Dans le lot

Département du lot


Dans les vosges

Liste des départements
01 Ain
02 Aisne
03 Allier
04 Alpes de Haute Provence
05 Hautes Alpes
06 Alpes maritimes
07 Ardèche
08 Ardennes
09 Ariège
10 Aube
11 Aude
12 Aveyron
13 Bouches du Rhône
14 Calvados
15 Cantal
16 Charente
17 Charente Maritime
18 Cher
19 Corrèze
2A Corse du Sud
2B Haute Corse
21 Côte d'Or
22 Côtes d'Armor
23 Creuse
24 Dordogne
25 Doubs
26 Drôme
27 Eure
28 Eure et Loir
29 Finistère
30 Gard
31 Haute-Garonne
32 Gers
33 Gironde
34 Hérault
35 Ille et Vilaine
36 Indre
37 Indre et Loire
38 Isère
39 Jura
40 Landes
41 Loir et Cher
42 Loire
43 Haute Loire
44 Loire Atlantique
45 Loiret
46 Lot
47 Lot et Garonne
48 Lozère
49 Maine et Loire
50 Manche
51 Marne
52 Haute Marne
53 Mayenne
54 Meurthe et Moselle
55 Meuse
56 Morbihan
57 Moselle
58 Nièvre
59 Nord
60 Oise
61 Orne
62 Pas de Calais
63 Puy de Dôme
64 Pyrénées Atlantiques
65 Hautes Pyrénées
66 Pyrénées orientales
67 Bas Rhin
68 Haut Rhin
69 Rhône
70 Haute Saône
71 Saône et Loire
72 Sarthe
73 Savoie
74 Haute Savoie
75 Paris
76 Seine Maritime
77 Seine et Marne
78 Yvelines
79 Deux Sèvres
80 Somme
81 Tarn
82 Tarn et Garonne
83 Var
84 Vaucluse
85 Vendée
86 Vienne
87 Haute Vienne
88 Vosges
89 Yonne
90 Territoire de Belfort
91 Essonne
92 Hauts de Seine
93 Seine Saint Denis
94 Val de Marne
95 Val d'Oise
971 Guadeloupe
972 Martinique
973 Guyane
974 Réunion

Recherche par région :AlsaceAquitaine
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BourgogneBretagneCentre
Champagne-Ardenne
CorseFranche-ComteHaute-normandieIle-de-france
Languedoc-Roussillon LimousinLorraine
Midi-PyreneesNord-pas-de-Calais
Pays-de-LoirePicardie Poitou-Charentes Provence-Alpes-Côte d'AzurRhone-Alpes

وسیع ترین بازار ایران

با سرعت بالا ببینید با سرعت پایین ببینید
حمیدرضا حسینی
بازار تبريز، بازارى است همچون ديگر بازارهاى تاريخى ايران و با همان فضاها و عناصر؛ اگر با ديد معمارانه بنگريم، شايد احساس كنيم كه شبيه اش را در بسيارى شهرها، از يزد و كرمان و نايين گرفته تا تهران و اصفهان و شيراز ديده ايم. اما خوب كه بنگريم آن را بى نظير و يگانه مى يابيم.
بازارهاى كرمان و كاشان و قزوين هم همين تاق هاى ضربى و آجركارى هاى زيبا و رسمى بندى هاى چشم نواز –وشايد بهترش– را دارند، اما كو آن اعتبار اقتصادى و اجتماعى پيشين؟
قيصريه اصفهان چهارصد سال است كه نام بازار را بر تارک دارد. اما آن رونق دوره شاه عباس و تجارت با شرق و غرب دنيا كجا، و بازار توريستى امروز با تعدادى مغازه گز فروشى و عرضه صنايع دستى (البته از نوع هندى و پاكستانى) كجا؟ اگر تجارتى هست، در پاساژهاى جديد و مجتمع هاى تجارى نونوار است. و چنين اند بازارهاى شيراز و يزد و جاهاى ديگر.
