Once there was a dragon…..
This was the beginning of the many stories that Bill told our children as they spent hours in our old Ford flatbed feeding and checking livestock. He used the “Big Wall Dragon” stories as a vehicle for teaching our children about the landscape of their childhood.
We joined this landscape in 1979 when our eldest child was 3. We were new to this demanding land and didn’t have the benefit of past generations to share with us the social and ecological history. Bill and I both had a smattering of scientific background (plants, birds and wildlife), but there were areas we just didn’t have the background or knowledge to document.
This book is about a place and a landscape. It is for our generation and future generations as a documentation of the social and environment history of a piece of land we love. With the help of many professionals, interns, local elders, friends and neighbors, we have put together a comprehensive history and inventory of our ranch. As Sarah, one of our interns, researched surrounding homesteads we finally answered questions like “why is our main road named Alec Roy Road?” Through an interview with Alfred Adolph she discovered the original Alec Roy homestead.
We have chosen not only to document the social history as well as ecological history and current inventory of the rocks, plants and animals on our ranch, but also the process used for research and identification. As readers you might find this an interesting blueprint for your own landscape.
We want to thank all the many individuals who spent hours in helping us with this endeavor. Without your encouragement it would have been a daunting project.
Dana Milton
This was the beginning of the many stories that Bill told our children as they spent hours in our old Ford flatbed feeding and checking livestock. He used the “Big Wall Dragon” stories as a vehicle for teaching our children about the landscape of their childhood.
We joined this landscape in 1979 when our eldest child was 3. We were new to this demanding land and didn’t have the benefit of past generations to share with us the social and ecological history. Bill and I both had a smattering of scientific background (plants, birds and wildlife), but there were areas we just didn’t have the background or knowledge to document.
This book is about a place and a landscape. It is for our generation and future generations as a documentation of the social and environment history of a piece of land we love. With the help of many professionals, interns, local elders, friends and neighbors, we have put together a comprehensive history and inventory of our ranch. As Sarah, one of our interns, researched surrounding homesteads we finally answered questions like “why is our main road named Alec Roy Road?” Through an interview with Alfred Adolph she discovered the original Alec Roy homestead.
We have chosen not only to document the social history as well as ecological history and current inventory of the rocks, plants and animals on our ranch, but also the process used for research and identification. As readers you might find this an interesting blueprint for your own landscape.
We want to thank all the many individuals who spent hours in helping us with this endeavor. Without your encouragement it would have been a daunting project.
Dana Milton