Bittersweet Leaves

"Turkey in the Straw" notes
Tumble through the air
Past crabapple branches
And summon child's memories
Of summertime bliss,
Green-leaved and red-tongued.
The ice cream truck passes
A peeling paper-white garage
Where a man with empty eyes
Leaves his family hanging.
My heart folds like origami,
Resembling a crane
With only one wing.
I buy my daughters snow-cones.

On the trail of Lucas Tryon

Lucas was my great-great-great-grandfather.  He was born in Connecticut, moved to Canada before 1820, and began the branch of Tryons from which I am descended.  The only evidence I have found so far for his birth (February 25, 1794) is in Wes Tryon's book on the Tryon Family.
This can be seen on http://www.gratisbooks.com/pchapdet.php?chapter_id=39 where Lucas is #5.84l.  He is said to be the son of Rhoda Lucas and John Tryon of Middletown, Connecticut.

I have stumbled across a reference to John in an online source on the Church History of Berlin, CT, where John died about 1815.

The Year of Chief Garry

This year, I have encouraged local efforts to remember Chief Garry, and have also been encouraged by several other people's efforts to honor the Spokane Tribe and its famous son. Or at least, Garry would be more famous, if his story were more palatable to the stereotypes or stories that many Americans prefer. Brave warriors, such as young Chief Joseph, or Geronimo, have captured people's imaginations. Meanwhile a few peacemakers like Chief Seattle gained some respect, often left behind in placenames. Yet Garry is a largely unsung hero, known by few outside of the Inland Northwest. Part of the reason must be due to the fact that Garry moved easily between white and native culture, and was misunderstood at times by both. Although imperfect, he was an advocate of his people's rights, a Christian, and a man of peace.

2011 is the Year of Chief Spokan Garry because he was born about that year along the Spokane River, near the present-day location of the city. The year of his birth is not entirely clear, since statements vary from 1811 to 1815.

Five Events in 2011 to Celebrate Garry's Birth

1. Garry's Bible Visited



I spent a day in March at the Joel E. Ferris Archives of the MAC. Seeing Garry's Bible is like visiting a person. No commemoration of Garry would be accurate without acknowledging the influence of this "friend" of Garry. This Bible is far older than Spokane, and was even printed before Lewis and Clark's arrival in this region. It was published by the Clarendon Press in Oxford, England in 1804 by the British & Foreign Bible Society. This Bible awes me for three reasons. First, it substantially claims to be God's Holy Word to all tribes and nations, an inspired, spiritually powerful document thousands of years old. Second, this copy of the Holy Bible lasted through a time of tremendous upheaval in North America, brought here as a fulfillment of tribal prophecy, saved by Garry's devotion and care, and frequently read by him for guidance as he fulfilled the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9) This Bible both preserved people and was itself preserved by Garry even when his farm was stolen and he was evicted with only a wagonload to take away. Third, Garry's Bible remains as an eloquent witness against injustice and a continuing symbol of potential reconciliation between God and people, as well as natives and non-natives. My prayer is that this Bible will point us toward hope for the future, that the Scriptures will become "The Leaves of Life" for many.

2. United Tribes Make Mural

(photo credit: Barry Moses)

UCUT, the United Tribes of the Upper Columbia, painted a beautiful mural this year at the foot of Drumheller Springs along Ash Street going south. This mural depicts animal life and native culture at the springs and the nearby river. The longhouse in the mural is the one made of tule mats, built by Garry for the purpose of teaching the children of the tribe.

3. Fourth-Grade Class Remembers Historic Journey



As an educator, I tried to help my students understand the importance of learning more about the Indian tribal history in order to understand where we live. This picture was of our field trip in April to the old site of Hudson Bay Company's Spokane House Trading Post. It was on April 12th, 1825, that Garry left with the HBC brigade by canoe for Red River Mission, 1,800 miles away. He spent 4 years there, mastering knowledge of English, agriculture, and the Bible. His father's willingness to send Garry was courageous and risky. It would prove to be the first of many adventures for Garry.

4. Groundbreaking Book Published



This year, my friend Doug McMurry has written a historical narrative of Garry's life in the the 1820's and the way the Second Great Awakening spread west of the Rockies. I recommend this book highly. Doug has a love for native people and is a careful researcher, spending time even in the Library of Congress hunting up old documents relating to Pacific Northwest History.

5. Chief Garry Park Sculpture





The Spokane tribe raised money for a new sculpture in Chief Garry Park. They were so hospitable at the public opening of the sculpture. It was a great time shared by all. Garry's great-great-granddaughters spoke at the event and shared their thoughts. What a fitting way to honor Garry in the bicentennial of his birth.

Along with celebrating these public events, I also took part in a book study with some friends, reading the book by William Lewis, The Case of Spokane Garry.

December Musings

Wow, I have not been blogging much on here. Something about raising a family, teaching, and serving my church. Yet I have always been a writer. So many things keep me from blogging in those spare minutes of life.

I have been on a hiatus from writing poetry, but recently a strong ache in me triggered a poem. This ache is the ache a follower of Christ feels when someone he or she deeply cares about is perishing; dying not through cancer or car accident but through unbelief. Our humanistic mindset wants to believe that it doesn't matter what we believe. So many people in my life want to take God on their own terms. Sometimes I even do that... but the tragedy is the lack of repentance, not seeing how terrible it is to neglect the infinitely good Creator. God is full of mercy for those who crave it. Without mercy, all we can face is the pure justice of God. And that is not an enviable position.

In the world of human brokenness, God sent His own Son to heal the breach between God and man, each other, and in ourselves. This is Christmas.  Will you by faith, ask the question in tears and gratitude,


"What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul?
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul."

Thanksgiving & the Pilgrims

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day, celebrated by Americans to give thanks to God (originally) for His many blessings and to commemorate the arrival of the Pilgrim Fathers and their families in New England and their amazing survival as a colony.

So much of the story is familiar, but I offer a personal connection. I am both an amateur historian and a descendant of Pilgrims: about 11 of my ancestors lived in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts. I hope to write some interesting things about their lives each year.

• Stephen Hopkins (a 1620 passenger on the Mayflower and a "Stranger", not a Separatist)
• Gyles Hopkins, his son (also a Mayflower passenger)
• Edward Bangs, arrived 1623.
• Gabriel Wheldon, arrived 1638.
• Catherine Wheldon, his daughter and Gyles' wife.
• Widow Mary Ring, arrived 1629 (former member of the Leiden church).
• Elizabeth Ring, her daughter.
• Josias Cooke, Elizabeth's husband, arrived about 1633.
• John Doane arrived about 1630.
• Augustine Bearse arrived in 1638.
• James Hamblen arrived about 1639.

Henry Brinsmead's street address spotted in 1884 directory

Henry Brinsmead's burial record, thanks to Andy Sims