مى ماند بازار قديمى تهران كه هنوز بين بازارهاى كشور حرف اول را مى زند و هنوز همان جايى است كه دويست سال پيش بود. اما اگر مى خواهيد از حال و روزش با خبر شويد، كافى است چند عكس قاجارى از سبزه ميدان و تيمچه حاجب الدوله و بازار بين الحرمين دست بگيريد و برويد سمت بازار. به هر چيزى شبيه است، مگر خويشتن تاريخى اش!
در اين وانفسا، شايد فقط يک بازار است كه دامان خويش را از اين معركه تا حدودى به دور نگاه داشته: بازار تبريز.
اين بازار از هزار و اندى سال پيش لحظه اى از تكاپوى اقتصادى و اجتماعى باز نمانده است؛ نه زلزله دوره زنديه تباهش كرد، نه ركود اقتصادى عصر قاجار از رونقش كاست و نه نهضت پاساژسازى دوران سازندگى، توانست رقيبى برايش بتراشد.
خيابان كشى هاى دوره پهلوى هم گرچه جسم تاريخى اش را خراشيده، اما هسته مركزى اش همچنان پرصلابت جلوه مى كند و از اسباب زيبايى آن قد در چنته دارد كه بخواهد جايى براى خود در فهرست ميراث فرهنگى جهانى دست و پا كند.
اگر همه چيز خوب پيش برود، احتمالا سال ۲۰۱۱ ميلادى سال ثبت جهانى اين بزرگترين بازار تاريخى سرپوشيده جهان است.
گزارشى كه از بازار تبريز به قالب تصوير و صدا درآمده، بدان پايه نيست كه بتواند اطلاع درخور توجهى از تاريخچه، كاركرد و معمارى اين مجموعه سترگ به دست دهد، فقط شايد بتواند شوقى در مخاطب برانگيزد كه اگر روزى پايش به تبريز رسيد، ديدار بازار را از كف ندهد.
از آن جا كه در اين گزارش، فراوان از فضاهاى معمارى و ارتباطى بازار ياد شده ، در زير توضيح كوتاهى در تعريف هر يک از اين فضاها ارايه مى شود:
حجره: حجره يا دكان، كوچك ترين عنصر بازار است. در بازارهاى تاريخى ايران، حجره ها يک تا سه طبقه هستند. معمولا طبقه همتراز با كف بازار، محل داد و ستد است؛ طبقه بالا به عنوان دفتر كار مورد استفاده قرار مى گيرد و طبقه زيرين به انبار اختصاص دارد.
در گذشته برخى اصناف مانند نجاران و مسگران، در يک حجره به توليد و فروش كالا مى پرداختند. در اين حالت از يک طبقه حجره به عنوان كارگاه و از طبقه ديگر براى فروش كالا استفاده مى كردند.
راسته: از قرار گرفتن حجره ها در كنار هم و به شكل خطى، راسته پديد مى آيد كه خود دو گونه اصلى و فرعى دارد. راسته اصلى در امتداد يک معبر مهم شهرى قرار گرفته و از نظر ارتباطى حايز اهميت است. بنابراين هر بخش آن در اختيار يكى از اصناف بزرگ است.
راسته هاى فرعى نيز موازى يا عمود بر راسته اصلى شكل گرفته اند و هر كدامشان به يكى از اصناف و پيشه وران اختصاص دارند.
چهارسو: به تقاطع دو راسته اصلى، چهارسو مى گويند و چون از هر طرف به بازار راه مى برد، به آن چهارسوق هم گفته اند. همه تقاطع هاى بازار، چهارسو خوانده نمى شوند و بايد از نظر موقعيت ارتباطى و اقتصادى مهم باشند. در بازارهاى شهرهايى مانند تهران، اصفهان و تبريز، چهارسوها داراى فضاى طراحى شده و چشم نواز هستند.
كاروانسرا (سرا): وقتى بازار گسترش مى يافت و راسته هاى اصلى و فرعى پاسخگوى نيازهاى تجارى نبود، در پشت راسته اصلى و كنار راسته هاى فرعى يک كاروانسرا مى ساختند. بنابراين كاروانسرا، چيزى شبيه پاساژهاى امروزى بود.
