Field Trip

While I couldn’t go along for the full length, my boss let me zip out and join Jaxon’s historical field trip to the Spring Creek Raid site. The presenter, you will recognize, was Clay Gibbons, who just gave the talk on Banditti of the Plains at the library.

The Spring Creek Raid was held on property just sold by the Greet Brothers, Fred and Frank, in 1909. Their father had homesteaded on Spring Creek when they were in first grade. Now in their 20’s, they were moving south to where Daniel now lives. Five thousand sheep and five men were passing by on their way to their own ranch a few miles away, but bedded down for the night on the banks of the creek. Sheep were not welcome in the country by many people, yet the Greet Brothers spent the evening sharing dinner with them, checking out the sheep wagons. Retiring back to their cabin for their last night on the property, Fred, Frank, and the new owners became witnesses to the Raid which ended in the death of three men with whom they’d just shared supper. I’ve written about it before. And here. And here.

Jaxon’s class remained attentive, though they switched to seating on the ground…

I couldn’t help myself, and pulled out the part of the story that my mother-in-law would tell… See, her grandfather was one of the “raiders”. Caught up in the heat of the moment, the raid was supposed to just put the scare into the sheep men… it turned into a tragedy that would mark her grandfather‘s life, divide the community, and raise hackles around the world. Guilt by association, I assured the fourth graders, was still guilt, so choose their actions wisely!

While Jaxon may have heard pieces and parts of the story before, or read the historical sign, I’m pretty sure Clay’s presentation brought it to life for him. Remember, this is one of my cavalry boys! Western history surrounds us.

Find me here!

• 
• 
• 
•