My grandfather passed away seven months ago. He was 94 years old. He had gone fishing on one of his favorite streams and he happened to fall in. He seemed to be all right after

he made it home, but he ended up taking the pneumonia and he passed in the hospital bed five days later.

It was the only time in his life he had ever slept in a

hospital bed and probably the last place on earth he wanted his life to end.

He lived his entire life on a piece of property that his grandfather had staked and claimed in northwest Idaho. So my great-great-grandfather was born in 1874.

He didn't start putting this place together until about

1901, but he left home in Missouri in 1894.

My family wasn't big on remembering and revering when members of my family did what.

All that I know that I've learned through my own research and reading.

And I wasn't particularly interested in doing any of that until my grandfather

passed away. It was while I was cleaning the personal things from his house

after he had passed on that I found a thing that aroused my curiosity.

I was always fond of my grandfather, though I never did get to see him as often as I would have liked.

My father chose not to stay on the property when he became old enough to marry and settle down.

We moved to Billings and that is where I grew up, but I would spend vacation weekends with my

grandfather, especially after I was no longer required to go on family vacations.

They would go somewhere they thought would be interesting and I would go and stay with Popaw for

a few days.

He would tell story upon story,

and I liked hearing every one of them.

So it came as a real shock and surprise to me

when I was going through his things that I found a plat of acreage that had been created when he had built his house.

...