The Old Gate

The completion of a new painting is one I have done to preserve the sentimental look of the old entrance to the Whiting Homestead – the "Old Gate" – used when I was first married into the family. I have wanted to have a painting to use for making prints of this favorite place to visit. A family reunion in July is going to focus on re-creating family history with emphasis on a pioneer life style in the 1800's, in clothing, tools, hand-crafts, entertainment and more.

The Homestead was an area that was indeed homesteaded at the turn of the last century, an area that the Whiting family lived on and raised crops, built a sawmill and some rough cabins.

The family grew and spread to other locations but the "Homestead" has continued to be a gathering place and a favorite memory-building spot for several generations of family that love to camp on rocky, clothes-staining red dirt, enjoying the ambiance of meadows of wild flower fertilized by elk berries and cow pies. There used to be numerous outhouses which have gradually fallen apart. Thank goodness for indoor plumbing.

Having painted the Homestead numerous times, I was intent on portraying the newest painting with as much accuracy as possible. I took some new photographs to check out the way the hill, houses and angles look currently.

The trees have gotten taller and more numerous in 40 years and since the early 1900's when black and white photographs show how much thinner the trees were then.

The old entrance was blocked off in favor of another access road which provides better access especially when it is muddy. The Old Gate remains the sentimental reminder of some things back in the olden days.