كاروانسرا، داراى حياط مركزى و حجره هاى دو طبقه پيرامونى است و در گذشته فضاى محدودى براى توقف چهارپايان داشت. اما از زمانى كه نقش كاروان ها در جابجايى كالا كمرنگ شد، كلمه كاروان را برداشتند و اين گونه فضاها را "سرا" خواندند.
تيمچه: تيم به معناى كاروانسرا است و تيمچه كاروانسراى كوچک و مسقفى است كه دكان هايش به سبب دور بودن از باد و باران و آفتاب، گران تر از دكان هاى كاروانسرا هستند.
دالان: راهرويى كه ارتباط درون سرا و تيمچه با راسته را برقرار مى كند، دالان خوانده مى شود. دالان در دو سوى خود دكان دارد.

عکس : آبشارهاي تاريخي شوشتر

نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 18:13:41 توسط شاهین
عکس های زیبائی است هز شوشتر یا همان» تستر » باستانی از ایران زمین سابق که حیف و صد حیف که دیگر ایران اسلامی شده است. آن شخص ناظر در عکس آخر هم فرستاده ویژه بیت رهبری است که دارد بررسی می کند که آیا می شود آب این رودخانه را به همراه آبشار ها یکجا به فلسطین منتقل کرد یا نه؟
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 17:32:21 توسط fred
با تشکر فراوان از پیک ایران برای چاپ این عکسهای بسیار زیبا . اگر وضع اینچنین پیش برود این آثار تاریخی را نیز از بین خواهند برد.
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 16:48:57 توسط حامد
تا جایی که بنده اطلاع دارم این مجموعه برای به کارگیری نیروی آب جهت راه اندازی آسیابهای آبی در زمان قدیم احداث شده است. دوستانی که به این شهر تاریخی سفر میکنند میتوانند از نزدیک بقایای این مجموعه آسیاب را مشاهده کنند.
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 16:23:22 توسط ارژنگ
دوست عزيز اين رودخانه كارون است و در شوشتر دو شاخه مي شود اين يكي از ميان تونل به صورت آبشار جاري است كه از زمان ساسانيان تا چندين سال پيش از نيروي آبشار ها آسي هاي فراواني مشغول به كار بود در حدود٨ سد(بند در زبان فارس باستان) وجود دارد كه اولي آن داريون يا داريوش نام دارد ٠اسيران و لشكريان رومي با كمك ايرانيان در آبادي اين خطه همت گماشتند و بيشتر مردم شوشتر و دزفول تركيبي از ساسانيان و روميان هستند
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 16:14:48 توسط سهراب
http://www.shushtarchtb.ir/farsi.php?p=asar&cat=2 رود خروشان كارون در جنوب كشور مبدأ پيدايش تمدن هايي در كنار خود بوده است. رود كارون، بزرگترين رودخانه ايران پس از خروج از تنگه هاي كوهستاني زاگرس به جلگه خوزستان وارد شده و در دشت شوشتر آرام مي گيرد. خاك مستعد و زمين هموار، بهمراه آب فراوان رودهاي جاري در جلگه خوزستان، اين منطقه را به يكي از مهمترين قطبهاي كشاورزي كشور در طول تاريخ تبديل نموده ... حفر نهرهاي دستكند "گرگر" و "داريون" در شوشتر از فعاليتهاي احتمالي دوره هخامنشيان به منظور توسعه كشاورزي است. پس از هخامنشيان، ساسانيان نيز براي ساخت و توسعه تأسيسات آبي در شوشتر كوشيده، و موفق به ساخت بي نظيرترين شبكه آبياري در اعصار كهن شده اند. مجموعه «آسيابها و آبشارهاي شوشتر» از بي نظير ترين نمونه هايي است كه جهت استفاده بهينه از آب در ادوار كهن مورد بهره برداري قرار گرفته است. سد ميزان يك بناي بسيار مهم در مجموعه بناهاي آبي تاريخي شوشتر است كه رودخانه كارون را به دو شاخه شطيط و گرگر تقسيم مي كند و پيشينه ساخت آن به دوران ساساني باز مي گردد
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 16:12:12 توسط تهمتن
دوست عزيزمسافر...درخوزستان حاصلخيز چهار رودخانه بررگ علاوه بركثير رودخانه هاي كوچكترموجود ميباشد.رودخانه هاي كارون وكرخه ومارون وخلف آباد ازرودخانه هاي معروف اين استان ميباشد..شما ميتوانيدبه گوگل مراجعه كرده واطلاعات بيشتري رادريافت كنيد..درمورداين رودخانه هم آنرا ديده ام و در ديوارهاي صخره اي اين رودخانه هم توپ هاي قديمي قرون گذشته تعبيه شده كه به توپهاي نادري معروف است كه متاسفانه دراين عكس ها ديده نميشوند..درموردنام اين رودخانه هم مطمئن نيستم..شايد گوگل آنرا مشخص كند.
