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A view of the homestead.
Update from the field:
Nick Brown, Director
Settlers in 1883 would have taken weeks -- months
even -- to arrive at their homesteads. We only walked
two days, but the arrival had tremendous impact on all
of us just the same. The real "magic moment" happened
when we rose the crest of a long hill, and suddenly
had a view into the valley that was to be the families' home.
A hush fell over the group, and for the first time
since the families had been together, they seemed at
peace. We watched clouds blow just over our heads and
drift into the cul-de-sac of mountains that contained
the sites of three homesteads. It was a view that was
bigger than all of us.
When we actually reached the first homestead, the
wagons pulled in front of the Glenn family's cabin -- meant to
be an abandoned miners cabin. The Glenn family knew
then that they were kings of the hill, because they
had a roof. Arriving at the Clunes' site, I remember Adrienne Clune
standing in her cabin site and weeping for joy.
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"A hush fell over the group, and for the first time
since the families had been together, they seemed at peace."
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Nate discusses his experience thus far, including the importance of his father's help.
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Series Producer Simon Shaw describes early highlights, including details on "smuggled" items. Read his bio.
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Personally, I was so focused on my work that I did not
realize what a tremendous achievement it was to arrive
at the land -- it represented months of work for many
of us. Finally, all the talking about abstract ideas was
at an end. We could see this gigantic and humbling
experiment unfold for real. "I'm
just so incredibly happy," she said. Only a week
later, I would see her weeping for grief in that same
spot.
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