"Wadsworth Trail Dreamin' " (of the future)

The great Del Holdgrafer drew a cartoon with a hiking party getting out to a quite remote place. The guide said "pretty soon we'll be getting into wilderness." The humor was that it was quite obvious the group was well into such territory already. A man's teeth chattered in response to the resonating sound of a coyote.

Holdgrafer had an appreciation for all things wild and natural. I sense he gravitated to the natural state. He had an ingrained suspicion of progress. He was naive about medical expenses. He expected the "family doctor" to come to your door and for the charge to be minimal, not eye-popping. Alas, the Norman Rockwell world was going to erode. "Progress" forges ahead, just like how the Morris area (including Delmar's beloved Donnelly) would get developed in the first place.
That earthy hiking guide would feel at home along the Wadsworth Trail. It's chapter 1 of Morris area history. It passed by Wintermute Lake. The train wiped out the need for it. The train also made Morris possible by 1871.
Last night at around 10 p.m., I felt a sudden inspiration to write poetry. I should stress that I don't really write poetry, rather I'm a song lyricist who on occasion writes verses that are meant to be presented narration-style with no melodic line.
Bill Anderson recorded material like this. I was discussing this with Jim Morrison at the newspaper once, and he mentioned how "Whispering Bill" could get maudlin. Yes he could. He came to perform in Morris in the early 1980s. I covered that for the Morris newspaper. I also got to interview "Whispering Bill" afterwards. I asked him to refresh my memory on what chainsaw company he did a commercial for, in the 1960s. He smiled and said "Homelite." He darn well should have smiled, because in the 1960s if you got on TV to do a simple commercial, you'd likely gain more fame with the masses than if you scored a couple song "hits." He was a nice man.
I also got to hear Anderson sing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville in the mid-1980s. His song "Po' Folks" had impact. He joked that everyone who had been to Nashville's Fan Fair celebration for a week were now "po' folks." I have had no interest in visiting Fan Fair since it left the Tennessee State Fairgrounds. It has become too big and impersonal.
My poetry has to do with a couple intrepid souls traveling along the old Wadsworth Trail. One of them has a dream, envisioning the future Morris, Minnesota. He's like a psychic, envisioning the future Eul's Hardware, Willie's Super Valu and the University of Minnesota-Morris.
I hesitate to use the word poetry. My material is meant to be recited with vamp-style music in the background. A perfect example of this would be Walter Brennan's "Old Rivers." Anyway, I'm pleased to share with y'all "Wadsworth Trail Dreamin'." Hey, I'm dreaming of dining at one of the Longhorn restaurants in the Nashville area!
 

"Wadsworth Trail Dreamin' "

by Brian Williams
 

We were out along the Wadsworth Trail

Night beginning to spread its veil

Civilization far away

We had to feel like castaways
 

Still my soul was filled anew

As I longed for that morning dew

Sleeping outside without a tent

Darkness of night just came and went
 

Making some coffee to wake the dead

Got us feeling we should forge ahead

Facing the west where danger might lie

We're still undaunted, my partner and I
 

Prairie is wide, unbounded as heck

All the fresh air a human can get

Flowers and rivers make us feel awe

Eagles and owls issue their calls

 

Hoping the trail will stay dry for the day

So we can plug ahead, making our way

We can imagine that fort in the West

Named for a Civil War general, the best

 

Union was saved, and now we move on

One nation solid, clear under God

Man was endowed by Him to be free

U.S. was burgeoning under that creed
 

Here's a good place for a town, I thought

River's nearby, and lakes are about

I had a dream that it's good as done

Morris its name, it's second to none
 

Now look over there, a place for a store

Eul is the name with hardware galore

A place to get food, a welcome mat out

Willie's the man who gives out that shout
 

A college, my goodness, where wisdom is gained

UMM gives this town its share of fame

Two thousand students with energy high

Transforms the prairie, give a high five
 

I slowly awoke from that fantasy

Wondering if somehow it could be real

Eyes focused west with oxen and horse

We made our progress, dead on our course
 

Surely we got to the fort with its wall

Such a grand edifice giving its call

There at Fort Wadsworth we sat a spell

Having gone through both heaven and hell
 

Frontier was opening, no need to wait

That vast expanse looked vibrant and great

Owls and rabbits scurried at peace

Nature's whole kingdom there at our feet
 

I wondered if somehow the dream would come back

Of that small town not bold on the map

Morris its name, generous its fame

Not so far from our campfire flame
 

I made some more coffee, looked all around

Long in the future, those folks would abound

Still I can see the gem it will be

No doubt the prairie makes it so real
 

Those who might say the prairie is flat

As if there's nothing more to it than that

Are missing the vistas, the presence of God

In Morris we celebrate all He has brought
 

My partner and I just gave a sigh

Knowing the limitless landscape outside

We'd be supplied and take off once more

Ready to watch the pelicans soar
 

Still I embraced the thought of that town

It danced in my head, such sights and sounds

Like of trains spitting smoke, moving so grand

And of kids playing music, in marching band
 

We can remember those pioneer days

The 19th Century hardscrabble ways

It all had to start in a humble domain

We ought to remember from where it all came
 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com