We all know that compared to the rest of the world's nations the U.S. is a fairly young country. But traveling across the country makes you realize that some parts are much younger than the east coast we are accustomed to. Not in a geographical, physical manner but in that the settlers came this way at a much later date.
All of my great-grandparents were born within 50 miles of mid sized cities in Ohio and Tennessee. Today I met a man whose great-grandparents were actual settlers. Yes, the people that got off a train days away from here and rode horses and wagons and started farming in this rocky valley. Not really that long ago. My great grandparents lived in a big frame house. His, who were much younger than mine, had to build log cabins.
In the late 1800s, after the Civil War was over and the towns and cities east of the Mississippi were flourishing and industries were starting some areas in these western states were just being settled by ranchers and farmers.
The man stood in my yard and said that his father farmed the land under and around me for over 50 years. Nice to know some of the history of my surroundings. I was inspired so I decided to pull some weeds and plan some landscaping. He also looked towards the Teton Range of the Rocky Mountains and pointed towards the peak named for his family. Wow, what a legacy.
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