:29:06Mm, imagine lemon curd on a pizza - that's what you've got. OK.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10This one...I don't think I'm going to enjoy.
0:29:10 > 0:29:13This is M&Ms on peanut butter. Eurgh!
0:29:16 > 0:29:18HE CHUCKLES
0:29:20 > 0:29:22That is the weirdest thing.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25What a wonderful country. God bless America!
0:29:57 > 0:30:01This morning, I am re-joining the Empire Builder service
0:30:01 > 0:30:04as it heads deeper into Wisconsin.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18I'll alight at Tomah, to see the flooded, fruit-filled marshlands.
0:30:18 > 0:30:22From there, I'll continue eastwards to Wisconsin Dells
0:30:22 > 0:30:26where I'll explore the railroad connection to the circus,
0:30:26 > 0:30:28before I carry on to Portage.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49My next stop will be Tomah, Wisconsin.
0:30:49 > 0:30:51Appletons' tells me it's at the crossing
0:30:51 > 0:30:56of the Wisconsin Valley Railroad in a very fertile valley.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00That's probably why the book says that it's a "growing village" -
0:31:00 > 0:31:01food for thought!
0:31:12 > 0:31:16I'm alighting here to discover how an ingenious 19th-century farming
0:31:16 > 0:31:19innovation brought cranberries to the masses.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22Today, the state of Wisconsin produces
0:31:22 > 0:31:24more cranberries than any other,
0:31:24 > 0:31:28about five million 100lb barrels each year -
0:31:28 > 0:31:32that's 60% of the United States' entire crop.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36There are 180,000 acres of cranberry marsh
0:31:36 > 0:31:39and at the centre of it all is the village of Warrens.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48The cranberry is, if anything, even more American than apple pie,
0:31:48 > 0:31:52since it features as an important component in the Thanksgiving feast.
0:31:52 > 0:31:56Warrens, Wisconsin, is the cranberry capital,
0:31:56 > 0:31:59and the cranberry harvest is just beginning.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03I'm grief-stricken to be missing the Cranfest,
0:32:03 > 0:32:05which begins in ten days' time.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11I've come to Wetherby Farm to meet one of the original founders of
0:32:11 > 0:32:14the Cranberry Festival, Nodji Van Wychen.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16- Nodji, hello.- Hello, Michael.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18- Good to see you.- Good to be here.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22Now, you are holding a pair of waders - are they for me?
0:32:22 > 0:32:25They certainly are, and we're going to put you to work today
0:32:25 > 0:32:29and show you exactly how this whole process is done.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Nodji's grandfather started this cranberry farm
0:32:31 > 0:32:36and her family has now been here for over a century.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Where does the cranberry come from?
0:32:38 > 0:32:41Well, the cranberry is native to North America.
0:32:41 > 0:32:46When the early Native Americans and Dutch settlers and so forth were in
0:32:46 > 0:32:50this area, they noticed that the blossom resembled
0:32:50 > 0:32:52the head and neck of a sandhill crane
0:32:52 > 0:32:55and those birds feast in these low-lying areas,
0:32:55 > 0:33:00so they named them "crane-berries" and it was shortened to cranberry,
0:33:00 > 0:33:03which we still call it today.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06So, here we are, a lot of floating cranberries.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08How come, how do they get to this state?
0:33:08 > 0:33:11Well, when we raise the water level up in the bed,
0:33:11 > 0:33:12we're ready for harvest,
0:33:12 > 0:33:15and then we have a mechanical machine called a harrow,
0:33:15 > 0:33:18which has tines in the front and the back.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21As the machine goes through the bed,
0:33:21 > 0:33:23it slips the fruit off the vine
0:33:23 > 0:33:26and they immediately float to the surface of the water.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30And they do this because, if you cut a cranberry in two,
0:33:30 > 0:33:32it has four little air pockets.
0:33:32 > 0:33:34And that gives the buoyancy of the fruit
0:33:34 > 0:33:36to float to the top of the water.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Wisconsin's cranberry farms
0:33:38 > 0:33:41were established by 19th-century settlers.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45At first, they picked the berries laboriously by hand,
0:33:45 > 0:33:49then, in the 1870s, an area was deliberately flooded
0:33:49 > 0:33:52to create the first cranberry marsh.
