Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 15 · column 3 of 7 · from the scan, no model involved
Histories &
Mysteries
Judy and John Tole evrgreenl@earthlink.net
iants of the early settlers, famlies who had been ‘on the land’ he longest, purchased, or hought they purchased, some f the property that had once een ‘common’. Others became •art of tenant-like arrangenents with some of the newer esident farmers, many of /horn were Germans migratag to the region from the north radually supplanting the inglos who had ties to the origtial land grants.
In exchange for stewardhip of cattle during the grazng season from April to )ctober, the mountain folks iad free use of the highland iroperty of the lowland farmrs. Housing was usually acluded, often with a ‘guest1 ledroom for the owner to use luring visits. These arrangeaents, which may seem quaint nd perhaps even exploitive /hen viewed from modem perpective, nevertheless seemed 0 work rather well for generaions. The “tenants’ were essenially part of the land as they tad always been; these unwriten relationships transcended ;enerations of lowland ownerhip and also remained intact aany times when the mounain property changed hands. Vith the coming of the Shenandoah National Park in he 1930s, these remarkable elationships, like most of the ther of old ways, were erased.
Tbday, not so many of us swlanders even own cattle, auch less try to make a living tith them. Cattle drives now onsist of hooking up the trailr to the big old diesel truck, ind cross-generational friendy, unwritten relationships for enants - are you out’a your ver lovin’ mind? But there was 1 time when the doggies ruled he mountains, cowpunchers teered the herds up and down hese hills, and a handshake night seal an agreement that ould last a hundred years. )ur shoe leather now comes rom who knows where but we ire able today to purchase ocally raised, grass-fed beef ind although most of us are not n the business, we can thank air neighbors who practice the imeless art of stewardship of he grass, hay, and cattle. We night even marvel at how the ffort required for all of this lever seems to decrease. And ven with the relatively small estiges that remain here of hat once nation-leading indusry, most of us will likely agree hat our pastures, cows, and owboys (and our way of life) till beat the heck out of larlboro country.
“Move 'em on, head 'em up, ead 'em up, move 'em out, love 'em on, head 'em out lawhide!”
1
87.7%