Sloan, the Wanderer
@sloanwanderer.bsky.social
Just a time traveler stuck in the 21st century, trying to share random knowledge with the world.
She/Her
She/Her
West of Tucson, AZ is Tumamoc Hill, a volcanic butte that is the oldest continually-inhabited site in the United States. Carbon dating has shown that maize has been cultivated at the site for over 4100 years.
November 27, 2025 at 4:22 PM
West of Tucson, AZ is Tumamoc Hill, a volcanic butte that is the oldest continually-inhabited site in the United States. Carbon dating has shown that maize has been cultivated at the site for over 4100 years.
Hillsboro WV is home to the largest bog in the state: the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. The acidic wetland is made up of peat, giving the ground its spongy texture, and is home to over 60 plant speces including the carnivorous pitcher plant and sundew.
November 26, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Hillsboro WV is home to the largest bog in the state: the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. The acidic wetland is made up of peat, giving the ground its spongy texture, and is home to over 60 plant speces including the carnivorous pitcher plant and sundew.
For the first three quarters of the century, the Milwaukee Railroad operated from Chicago to Seattle. Along its route, the Hiawatha passenger train would cross the Continental Divide through spectacular sights.
November 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
For the first three quarters of the century, the Milwaukee Railroad operated from Chicago to Seattle. Along its route, the Hiawatha passenger train would cross the Continental Divide through spectacular sights.
Alongside a creek bed in Orchard Park, NY is an unusual site: a flickering flame underneath a waterfall. The Eternal Flame Falls at the county park are the result of a natural gas pocket exiting underneath the shale of the waterfall at Chestnut Ridge Park.
November 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Alongside a creek bed in Orchard Park, NY is an unusual site: a flickering flame underneath a waterfall. The Eternal Flame Falls at the county park are the result of a natural gas pocket exiting underneath the shale of the waterfall at Chestnut Ridge Park.
Presque Isle, Maine, features a monument in the shape of a balloon. The site commemorates the first successful transatlantic balloon crossing, launched August 11, 1978 and landed outside Paris 6 days later.
November 21, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Presque Isle, Maine, features a monument in the shape of a balloon. The site commemorates the first successful transatlantic balloon crossing, launched August 11, 1978 and landed outside Paris 6 days later.
Two towns in the United States hold cliaim to the title of smallest town. Both Monowi, Nebraska and Ruso, North Dakota have one resident, though Monowi's 2020 census showed two residents as an example of differential privacy. #Travel #TinyTowns
November 20, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Two towns in the United States hold cliaim to the title of smallest town. Both Monowi, Nebraska and Ruso, North Dakota have one resident, though Monowi's 2020 census showed two residents as an example of differential privacy. #Travel #TinyTowns
For the opening of the 1981 "Warhol at Colorado State University" exhibit, the school's Art department collaborated with the pop-art painter to create three giant Cambell's tomato soup cans. Warhol provided specifications to the school, which the department followed to create the oversized cans.
November 19, 2025 at 1:54 PM
For the opening of the 1981 "Warhol at Colorado State University" exhibit, the school's Art department collaborated with the pop-art painter to create three giant Cambell's tomato soup cans. Warhol provided specifications to the school, which the department followed to create the oversized cans.
Havre, Montana, once had a lively underground scene. Literally. When the city burned down in 1904, enterprising local business owners opened in their surviving basements, and tunnels dug by Chinese workers linked the underground establishments.
November 18, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Havre, Montana, once had a lively underground scene. Literally. When the city burned down in 1904, enterprising local business owners opened in their surviving basements, and tunnels dug by Chinese workers linked the underground establishments.
Freeport Maine is home to perhaps one of the most unusual McDonald's in the country. When the restaurant wanted to open in the town in 1984, strict building regulations were a constraint. In order to comply, they renovated an existing home, hiding the restaurant in the historic structure.
November 17, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Freeport Maine is home to perhaps one of the most unusual McDonald's in the country. When the restaurant wanted to open in the town in 1984, strict building regulations were a constraint. In order to comply, they renovated an existing home, hiding the restaurant in the historic structure.
