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Show The Survey's Findings 55 Kenna Tanner and her son Brent display Kenna's cotton Lone Star quilt. (Carol Edison; GCCS CEB-25573/31) tions. Many of the corral and outbuilding complexes on the ranches were constructed before 1900, suggesting that ranching was already a fundamental part of Grouse Creek life in this first period. The appearance of larger and more substantial brick and stone houses as well as numerous frame buildings after 1900 indicate increased growth and prosperity and mark the establishment of a fully realized community and its institutions. The most important symbol of this second period was the completion of an imposing stone meetinghouse in 1912. The stability of community life during this period is suggested by the absence of new construction until after World War II. After the war Grouse Creek's population declined and its economy was reduced. This third period saw the mechanization of the ranches and a large amount of home remodeling. The survey's folklife data reinforces the lesson of the architectural record. Interviews with men who learned the cowboy trade during the first decades of this century, for example, suggest that cowboy and ranching traditions reached their apex during the era of establishment and stability. The folklife research, however, accomplished far more than simply corroborating the story told by the community's buildings. It highlighted the role two major Western culture regions played in shaping Grouse Creek's identity. |
