Today was a very special day... We traveled about 14 miles east to the town of Moore, MT, the childhood home of my father, grandfather, and grandmother. My great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents also lived here. My goal was to find the 360 acre Edwards homestead where they all lived (and my great-aunt Marian lived until she died this May). The original house burned down and my great-uncle Harry had his wife's home (he did not get married until he was over 60 years old), brought to the property and placed on a foundation. However, the building I was most anxious to find was the old miners shack that uncle Harry towed to the property for a little guest home... This shack was located at Rock Creek Coal Mine, my grandfather's mine and it is where my father lived until he was 3 years old! I stopped at a local business in Moore and found two oldtime residents that were able to draw me a map that took me right to the homestead, where I found the miners shack!
After visiting the homestead, we went to the Moore Cemetery and found many gravesites of my family members... Most notably my great-great grandparents, great-grandparents, and some of my grandfather's siblings...
As we searched the cemetery, the weather changed dramatically and blessed us with a beautiful skyscape!
This is the sign at the head of the road leading up the canyon to the Edwards homestead...
This is the house that uncle Harry moved to the site after the original home burned...
The old gate and boardwalk leading up to the home...
HE (Harry Edwards) and ME (Marian Edwards)...
Uncle Harry had a sawmill and sawed green lumber for income...
This is the miners shack that my dad lived in until he was three years old...
Uncle Harry moved it from the mine and remodeled it into a guest cottage...
Warning!
Great Grandma Minnie never had inside facilities... she went out to use this privy located behind her house in front of the chicken coops and started feeling ill, so she sat down on the back porch and that is where she passed away in 1967 at the age of 81 years...
Behind the house is this entrance to the side of the hill... the inside door was sealed so I don't know how far into the mountain it went...
It must have been a big explosion!
Montana homestead "fine art"...
Looking up the hill at part of the 360 acres...
The view from the main road...
This is the road leading up to the coal mine that my granddad owned and where my dad lived until he was three years old...
The view looking SW from Moore Cemetery towards the town of Moore...
I am standing next to the graves of my great-great and great-grandparents... Uncle Don's veteran marker is in front of me...
Awesome skies...
This herd had about 30 head of antelope... they are beautiful animals...
This was a great day!
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