Rambling Reminiscing in the Bakken -- Williston, North Dakota, USA

A family friend asked that I post some photos of our old neighborhood.

The following series of photos focus on two houses.

One home, the second one pictured farther down, was one of the childhood homes of Phil Jackson, NBA basketball coach for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers.

Notice the huge evergreen trees around the house pictured at the far top. Most of these trees were purchased from Andy Manz, I believe, fifty to sixty years ago when they would have been small enough to be held by a teenager.

At the very top photo, note the evergreen tree to the far right, immediately behind the pickup truck. My father and I went to an undisclosed location (but outside the North Unit of the Teddy Roosevelt National Park) and dug up a small tree and carried it back to the house. The tree was taken off private land, not public land, about fifty-two years ago. It is absolutely thrilling that no one over the years has yet brought any of those trees down.

In elementary school (kindergarden/first grade) I remember coloring books with trees, squirrels, and robins. These were things I had never seen in Williston at that time. I colored them, and probably even drew them, but never knew why -- we certainly didn't have such wildlife in Williston. Okay, an occasional tree, some robins, but I never recall any squirrels when I was in elementary school -- maybe through third grade. I do remember the western meadowlark -- what an incredibly beautiful and hardy bird.

Now the city is full of squirrels, and robins, and trees.