0:33:52 > 0:33:55Your family has been here three generations.
0:33:55 > 0:33:58I mean, how do you feel about the business you're in?
0:33:58 > 0:34:02Oh, it's my life, it's my way of life, I'm passionate about it,
0:34:02 > 0:34:04I grew up here.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07My son and son-in-law are active in the business now,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10I have eight grandchildren,
0:34:10 > 0:34:12and it's grandma's dream that one of those kids
0:34:12 > 0:34:16will take over the marsh and be the fifth generation on this marsh.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Well, on this, the first day of the harvest, it's all hands to the pump.
0:34:23 > 0:34:26First, floating booms are used to round up the cranberries
0:34:26 > 0:34:30before they're pumped into a waiting truck.
0:34:30 > 0:34:35Hello. I'm Michael.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38I'll... I'll get a few sections down, shall I?
0:34:40 > 0:34:42Producing a litre carton of cranberry juice
0:34:42 > 0:34:46takes about 1,000 of these berries.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59We are moving a vast number of cranberries.
0:34:59 > 0:35:01Just vast!
0:35:05 > 0:35:06Thank you very much.
0:35:07 > 0:35:10Next Thanksgiving,
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Americans can give thanks to me
0:35:12 > 0:35:15for bringing them their cranberry sauce.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23With tremendous force, the pump is sucking out the cranberries,
0:35:23 > 0:35:26distributing the fruit to the truck, getting rid of the rubbish,
0:35:26 > 0:35:28returning the waste water,
0:35:28 > 0:35:32but it's still very useful to have a couple of guys with a rake!
0:35:32 > 0:35:35It's an impressive operation
0:35:35 > 0:35:37and a major part of Wisconsin's economy.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53The Empire Builder service travels from Seattle, Washington,
0:35:53 > 0:35:55in the far north-west
0:35:55 > 0:35:58all the way across America to Chicago,
0:35:58 > 0:36:03a journey of well over 2,000 miles lasting more than 45 hours.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- Excuse me?- Howdy. - May I join you a moment?
0:36:14 > 0:36:16- Pardon?- May I join you a moment? - Sure.
0:36:16 > 0:36:20I'm interested. Are you plotting our route on your map?
0:36:20 > 0:36:23Just the route that we're taking here
0:36:23 > 0:36:25over to New York City,
0:36:25 > 0:36:30and, um, I'm just marking off the states I've been to.
0:36:30 > 0:36:32Where did you get on this train?
0:36:32 > 0:36:36- Olympia, Washington. - My goodness!
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Where are you getting off this train?
0:36:38 > 0:36:43We're going to stop in Chicago and have a delay of four hours,
0:36:43 > 0:36:47and then we're going to get off in New York City.
0:36:47 > 0:36:48And why are you doing that?
0:36:48 > 0:36:51Is it for the joy of travelling by train, or why?
0:36:51 > 0:36:54I'm travelling with my ex-wife.
0:36:54 > 0:36:56We were going to drive this route.
0:36:56 > 0:37:01The transmission went bad about in here, right here,
0:37:01 > 0:37:02we didn't get too far from home.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04So we decided to take the train.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07You could have flown this distance in six hours.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09The train's going to take you more than three days.
0:37:09 > 0:37:12Yeah, the train's a lot more fun.
0:37:12 > 0:37:13MICHAEL CHUCKLES
0:37:13 > 0:37:15- Yeah.- That's great.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25My next stop will be Wisconsin Dells,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28a place long popular with visitors.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31In the late 19th century, thanks to newish technology,
0:37:31 > 0:37:35prospective tourists could not only read about their destinations,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39but they could view their images in black and white.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59I've arrived at a city on the Wisconsin River
0:37:59 > 0:38:03lined by striking sandstone gorges and canyons,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07cut by glacial meltwater thousands of years ago.
