I asked my cousin Ron Smith to write a story about what he could remember about the old caterpillar tractor we have parked at the front of the GW & Mable Smith Cemetery. The cemetery is named after my mom’s dad & Mom, (Ron’s and my grandpa & Grandma) who started farming here in the early 40s. This tractor played a part in the success of GW and his family in breaking over 100,000 acres of the Horse Heaven Hills from sage brush. I have written many short stories, that my mom shared about growing up near Walla Walla and on the Horse Heaven Hills. This story, written by Ron, shares some of his adventures with his dad and this old caterpillar, (farming near Tully Lake, CA) before it came back to rest at the GW Smith Cemetery.
It put tears in my eyes as it brought back memories.
~ Mike