Gribblenation

  Did you know that there is a troll that lives underneath the northern abutment of the Aurora Bridge in Seattle, Washington? In the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, the Fremont Troll looms large underneath the Aurora Bridge, at the crossroads of North 36th Street, and of course, Troll Avenue. Ever since the Aurora Bridge was built in 1932 for traffic crossing the Lake Washington Ship Canal following what was then part of US 99 (now WA 99), there have been reports of troll sightings underneath the bridge. Thanks to an art installation that was built in 1990, we can now say for certain that a particular troll lives under the north end of the Aurora Bridge. Eager to trade in shady activity for a new passion of city beautification, in 1989, the City of Seattle asked the Fremont Arts Council to launch an art competition to rehabilitate the area under the Aurora Bridge. The area under the bridge had become a local dumping ground as well as a haven for derelict activities such ...

  In a city known for its statues, fountains and excellent barbecue, The Scout (also known as the Kansas City Scout) is the most famous of the statues that keeps watch over Kansas City, Missouri . From the vantage point up high at Penn Valley Park , there are excellent views of nearby I-35 and the Kansas City skyline. The statue is placed in a historic area of Kansas City once known as the Penn Street Ravine, where pioneers once traversed as part of the Santa Fe Trail. So it was appropriate to place The Scout in an area that has historical significance. The Scout is a 10 foot tall statue cast in bronze of a Sioux Indian on horseback, surveying the landscape. The statue was originally cast by renowned sculptor Cyrus Dallin in 1915 for the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco. Dallin had a deep respect for America's indigenous peoples and some of his best known works were made in tribute to Native Americans. The statue won the gold medal and as the statue traveled toward the E...

  About halfway between St. Louis, Missouri and Indianapolis, Indiana along I-70 is the small town of Casey, Illinois, or rather, a small town with a lot of big things, such as the World's Largest Windchime and the World's Largest Rocking Chair. But while Casey is a nice place fit for a giant, the town had more humble beginnings, stemming back to the days of the historic National Road. Casey's beginnings can be found in a settlement named Cumberland, situated along the historic National Road in eastern Illinois. A post office named after Zadok Casey (who once represented Illinois in the United States Congress) was established at Cumberland in 1838, but was discontinued nine years later. As a result, Cumberland is now part of the city of Casey. The original town of Casey was first platted in 1851 and surveyed in 1853. Casey grew up as a farming community in the 19th Century, with 2 railroads serving the area, the Pennsylvania Railroad and the Doty Railroad. Casey was one of...

  One of the enduring symbols of Meriden, Connecticut is its historic traffic control tower. In the early days of automobile travel, traffic at intersections was directed by an attendant in a control tower. The attendant would get to their booth in the tower by climbing a ladder from the base of the tower. This attendant would manually switch the familiar red, yellow, and green lights of the traffic light in a regulated pattern. The traffic control tower also includes signs for destinations such as Hartford, Middletown and Waterbury, which are nearby cities in Connecticut. Also featured on the sign is a mention of US Route 6A, which was a southern alternate route for US 6 in Connecticut and is now part of CT 66. Meriden's traffic control tower was first erected and used on September 21, 1925. The traffic control tower was considered to be innovative for its time as this was before automated traffic signals caught on. The tower was considered unique and was quickly adopted by l...

Wherever you travel around the planet, you are bound to find some roadside oddities along the way. Sometimes it may be something interesting that has meaning to the town or city that you are passing through, or it may be the world's largest item of that kind. In New York State, there are plenty of roadside oddities to see as you travel the highways and byways of the Empire State. These are a few of their stories... If you are traveling on US 11, NY 58 or NY 812 in northern New York State, you may drive through  Gouverneur , located in western St. Lawrence County. The town and village were named after  Gouverneur Morris , who was a signatory of the Articles of Confederation. As you drive through the downtown area of Gouverneur, you are probably wondering why there is a giant metal replica of a roll of  Life Savers . Life Savers owes its success to a native of Gouverneur,  Edward John Noble , who made his fortune as an owner of the Life Savers Candy Company. The giant ...