0:38:08 > 0:38:11These beautiful dells are a natural tourist attraction
0:38:11 > 0:38:16made famous by 19th-century photographer H H Bennett.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20His studio is still here, managed by David Rambow.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25Michael. Great to see you.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27David, I get the impression H H Bennett was a big figure in
0:38:27 > 0:38:30the history of American photography. Who was he?
0:38:30 > 0:38:32He started out as a carpenter's apprentice
0:38:32 > 0:38:37and then a carpenter and moved here from Vermont in 1857,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39right before the railroads came here.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42He took up photography quite early
0:38:42 > 0:38:44after his experiences in the Civil War.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46His right hand was damaged by a bullet,
0:38:46 > 0:38:51so he had to switch trades and do something a little bit easier.
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Very well-known for his landscapes,
0:38:53 > 0:38:56these were all taken around Wisconsin Dells, were they?
0:38:56 > 0:38:58These were all taken within a few miles of here.
0:38:58 > 0:39:01What do you think he did for Wisconsin Dells?
0:39:01 > 0:39:03He literally put Wisconsin Dells on the map
0:39:03 > 0:39:08with railroad travel and with tourism in general.
0:39:09 > 0:39:13In 1886, this stunning photograph cemented Bennett's fame.
0:39:13 > 0:39:17Before then, the long exposures required by early cameras
0:39:17 > 0:39:20had made capturing motion almost impossible.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24Well, this was an innovation, this was Bennett at his best.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26He, in the late 1880s,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29was dabbling with what he called an instantaneous shutter.
0:39:29 > 0:39:31He called it a "snapper".
0:39:31 > 0:39:33It ran on a rubber band.
0:39:33 > 0:39:35This was actually his son
0:39:35 > 0:39:40that he induced, somehow, to jump 14 times to get it just right.
0:39:40 > 0:39:42When they first showed this in Chicago,
0:39:42 > 0:39:45people were astonished, they accused him of fraud,
0:39:45 > 0:39:48they wondered where the wires were holding the son.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52But he could show them that he could replicate this and it was real.
0:39:58 > 0:40:02David has researched H H Bennett's methods
0:40:02 > 0:40:04and can show me how he worked.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13David, you have brought me to a delightful spot.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Is this the sort of equipment that H H Bennett would have had?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19This is the type of camera and apparatus he would have carried
0:40:19 > 0:40:23in the 1870s and the early to mid-1880s.
0:40:23 > 0:40:26And would he have made these boxes himself?
0:40:26 > 0:40:30These were available commercially, but often at times, Bennett,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32being a carpenter and a tinkerer,
0:40:32 > 0:40:35- liked to build his own to his own specifications.- Wow.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39He would have chosen any spot where you could get a good view
0:40:39 > 0:40:43of the rocks and the panorama over the river.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47He often, at times, was out on the river as well, on a skiff or a raft,
0:40:47 > 0:40:49taking pictures out there as well,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52which would have been a little dicey and sometimes dangerous.
0:40:52 > 0:40:53Right, we're going to be dealing with chemicals,
0:40:53 > 0:40:55which don't agree with yellow jackets.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57I'm just going to get rid of that.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00So, what do we do?
0:41:00 > 0:41:05OK, first, we choose a nice, clean piece of metal.
0:41:05 > 0:41:09We have to pour something on it that will connect to the silver
0:41:09 > 0:41:10into the metal,
0:41:10 > 0:41:14and in my case, we use collodion,
0:41:14 > 0:41:20which is a combination of ether, nitrocellulose and grain alcohol.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22Sounds like you might knock yourself out with that.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24I don't smoke near it - that's for certain.
0:41:24 > 0:41:26What you want to do is cover it completely
0:41:26 > 0:41:29without spilling too much - this is precious liquid.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31That's very satisfying, actually, David.
0:41:32 > 0:41:36David disappears into his mobile darkroom to dip the plate
0:41:36 > 0:41:39in silver nitrate, which makes it light-sensitive.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Bye for now!
0:41:41 > 0:41:46The film now coating the plate will turn black when exposed to light.