What is a dark sky place? Locations where significant effort has been made to prevent light pollution emanations during nighttime hours can be designated as a dark sky place.
November 14, 2025 at 2:09 PM
What is a dark sky place? Locations where significant effort has been made to prevent light pollution emanations during nighttime hours can be designated as a dark sky place.
Renée Vivien was an English poet who published her first two books under the pseudonym "R. Vivien." This and the sapphic nature of her poems resulted in her and her partner, Natalie Barney, having to stifle their giggles at a misreading by the lecturer assuming Vivien was male. #LitHistory
November 12, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Renée Vivien was an English poet who published her first two books under the pseudonym "R. Vivien." This and the sapphic nature of her poems resulted in her and her partner, Natalie Barney, having to stifle their giggles at a misreading by the lecturer assuming Vivien was male. #LitHistory
A Chicago artist took an interesting approach to addressing irresponsible dog owners leaving feces around the neighborhood. Jerzy S. Kernar's "Shit Fountain" is a bronze coil clearly representing the namesake feces, with water trickling over the bronze into a shallow fountain.
November 11, 2025 at 1:27 PM
A Chicago artist took an interesting approach to addressing irresponsible dog owners leaving feces around the neighborhood. Jerzy S. Kernar's "Shit Fountain" is a bronze coil clearly representing the namesake feces, with water trickling over the bronze into a shallow fountain.
No longer moving week but worth mentioning: Just beside the railroad line in Shelburne Vermont is an unusual sight: a sidewheel steamboat over a mile inland from the lake. In 1954, following a 49 year career on the lakes, it paddled into a temporary drydock.
November 10, 2025 at 3:40 PM
No longer moving week but worth mentioning: Just beside the railroad line in Shelburne Vermont is an unusual sight: a sidewheel steamboat over a mile inland from the lake. In 1954, following a 49 year career on the lakes, it paddled into a temporary drydock.
The Gem Theatre and Century Theatre in Detroit, MI were built in 1903 and added to the Historic Register in 1985. In 1997, the building containing the two theaters was relocated 1850' (563m) to spare them from demolition during the construction of Comerica Park.
November 7, 2025 at 9:15 PM
The Gem Theatre and Century Theatre in Detroit, MI were built in 1903 and added to the Historic Register in 1985. In 1997, the building containing the two theaters was relocated 1850' (563m) to spare them from demolition during the construction of Comerica Park.
One of the few buildings still in existence from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair now serves as the Swedish Heritage Museum in Lindsborg, Kansas. Following the expo, it was moved to Bethany College and spent 60 years serving the college before being moved in 1969 to its present location.
November 6, 2025 at 1:01 PM
One of the few buildings still in existence from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair now serves as the Swedish Heritage Museum in Lindsborg, Kansas. Following the expo, it was moved to Bethany College and spent 60 years serving the college before being moved in 1969 to its present location.
One of the few buildings still in existance from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair now serves as the Swedish Heritage Museum in Lindsborg, Kansas. Following the expo, it was moved to Bethany College and spent 60 years serving the college before being moved in 1969 to its present location.
November 5, 2025 at 1:36 PM
One of the few buildings still in existance from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair now serves as the Swedish Heritage Museum in Lindsborg, Kansas. Following the expo, it was moved to Bethany College and spent 60 years serving the college before being moved in 1969 to its present location.
The Ship of Theseus is a philosophical thought exercise about when an object no longer is the object that gave it fame. If you took all the parts from a famous ship one by one and replaced them, is it still the same ship? John Brown's Fort in Harper's Ferry is a practical example of this.
November 4, 2025 at 1:22 PM
The Ship of Theseus is a philosophical thought exercise about when an object no longer is the object that gave it fame. If you took all the parts from a famous ship one by one and replaced them, is it still the same ship? John Brown's Fort in Harper's Ferry is a practical example of this.
