Monday, June 30, 2014

Completed: Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Junior Ranger Program and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Junior Ranger Program

Package from Captain John Smith Chesapeake
NHT and Star-Spangled Banner NHT
Hello Junior Rangers!

Last year (gah--has it been that long?), I had posted that I had sent out completed Junior Ranger books to both Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT and Star-Spangled Banner NHT that I had downloaded and completed. And then I never posted about it again. 

Maybe some of you were wondering what happened.

Well, so did I--cause I never heard back from either of them.

It was sort of surprising to just never hear back anything, but I had sent them out during that tumultuous time where the government was on the verge of shutting down and there was all that sequester business going on, so I just figured maybe there was some staffing cuts and no one was around to send me the badges. . .  And over time, with all the packages I had sent out during that time, these had simply fallen through the cracks.

Recently, I had been conversing via email with one of your fellow readers who commented about working towards earning these badges, and it reminded me about my own package that I had mailed out. Looking back, I realized it really had been quite some time since I mailed them so I reached out to both the Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT and the Star-Spangled Banner NHT explaining the situation and asking if they would send them to me. A nice ranger named Christine wrote back from Chesapeake and after apologizing for what happened, promised to mail them right away. And here they are!



Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Junior Ranger Badge
Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Junior Ranger Badge – awarded for completing the Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Junior Ranger program.

Star Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Junior Ranger Badge
Star-Spangled Banner NHT Junior Ranger Badge – awarded for completing the Star-Spangled Banner NHT Junior Ranger program.

And that’s it! Please read a little bit about the trails, which I have posted below, and if you are interested in early-North American history and the War of 1812 in the Chesapeake region, check out the sites featured along these trails. But in the meantime…

Explore On, Junior Ranger! :)

Want your own Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail Junior Ranger Badge and Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail Junior Ranger Badge? Visit the trails' Junior Ranger Pages and follow the links to their books. After you complete the program, you’ll get a badge for your efforts. :)




About the Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail

Captain John Smith Statue at Historic Jamestown, Virginia
Photo courtesy smithtrail.net
The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail follows in the footsteps of Captain John Smith as he journeyed through the Chesapeake Bay area four hundred years ago. Along with a small crew, he set out in an open boat to explore nearly 3,000 miles of the Chesapeake Bay and rivers, documenting American Indian communities. The map Smith created and the journals he kept during his travels are a remarkable record of 17th-century Chesapeake. These items, published upon his return to England, described the region's lush resources and his many encounters with the native peoples of the Chesapeake, which in turn attracted great attention to the region. His map and writings would later influence the exploration and settlement of eastern North America for many generations to come. 

Captain John Smith Chesapeake NHT Logo
The Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail allows you to experience and learn about the Chesapeake Bay through the routes and places associated with Smith's explorations between 1607 and 1609. It follows Smith's two main voyages on Chesapeake Bay in 1608 and his voyages between 1607 and 1609 on the York, James and other rivers in the region. The trail encompasses approximately 3,000 miles in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The trail was officially launched in 2007 in conjunction with the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, Virginia. 




About the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail

Star Spangled Banner NHT Logo
The Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail is a 560-mile land and water route which connects historic sites in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Officially established in 2008, the trail tells the story of the War of 1812 as it waged on for three years in the Chesapeake Bay region and commemorates the events which led up to the Battle of Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write our National Anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner." The trail, which traces American and British troop movements during the War of 1812, introduces its visitors to the Chesapeake communities which were affected by the war and highlights the region's distinctive landscapes and numerous waterways.  

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Program Spotlight: Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail (NHT) NPS Junior Ranger Badge Program

Hello Junior Rangers! So a week ago I posted about the package I received from Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail for completing their online Junior Ranger program. Well, today I decided to post about the Anza Trail and Anza's Junior Ranger Program so that you all can get more information about what it takes to become a Junior Ranger at Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail!

So first, I'll start with a brief overview of the trail's history and features and then get to the good stuff... :)




About the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

Presidio of San Francisco - A Part of the Juan Bautista de Anza NHT
The Presidio of San Francisco, a part of the Juan Bautista
de Anza National Historic Trail. Photo courtesy NPS.gov

Illustration of Juan Bautista de Anza on Horseback
Anza on Horseback
Illustration courtesy NPS.gov
The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail commemorates and protects the historic overland route plotted and traveled by Juan Bautista de Anza and the 300+ colonists who followed him during the years 1775-76 from Sonora, Mexico to what is now San Francisco, CA. His successful establishment of Spain's northernmost colony in Alta California changed the course of California history. In 1990, the Anza Trail was designated a National Historic Trail by Congress through an amendment to the National Trails System Act. The portion of the trail administered by the National Park Service in the United States spans 1,200 miles from Nogales, Arizona to San Francisco, CA, and traces the route of the 1775-76 Anza Expedition as closely as possible. There is another 600 miles of historic trail in Northern Mexico. 

