TTHE HOMESTEAD

They came out west to build a dream and a homestead
The strain of the hard trip took it's losses and its toll.
The ground and a blanket under the wagon their bed.
Precious memories and a lost loved one lie on the prairie.

They reached Montana on a cool day in the fall.
They had to hunt their meat, as they built their home.
They built a ten-foot cabin and a woodshed made of pine.
They were fifty miles from nowhere and all alone.

The winter was hard and he remembered the past.
Back home where they were warm and dry in their beds.
He started to wonder if he was wrong, could they last?
But with a prayer in his heart, they made it until spring.

Neighbors from another train slowly started to arrive
They helped each other build strong, warm homes out of pine.
For they knew that the winter would bring its impending gloom
These bonds of friendship built trust that is hard to find.

In the spring, their fields were planted by everyone together.
They built a church, a school, and a feed and general store.
Their prayers were of thanks, and for good weather.
I reckon that was the way Bozeman town was found.

---RJ