Let's talk about moving buildings. First up: the Indiana Bell Building. In 1929, Bell determined they needed to demolish their existing building to expand operations, however the architects proposed an audacious alternative: rotate the building 90° and move it 100' west.
November 3, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Let's talk about moving buildings. First up: the Indiana Bell Building. In 1929, Bell determined they needed to demolish their existing building to expand operations, however the architects proposed an audacious alternative: rotate the building 90° and move it 100' west.
Estes Colorado holds a spring celebration called "Frozen Dead Guy Days" every year in part because of the saga of a man who never lived in Estes. When Bredo Morstoel died in 1989, his body was shipped to one cryonics facility while his son prepared his own cryonics facility in Estes.
October 31, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Estes Colorado holds a spring celebration called "Frozen Dead Guy Days" every year in part because of the saga of a man who never lived in Estes. When Bredo Morstoel died in 1989, his body was shipped to one cryonics facility while his son prepared his own cryonics facility in Estes.
Elm Creek, Kansas is home to Alcove Springs. Just off the old Oregon Trail, the spring-fed waterfall got its name when a party in 1846 stopped there while stranded due to local flooding. One member of this party carved the name into the rocks above the falls before their party set off for history.
October 30, 2025 at 12:48 PM
Elm Creek, Kansas is home to Alcove Springs. Just off the old Oregon Trail, the spring-fed waterfall got its name when a party in 1846 stopped there while stranded due to local flooding. One member of this party carved the name into the rocks above the falls before their party set off for history.
In a quiet cemetery in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a monument to a simple idea. Lenard Mennes came up with the idea of license plate expiration stickers, and gave the idea to 3M and the North Dakota DMV, and the idea quickly caught on. His tombstone tells the story of his humble invention.
October 29, 2025 at 11:56 AM
In a quiet cemetery in Bismarck, North Dakota, is a monument to a simple idea. Lenard Mennes came up with the idea of license plate expiration stickers, and gave the idea to 3M and the North Dakota DMV, and the idea quickly caught on. His tombstone tells the story of his humble invention.
For seven years, Cahawba Alabama served as the state's capital, before being moved for another 20 years to Tuscaloosa, then on to Montgomery. The town also was the county seat for Dallas County until 1866. However, by 1900, the city was all but abandoned.
October 28, 2025 at 12:18 PM
For seven years, Cahawba Alabama served as the state's capital, before being moved for another 20 years to Tuscaloosa, then on to Montgomery. The town also was the county seat for Dallas County until 1866. However, by 1900, the city was all but abandoned.
Garnet, Montana is a remarkably well-preserved example of the gold rush ghost towns that scatter the western US. Founded in 1895, the town's mines had dried up by 1912. Coupled with a fire that razed much of town, it was abandoned until the Great Depression brought a brief resurgence.
October 27, 2025 at 1:16 PM
Garnet, Montana is a remarkably well-preserved example of the gold rush ghost towns that scatter the western US. Founded in 1895, the town's mines had dried up by 1912. Coupled with a fire that razed much of town, it was abandoned until the Great Depression brought a brief resurgence.
The 1933 Double Eagle is the most expensive coin ever sold. The entire run of coins was ordered destroyed after minting but before they could be distributed, with only two coins kept for the Treasury Numismatic Collection (later transfered to the Smithsonian). (1/n)
October 24, 2025 at 12:32 PM
The 1933 Double Eagle is the most expensive coin ever sold. The entire run of coins was ordered destroyed after minting but before they could be distributed, with only two coins kept for the Treasury Numismatic Collection (later transfered to the Smithsonian). (1/n)
The Orphanage of Yuma, Colorado is a quirky automotive museum that also exhibits art by local artists, including photography, paintings, and quilts. Exhibited side-by-side with the automotive collection (which also features visiting cars) creates an unusual but welcoming exhibit space.
October 23, 2025 at 12:46 PM
The Orphanage of Yuma, Colorado is a quirky automotive museum that also exhibits art by local artists, including photography, paintings, and quilts. Exhibited side-by-side with the automotive collection (which also features visiting cars) creates an unusual but welcoming exhibit space.