0:41:47 > 0:41:51A special holder protects it as it's transferred into the camera.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- You have to remove this little baffle...- Ah-ha!
0:41:55 > 0:41:58..and that exposes the film to the front, where the light will come in.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00I'm going to remove the lens cap. How long for?
0:42:00 > 0:42:04Um, in this light, probably about five seconds.
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- Will you count me down?- Certainly.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10Five, four, three,
0:42:10 > 0:42:12two, and clear.
0:42:12 > 0:42:18The last step is to wash the plate in a solution of potassium cyanide.
0:42:18 > 0:42:20What will this ghastly compound achieve?
0:42:20 > 0:42:23You'll be starting to see this image turn from what looks like
0:42:23 > 0:42:26a negative into a positive.
0:42:26 > 0:42:31I'm seeing the trees emerging as dark shapes and now, indeed,
0:42:31 > 0:42:35the image is spreading all the way across the plate.
0:42:35 > 0:42:37Now, look at that, David.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39Really, you have produced a beautiful image
0:42:39 > 0:42:41of the trees and the water,
0:42:41 > 0:42:45and would not people have been drawn to Wisconsin Dells
0:42:45 > 0:42:46by this photograph?
0:42:46 > 0:42:48That was the plan that Bennett had.
0:42:48 > 0:42:52He saw these put into libraries all over the south
0:42:52 > 0:42:54so people would want to be drawn here.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01In H H Bennett's day,
0:43:01 > 0:43:04Wisconsin Dells was officially called Kilbourn,
0:43:04 > 0:43:07named after the president of the railroad,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10but local people had always referred to it as
0:43:10 > 0:43:13"the Dells," and in 1931,
0:43:13 > 0:43:15the name was formally changed.
0:43:15 > 0:43:16By the mid-19th century,
0:43:16 > 0:43:19holiday-makers who came for the landscape
0:43:19 > 0:43:23could also enjoy attractions from water-skiing to theme parks.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26And today, the city bills itself
0:43:26 > 0:43:29as the water park capital of the world.
0:43:35 > 0:43:39MUSIC: Ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner
0:43:44 > 0:43:46The resort of Wisconsin Dells
0:43:46 > 0:43:49has changed a bit since the times of H H Bennett,
0:43:49 > 0:43:52but water is still very much the theme
0:43:52 > 0:43:55and, hey, you've got to flow with the times.
0:44:19 > 0:44:21Whoo!
0:44:21 > 0:44:24More revealing of a person's character
0:44:24 > 0:44:27than any 19th-century photograph!
0:44:40 > 0:44:43Before re-joining the railroad,
0:44:43 > 0:44:47I'm making a detour to another important attraction.
0:44:47 > 0:44:50A short distance away is Baraboo, a place that,
0:44:50 > 0:44:54in the late 19th century, became known as Circus City.
0:44:54 > 0:44:57Today, it's home to a quirky museum
0:44:57 > 0:45:01with a special draw for the railway enthusiast.
0:45:02 > 0:45:04Welcome, welcome to Circus World.
0:45:04 > 0:45:07A magical world for me, not only a train shed,
0:45:07 > 0:45:09but a train shed full of circus vehicles.
0:45:09 > 0:45:11Circus train, for sure,
0:45:11 > 0:45:15it's over 600 feet long and it contains a full circus train
0:45:15 > 0:45:17on three different sidings.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20Former clown and ringmaster, Scott O'Donnell,
0:45:20 > 0:45:22is the museum's director.
0:45:22 > 0:45:24Scott, I think this is one of the most extraordinary places
0:45:24 > 0:45:27I've ever been, and we're walking on flat railway cars.
0:45:27 > 0:45:28What were these for?
0:45:28 > 0:45:32The flat cars in the circus were for transporting all of the exciting
0:45:32 > 0:45:35and spectacular circus wagons from town to town.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39These are magnificent wagons that weigh from five to 12 tonnes apiece.
0:45:40 > 0:45:44Baraboo was home to the five Ringling brothers.
0:45:44 > 0:45:48They opened their first circus on the site in 1884
0:45:48 > 0:45:51and started to tour the Midwest.
