Introduction
Because we had such a good time and learned so much on our Midwest USA trip in Summer 2007, we embarked on another exciting Midwest USA journey in June 2008. Mark again had a business trip scheduled for Waterloo, IA and we decided to tag along and explore the other side of the midwest than we did in 2007. Our goal all along has been to introduce the kids to each of the 50 states so off we go again! We visited various cities in the states of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Ohio -- including 2 National Historic sites and 2 presidential homes.  A journal of each location visited is detailed below accompanied by pictures. Click here to see a map of our route.

Springfield is the capital of Illinois with a population of 116,482 (U.S. Census 2006). The land on which Springfield is located today was first settled in the late 1810s, around the time Illinois became a state. The city was originally called "Calhoun" after Vice President John C. Calhoun; as public sentiment turned against Calhoun the city was renamed Springfield. Abraham Lincoln is the city's most important and prominent past resident.  He moved from Indiana to the area in 1831 and lived in Springfield itself from 1837 until 1861. Former U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant also lived briefly in Springfield in 1861.

South Bend is a city on the St. Joseph river in Indiana.  As of the 2000 census, the city had a total of 107,789 residents.  It is the fourth largest city in Indiana and is the economic and cultural hub of the region commonly known as Michiana.  It may be best known as the home of the University of Notre Dame. South Bend lies along the Indiana Toll Road at the south most turn in the St. Joseph River, from which it derives its name. The area was originally settled in the early 19th century by fur traders, and established as a city in 1865. The St. Joseph River shaped South Bend's economy through the mid-20th century. River access led to heavy industrial development that peaked with Studebaker being based in the city, along with Oliver Chilled Plow Company and several other industrial companies. The population of South Bend has declined since its peak of 132,445 in 1960. This is in large part due to the demise of Studebaker and other heavy industry. Today, the largest industries in South Bend are health care, education, and small business. A large tourism sector also exists, mainly supported by the University of Notre Dame.

Nearby is the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, a U.S. national lakeshore located in northwest Indiana that was authorized by Congress in 1966. The national lakeshore runs for nearly 25 miles (40 km) along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, from Gary, IN, on the west to Michigan City, Indiana on the east. The park contains approximately 15,000 acres. The park contains 15 miles of beaches, as well as sand dunes, bogs, marshes, swamps, fens, prairies, rivers, oak savannas, and woodland forests. The park is also noted for more than 350 species of birds that have been observed in the park. It has one of the most diverse plant communities of any unit in the U.S. National Park System with 1418 vascular plant species including 90 threatened or endangered ones.

Indianapolis is the capital city of Indiana. The 2000 Census counted the city's population at 781,870. It is Indiana's most populous city and is the 13th largest city in the U.S., the third largest city in the Midwest, and the second most populous state capital (behind Phoenix, Arizona).  Like many other Rust Belt cities, Indianapolis has diversified its economic base in order to avoid relying solely on manufacturing. A large part of this diversification includes the hosting of events, especially sporting events. These prompt labels as The Amateur Sports Capital of the World and The Automobile Racing Capital of the World.  The city has hosted the 1987 Pan American Games, both Men's and Women's NCAA Basketball Tournaments, the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, the United States Grand Prix (2000-2007), the 2002 World Basketball Championship, will host Super Bowl XLVI in February of 2012, and is perhaps most famous for the annual Indianapolis 500, known as the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing." The attendance at the Indianapolis 500 and the Allstate 400 makes them the two largest single day sporting events in the world, with well over 250,000 fans in attendance at each. The city is second only to Washington, D.C., for number of monuments inside city limits. There have been two United States Navy vessels named after Indianapolis, including the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) which suffered the worst single at-sea loss of life in the history of the U.S. Navy.

Cincinnati is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border. With a 2007 population of 332,458, Cincinnati is Ohio's third largest city, behind Columbus and Cleveland, and the 56th largest city in the United States. Residents of Cincinnati are called Cincinnatians.  Cincinnati is considered to have been the first major American boomtown  rapidly expanding in the heart of the country in the early nineteenth century to rival the larger coastal cities in size and wealth. As the first major inland city in the country, it is sometimes thought of as the first purely American city, lacking the heavy European influence that was present on the east coast. However, by the end of the century, Cincinnati's growth had slowed considerably, and the city was surpassed in population by many other inland cities.  Cincinnati is home to major sports teams including the Cincinnati Reds and the NFL's Cincinnati Bengals as well as events like the Thanksgiving day race (the second oldest race in the country-- after the Boston marathon). Cincinnati is known for having one of the larger collections of nineteenth-century German architecture in the U.S., primarily concentrated just north of Downtown, one of the largest historic districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places.