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 15:55:40 توسط فرزاد
به زودی ملایان اینجا را هم مانند پاسارگاد و دیگر جاها به بهانه جاده سازی یا سد سازی ویران می کنند.
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 15:45:49 توسط مادر
یکی از تاریخی ترین و زیباترین مراکز توریستی ایران و شاید از دید من دنیا ..... این رودخانه شاخه ای از رود کرخه است و اینجا تعداد زیادی اسیاب وجود دارد برای گندم ...اسیاب ابی . بیش از این نمیدانم .
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 15:07:01 توسط mosafer
آيا كسي تاريخچه اينجا راميداند؟آن رودخانه چيست و به كجا ميريزد؟دوستان شوشتري ياري كنند٠
نوشته شده در تاريخ بيست و نهم خرداد ۱۳۸۷ برابر با هجدهم ژوئن ۲۰۰۸ ساعت 14:52:25 توسط خوزستان
شوشتر شهر باستاني كه به دليل آب فراوان و زمين كشاورزي بعد شهر شوش بنا شد وطبق گفته مورخان قبل از هخامنشيان پا برجا بوده اا در دوران اردشير ساساني بعد از پيروزي بر سپاه روم در خوزستان آنان را به شوشتر ودزفول آورد وشروع به احداث تونل آبي و پل سازي كردند و ساكن اين خطه شدند اما با ورد اعراب به ايران به تدريج رونق خود را از دست داد اما هرگز رسوم آداب و گويش خود را از دست نداد

These Modern Structures Are Wonders of the World (Third of Three Parts)
We visit the Suez and Panama canals, the Chunnel and the Three Gorges Dam. Transcript of radio broadcast: 15 January 2008
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VOICE ONE:
This is Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we finish our series of programs about the Wonders of the World. In earlier programs, we told about ancient structures and beautiful natural places. Today we tell about modern structures that are Wonders of the World.
(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
Any list of modern wonders should include some of the buildings in the great cities of the world. An example in New York City is the Empire State Building. For many years, it was the tallest building in the world. Today, the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois and the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are taller.
These buildings are important to any list. However, the modern wonders we have selected have changed history. They are important because they made life safer or easier or were useful to a great number of people. We begin with two similar structures in two very different parts of the world.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
The Suez Canal
More than three thousand years ago, an ancient king of Egypt ordered that a river be built to connect the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. This kind of man-made river is called a canal.
Ancient evidence shows the work was done and a canal was built. Experts believe it was possible for small boats of that time to travel from the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. Some evidence shows the Nile River may have been used for part of the canal. However, the ancient people of Egypt did not keep this canal in use. As years passed, the sands of the great deserts of Egypt closed the small canal.
As the centuries passed, many people thought it would be a good idea to rebuild the canal. The problem was the huge cost. But the cost could not be compared to the cost of a ship that had to sail from ports on the Atlantic Ocean to ports in Asia. Ships had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope, the most southern part of the continent of Africa.
