Friday, October 18, 2013

The Tales in Crosses, Mint Juleps, and A Store That Sells Tack


Kebler Pass, CO
Glorious mountain majesty, aspens of gold, peaks reaching to the heavens glazed with a frosting of snow.  This is how I often talk about where I live.The mountain community I call home, nestled at 7700 feet in Colorado, certainly fits all this lush description. However, there is another side to our community that defines our local culture.

Gunnison was originally inhabited by the Ute Indians. During the mid-1800s, settlers came to the valley in hopes of cashing in on the rich minerals believed to be in the soil. Mining soon busted, but the community continued in a ranching tradition. Because of our climate—long, cold winters and relatively arid—successful ranching required leveling of land and irrigation systems. But the lifestyle took hold. Today, we still have a 114-year-old national rodeo tradition and 4-H thrives. 

Cattlemen's Day Rodeo

One of the things I love best about traveling across the US-- our own "homogeneous" country-- is noting how different and unique it really is. The businesses, graffiti, religious institutions, landmarks, sports, arts, billboards and traditions, the symbols and icons, all provide a visual story and breathe life and spirit into each region.

This past summer when we drove through the Midwest, I was fascinated with all the obvious religious influence. From huge crosses outside Missouri to billboards with giant Bible verses juxtaposition to warehouse-sized, highway-side, porn shops. One of my favorite signs was a billboard, no words, just Jesus in the midst of a corn field. I wished I could have got a picture of it. It wasn’t near a place we could pull off, but what a reflection of the values and culture of the area.

The  huge cross somewhere in the Midwest.

One of my favorite destinations is Santa Fe, New Mexico. Embedded in the art culture is a religion imbued with mysticism. Even the Christian religion takes on a more mystical quality. The famous Loretto Chapel and its miraculous, winding staircase is a great example. It’s as if the ancient beliefs of the Indians and Catholicism swirled and blended together.

A hand-painted cross from
Santa Fe. 
Of course, unique attributes of a region aren’t all religious. I’d never heard of a Bob Evans restaurant or biscuits and gravy until I went to college in Indiana. I grew up in Pittsburgh, which is still strongly associated with the steel mills and working class, even though the industry hasn't darkened the sky or buildings for decades.

I loved visiting Louisville, KY—an area where horse races, mint juleps and bourbon are the symbols of the city. 

I spent a long weekend, several years ago, for a work-related conference, in Memphis, TN—home of Beale Street, blues, great BBQ, and the restored Lorraine Hotel, where Martin Luther King was killed.

A sculpture in Louisville, KY

About a month ago, a new store--a chain store no less--was built in town. Now while this may not sound iconic or even vaguely startling, it was kind of a big to-do here. A huge Tractor Supply Company warehouse now sits at the end of town. I’ve never lived in an area that could support or would have use for this kind of store before. Today, my son and I went on a “field trip”, as we call our little outings, and took a gander at the new place in town. I was in awe. Plaid shirts and Wrangler jeans, overalls and Carharts, feed for livestock, pet supplies, rabbit hutches, all kinds of tools and parts for tractors, bits and bridles, and even an array of books on farming, canning, raising dogs and building cabins. An entire store devoted to the symbols, supplies and preservation of a lifestyle.



Aside from all the ranching stuff, foreign to my background and knowledge base, I realized that, in a sense, this is a part of our culture—a consumer-directed icon of our heritage in this area, as much as the fly and tackle shops, “welcome hunter” signs on sporting good and liquor stores and the various ski and snowboard rental shops.

I don’t hunt, or snowboard or ranch but I'm interested in and proud of all the bits and pieces that make up my community, its history and spirit, and that somehow we've managed to retain our unique flavor and not succumb to a mass-commercial, blase personality.

What does your area have that you would say represents its culture or heritage? Maybe I'll plan my next adventure out your way. 





40 comments:

  1. South Florida will welcome you with open arms, and plenty of skeeters :O)

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    1. I don't know FL real well, but definitely think of ocean, Jimmy Buffett, Disneyland, Oranges, palm trees. But I bet if I visited, I'd pick up on other "symbols" of the culture. Actually hoping to spend a little time in the Tampa area in Feb.

