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Welcome to Cordova, Alaska, "the crossroads of Alaska!"  The town is located in southern Alaska on Orca Inlet.  The town was first claimed by Spanish explorers in 1790 and named Puerto Cordova.  Spain's claim was short-lived.  By 1799, Russia had claimed Alaska, which it then sold to the US in 1867.   Cordova retained it's Spanish name when it was reorganized in 1906 (although Peurto was dropped).  It was purchased by Michael James Heney to build a terminus for a railroad in the area after high grade copper was discovered nearby.  The town was once known as the" Razor Clam Capital of the World."  Between 1916 and the last 1950s, the annual harvest reached up to 3.5 million pounds.  Harvesting declined in the late 1950s due to overharvesting and a large die-off.  The industry was destroyed in 1964 by the Good Friday Earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America and second strongest in the world.  The town has never been connected by road to the rest of Alaska, and with the destruction of the railway, is not connected at all by land.  The town can only be accessed by boat or plane.  We home you enjoy our trip to Cordova! 

Welcome to Massena, New York, "Gateway to the Fourth Coast!"  Massena is located on the St. Lawrence River along the Canadian border.  The town was founded in the early 19th century by French lumberjacks and was named in honor of Andre Massena, a French prince and military leader.  The town's early economy relied on dairy farming and two local sulphur springs which attracted visitors who sought out their healing properties.  By 1900 the popularity of the springs had faded.  In 1902  the Pittsburgh Reduction Company broke ground on an aluminum production facility to take advantage of the electricity available from the recently completed hydroelectric power plant.  The  plant is the longest continually operating aluminum facility in the world and celebrated its 120 anniversary last year.  The town has been called home by a number of notables including actor, Hal Smith.  Smith is credited in over 300 film and TV productions, but is best known for his work as Otis Campbell in The Andy Griffith Show.  We hope you enjoy our trip to Massena!

Welcome to Orange, Connecticut!  Orange is located in New Haven County in southern Connecticut near the Long Island sound.  Originally inhabited by the Paugusset and Alogonquin, the area was purchased in 1639 by English colonists and established as the town of Milford.  In 1822 the town of Orange split off from Milford to form their own community.  Orange was a largely rural town until it began to suburbanize after World War II.  Orange is the home of the North American headquarters of Pez candies.  The first Pez dispensers did not have the familiar heads we know today.  The company began placing heads on the dispensers in 1955 when they began marketing to children.  Some of the first characters were Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Santa Claus.  The product was a hit and has featured over 1,500 characters on it's dispensers.  We hope you enjoy our trip to Orange!

Welcome to Belle Fourche, South Dakota!  Belle Fourche is the seat of Butte County and is located in western South Dakota about 11 miles from the Wyoming border.  The town began as a stagecoach stop in the mid 1880s when a stagecoach route was established between Medora, ND and Deadwood, SD.   In 1890 a railroad terminal was established in town to facilitate transferring cattle from the area to the packing plants in the Midwest.  By 1895 the station became the world's largest livestock shipping point, moving 2,500 cars of cattle per month in the peak season.  The town remains one of the most important livestock shipping points.  The area became the center of the contiguous United States in 1959 with the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union.  A point 20 miles north of town was officially designated as the geographic center of the nation.  We hope you enjoy our visit to Belle  Fourche!

Welcome to Price, Utah!  Price is the seat of Carbon County and is located 120 miles south of Salt Lake City.  The town was founded in 1879 and was named after William Price, a LDS Bishop who explored the area a decade before.  The town struggled for the first few years until the completion of the railroad in 1883.  The town was soon the commercial hub of the area and brought many people from various backgrounds to work in the nearby coal mines.  The coal industry and agriculture continue to be important industries in the area.  Price is also home to Utah State University Eastern.  The university serves about 1,500 students and is located in the middle of town.  USU Eastern also has a Prehistoric Museum  which houses a number of exhibits including a full skeleton of a Utahraptor.  We hope you enjoy our visit to Price! 

Welcome to Yardley, Pennsylvania, where "if your business is right for Yardley, we'll make Yardley right for your business!"  The town is located on the banks of the Delaware River 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia.  The town was settled in 1682 by William Yeardley, a Quaker who emigrated to America with his family in search of religious freedom.  The town was originally called Yardleyville, but was shortened to Yardley to avoid confusing to town with the nearby town of Yardville, NJ.  The area was the launch site of the crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Night of 1776 by George Washington and his army.  The victory that followed in Trenton, NJ was the first major victory for the Continental Army.  The town has been called home by a quite a few notable people, but Aileen Quinn tops the charts for Dr, Jess.  Quinn played the title role in the 1982 film Annie.  We hope you enjoy our trip to Yardley!

Welcome to Antlers, Oklahoma, "Deer Capital of the World!"  Antler is the seat of Pushmataha County in southeast Oklahoma.   The town began to develop in the 1880s when a train station was built in the area.  The town got it's name it 1887 when a local hunter nailed a set of antlers to a tree at a nearby spring as a challenge to other hunters.  Other hunters followed suit, and the railroad named the station Antlers after the landmark.  The town is located at the foot of the Kiamichi Mountains and is a popular destination for hunting, fishing and various other outdoor activities.  We hope you enjoy our trip to Antlers!

Welcome to Londonderry, New Hampshire, where "Business Is Good, Life Is Better."  Established in 1722, the town is located in Rockingham County in southern New Hampshire.  The town was named after Londonderry in northern Ireland after a successful petition by local Scots Irish immigrants.   Three years before the town was established, the first potato grown in the US was harvested in Londonderry.   Linen making was an early industry in Londonderry.  Londonderry linen was considered to be the finest linen produced in New England and is reported to have been worn by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.  By the early 1800's apple's became a major crop in the area and are now sold worldwide.  The town has been called home by a number of notable people including Ocean Born Mary and James Wilson.  Dr. Jess introduces us to these interesting characters in this week's Town Tidbits.  We hope you enjoy our trip to Londonderry!

Welcome to Owosso, Michigan, "Home of the Shocker!" Originally inhabited by the Chippewa, the first Europeans moved to the area in 1819.  The town was incorporated in 1859 and named after a Chippewa chief named Wasso.  The town is located in central Michigan about 90 miles from Detroit and is the largest town in Shiawassee County.  The town's motto, "Home of the Shocker," could only be found on the town's Wikipedia page and offers no explanation.  It is unlikely to be a reference to the hand gesture or the town's official motto.  The Wikipedia entry is more likely to be the work of a Wikipedia vandal. Perhaps the fake motto is a tip of the hat to the Mel Schacher who was born in Owosso.  Schacher is the bassist for Grand Funk Railroad, an American rock band from the late 60s and 70s.  The town has been the home of a number of other notable people including failed Presidential candidate Thomas Dewey, jazz keyboardist Scott Kinsey, psychologist Leann Birch, and author James Oliver Curwood.  We hope you enjoy our trip to Owosso! 

Last week you heard how Neil's family got to the cruise and back.  This week we discuss the cruise and why, according to George, you should always travel with a turkey bag.