81: Death Valley National Park

In 1820, the well-known British writer, Sydney Smith, mocked the United States for its lack of culture and sophistication: In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? or goes to an American play? or looks at an American picture or statue?" This was a common sentiment at that time. America was a young country, barely forty years old, and most Europeans viewed it as a kind of low-brow, hillbilly backwater. -Visit us online at: Itshometownhistory.com -Find us on all podcasting platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory -Support our podcast by becoming a patron at: Patreon.com/itshometownhistory -Check out our other podcasts: itsarclightmedia.com