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    2. Yes Tamps in Feb. Great idea! We'll explore some FL symbols.

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    3. Yes ma'am! Is wine a FL symbol?

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  2. I think there is still a strong German influence here in Cincinnati, even though it has diminished with time. But we love our German beer!

    This post made me want to hop in a car and travel all over the US. If only.

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    1. Oh that's a total dream of mine Julie-- drive coast to coast and get off the highways.

      Funny, my father's family is from the Cincinnati area and yes, completely German. I remember going to my grandma and grandpa's church there and part of the service was in German.

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  3. We have a micro brewery beer culture and a cowboy heritage in Northern Colorado. And Old Town Fort Collins is said to have been the inspiration for Disneyland's main street. And until the floods, Rocky Mountain National Park was only 45 minutes away. Takes a bit longer now.

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    1. Sad about how the flood changed things. I didn't know that about Old Town Ft. Collins-- interesting!

      I lived in Brighton for awhile, which is total farming culture. I do think of the Fort Collins area as being very ranch, cowboy, and yes, yum, microbrews. I need to come visit you. :)

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    2. Yes, and maybe we should rethink that coffee idea and tour the breweries instead. :D

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    3. Oh Pat. YES MA'AM! I'd love that! Hmm think we could find a designated driver? ;)

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  4. Well, pardner, I reckon I don't know much about yee-hah things, being born and bred in San Diego. I still feel like a fish out of water here in the south, where a 9:00 appointment means "sometime in the morning" and a woman is still treated like "the little lady." I gag often.

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    1. Oh c'mon. I've seen you spinning that parasol around and batting your eyelashes. ;) I think the south would be very distinct and rich in tradition, probably for the better and the worse.

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  5. Sunshine, pubs, national parks, ferry rides and a great arty cultural centre... but also pubs. Come to Brisbane, I'll buy you a beer, and a koala. ;)

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    1. Ohhh Charmaine-- Yes ma'am. If I ever get the wonderful gift in life to come down your way, I will take you up on your offer. Talk about a bucket list item!

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  6. This is so cool to learn more about Gunnison! I can remember when we lived in Ft. Collins there was at least one tractor supply store and I was amazed by it (them) after moving from the west coast. Here in Maine, it's clam shacks, lobsters and lobster traps, boats, lighthouses, potatoes, antique houses, pine trees, freezing cold winters piled with snow, LLBean, islands, blueberries, lakes, backwoods, summercamps and much more. "Ayup!"

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    1. These are a few of my favorite things! (Yes, I'm humming). I LOVE New England precisely for all the things you mentioned. Especially the lobster. My mom and I were just reminiscing about a time in my childhood when we made my dad drive all over the Newport area because we were craving Lobster Rolls made by a certain guy. My dad wanted to give up and just have pizza but we insisted, and it was well worth the wait!

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    2. Well, that sounds like it's about time to visit New England! I happen to know the place to get THE best lobster rolls in Maine (not just my opinion, haha)... and it's about 30 minutes from us!

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    3. Nom nom...could we all meet up in Maine? I've never been there.

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  7. Still haven't seen you in Denver area! Let me know next time you're back :)

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    1. It's been hard to get away lately, but hoping 2014 will open opportunities!

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  8. I've lived everywhere but New England and Hawaii. And the different sub-cultures are worthy of books, pictures and visitations :) we want to buy an RV and travel the entire country, documenting all of it. But since that requires copious amounts of money ... LOL

    I LOVE TSC ... could spend HOURS lost inside, especially the tack. That IS a big deal in Gunni :) Congrats!

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    1. A cross-country trip is on my bucket list too. An updated Travels with Charley kind of thing (one of my favorite books). I have to admit, TSC was fun and I'll be back to get things for stocking stuffers!

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  9. Part of the culture here in NC farm country is steeped in old battles. The civil rights era is portrayed rather frighteningly in the book Blood Done Sign My Name. It's an old story, really - black man senselessly killed by white man, white man gets off free-but the twist for me is that we live just a few miles from where this all took place. In fact, the farm where the author had to drive hard to get away from the police who didn't like his exposure of the incident is just down the road from us. Tragedy and scandal entwined in strangely predictable ways.

