The Lincoln Shrine

I was rather interested in the different books Lincoln had read (very excited about him having read the Complete Works of Shakespeare, as he is one of my favorites). I noticed one that caught my attention in passing: I believe it was titled "The River Runs Red." I will most likely begin reading it as soon as possible. I was also amazed to discover art by Norman Rockwell (the Shrine's curator seemed to think it odd that I knew who that was, stating beforehand that "Some of [us] would be too young to know who Norman Rockwell is." Call me an old soul, but he is one of my favorite artists.

Lincoln's wife, however, was the topic that stuck in my mind throughout the day. Questions kept popping up in my thoughts: "Was she really Bi-Polar?" "Did she have a spending problem?" "What did she do so different, that made the idea of a 'First Lady' stay with the presidency?" I will probably end up doing some research if I can find the time.

Smiley Library

I am quite passionate about reading, which may sound strange considering that I, like many of my classmates, was raised surrounded by the latest and greatest technology. Household electronics such as TVs, computers, and radios could not compete against a book for my attention. I'm not quite sure how I became interested in reading, but I have been told (as I don't remember it myself as I was too young) that I refused to pick up a pencil to draw something, and would, instead, grab a book, and do a picture walk. I was overjoyed when I began elementary school, and I was finally learning to read. My favorite day of the week was Friday, because we would go to our school library to choose a book we would read the next week. My teachers had a difficult time getting me out of the library, as I could never choose just one book; they all seemed marvleous. Eventually I would have to do "Eeny, Meeny, Miney, Moe" to choose my book. I could not say, "Libraries were what influenced me to read books," becausee then I would be lying. I believe that I became interested ("obsessed" would be a more accurate description) in books due to the encouragement of my parents; they always enjoyed seeing me "reading" to myself, making up nearly accurate stories to go along with the pictures, and I loved it when they would read to me before bedtime.

Libraries did, however, allow me to expand my book interests: mysteries, poems, adventures, comedies, and many others. The library offers children a portal into the imaginary world of their choosing; whether it be an island with buried treasure and plundering pirates, or the streets of London, witnessing Sherlock Holmes solve his latest mystery. Libraries can give children an excape, through books, from the troubles and hardships of everyday life.

Estencia

The Asistencia was originally built (originally one mile east of where it is today) as an outpost for cattle grazing activities in the Mission Era (1819 - 1834). This is when (it is believed) that Native Americans dug irrigation ditches (a.k.a zanjas) to serve the area. It was made completely of adobe and timber. The missionaries intended to bring religion and civilization to the Native Americans. The original site of the Asistencia was attacked by Indians in 1834, and was thus passed into private hands: José de Carmen Lugo purchased the property in 1842. It was then sold in the early 1850s to the Mormons, then it was a school, and later was used as a furniture factory. In 1857 Dr. Benjamin Barton bought the property. And finally, in 1925, the County of San Bernardino took over the property and its restoration was complete in 1937. The Asistencia today is a museum, and a wedding chapel. There is an on site manager who can help guests with any questions they may have about the Asistencia and wedding information (and fyi the manager has a few adorable cats that live in his office; thought I'd throw that in for some random Asistencia trivia).

Although the Mission thought it was helping the Native Americans, I don't think they would have liked missionaries invading their land. Yes, the missions brought religion and civilization (or what they believed to be civilization, because it is a matter of opinion) to the Native Americans, but they also brought diseases like Small Pox. Small Pox was fatal to many Native Americans because they had not yet been exposed to it, and was thus not immune to it. It seems that although the missions brought about a new (possibly better) form of civilization, they brought too much death.