0:45:51 > 0:45:54But within six years, they were using the railroad
0:45:54 > 0:45:57to take their acts much further afield.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59Paint me a picture of those trains.
0:45:59 > 0:46:02Sure, so the train in its entirety is probably a mile long.
0:46:02 > 0:46:05It's a combination of flat cars, such as we're walking on,
0:46:05 > 0:46:07and it's a combination of Pullman cars,
0:46:07 > 0:46:10sleeping cars for the performers to live in as well.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14Then there is also some specialised stock cars which took the elephants
0:46:14 > 0:46:17or any of the other exotic animals from town to town.
0:46:17 > 0:46:21The Ringlings weren't the only circus to use the railroad.
0:46:21 > 0:46:25In 1872, their fellow Wisconsinite, P T Barnum,
0:46:25 > 0:46:28famous for creating the Greatest Show On Earth,
0:46:28 > 0:46:33pioneered the idea of the specially-designed circus train.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36Is Wisconsin special in the history of American circus?
0:46:36 > 0:46:39It's an important state because it's like a hub to the rest of America.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41You could go east or you could go west.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43It also had good rail infrastructure,
0:46:43 > 0:46:46so that allowed a lot of circuses to be formed here.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49When the circus came to town, it was like a national holiday.
0:46:49 > 0:46:50Schools were let out,
0:46:50 > 0:46:53businesses took the day off because the circus came to town with sights
0:46:53 > 0:46:56and sounds and smells that you'd never seen before.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Electricity is an attraction when you're at the circus.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01Flying machines, automobiles, recorded sound.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03Whether it's animals in a menagerie,
0:47:03 > 0:47:07whether it's people with some unique physical features in the sideshow,
0:47:07 > 0:47:10you can imagine the awe and excitement that would be found
0:47:10 > 0:47:11at a day at the circus.
0:47:14 > 0:47:19The Ringling brothers bought Barnum's circus in 1907
0:47:19 > 0:47:21and still use the railroad.
0:47:21 > 0:47:24Travelling by train is like the United Nations on rails,
0:47:24 > 0:47:26you could have a Mongolian contortion act,
0:47:26 > 0:47:28next to a Hungarian teeterboard act,
0:47:28 > 0:47:31next to a Brazilian tiger trainer,
0:47:31 > 0:47:34and that's an amazing world to be a part of, especially on rail.
0:47:34 > 0:47:36You get to sit on a vestibule in your train car
0:47:36 > 0:47:38and watch America go by.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Part of the magic of the circus is you're standing at the side of the
0:47:41 > 0:47:44road, the arms go down for a train coming and holy whoop-de-doodle,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47here comes the train and there's an elephant trunk sticking out
0:47:47 > 0:47:50of one of it, there's a clown sitting on the vestibule of another,
0:47:50 > 0:47:51and that's a great experience.
0:47:51 > 0:47:54Controversially, in Europe, is the use of animals.
0:47:54 > 0:47:57Obviously, they were used in the United States. Are they used still?
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Animals are still used in America.
0:47:59 > 0:48:02Not in every circus, but on classic or traditional circuses.
0:48:02 > 0:48:05We, here at Circus World, have animals
0:48:05 > 0:48:06with us during the summertime.
0:48:06 > 0:48:08Shall we move along and you can show me some tricks?
0:48:08 > 0:48:09Absolutely.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Michael, welcome. Welcome to the centre ring.
0:48:14 > 0:48:17We have some fantastic circus wardrobe for you to put on,
0:48:17 > 0:48:20although, by the looks of it, you don't need much other
0:48:20 > 0:48:22than the nose and the hat, but your choice!
0:48:22 > 0:48:25I'm going to go for this jacket, cos it's...it's kind of my style.
0:48:25 > 0:48:28- Polka-dots are in, absolutely. - Good, OK.
0:48:28 > 0:48:31Of course, you can't do nothing without one of these.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34- Oh!- Ah, how do I look? - Ta-dah!
0:48:36 > 0:48:38- Very fine.- Right. - Shall we teach you some tricks?
