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

WORKING TOGETHER TOWARD ONE GOAL

     It is amazing how much you can accomplish when working together towards a common goal.  Yesterday was spent with two amazing ladies.  Beth Page and Virginia Price.

     Beth, Virginia and myself all belong to the Bear Lake Quilt Guild.  Beth is in charge of the block of the month for the guild and each month members are encouraged to make two blocks to sew into charity quilts.  Our guild calls them "Sunshine Quilts".  Beth is in charge of getting them sewn together and to the quilter to be quilted.

     It was decided at the beginning of the year to meet the week after guild and sew the blocks together.  Last month we had six wonderful ladies donate their time and in two and a half hours we pieced two queen sized quilts and put the borders on them.

     Yesterday, due to being so close to the Thanksgiving holiday we only had three quilters.  It was amazing how much longer it took us to piece only one quilt.  We didn't even get the borders on.

     The day was priceless however, because Beth and Virginia are two of the most experienced quilters in our guild and the lessons learned were time well spent.  You can't buy that kind of fun and entertainment!  :)

     Thanks to all the ladies who make up the Bear Lake Quilt Guild and all they do for our community!