The passage of a century can bring about remarkable transformations. Over the course of 100 years, numerous destinations across the United States have undergone significant metamorphoses. Through strategic development, infrastructure upgrades, and innovative engineering, what were once remote outposts, swampy landmasses, and dense wilderness have been transformed into gleaming cities, picturesque beaches, and meticulously designed parks. This ultimate travel guide explores how 6 popular American tourist attractions have dramatically changed over the last century. Let's get to the point right now!
Can you believe these places once looked like this?
Miami Beach – Florida
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A century ago, Miami Beach was little more than a sandbar in the Atlantic Ocean. The area, which was previously a coconut plantation, was a swampy, inhospitable environment, home to mangrove trees, alligators, and mosquitoes. It wasn't until developer Carl Fisher got involved that things started to change. He helped fund a bridge that connected the sandbar to the mainland and pumped out the muck from the bay, transforming the land into a more inhabitable area. This marked the chartering of Miami Beach on March 26th, 1915.
As a self-made millionaire, Fisher was also instrumental in the development of the luxury hotels and high-end estates that began to dominate the barrier island's coastline. Over the next 100 years, this type of development defined Miami Beach as tourists flocked to its artificial sandy shores. In time, Miami Beach evolved into a trendy hot spot, attracting tourists, beachgoers, nightclubbers, and art lovers – a far cry from its humble beginnings as a swampy, inhospitable sandbar.
National Mall – Washington, DC
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The term "mall" might seem a bit puzzling when used to describe a park, but it actually has an interesting origin. The word was coined to refer to the green space where the 18th-century lawn game of pall-mall was played. Over time, "mall" became a way to describe a tree-lined park, and this is the idea that inspired the inclusion of the National Mall in the 1791 design of Washington, DC. Although the park was delayed for over a century, the McMillan Plan in the 20th century breathed new life into the concept.
At the start of the 20th century, the National Mall was rather a hodgepodge – a collection of unplanned forested parks, old train tracks, and temporary concrete structures from World War I, which were nicknamed "tempos." But the 1901 McMillan Plan had a vision for a more cohesive and streamlined landscape. It proposed unifying the open space between the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial, the White House, and the Jefferson Memorial, allowing the Washington Monument to take center stage. Today, several additional museums and institutions face the park, yet they manage to complement the symmetry and natural beauty of this iconic tree-lined space.
Niagara Falls – New York
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Niagara Falls, with its 12,000-year history, has seen a century's worth of changes. In the last 100 years, this iconic natural wonder has undergone significant transformations. In 1950, Canadian and United States officials diverted half of the water's flow to fuel hydroelectric turbines, reducing the falls' current by an additional 50% at certain times. As a result, the Niagara Falls of today are far less powerful than they were a century ago.
To study the region's geology, engineers allowed the falls to run dry for a 5-month period in 1969. During this time, they excavated the landscape and modified Horseshoe Falls to enhance its aesthetic appeal and create a crest over the waterfall. Moreover, human-made structures, such as the addition of the Rainbow Bridge in 1941 and the Table Rock Visitor Center in 1926, have dramatically altered the original appearance of this natural marvel over the past century.
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Venice Beach – California
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At the beginning of the 20th century, the Venice Beach we know today was vastly different. It was once a simple fishing village, home to around 2,000 people who lived and worked by the sea. In 1905, a developer named Abbot Kinney recognized the potential of this quiet town and set out to transform it into a profitable resort.
Inspired by the Italian city of Venice, Kinney built a network of narrow canals to connect various establishments, including a hotel, a restaurant, and a bathing pavilion. Gondolas were used to ferry guests along the water, and romantic footbridges and piazzas were constructed to enhance the resort's European ambiance. As the town prospered and grew, many of the canals were later filled with cement to accommodate the new automobiles of the era.
By the 1920s, Venice Beach had become a popular tourist destination, particularly beloved by Hollywood celebrities, wealthy entrepreneurs, and flappers who were drawn to the town's open-minded attitude. This spirit of inclusivity, vibrancy, and carefree atmosphere continues to define Venice Beach as a destination in Southern California.
Yellowstone National Park – Wyoming and Montana
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If you were to travel back in time to Yellowstone National Park a century ago, you would notice several significant differences. For starters, the park was much more affordable. A 5-day package that included meals, lodging, and stagecoach tours could be booked for around $50, a far cry from today's prices. In addition, the park's flora and fauna were vastly different, partly due to the reintroduction of wolves in the 1990s and the devastating wildfires of the 1980s, which affected over 500,000 acres.
One notable change you would observe is the lack of smooth, paved roads. While the park now boasts over 300 miles of paved roads, a century ago, modern roads didn't yet exist. Traveling through the park was a bumpy, adventurous, and somewhat dangerous experience, as visitors had to navigate muddy historic roads and cross rickety wooden bridges. Instead of cars, the primary mode of transportation was the railway, with 5 different train stations located throughout the park. However, as the popularity of automobiles increased over the decades, the park's reliance on trains diminished, and the tracks were eventually removed in the 1980s.
Fremont Street – Las Vegas, Nevada
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Nowadays, Las Vegas is renowned for its vibrant nightlife, but a century ago, it was more closely associated with the Wild West. Fremont Street, the 6-block pedestrian-only avenue in downtown Las Vegas, presented a vastly different landscape at the turn of the century. Back then, the area was a remote desert outpost, with unpaved streets, horses hitched to wagons, and frontier-style architecture.
By 1925, Fremont Street had undergone a transformation, becoming a lush oasis with a grove of trees planted on the corner of Fifth Street to provide shade for pedestrians from the intense desert heat. Eventually, the trees were removed, and the Neonopolis complex was erected, featuring concrete towers, bright city lights, and a zip line. Across from the Fremont Street Experience, the Plaza Hotel, a well-established Las Vegas institution, was built on the site of the town's original railroad depot. However, for those seeking to explore the authentic history of Las Vegas, the original railway tracks can still be found behind the renowned hotel.
