Down a Dirt Road

Residents of the rural American West might wonder about the people who were inspired to leave their homes and travel to the wide open western territories. What hopes and aspirations fueled them? What moments or events were the spark igniting that fuel to propel them westward? We usually think of these questions in terms of the 19th century Westward Expansion, but dreams of a different future continued to lure Americans to the Western States through the 20th century.

Gwen Delp chronicles the story of one such fellow, from his Missouri childhood where he lived in rural poverty and faced tough coming-of-age challenges, through his trip westward and his new life in Washington State.