Eleven years ago today, my husband and I were about halfway through our first genealogy road trip. We had driven to Montana to search for my great-great-grandfather's 1910 homestead near Galata, between Shelby and Havre. September 10th we had walked over the land, explored the boarded up schoolhouse nearby, and learned that his stepson had homesteaded just across the road. Eureka! Another family to research and follow.
September 10th we stayed overnight in Great Falls, MT and awoke to a nightmare. I flipped on the TV to the TODAY show while my husband was in the shower and sat there, transfixed and horrified, as I witnessed vicariously the nightmare of 911.
We watched the horror unfold through breakfast at the motel, then headed to Fort Benton to follow the path of the step-family. When I entered the County Recorder's office in the courthouse, the staff was watching a small television. I stood and watched as the nightmare kept unfolding. News of the downed plane in Shanksville, PA was frightening, as I knew my boss was flying through Pittsburgh to DC that morning. I stood and watched until learning that the plane hadn't originated in Pittsburgh, then proceeded to dig through the records. The staff was more than happy to let me loose in their vault while they continued to watch the news coverage.
That entire day we kept veering off our planned itinerary to try to keep up with the news. We ended up cutting our trip short and heading home to Seattle early. It's lucky we did, as both our kids were near panic stage, wondering where we were. They knew we were traveling, but had forgotten where and how we were getting there. It was definitely time for a cellphone!
We now drive through Montana almost every year on our way to/from visiting our daughter in Minneapolis and are reminded of that trip 11 years ago. It's one we'll never forget.
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