WHAT HAS REALLY CHANGED IN 150 YEARS?

Tomorrow will be the start of a unique journey.  Six women from our little town will journey east along the Oregon/California Trail to share a common hobby and each others friendship.  

These women are all quilters.  They have the local quilt guild in common and a love for laughter.  Their journey is not only about quilting, but about another fellow quilter that was required to move away from them due to life's never ending variables.  This quilter was taken from her beloved mountain home, to live in a large city while her husband finished school to teach dentistry.  Her husband was the local high school cross county coach and was clearing the track for his team with a snow blower, when his fingers were taken off by the snow blower.  This rendered him unable to work as a practicing dentist.  

This remarkable woman will turn 50 during this unique journey, so these women are traveling 1,200 miles to meet their fellow quilter half way.  

While these women are bonded by their friendship and quilting, they are not traveling by wagon, or are compelled by their husbands to make this journey.  They are choosing to do this for a dear friend.  The quilter who was required to move loved the support and companionship of her mountain home and friends.

Her journey in this new environment has not provided her what she has lost.  So, by choice these women are traveling a long distance to provide that companionship again to her for at east four days.  

Many things about this journey are the same as 150 years ago.  Women would gather to quilt for their families warmth but also to console one another and give support to one another during difficult times.  It will no take as long as 150 years ago to get to their destination, as they can travel at 85 miles per hour.  What would have been a several month journey will only take them two days.  

They promise to keep in touch during this journey and give us all updates.     

Death and Community

Life in the 1800's included death and sorrow.  Mourning was a community's responsibility.  Men dug the graves, women prepared food for the grieving family members.  Hopefully life was full and long, but more than likely small children, young mothers giving birth and disease took many early on.  Thanks to our ancestors and the early pioneers for showing us the way by their examples.

KEEPING TRADITIONS

     Traditions define us, comfort us and remind us of where we came from and where we want to go.

     Sometimes we are lucky enough to be able to keep the traditions of our ancestors.  Some traditions are simple such as cooking a particular food at Christmas.  Other traditions take a little more space and time.  

     Our family has been lucky enough to be able to keep the traditions of our ancestors in that my husband's side of the family were freighters.  It was my husband's dream to learn to drive horses and train a team of his own.   This dream was not realized until 1994 when we moved home to the Bear Lake Valley.  We had land to keep horses and means to feed them. My husband has now trained about five teams of horses and is quite a teamster.  

     In 2008 my second oldest daughter married a local rancher who's father also had a love for driving teams of horses.  The pictures you have been viewing in this blog is of one Sunday three years ago when we all decided to get together and work some ground.  My daughter's father in law saved 120 acres to be plowed and fertilized.  He had some corrals that needed cleaning out so we went to town "spreading sunshine"!  What a fun family experience.  Beautiful warm spring weather and great company.

   

WHAT MAKES US GREAT AT THE OREGON TRAIL CENTER

     At this time of year, we reflect on our lives and the people who have made a difference.  The National Oregon/California Trail Center has been chosen two years in a row by  Trip Adviser as one of the top ten attractions in the United States.

     Credit needs to be given to the people who enabled the Center to achieve this great goal.  The following is a picture of the staff at the National Oregon/California Trail Center, in Montpelier, Idaho

   

  Not present for the photo is:  Sara Merritt,  Beth McMurry, Francis Cook, Christy Roberts, Barbra Hayes, Carole Sue Folette, Erin Johnson, Maddie Forsberg, Jenna Hill, Karen Lake, Kalie Kunz,  Christina Lusk Rick Pullium, and Jason Allred.

     Thanks to the staff for another great year!

EXCITING THINGS WE GET TO DO AT THE OREGON TRAIL CENTER!

     One of the favorite things we get to do here at the National Oregon/California Trail Center is to plan a yearly exhibit for our facility.  One of the first exhibits we put together was our 2010 Bear Exhibit.

     We like to highlight the local wildlife that is found in our area, so we decided to focus on the different species of Bears.

     Bear Lake is home to a great taxidermy specialist, Rick Bergholm.  Rick has roamed the local mountains for years, and has had the opportunity to view most all of the species of Bears that live in our area.  He was kind enough to bring in a collection of the different species.

     This exhibit ran for only three weeks as some of the bears that were loaned to us had to return to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone.  They loaned us an 9.5' grizzly bear and a  grizzly bear cub.

     We were really sad to have the little guy go back!  He looked so peaceful sleeping up on our ledge.  The school children loved him!

KICKING OFF THE HOLIDAY SEASON AT THE OREGON TRAIL CENTER

     The National Oregon/California Trail Center is a unique place.  It not only is a historical campsite on the Oregon Trail, but a community center as well.  Community members decided 18 years ago to preserve a portion of a documented campsite on the Oregon Trail called, "Clover Creek Encampment".

    The Center has been the gathering place for over 50,000 visitors each summer, but more importantly it is a gathering spot for the local people who have built the facility.  The National Oregon/California Trail Center gives back to it's community by providing an annual Arts and Craft Festival.  This festival draws locals and regional visitors alike.  This year the center was visited by two families from the East Coast.  One family was from New York City, New York, and the other was from Chicago, Illinois.  Both families were traveling through our area and stopped to see what was going on.  They were impressed!

   
 Because of the historical significance of the Clover Creek Camp Site, it was decided this year to open up the Living History Tour and allow vendors to set up their booths throughout the tour area.  Many locals are either too busy or don't have the money to visit their own local attractions during the summer months and the center felt it was important to share the tour with the very locals who helped build it.

     Each year the Oregon Trail Auxiliary and Gift Shop Manager Cindy Raymond work feverishly for about three days to transform the center into it's holiday best.  A special thanks to the Oregon Trail Auxiliary and Cindy Raymond for creating a winter wonderland for everyone to enjoy.  

     A very special thank you to all the local people of the Bear Lake Valley and their families who come and visit us during this holiday kick off.  

A SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR TREE FESTIVAL BUSINESSES

     A special thanks to the businesses who displayed trees in the annual Arts & Craft Festival here at the National Oregon/California Trail Center, November 29th and 30th.

JUNE MARIE SAXTON & BEAR NECESSITIES

KINGS VARIETY STORES

VIRGINIA SNEDDON

DR. PETER CRANE 

AND THE BEAR LAKE FAMILY CARE CENTER

BROULIMS FOOD STORE

OREGON TRAIL CENTER AUXILIARY

ANIMALS NEED HELP