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    1. Wow-- quite a story, sad and shocking, and lessons we need to learn and remember. I bet the south, if it could speak, would have many tales to tell. I will have to look for that book.

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  10. You had me at Mint Juleps. I love those things. :) Good question, too. Let's see, I live in St. Louis, and just the other day I had a conversation with someone about how people in St. Louis love each of their individual communities and are very protective of everything in each community. No one wants a library to move even if a building is falling apart, for example. But besides all of that, St. Louis is a CRAZY sports town, especially now with the Cardinals heading to the World Series. Everyone is wearing RED, GO CARDS is written on several business signs, there are CARDINAL food specials at local restaurants--it's fun!

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    1. I just visited St. Louis this summer, Margo and really enjoyed exploring the city a bit. What struck me was the fantastic graffiti on the outskirts of town and the rows of homes with their front porches. Oh right, sports-- that's another good icon I didn't think of. And I wouldn't have guessed at the protective piece. Some things you only see when you live there.

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  11. Hey, I saw that big cross (or one just like it) on the way home from Gatlinburg, TN last weekend. What struck me was there was no church nearby. Just the cross.

    Dayton is the birthplace of aviation. Yeah, Kittyhawk had the first test flight but the Wright Brothers Bicycle Shop, where they designed and built the first Wright Flyer, still stands here in Dayton.

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    1. That was like the sign of Jesus in the wheat field (or corn- can't remember now). There wasn't any other religious institution around, just that sign. Someone's belief that God was with them in their harvest, I guess.

      Oh isn't there a great aviation museum in Dayton? I would love to visit that.

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  12. Do sage, cedar, and juniper count? We have a lot of that. We have RR stores which are similar to your tractor supply store.

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    1. We have TONS of sage too. Cracks me up to see bundles of it sold in stores for spiritual smudging. C'mon up to my house. I'll give you a bundle or 50 for free. But sure smells lovely after the rain!

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  13. I appreciated this post so much. I was just at an author reading where the author commented on traveling around the country and the sameness of it all with the Starbucks, etc. I felt she really failed to appreciate the nuances of "place." Of course there are those sameness factors, but there are also differences and flavor as you pointed out so well.

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    1. That's so sad! A person shouldn't go to the chain or big box places when they travel. How would you see the special beauty of each place by doing that?

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  14. Kind of interesting, but at least in our little community, even the "big box" stores have a unique personality. Our Wal-Mart is supposedly the smallest in the world. Factions in our town lobbied hard to not allow them build a cement, big-block store with a grocery, so they pulled out of their planned expansion in our town. We get leftover clothing and almost no sewing or craft supplies, but thank goodness they exist for our sock, toothpaste and various sundry needs!

    But yes, beyond the "chains" which do tend to anesthetize an area, there are so many unique personality traits that give a city or region its spirit, soul and culture.

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  15. Delightful!

    Santa Fe is also one of my fave places. I always kept it in the back of my mind as a place for retirement. I love the bohemian culture and feel of the town. As a matter of fact, I bought the hat I'm wearing on my faux Monty cover in Santa Fe.

    I love our country for its diverse landscape. My plants here are totally different than the ones I had suited for the dry conditions of the west. I miss my variety of succulents! I really need a hothouse.

    Great post. Come this way and we'll go to a better part of Florida. You'll love the Gulf!

    M.L. Swift, Writer

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    1. I love it too, Mike-- appeals to the inner artsy-fartsy me. Yes--I love seeing the different kinds of architecture and plants that each region holds-- the history, the foods-- just within in our own US!

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  16. I love your post! I was just commenting on another friend post, she's from Ireland, I'm from Mexico, and we both commiserating how our particular traditions are extinguishing in favor of a globalized society. It is so very important to fight to keep those small but important bits and pieces that distinguish here from there. Those are the things that make human experience rich. Great post Julie!

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    1. It's so sad to think of losing all our unique flavors at the alter of commerce, isn't it? I love that cultures and pockets of uniqueness still exist.

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  17. This is such a great post! I guess living in LA, I don't know about the individual culture of each city.

    www.modernworld4.blogspot.com

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    1. Although I'm sure in LA there are pockets where ethnic groups are able to gather and maintain their individual foods, language and beliefs.

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