VOICE ONE:
A French engineer planned and directed the modern canal connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. His name was Ferdinand de Lesseps. Egyptian workers began building the canal in eighteen fifty-nine.
It was opened and named the Suez Canal during a ceremony on November seventeenth, eighteen sixty-nine. The Suez Canal is about one hundred sixty-three kilometers long and about sixty meters wide.
The Suez Canal has been closed several times because of war or political problems. Today, the Suez Canal is still important. Ships pay money to use the canal. That money is important to the economy of Egypt. The canal saves shipping companies a great deal of time and money because it is the fastest crossing from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean.
VOICE TWO:
The Panama CanalOur next Modern Wonder of the World is also a canal -- the Panama Canal. It connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. Before it was built, ships often had to spend several weeks traveling around Cape Horn at the end of South America. Many ships were lost in great storms in that dangerous area.
Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa and his men were the first Europeans to travel through the thick jungles in Panama from the Atlantic Coast to the Pacific Coast. That was in fifteen thirteen. Panama quickly became a major shipping area for the Spanish. Their ships from the colonies in the Western Hemisphere and from Asia brought treasure to the Pacific Coast. The treasure was taken overland to the city of Portobelo on the Atlantic Side.
The idea of building a way to connect the two great oceans began with the Spanish explorers. They saw the need for a canal to speed up delivery of their cargo. However, it was impossible to build. The machines needed to build something as big as a canal did not exist.
VOICE ONE:
In eighteen seventy-nine, a French Company tried to build a canal across Panama. It failed. The company did not have enough money to complete the project. Also, thousands of men working on the project died of the disease Yellow Fever.
In nineteen hundred, an American army doctor, Walter Reed, and his research team discovered that mosquito insects carried the virus that caused Yellow Fever. They worked on methods to destroy the mosquito population.
This development helped make possible an American effort to build the Panama Canal. Panama and the United States signed treaties in nineteen-oh-three and work began on the canal. More than eighty thousand men worked on the huge effort. They made a canal about eighty kilometers long from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
On August fifteenth, nineteen fourteen, the ship S.S. Ancon became the first ship to sail through the new canal. Today, about thirteen thousand ships pass through the canal each year. That number represents about five percent of the world’s trade. Both the Suez and the Panama Canals are truly modern Wonders of the World. Both make it possible to safely move from one great ocean to another. And, both save huge amounts of time and money.
(MUSIC)
VOICE TWO:
The two great canals we have discussed connect oceans. Our next great Wonder of the World connects land.
A train enters the Eurotunnel on the French side
This connecting device is called the Channel Tunnel, or “Chunnel.” It connects the island that is Britain with France. It was one of the largest and most difficult construction projects ever attempted. It is a three-tunnel railroad from Calais, France to Folkestone, England. The tunnels are fifty kilometers long. They were built about forty-five meters below the earth under the English Channel. Two of the tunnels carry trains and one is used for repair work and emergencies.
VOICE ONE:
The idea of a tunnel connecting Britain with other nations of Europe was first proposed to the French Emperor Napoleon in the early eighteen hundreds. However it was never a serious idea. The technology to make such a tunnel did not exist. But people dreamed of such a tunnel. Crossing the English Channel by ship was often a terrible trip because of storms.
Three serious attempts were made to build the tunnel. The first two failed. Political differences between France and Britain stopped the first attempt. Financial problems stopped the second.
VOICE TWO:
The third and successful attempt to build the Chunnel began in nineteen eighty-seven after France and Britain signed an agreement. It took seven years to finish the work. To complete the tunnels, construction workers had to move more than seventeen million tons of earth. The cost was more than thirteen thousand million dollars. The Chunnel opened in nineteen ninety-four.
Today, the Chunnel is very busy. High-speed trains carry cars, trucks and passengers from Britain to France and back again. The trains are famous for their smooth, quiet ride. The money paid for the trip is slowly paying for the huge cost.
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VOICE ONE:
Our last modern Wonder of the World has not yet been completed. It is perhaps the largest construction project ever attempted. It is the Three Gorges Dam Project in China’s Hubei Province. Some experts say it is the largest attempted construction project since the ancient Chinese built the Great Wall of China.
