In the late 1890s, my great grandfather, William McNeil, was farming with his brother Albert near Garden Valley, Idaho. It's a beautiful spot in the mountains, but it's really more ranch country than farming because the growing season is pretty short. It's possible that they grew hay and perhaps had some cattle.
It was the second homestead for the McNeil boys - the first one was in an area called Round Valley, which was a bit farther north and quite a bit higher in elevation. They didn't last long there, although the cabin they built stood until the late 1960s (I remember seeing it as a boy when we drove up to the lake in the summer).
Anyway, while William and Albert made their living in Garden Valley, they would travel the 25 dusty, mountainous miles through Placerville and Centerville to Idaho City, the seat of Boise County and the nearest town of any size. Around 1900, a pretty girl caught William's eye and he determined to court her. Of course, this was at the close of Victorian times, so these things were done "just so". That meant a fair amount of accompanied meetings and such. As it happened, Idaho City did have a pretty well developed social life, so dances and socials were always going on. The problem for William was getting from Garden Valley to Idaho City.
In the summer, it was a fair ride on a horse, but for the hand of a pretty girl it was well worth it. In the winter...well, it snows like there's no tomorrow up there, deeper than a horse's back. But for the hand of a pretty girl...
William made himself a pair of skis out of a couple of planks that he sawed, carved and steamed, then attached some leather bindings to them and, every couple of weeks, skied the 25 miles from Garden Valley to Idaho City.
It must have impressed that pretty girl because she turned out to be my great grandmother Mary and William became my great grandfather. Now, he died before I was born, but I was lucky enough to hear first hand the story of how my great grandfather courted my great grandmother from Nana herself.
Oh, and those skis are still around. They're hanging on the wall of our cabin in central Idaho. I'll snap a picture this weekend.
The family, around 1920.
Front Row: Mary, Bill, William
Back Row: Everett (my grandfather), Dallas