White and blue text on a red, white and blue striped background

Des Moines is the capitol city of the state of Iowa. Native Americans were the earliest inhabitants of the area. Fort Des Moines was founded in part to keep the Native Americans separated from the colonial settlers and gain control of the area for the settlers. The town of Fort Des Moines was chartered in 1853 and shorted to “Des Moines” in 1858. It became a mining town and benefited from trade with its prime location on two rivers.

It is likely that this is an artifact from a 1922 Des Moines Chamber of Commerce membership campaign that advertised Des Moines as “a central city with a central market.” Early advertising from 1920 promoted Des Moines as the distribution center of the “greatest producing section of the globe.”

Red text around a red maple leaf on a white background

Kingston is a city located in eastern Ontario, Canada on the shore of Lake Ontario. It was established as a French trading post and military fortification in 1673 named Fort Cataraqui, then in 1785, British Loyalists took possession of the fort and renamed the area Kingston Township.

Illustration of a boat with black text above and below on a yellow background

Boothbay Harbor is a town in Maine that can be traced back to 1666 when the English established a fishing camp. Through the years it became a well-established fishing center and nowadays, it is a popular yachting and tourist destination in the summer.

Black text around an illustration of an elephant on a bright pink background

Smokey was an 11 foot-tall, 7 ton African bull elephant who was housed at the Oakland Zoo in California for over 25 years. He was well-known for being one of three male elephants in North America capable of breeding and he was also known for killing one of the zoo's animal keepers in 1991. The trampling death of the zookeeper led to new methods of caring for elephants in captivity that did not require the trainers to be in direct contact with the animals. Smokey passed away in 2001 from an unknown illness.

Illustration of an conservatory with a green ribbon around it with a blue sky with white stars and blue text

The Como Park Conservatory, now called the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, is located at Como Park in St. Paul, Minnesota. It opened in 1915 and consists of a two-acre glass greenhouse as well as several outdoor gardens. The Conservatory's Palm Dome is a sixty-four foot tall structure within the green house that houses nearly 150 palm species. It is also home to the Conservatory’s orchid collection.

Blue and green text on a white background with an illustration of the shape of Ohio.

On October 25-26, 2013, the Canton...It’s Always Fun! political and historical collectors show was held at the McKinley Grand Hotel in Canton, Ohio. Collectors of political and historical items gathered for the two-day event to socialize as well as  display and sell various political and historical memorabilia. The Ohio Boys, an Ohio chapter of the American Political Items Collectors, or APIC, are a group of collectors who were participating in the event.

Red text over an illustration of amusement parks over teal and black text on a white background

St.Cloud is part of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metropolitan area in central Florida. There are several theme parks in the area including Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Parks and Resort, Legoland Florida, and the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

Red text around and illustration of Santa's head with an outer candy cane striped edge

Santa's Land was a holiday-themed roadside attraction located on historic Route 5 in Putney, Vermont. Year-round, visitors could enjoy themed buildings, play areas, and Santa figures. Opened in 1957 by Jack Poppele, a successful businessman who had founded WOR, a New York City radio station, Santa's Land was open just over fifty years until its closure in 2011. 

Illustration of the Mayflower on water over a brick wall with a rock in front of it with blue text around the top and bottom on a white background

Black text around an illustration of a witch on a broom on a white background

Salem, Massachusetts has taken advantage of its history and association with the television show Bewitched to boost tourism. The show even filmed a series of episodes in the town. But not all residents agree with this treatment of the 17th century witchcraft trials, especially the decision to install a statue of Bewitched’s main character, played by actress Elizabeth Montgomery.

The history of the witchcraft trials is still a major tourism draw for Salem, even though it’s doubtful that any of the people convicted and executed for practicing witchcraft ever did so.