The Three Gorges Dam in December 2004The Three Gorges Dam is being built to produce power and control China’s Yangtze River. The Yangtze is the third longest river in the world. It is famous for the terrible floods it has caused. Some reports say more than one million people have been killed in Yangtze floods in the past one hundred years.
VOICE TWO:
The Three Gorges Dam will not be finished until two thousand nine. Work began in nineteen ninety-three. About two hundred fifty thousand workers are involved in the project. Experts say the huge dam will cost about twenty-five thousand million dollars. When finished it will be about one hundred eighty-one meters high.
The dam will create a huge lake about six hundred thirty-two square kilometers. Some critics say the dam will harm the environment and damage historical areas. More than one million people will have to be resettled before the dam is finished. The completed dam will produce large amounts of electric power. Chinese government officials say it will lead to increased economic development in cities near the dam. And China says the terrible floods caused by the Yangtze will be memories of the past.
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VOICE ONE:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. This is Faith Lapidus.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember. Join us again next week for another EXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.

Going the Distance, Coast to Coast and Border to Border, on America's Highways
A history of road building in the United States, including the Interstate Highway System, launched by an act of Congress. Transcript of radio broadcast: 14 October 2007
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VOICE ONE:
Welcome to THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English. On June twenty-ninth, nineteen fifty-six, President Dwight Eisenhower signed a public works bill. The act of Congress provided federal aid to build the Interstate Highway System.
I'm Steve Ember. Today Sarah Long and I present a brief history of road building and how it changed America.
National Highway System(MUSIC)
America's national road system makes it possible to drive coast to coast. From the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west is a distance of more than four thousand kilometers. Or you could drive more than two thousand kilometers and go from the Canadian border south to the Mexican border.
VOICE TWO:
You can drive these distances on wide, safe roads that have no traffic signals and no stop signs. In fact, if you did not have to stop for gasoline or sleep, you could drive almost anywhere in the United States without stopping at all.
This is possible because of the Interstate Highway System. This system has almost seventy thousand kilometers of roads. It crosses more than fifty-five thousand bridges and can be found in forty-nine of America’s fifty states.
The Interstate Highway System is usually two roads, one in each direction, separated by an area that is planted with grass and trees. Each road holds two lines of cars that can travel at speeds between one hundred and one hundred twenty kilometers an hour. The Interstate Highway System is only a small part of the huge system of roads in the United States.
VOICE ONE:
To understand the Interstate Highway System, it is helpful to understand the history of roads. Roads in most countries were first built to permit armies to travel from one part of the country to another to fight against an invader.
The ancient Romans build roads over most of Europe to permit their armies to move quickly from one place to another. People who traded goods began using these roads for business. Good roads helped them to move their goods faster from one area to another.
No roads existed when early settlers arrived in the area of North America that would become the United States. Most settlers built their homes near the ocean or along major rivers. This made transportation easy. A few early roads were built near some cities. Travel on land was often difficult because there was no road system in most areas.
VOICE TWO:
In seventeen eighty-five, farmers in the Ohio River Valley used rivers to take cut trees to the southern city of New Orleans. It was easier to walk or ride a horse home than to try to go by boat up the river.
One of the first roads was built to help these farmers return home after they sold their wood. It began as nothing more than a path used by Native Americans. American soldiers helped make this path into an early road. The new road extended from the city of Nashville, in Tennessee to the city of Natchez in the southern state of Louisiana. It was called the Natchez Trace.
You can still follow about seven hundred kilometers of the Natchez Trace. Today, the road is a beautiful National Park. It takes the traveler though forests that look much the same as they did two hundred years ago. You can still see a few of the buildings in which early travelers slept overnight.
VOICE ONE:
The Natchez Trace was called a road. Yet it was not what we understand a road to be. It was just a cleared path through the forest. It was used by people walking, or riding a horse or in a wagon pulled by horses.