Though there is no official Visitor's Center dedicated to the trail, portions of the US trail can be explored by "car, foot, horse, bicycle or train" with several Expedition Points of Interests and Interpretive Sites along the way. 

While several of these sites are administered by the Arizona and California State Parks system, there are eight (8) National Park Service sites affiliated with the trail:

Mission at Tumacacori National Historic Park
Mission at Tumacacori National Historic Park
Photo courtesy nps.gov

1. Tumacacori National Historical Park (Tumacacori, AZ) - As the expedition headed towards Tubac, Pedro Font held mass at this mission on October 17, 1775.

2. Saguaro National Park (Tucson, AZ) - At this beautiful national park visitors can enjoy the same picturesque views of the desert landscape that Anza and the settlers saw in 1775.


Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
Casa Grande Ruins NM
Photo courtesy nps.gov
3. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (Coolidge, AZ) - On October 31, 1775, Anza and Pedro Font visited these ruins on a side trip from one of their campsites. 

4. Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area  (Thousand Oaks, CA)- Here you can explore the rugged landscape and Mediterranean climate which the Anza expedition members probably would have encountered during their journey in February 1776.
Channel Islands National Park
Channel Islands National Park
Photo Courtesy nps.gov

5. Channel Islands National Park (Ventura/Santa Barbara, CA) - On February 23, 1776, Anza and the settlers saw these offshore islands as they camped on the mainland near the Santa Clara River.


Volcanic Peaks at Pinnacles National Monument
Majestic Volcanic Peaks at
Pinnacles National Monument
Photo courtesy nps.gov
6. Pinnacles National Monument (Paicines, CA) - As they traveled north to San Francisco, Anza's expedition members may have seen these majestic volcanic peaks towering above California's Salinas Valley. 

7. Presidio of San Francisco (San Francisco, CA) - This site, which a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, was selected on March 28, 1776 by Captain Anza to be the site for the Presidio and Mission of San Francisco.
Martinez Adobe at John Muir National Historic Site
Martinez Adobe at John Muir NHS
Photo Courtesy nps.gov

8. Anza Trail Exhibit at the John Muir National Historic Site (Martinez, CA) - This NPS site is the home of the Vincente Martinez Adobe which was once occupied by the descendants of the 1776 Anza Expedition. The Anza Trail Exhibit is located inside the Martinez Adobe.

Juan Bautista de Anza NH Trail NPS Passport Stamp
Juan Bautista de Anza
National Historic Trail
NPS Passport Stamp.
Image courtesy

TucsonPresidio.com
Bonus Tip: For those of you who are NPS Passport stamp enthusiasts like me, there are 33 (!) Passport stamps to collect at sites along the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail. Click here for a complete list of Anza Trail affiliated NPS Passport stamp locations.

For more information about the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, please visit their official NPS website and NPS partner site, Anza Historic Trail



source: nps.gov


The Junior Ranger Program at
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail


Online Banner greeting Junior Rangers to the Juan Bautista
de Anza National Historic Trail Junior Ranger program.
Image courtesy anzajuniorranger.org
The Junior Ranger program at Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is an online program designed to be completed in the comfort of your own home. This activity requires an Internet connection (of course) and a valid email address. The program can be found at http://www.anzajuniorranger.org.
"You meet Commander Anza in the plaza near your small farm in Sonora, Nueva Espana (Mexico). He is recruiting people to go to Alta California. [M]any of the families in your area are very poor and moving...means the possibility of a new and better life." excerpt from the introduction to the Anza Junior Ranger online program, anzajuniorranger.org 
Anza Recruitment Letter from the Anza Junior Ranger
Program. Image from anzajuniorranger.org
In this Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Junior Ranger activity, you are a potential colonist joining Commander Anza's expedition to the Presidio of San Francisco. As a colonist, you will choose your identity (solider, farmer, priest, mother, or single woman--yes, single woman is a choice) and travel along the expedition route, visiting historic places along the way and making important decisions at certain trail stops.

But first you will have to decide: will you leave your farm, sell off your belongings and pack up your horse and mule? Will you say goodbye to family and friends you may never see again?

This program was a fun and engaging way to learn about Anza and the trail. Selecting my identity among the character images and descriptions was nice because you get to live the expedition through the eyes/perspective of that traveler  (I went with Isabel the single woman cause I thought it was such an odd choice to have on a kid's adventure story. . .lol), and according to the site the stories are different for every character. It involved a lot of find-this-place-on-the-map map reading, but making decisions along the way was entertaining. Hopefully the other online-only programs will be as engaging as this one. :)


Explore on, Junior Rangers!

How to Become a Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Junior Ranger:

To get your own badge, complete the online activity and when you're finished, complete the online form. You will also have an opportunity to print out an Anza Junior Ranger certificate after you complete the form. A ranger will contact you via email to obtain your address and other demographic information. A badge will be mailed to you when you reply to the email with the required information.