Wild West Wind

We were traveling roads out west

'cross the plains of the great divide

We'd been up into Canada

a country that’s both tall and wide

We drove across the Queens Highway

over the mountains one by one

To the North West Territories

in the land of the midnight sun

 

Where we came upon a mountain

that was cleaved in half at the top

At the bottom lay the result

for there the road came to a stop.

Where once had been a little town

now lay the boulders far and wide

An earthquake had torn it in half

and ripped off an entire side

 

At the base of the mountain lay

a plaque inscribed with all the names

Of those who had perished there

all the families who'd lost their claims

Each of them were drawn by riches

to the gold fields of the North West

There strong of heart, sought a new start

and were willing to brave the test

 

An old woman in the diner

where we stopped to marvel the scene

Set there telling us the story

as she managed to cook and clean

"Only one soul had made it out

and lived through that horrible day"

"You know" she said, “they went to bed

that same night that they passed away"

"The night before had seen a storm

that blew a gale across the bridge

They'd built with pride, to the far side

that led to the top of the ridge

There they had drilled and dug and fought

to reach the gold and silver vein

like the miners, Forty Niners

and their kin of the Spanish Maine"

 

"A child’s cry was the only sound

that could be heard that fateful morn"

But after that I'm sure she wished

that perhaps she'd never been born

The old woman’s face lined with pain

told how she'd lived through cold and fright

Recanted as if yesterday

for the folks she had lost that night 

  

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Author's Note

Around 1990 I was out in western Canada in the mountains near the north west territories when I came upon this missing town. Sometime between 1907 and 1910 a small town was lost to a earthquake. There I came face to face with history. This is an attempt to do justice to those whose warm hearts are buried there in the cold cold ground.

Reviews

[Neville]

Wow, I imagine this to have been quite an eye opening and otherwise awe inspiring experience that probably gave something of an insight into your own mortality. It certainly inspired an excellent literary account of your fleeting presence at a place that must obviously never be forgotten & I hope your reflective account of this time and place helps in some way to maintain this view, not only in principle but also in practice...

All Good Things Tate & with Best Wishes,

Neville

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Neville so nice to see you

[Neville]

Sentiment well & truly reciprocated.

All Good Things,

Neville

[Tate Morgan]

thanks nev

[Diane Lockard]

Again, truth is stranger than fiction, with a "tale" well-told, and people need to be remembered. Pictures complement the story!
I enjoy your Poetry....
Diane

[Tate Morgan]

Hi Diane thank you for stopping by tonight

[poetdoug]

Another very fitting Tribute. And you delved into the history of it all so colorfully also.
Great write my friend

[Tate Morgan]

thanks Doug I remember it well

[poetdoug]

You are welcome. I loved the photo too!

[TL Boehm]

such a beautiful tribute Tate. Much of my family were filled with that wanderlust that took them cross country - and out of the lives of those who loved them.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you well I wandered quite a bit and still do

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you well I wandered quite a bit and still do

[Ironbutt]

I enjoyed that little journey..well done

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Very much nice to meet you

[Marie]

THis made me cry. Not just because of the beautiful poem you wrote honoring those people, but because of the song, which is one of my special favorites.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you I wasn't planning on it making you cry.

[Raya]

We are actually studying this time period in history. You wouldn't mind if I shared it will you. Wonderfully done Tate.

[Tate Morgan]

Thank you Raya that was nice to hear

[Emerald Seas]

Wonderfully told story, Tate. I think you did them proud :)

[Tate Morgan]

Que Sera thank you I have missed you

[Emerald Seas]

Been busy, Tate. First poetry collection (and probably last) off to the publisher ~ working on stories now :)

[Tate Morgan]

So glad to hear you are writing and publishing

[Emerald Seas]

Thank you. I've had other works published but I just don't advertise it much... :)

[Tate Morgan]

Well it is truly the addition to the collective works of humanity that matters most and to our grand kids

[annie lee]

This is very moving. The prose is stark, so the dramatic mood is heightened. I have a passion for history, especially all the stories that get lost. I spent lots of hours in the backseat of an old car driving from Navy bases on one coast to Navy bases on the other coast, and I would spin stories in my head about all the places we would see. This is really beautiful.

[Tate Morgan]

thank you so much glad it spoke to you