0:48:38 > 0:48:40Yes. Well, you can try to.
0:48:40 > 0:48:43OK. Get yourself a broom and your finger,
0:48:43 > 0:48:46put the broom on your finger and work on your balancing skills.
0:48:46 > 0:48:49It's best when you're balancing just to look at the top,
0:48:49 > 0:48:50so, if it starts to lean one way,
0:48:50 > 0:48:53you come underneath and counterbalance with your finger.
0:48:53 > 0:48:57- Right. All I can really see is my... is my nose.- Is your nose...
0:48:57 > 0:48:59And you're off.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Nicely done, look at you sweeping up with these skills!
0:49:02 > 0:49:04Centre ring, here you come.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06My goodness, there's sawdust in your veins, I can tell.
0:49:08 > 0:49:10Back, nose!
0:49:10 > 0:49:14OK, we're going to spin plates with the skills that you just learned
0:49:14 > 0:49:15balancing the broom.
0:49:15 > 0:49:17So get yourself a plate, get yourself a stick...
0:49:17 > 0:49:21Sit it on the stick and you're going to let it go right around the stick
0:49:21 > 0:49:25until it goes right to the centre and spin around, it does.
0:49:25 > 0:49:27And...go.
0:49:27 > 0:49:29Nice.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32I've spent 30 years of my life working on spin!
0:49:33 > 0:49:36And the circus performer is born.
0:49:36 > 0:49:38Whoa!
0:49:41 > 0:49:42Ta-dah!
0:49:44 > 0:49:46Very nice.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55There's one more stop on this leg of my journey.
0:49:55 > 0:49:58A short train ride just 20 minutes east.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10- May I join you for a moment?- Sure.
0:50:10 > 0:50:13Hello, guys. I couldn't help noticing you're a very lively group.
0:50:13 > 0:50:16THEY LAUGH You are, aren't you? A lively group.
0:50:16 > 0:50:17Where are you all headed for?
0:50:17 > 0:50:21We're all heading to Milwaukee for an Arts Midwest convention.
0:50:21 > 0:50:23- Arts?- Yes, sir.
0:50:23 > 0:50:26- We are...- Theatre arts. - Theatre arts?
0:50:26 > 0:50:29- Oh, you're all in the theatre business?- Yes, we are.
0:50:29 > 0:50:32And how far are you travelling? Where did you get on the train?
0:50:32 > 0:50:33We got on the train in Red Wing.
0:50:33 > 0:50:37- And do you like the train? - We love the train.
0:50:37 > 0:50:39- Let somebody else do the driving! - Yeah.
0:50:39 > 0:50:41And what about you, are you a train fan?
0:50:41 > 0:50:44- This is my first time. - Your first time what?- On...
0:50:44 > 0:50:46THEY LAUGH
0:50:46 > 0:50:48Sitting next to you.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52You don't mean your first time EVER on a train, do you?
0:50:52 > 0:50:54- No, but never a long-distance train. - OK.
0:50:54 > 0:50:57- So what do you think of it? - It's pretty cool.
0:50:57 > 0:51:00- I like that we can just have conversations like this.- Yes!
0:51:00 > 0:51:02- And, you know...- And drink!- Yeah.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04- For a libation... - LAUGHTER
0:51:04 > 0:51:06I think this is a little out of date.
0:51:06 > 0:51:10- Yes, but it's an 1880 Appletons' guide.- OK.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Appletons' were a father and son who wrote guidebooks
0:51:13 > 0:51:16- for people who travelled by train. - Oh, OK!
0:51:16 > 0:51:19And it's very revealing of American history.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22I mean, for example, this is written
0:51:22 > 0:51:24not long after the American Civil War.
0:51:24 > 0:51:28- See, I lived in Atlanta, Georgia for 25 years.- Yeah.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30- And there's lots of Civil War battlefields there.- Yeah.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33I'm a big Civil War buff. That's very... That's really cool.
