By Eilene Lyon South of the South Fork of the Rio Grande that flows down from Wolf Creek Pass, the campers (many of them hunters) were thick as late-summer flies. We spent one night on Park Creek as a waypoint between the Conejos River (two nights) and the Rio Grande headwaters, west of Creede, Colorado.... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Vista Cruiser
By Eilene Lyon The Slide Years is a series in which I select an image my dad took from 1957-1982 with Kodachrome slide film, then I write a stream-of-consciousness essay – a sort of mini-memoir. No matter where our family roamed, my grandparents made a point of visiting at least once. On this occasion, Grandma... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: Virginia Beach
By Eilene Lyon After we returned to the U.S. from France in the early 60s, we moved into base housing at Ft. Lee, near Petersburg, Virginia. That's where we met the Moores. Melinda (on the right) became my dearest friend for the time we lived there. I don't know who buried me, Steve, and Melinda... Continue Reading →
The Slide Years: R & R
By Eilene Lyon Dad, who took this photo of Mom, did two tours in Vietnam during the 1960s. He was an officer and worked in the Quartermaster Corps. His job over there during the second tour (1969) was to run the PX (post exchange - the store for service members). Because Uncle Sam considered Vietnam... Continue Reading →
Fort Walla Walla
By Eilene Lyon Old Fort Walla Walla After the Lewis and Clark expedition, fur traders began traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest. The Canadian North West Co. established a fort at the mouth of the Walla Walla River, on the Columbia, and called it Fort Nez Perces (present-day Wallula). When the company merged with Hudson’s Bay... Continue Reading →
First Ascent
Week 26: #52 Ancestors – Legend By Eilene Lyon A Man on the Move In researching my Jones relatives for the California gold rush book, I discovered a legendary figure who eventually married into the family. Elias Davidson Pierce was born in Harrison County, Virginia, in 1824. But upon reaching adulthood, he moved on and... Continue Reading →
The Davis Homestead
By Eilene Lyon Genealogy is about discovery: discovering your ancestors, discovering history, discovering your cultural identity, discovering new family. Anticipating a uniting of the Davis clan in Latah County, Idaho, in late June, I undertook a special project. Though almost everyone gathering in Moscow was in some way connected to Melville C. and Sarah R.... Continue Reading →
Gold Country Tour
By Eilene Lyon After completing my archive research in California (Huntington Library, Bancroft Library, and the California Historical Society), it was time to do some gold rush sight-seeing. My first stop was the Wells Fargo branch on Montgomery in downtown San Francisco. This city owes its explosive growth directly to the gold rush. Wells Fargo... Continue Reading →
About Cousins
Week 18: #52 Ancestors – Road Trip By Eilene Lyon Usually my genealogy road trips involve visiting at least one cousin – sometimes meeting them for the first time. My recent trip to California was no exception. It gave me the opportunity to meet my 5th cousin, Julie. What? A 5th cousin? That’s pretty distant,... Continue Reading →