I’m Len Wilcox, and I write for travel and agriculture publications in the Western US. My commentary, The Western View, has been on AgNet West and select radio stations for the last several years. My new Podcast, Looking For Shiprock, is similar but is a journal of people and places. It’s focused on Western US travel, history, and culture.
Please join me! Let’s go Looking for Shiprock.
The American West is such a unique culture. It’s a true merging of the entire world – Native American, European, African, Mideastern and Asian cultures who, whether they wanted to or not, created a new, vibrant society that still intrigues the world. The people who live here now have a rich heritage from so many groups. Our forefathers were hunters, farmers, herdsmen, shopkeepers, builders and traders of all stripes – of all colors. We were slaves and slave owners, warriors and bluecoats, housewives and party girls, Indian chiefs and confederate soldiers, vaqueros and lumberjacks.
That sounds like a pretty rough bunch. Well, it is. We were and are rowdy people. The old vigilante groups in Montana and San Francisco show how calm and easy-going folks can get fed up and take matters into their own hands, when the situation calls for it. The same kind of people can be seen at political rallies and football games today, but fortunately they usually keep the peace.
All these people created the American West. Their stories are fascinating. The issues of yesterday are remarkably familiar to those of today – and in our history are lessons that show how we should handle them. Sometimes our forefathers did well; other times, not so much.
So take a listen to the Podcast, if you like, or come back here where I will post more as I can. I hope it will be entertaining and informational.
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