Bob, Our history here in the US is recent, at least with respect to European settlements. We haven't saved the log cabins as improvement and progress has eradicated them. I only mention the Lincoln's homestead because it was something that somebody thought to preserve and it hadn't been 'improved' before he became a national hero. If you know anything about his origins, you'll recognize that it is nothing special. It's simply an example of how poor people lived in rural Illinois in the early 1800s.
More interesting are the archeological digs outside St. Louis in southern Illinois. They document a gathering society living along the Mississippi River, raising crops, trading, and building religious mounds in a city of 30,000 at about 1000AD. Of course, all we have to show for it is post holes and bone shards! Regards, Bob S [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: It's not just about the history of great men, like Lincoln. Probably even more important is what you learn about ordinary people and societies. I'm sure archaeologists and public alike would love to have more information about the early settlers, to be able to stand on the same floors where they stood, to see the things they used and built, even when it is only a grubby little post hole and some discoloured dirt. It doesn't have to be a whole log cabin in perfect shape.
