Our western ranch history along the banks of Gold Creek stretches back over 100 years to 1918 when Virginia Wood's Grandfather, Isaac Bonnie, arrived in Sandpoint, Idaho by train. to purchase what we now call Bonnie Hole. In March of 1919, Isaac returned with his family and they made a home here in the Gold Creek drainage. In the midst of a World War, and the Spanish Flu pandemic, they started a life here in North Idaho.
My dad has always been an advocate of the idea that knowing and studying history can help a person, our society or our world learn from the past and prevent them from dooming themselves to make the mistakes of the past. I would say, we can take that idea a step further to say, we can learn from the successes of history as well. Our family survived turbulent times. This knowledge of our past inspires a renewed sense of determination within me. Others have come before and persevered. We will continue to persevere.
In this spirit of learning from the past, last Fall I began a project to record the stories of my grandpa and grandma, Jim and Virginia Wood. As many folks are choosing to stay home and practice social distancing or are quarantined to their homes, I thought providing these stories from my grandparents would be a great source of information, education, comfort or just a distraction from the worries of the day. Included below are all 11 episodes of the Ranch History Podcast with Jim and Virginia Wood. Enjoy!
Do you have a question that you would like to ask Jim or Virginia? Is there a piece of our western ranch history you are specifically interested in? I believe that the wisdom and experience of generations that have come before us is more precious than gold. Ask your questions in the comments below and I will forward them on Jim and Virginia. Answers to the questions collected will be shared in a future blog post.
Why did Jim Woods parents leave Colorado? Where did they live in Colorado?