The Two Best Places You’ve Never Heard Of

[HostDave]

As we discussed in our blog earlier this week, the greatest treasure of travel is uncovering the unexpected. The American Queen visits some amazing ports of call, some of which are on the tip of every tongue and a few others that are familiar but perhaps not as well-known. This August, we have two voyages, our 14-day August 9 journey from Pittsburgh to St. Louis and a shorter segment of the same voyage, a 7-day vacation between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, which present the only opportunity to visit a lovely town known as Portsmouth, Ohio. It’s one of the most amazing places you’ve probably never heard of.

Perched along the banks of the Ohio River, Portsmouth’s history goes back over 220 years to a small town called Alexandria founded in the late 1700s and the shortsightedness of its town planners. Alexandria was built in an area prone to flooding and after several inundations, the town was abandoned. Henry Massie discovered a location just to the east that seemed both drier and more spacious for growth, and in 1803, Portsmouth was founded. By 1815, it had been incorporated as a city.

Located where the Scioto River empties into the Ohio River, Portsmouth was in a key location as a shipping hub. While other ports along the Ohio handled wheat or coal, in its early years Portsmouth handled meat thanks to a meat packing plant to the north of town. When the Ohio and Erie Canal was completed in the late 1820’s, connecting Portsmouth to Cleveland and Akron, growth exploded. Railroads selected Portsmouth as a junction and an important rail yard was built. At the dawn of the 20th century, many felt that Portsmouth was the most important city between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

Industry found its strategic location irresistible and Portsmouth gained a reputation for making everything from bricks and steel to engines, furniture and shoes. In fact, Portsmouth was once the fourth biggest shoe producing center in the United States.

Portsmouth’s rich history is seen in Boneyfiddle, a neighborhood just west of downtown where manufacturing companies built a series of impressive buildings that are now being renovated as the area is revived. Chillicothe Street, named after the meat packing plant that gave the town its start, is the heart of Portsmouth. A key part of the Underground Railroad, Portsmouth also helped thousands of slaves find freedom on the route to Canada.

But there’s one other captivating place you’ve probably not heard of either, and it’s featured on only one of our voyages, our 9-day journey down the Mississippi River from Minneapolis/St. Paul to St. Louis beginning October 18, 2013.

Fort Madison, Iowa owes its existence to the fort of the same name, built in 1808 and which played a pivotal role in the War of 1812. While historic downtown Fort Madison is a lovely example of buildings from the late 1800s, the fort is a reminder of the strategic importance of the town over 200 years ago.

The United States Army was active along the entire length of the Mississippi River just decades after the nation’s founding, but Fort Madison was the “first permanent U.S. military fortification on the Upper Mississippi.” Built just four years after the Louisiana Purchase, the fort was meant to provide a strategic outpost to make certain the Native American population did not interfere with river commerce, primarily centered on fur trading at the time. The original structure, known as Fort Belleview, caused great consternation among the tribes. The Sauk tribe was the most vocal and eventually words led to a series of attacks. By 1809, the attacks had reached such a fever pitch that an ongoing series of defensive improvements were made but to no avail. An attack in March of 1812 almost overwhelmed the fort’s defenses and an aggressive campaign a few months later in September came within a hair’s breadth of bringing the fort to its knees. At the time, the cannons that were used against the Native Americans were all that saved the outpost.

With many Native American tribes, including the Sauk, aligned with Britain during the War of 1812, the violence continued unabated into 1813.

Eventually the United States Army relented and gave up the fort entirely, destroying the fortifications and buildings with carefully positioned fires. Legendary Black Hawk, the leader of the Sauk, eventually wrote that he was “pleased to see the white people had retired from the country.” Unfortunately for the Sauk, it was only to be temporary. Over the years, settlers built on the fort’s ruins, the town grew, more settlers arrived, and the Indians were pushed off the land. The fort that exists today is a replica near the original site which is part of a parking lot.

Both Portsmouth and Fort Madison are unique and we encourage you to join us on one of these voyages to partake in a slice of American life that is genuine, friendly and immensely rewarding. The helping hands and proud faces of the people of Portsmouth and Fort Madison are pleasant and sincere. In this part of America, this is precisely the kind of welcome you would hope for, whether it’s a well-known destination like St. Louis or Pittsburgh or a charming town such as these.