Worthy of the West
we hope the west finds us worthy
November 05, 2008
What is it that drew so many out west? Was it a promise of a better life? Promise of freedom or hope? Whatever it was that brought our descendants to the final frontier, we have to stop and think what a powerful force it was. The initial settlers that came west faced startling statistics for survival. During the prime years of the Oregon Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Pony Express, survival rates for travelers was at best 50%. It was estimated that half of your family will die if you made that trip. That is a powerful choice to ponder- what would drive us to make a decision that will probably wipe out half of those we love? Whatever persecutions people were facing was enough apparently, for people came in the millions. It is no wonder California would grow to become such a dynamic place; it descends from the strongest will of mankind. The will to face the risk of death in hopes of living free.
Retracing the steps from the first place British colonists landed in Virginia Beach to found Jamestown in 1607, all the way across an incredible continent to the final frontier 61 days later was a journey that none of us will ever forget. And though we are nothing compared to the incredible story of those that embarked before us, we only hope that the golden land of opportunity that lays before us, finds us worthy.
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