0:51:41 > 0:51:46The Empire Builder train, that left Seattle 44 hours ago,
0:51:46 > 0:51:48is now approaching Portage city,
0:51:48 > 0:51:52which Appletons' tells me is situated at the head of navigation
0:51:52 > 0:51:55of the Wisconsin River
0:51:55 > 0:51:59and on the canal connecting the Fox and the Wisconsin
0:51:59 > 0:52:03at a junction of the Milwaukee and St Paul Railroad.
0:52:03 > 0:52:07A portage was a place where you had to carry your boat
0:52:07 > 0:52:10between one body of water and another.
0:52:10 > 0:52:12Ouch!
0:52:12 > 0:52:14TRAIN HORN BLOWS
0:52:18 > 0:52:20Ah! Thanks for the ride.
0:52:20 > 0:52:23So how long is your route? Where do you go backwards and forwards from?
0:52:23 > 0:52:25Between Chicago and Winona, Minnesota.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27- How long have you been on the railroad?- Eight years.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29- Yeah, that's quite a long stint. - Eight years.
0:52:29 > 0:52:32So, what do you have to do now as we come into this station?
0:52:32 > 0:52:33I have to tell the engineer when to stop,
0:52:33 > 0:52:36I have to have him stop at a specific point on the platform.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39- OK, I'm going to let you concentrate on that.- All right.
0:52:39 > 0:52:42So you tell him how many car lengths, is that right?
0:52:42 > 0:52:44Yeah, how many car lengths until I need him to stop.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Four cars.
0:52:51 > 0:52:53Three.
0:52:54 > 0:52:56Two.
0:52:56 > 0:52:58One.
0:53:02 > 0:53:05- Hope to see you on another ride. - I hope so too.
0:53:05 > 0:53:07- Bye-bye, now.- Take care.
0:53:19 > 0:53:23The canal described in my Appletons' was once a vital link
0:53:23 > 0:53:27in America's 19th-century system of waterways.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31I'm hearing the story from amateur historian Fred Galley.
0:53:31 > 0:53:33- Hello, Fred.- Hello, Michael. Welcome to Portage.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35- Thank you so much. - We're happy to have you here.
0:53:35 > 0:53:37And this is the Portage Canal?
0:53:37 > 0:53:41Yes, it is. This first section was built in 1876,
0:53:41 > 0:53:44but the history of the portage goes back some 10,000 years.
0:53:44 > 0:53:49So there was a portage between the Fox River and the Wisconsin River.
0:53:49 > 0:53:51How far were people having to carry their boats?
0:53:51 > 0:53:53A mile and a quarter, that's about 2,000 metres.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56And what sort of land was between the two?
0:53:56 > 0:53:57Well, it was a marshy area.
0:53:59 > 0:54:01This short section of marsh
0:54:01 > 0:54:05was the only obstacle to travelling thousands of miles by water.
0:54:05 > 0:54:08The Fox River is linked to the Great Lakes,
0:54:08 > 0:54:10and thence to the Atlantic Ocean.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14The Wisconsin River joins the mighty Mississippi, which, in turn,
0:54:14 > 0:54:17flows all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20The Native Americans knew about and used this portage.
0:54:20 > 0:54:22Who were the first Europeans to do so?
0:54:22 > 0:54:25The first Europeans were Marquette and Joliet.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27They came in 1673.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30They were French explorers, and the Indian translators told them
0:54:30 > 0:54:32where the portage was.
0:54:32 > 0:54:34In the heyday of the portage, what was it like?
0:54:34 > 0:54:37Around 1800, the portage really started to be used
0:54:37 > 0:54:40and what it was used for was people travelling west.
0:54:40 > 0:54:43So, at its height, about 1,000 people a year would cross
0:54:43 > 0:54:48the portage and that continued on until the 1830s, or even 1840s.
0:54:48 > 0:54:50There were a number of different entrepreneurs
0:54:50 > 0:54:52that started a livery service.
0:54:52 > 0:54:56And when you pulled up in your boat in the Fox River,
0:54:56 > 0:54:58they would come down and ask you if you wanted help.
