A Midwestern Adventure
With Jessica, Drew, and Ian
Welcome to the Midwest
Compared to the whole USA, the Midwest is nothing, but do you know the glorious things about it? The Midwest is the place of sparkling crystal lakes and everlasting plains. Did you know that Walt Disney was born in Chicago, a city in the Midwest? The Great Lakes, five splendid lakes, have made their home here. Let’s take an adventure to this wondrous region!
Landforms and Waterways
Brilliant landforms and waterways carved their way into the Midwest thousands of years ago. Plains, mountains, forests, and many other fascinating landforms are found in the Midwest. The Great Plains cover a good area of the Midwest. The long-stretching moorland extends mostly by the west side of the Midwest. The famous plains are a great place for farming, ranching, and other nature-related industries. A significant water source in the Midwest are the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes consist of Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie, and Lake Superior. Some people call them Lake H.O.M.E.S. for short. Lake Superior is the largest lake in America! Because Lake Superior is 21 feet higher than Lake Huron, canals called the Soo Canals connect the two lakes by lowering ships down on a declined slope. Many rivers such as the Missouri River and the Mississippi River also lay in the Midwest. With so many wonderful things, you should be planning a trip there next summer!
Landmarks and Historical Sites
There are many breathtaking landmarks and spectacular historical sites in the Midwest. For example, the Badlands is a place you would definitely put on your list. It’s really hot and dry; you’ll need lots of sunscreen and lots of water. Do you about the Great Lakes? They’re huge. It would take forever to swim to the bottom (and you would definitely drown). Oh, and don’t forget about the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. It is 630 feet tall- wow, that sure is tall! You could even see the Missouri River! The Midwest also has the biggest carving in the America- Mount Rushmore. It shows sculptures of the faces of four great US presidents; Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt. One last amazing thing about the Midwest is the Hull Rust Mine. The fascinating mine is in the Mesabi Range, Minnesota, at 50 stories high. Cool!
Climate
The climate of the Midwest is completely seasonal. In the summer it’s hot, in the spring it’s warm and rainy, autumn’s are cool and breezy, and winters are cold. In many seasons- not only winter- blizzards occur around lakes. This is called the lake effect. Another large weather pattern in the Midwest is tornadoes. Tornadoes can commonly be found in Tornado Alley, between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains, mostly during the spring. Many tornadoes spin there because the cold, dry air from Canada and the northwestern states travels and collides with the warm, moist air from the Gulf of Mexico.
Economy
The economy in the Midwest is large and varied. Like shipping, for example, is a very important industry. Ships deliver the many goods in the Midwest to other states and countries. Farmers also have a huge role to play in the economy of the Midwest. They produce so much food, the Midwest was nicknamed the ‘Breadbasket of America’! Fishing is plentiful in the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, and the Missouri River, making it so there are many seafood restaurants. Another animal-involved industry is ranching. Cattle and ranchers can always be found roaming the plains of the Midwest. The fact that there are so many wonderful features found in the Midwest, brings to us tourism. Many, many people come from other regions and countries to see everything here. Much money comes from that.
Culture
The culture is very interesting in the Midwest. The culture comes from many different countries and religions. An Asian group called the Hmong came to the Midwest and created textile art, a very creative way of carving. Another fascinating thing in the Midwest is the amazing sculpture- the Crazy Horse Memorial, a memorial for a great chief of the Lakota tribe called Chief Crazy Horse. It was sculpted on the Black Hills by a man named Korczak Ziolkowski, and guess what? He was born in Boston, Massachusetts! Did you know that the first team in the Midwest to ever come up at bat is no other than the Cincinnati Reds? The Midwest sure is amazing!
Farewell ^u^
Now you’ve learned many amazing things about the Midwest, but this region holds plenty more! Langston Hughes, a famous poet, and Michael Jackson, a former rock star, were born and grew up here. Now, it is time to say goodbye, my friends. But I’m sure this magnificent region will pull you in, and you will travel to the Midwest again.