Montana Memories
Friday, January 25th, 2008 
– Doug McConnell
My father was raised on a homestead in northwestern Montana. His family moved to a piece of land near Flathead Lake in 1910. My dad long remembered the family’s journey to the homestead from Fairbury, Nebraska. They traveled by train and covered wagon, dodged a diphtheria outbreak in Billings and celebrated his fourth birthday around a campfire. His cake was a baked potato with a candle. The world was different then.
By the time I was born, my family was ensconced in California but we made frequent trips back to Montana. We often drove out of our way to visit the Tetons and Yellowstone and my love affair with mountains and the mysteries of wild places was sealed forever. When I can’t be in Montana, Wyoming and the Yellowstone region personally, I can go there virtually by watching our videos here on OpenRoad.TV: Grand Teton National Park.
Our national park system started with Yellowstone in 1872. The concept of protecting important, natural and historic places is one of this country’s finest creations and global exports. We have a fair number of parks and preserves in the West for you to check out by clicking on the category link to right of this blog. Happy travels.