0:54:58 > 0:54:59And for 5 or 10,
0:54:59 > 0:55:02they would take all of your stuff and carry it to the other side
0:55:02 > 0:55:05of the Wisconsin River, get you all situated and push you off
0:55:05 > 0:55:07and send you downriver.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12The waterways were being used increasingly to transport wheat
0:55:12 > 0:55:14and manufactured goods.
0:55:14 > 0:55:18Local businessmen began to campaign for a canal in 1829,
0:55:18 > 0:55:21but it failed due to a lack of funds.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23Eventually, in the 1870s,
0:55:23 > 0:55:27the Army Corps of Engineers took on and completed the project.
0:55:28 > 0:55:311876 is very late for a canal, because, by then,
0:55:31 > 0:55:33- you've got railroads.- Right.
0:55:33 > 0:55:36And that kind of caused a lot of problems.
0:55:36 > 0:55:39But what happened was the railroad was a monopoly and they were
0:55:39 > 0:55:42charging just extravagant amounts of money to haul these goods.
0:55:42 > 0:55:45The entire Fox-Wisconsin water system was built
0:55:45 > 0:55:50to make the railroads lower their prices and be accountable, you know,
0:55:50 > 0:55:52give them some competition.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Thinking back to the days of the portage,
0:55:54 > 0:55:57what do you think it was like for the ordinary person having to lug
0:55:57 > 0:55:59their canoe a mile and a half?
0:55:59 > 0:56:01Well, I've got one sitting right over here, let's give it a try.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03OK!
0:56:05 > 0:56:08And how would you set about carrying that?
0:56:08 > 0:56:09Well...
0:56:09 > 0:56:11So, you grab it like this.
0:56:11 > 0:56:13- Then we pick it up and flip it over! - MICHAEL GROANS
0:56:13 > 0:56:16Oh, hang on, Fred. Hang on, hang on, hang on!
0:56:16 > 0:56:19I think you and I are a bit old for this, don't you?
0:56:19 > 0:56:22- Just a little, yes. - Look, there's a handle at each end.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24There's a handle at each end, let's try that.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26Let's try that. OK.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28- Hup!- All right, we're ready to go!
0:56:28 > 0:56:31- OK, how far?- 2,700 paces.
0:56:31 > 0:56:332,700.
0:56:34 > 0:56:3619, 20, 21, 22...
0:56:36 > 0:56:38That's a long way to 2,700.
0:56:38 > 0:56:42- Hard work, Fred.- Yes, might be easier if we put it in the canal.
0:56:42 > 0:56:43Now you tell me!
0:56:48 > 0:56:51So, up ahead, Michael, is the Wisconsin River lock.
0:56:51 > 0:56:53How far are we now from the Wisconsin?
0:56:53 > 0:56:55Well, the Wisconsin is just down the other side of this levee,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57so not far, like, 100 feet.
0:56:58 > 0:57:00Well, Fred, you're right about one thing -
0:57:00 > 0:57:04paddling a canoe certainly beats carrying a canoe.
0:57:04 > 0:57:05That's correct.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13The riverscape of North America would have changed hardly at all
0:57:13 > 0:57:16in the thousands of years that Native Americans
0:57:16 > 0:57:19hunted and fished this region.
0:57:19 > 0:57:23The white settlers converted the Mississippi
0:57:23 > 0:57:25into a major artery for commerce
0:57:25 > 0:57:28and, later, engineers built this Portage Canal
0:57:28 > 0:57:32to connect the North Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37Railroads, farms, cities and highways followed.
0:57:37 > 0:57:40The taming and development of the Midwest
0:57:40 > 0:57:45offers an extraordinary example of American grit and ingenuity.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56Next time, I taste the freedom of the American open road...
0:57:56 > 0:57:58- Ready to ride?- I'm ready to ride.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05..strike out in America's national game...
0:58:05 > 0:58:09Here we go. You're looking like a natural already.
0:58:09 > 0:58:11..I make a few announcements...
0:58:11 > 0:58:14258, your train is never late.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17258, your train is never late.
0:58:17 > 0:58:20..and I'm blown away by the Windy City.
0:58:20 > 0:58:23Chicago at sunset.
0:58:23 > 0:58:25Surely one the world's most stunning cities.