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Show XI Preface We met Jeff Thomas the first week we were in Grouse Creek, a small Mormon ranching community in the extreme northwest corner of Utah. Twenty-eight, married, and a descendant of one of the valley's first settlers, Jeff had spent his youth in Wyoming but returned several years ago to take over the family ranch. Hesitant and distant at first, Jeff warmed to our questions about Grouse Creek history and the old way of life, and soon we were in a truck heading into the mountains for a tour of the country. "Indian Corral," "The Deer Camp," and "Rocky Knob" were not places on our map, but Jeff Thomas, playing the role of local historian, told lengthy stories about the people and events that made them what they are today-local landmarks. Jeff had this history from his grandfather and, despite his long absence, knew the Grouse Creek story well. As we parted company that afternoon, after several hours of talk, Jeff concluded, "Yes, there's a lot of history in this place," then added, as if to complete the thought, "in the things people do." Jeff Thomas's marriage of past and present, of history and "the things people do," may at first appear curious. History is for most, after all, the record of past experience. Yet for Jeff, and for many Grouse Creek residents, the past is close at hand. It may be seen in the old ranch buildings along the road and it surfaces in conversation at the local co-op store in stories about Cotton Thomas and Chick McKnight, the Deer Hunter's Ball, and the winter of '21. And because of the strength of the community's traditions, it is also visible in everyday life itself-in the way people work, worship, and view the world. Certainly things have changed since Grouse Creek was founded in the mid-1870s. People now have tractors and televisions, and two years ago the old rock church was torn down and replaced by a new one with air-conditioning. Yet the yearly cycle of ranching established early in the history of the valley continues. In spring the cowboys round up the cattle, in the summer they become farmers and put up hay, and in the fall they round up the cattle again and drive them to the winter range. The way of life derives from a special relationship between a people and a place and is passed on from generation to generation. Cultural traditions in Grouse Creek draw freely from the larger American culture yet remain firmly rooted in local experience. History is useful to people here, for as the cumulative record of life in the valley it gives meaning and continuity to daily life and provides a set of specific values, techniques, and processes that continue to shape "the things people do." Such a vigorous, present-minded attitude toward history suggests new approaches |