CHICAGO, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama designated national monuments in Chicago's Pullman Historic District and locations in Hawaii and Colorado on Thursday.
Obama visited the Pullman Historic District, widely considered the birthplace of the African-American labor movement. The company town, located on Chicago's south side, was founded in 1880 by railroad tycoon George Pullman and quickly became the home to factory workers, managers and porters who worked the railroad. Pullman built a hospital, trade school and a hotel in the area.
Obama also announced the designation of Honouliuli National Monument in Hawaii, the site of a World War II Japanese-American internment camp and Brown's Canyon National Monument in Colorado, a 21,000-acre area around the Arkansas River.
A White House official told The Washington Post that together the three "monuments help tell the story of significant events in American history and protect unique natural resources for the benefit of all Americans."