In eighteen-oh-six, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation that approved money for building a road to make it easier to travel west. Work began on the first part of the road in Cumberland in the eastern state of Maryland. When finished, the road reached all the way to the city of Saint Louis in what would become the middle western state of Missouri. It was named the National Road.
The National Road was similar to the Natchez Trace. It followed a path made by American Indians. Work began in eighteen eleven. It was not finished until about eighteen thirty-three. The National Road was used by thousands of people who moved toward the west. These people paid money to use the road. This money was used to repair the road.
Now, the old National Road is part of United States Highway Forty. By the nineteen twenties, Highway Forty stretched from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. You can still see signs that say "National Road" along the side of parts of it. Several statues were placed along this road to honor the women who moved west over the National Road in the eighteen hundreds.
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VOICE TWO:
In nineteen hundred, it still was difficult to travel by road. Nothing extended from the eastern United States to the extreme western part of the country.
Several people wanted to see a road built all the way across the country. Carl Fisher was a man who had ideas and knew how to act on them. Mister Fisher built the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway where car races still take place.
In nineteen twelve, Carl Fisher began working on his idea to build a coast-to-coast highway using crushed rocks. He called this dream the Coast-to-Coast Rock Highway.
VOICE ONE:
Carl Fisher asked many people to give money for the project. One of these men was Henry Joy, the president of the Packard Motor Car Company. Mister Joy agreed, but suggested another name for the highway. He said the road should be named after President Abraham Lincoln. He said it should be called the Lincoln Highway.
Everyone involved with the project agreed to the new name. The Lincoln Highway began in the east in New York City’s famous Times Square. It ended in the west in Lincoln Park in San Francisco, California. The Lincoln Highway was completed in about nineteen thirty-three.
VOICE TWO:
Later, the federal government decided to assign each highway in the country its own number. Numbers were easier to remember than names. The Lincoln Highway became Highway Thirty for most of its length.
Today, you can still follow much of the Lincoln Highway. It passes through small towns and large cities. This makes it a slow but interesting way to travel. Highway Thirty still begins in New York and ends near San Francisco. And it is still remembered as the first coast-to-coast highway.
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VOICE ONE:
In nineteen nineteen, a young Army officer named Dwight Eisenhower took part in the first crossing of the United States by Army vehicles. The vehicles left Washington, D.C. and drove to San Francisco. It was not a good trip. The vehicles had problems with thick mud, ice and mechanical difficulties. It took the American Army vehicles sixty-two days to reach San Francisco.
The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, created today's Interstate system and was signed by President Eisenhower on June 29, 1956 Dwight Eisenhower believed the United States needed a highway that would aid in the defense of the country. He believed the nation needed a road system that would permit military vehicles to travel quickly from one coast to the other.
In nineteen fifty-six, Dwight Eisenhower was president of the United States. He signed the legislation that created the federal Interstate Highway System. Work was begun almost immediately.
VOICE TWO:
Building such an interstate highway system was a major task. Many problems had to be solved. The highway passed through different areas that were wetlands, mountains and deserts.
It was very difficult to build the system. Yet lessons learned while building it influenced the building of highways around the world. Today, the interstate system links every major city in the United States. It also links the United States with Canada and Mexico.
The Interstate Highway System has been an important part of the nation’s economic growth during the past forty years. Experts believe that trucks using the system carry about seventy-five percent of all products that are sold.
Jobs and new businesses have been created near the busy interstate highways all across the United States. These include hotels, motels, eating places, gasoline stations and shopping centers.
The highway system has made it possible for people to work in a city and live outside it. And it has made it possible for people to travel easily and quickly from one part of the country to another.
The United States government renamed the Interstate Highway System at the end of the twentieth century. Large signs now can be seen along the side of the highway that say Eisenhower Interstate System.
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VOICE ONE:
Our program was written by Paul Thompson. My co-host was Sarah Long. I'm Steve Ember. To download a free copy of this show, including a transcript, go to voaspecialenglish.com. And join us again next week for THIS IS AMERICA in VOA Special English.