|
Go directly to the collection, History
of the American West, 1860-1920, in American Memory, or view a Summary
of Resources related to the collection.
History topics include:
Agriculture | Mining | The
Railroad | Native American
Cultures | The Navajo and Apache
Wars | The Sioux, Cheyenne, and
Arapaho Wars | Labor
Strikes and Violence | The World Wars
The World Wars
When the U.S. Congress declared war on Germany in 1917,
troops mobilized across the country. Fort Logan was a major assembly point
for soldiers from the western United States embarking for European duty during
World War I. Search on Fort
Logan for pictures of the Colorado training facility.
Not far from Fort Logan, the Loretto Heights academy was used as a women’s
training center during World War I. Although women were not trained
for combat, a search on Loretto
Heights illustrates the ways in which women were
prepared for service, including first aid training and the use of
the telegraph and signal flags.
The advent of World War I stimulated the fledgling U.S. aircraft
industry. The U.S. selected a British model, called the De Havilland DH-4,
for the majority of its World War I airplane production. At its peak, the
industry manufactured 12,000 or more airplanes per year, but the U.S. contributed
only a small portion of the aircraft used in the war. Most U.S. pilots
in Europe flew French models. A search on airplane provides
several photographs of World War I aircraft including early French, German,
and American planes.
There are also several photographs of Charles A. Lindbergh and the Spirit
of St. Louis. In 1927, Lindbergh made the first solo nonstop flight
across the Atlantic Ocean. This 31-and-a-half-hour trip of more than 3,600
miles
made him famous throughout the U.S. and Europe. Lindbergh helped
design the plane, which was financed by nine St. Louis businessmen.
Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis |
|
- How important was the airplane in World War I? How was it used?
- How did World War I affect the U.S. aircraft industry?
- Why did Lindbergh become a folk hero in both the United States and Europe
in the 1920s?
- What role did Lindbergh play in promoting an interest in commercial aviation?
|
In World War II, Colorado provided an ideal site for training soldiers
in mountain and winter warfare. The 14,000 men of the 10th Mountain Division
learned mountaineering, skiing, and rock climbing in Colorado’s Eagle
Park Valley area. The division fought for five months in the mountains of
northern Italy. Search on Italy for hundreds of photographs depicting battle scenes, the
devastation of war, the capture of German soldiers, and the weariness of
troops advancing over mountainous terrain. Learn more about these specially
trained soldiers and their combat in the special presentation, "The
10th Mountain Division."
- When and why were U.S. troops employed in Italy? What was their
mission?
- What kinds of responses would you expect 10th Mountain Division soldiers
to have had to their experiences in World War II?
- Did the return of these troops to the U.S. after the war have any effect
on American life?
Agriculture | Mining | The
Railroad | Native American
Cultures | The Navajo and Apache
Wars | The Sioux, Cheyenne, and
Arapaho Wars | Labor
Strikes and Violence | The World Wars
|
