Sourdoughsparrow

06/12/2025

Quanah Parker, the eldest son of Cynthia Ann Parker and the Comanche chief Peta Nocona, carries a legacy rich in complexity and resilience. Born into two worlds—Native American and Anglo—Quanah grew up during a turbulent time of conflict and change in the American Southwest. His mother, Cynthia Ann, was famously captured as a child by the Comanche and later forced to return to Anglo society after many years. Despite the hardships and separations, the bond between Quanah and his mother remained deeply rooted, as this photograph quietly reveals through his steady gaze and solemn expression.

Cynthia Ann Parker’s life was marked by tragedy and displacement. After being recaptured by Texas Rangers, she was torn from the Comanche way of life and her two younger sons, leaving Quanah behind as the eldest. This forced separation did not diminish the love between mother and son; rather, it seemed to strengthen Quanah’s resolve to honor both sides of his heritage. In this image, the depth of his feelings is visible—an unspoken tribute to the sacrifices his mother endured and the enduring strength of family ties despite the harsh realities of frontier life.

The photograph stands as a poignant testament to the complex history of the Comanche people and the personal struggles that shaped Quanah Parker’s life. It captures not just a man but a symbol of cultural survival and reconciliation, bridging two worlds through love, loss, and identity. Through Quanah’s eyes, we glimpse the profound loyalty and respect he held for his mother, embodying a legacy that would shape Native American history for generations to come.

06/12/2025

Luh-Sa-Coo-Re-Culla-Ha (Particular Time of Day or Esteemed Sun). Pawnee. Photo by Jackson Brothers (Omaha, NE). 1869. Source - Princeton Digital Library.

06/11/2025

As part of the Southern Appalachian Project in 1940, Mrs. Castle used a new storage house on her family’s farm in Barbourville, Kentucky, to keep her homegrown vegetables and canned foods.

06/11/2025

Pictured here is Two Guns, Arizona, a ghost town located on the legendary Route 66. The upper image is a historical photograph from when the site thrived as a quirky tourist stop, complete with a zoo and trading post advertising wild creatures and curios. The lower image shows the structure as it stands today — crumbling and deserted. Two Guns is known for its brief but colorful past and its connection to the haunting Apache Death Cave legend.

06/06/2025

With Country Roads Sourdough – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

06/06/2025

In the lean years of the 1930s, along the rugged stretch of U.S. Route 70 in rural Tennessee, shelter often meant whatever you could patch together. One such "home" sat quietly in a field between Camden and Bruceton—a roofless Ford truck transformed into a one-room dwelling for a family of nine. Its frame, once meant to carry goods or passengers, now bore the weight of an entire household’s survival. Tin sheets, wooden scraps, and bits of canvas acted as walls and cover, each nailed and tied into place with whatever could be scavenged. It was neither safe nor warm, but it was theirs. In the Great Depression, ownership—of anything—was a kind of victory.

What makes this moment unforgettable is the small girl who stands outside the makeshift hut in one of the most hauntingly beautiful Depression-era photographs. Her dress, sewn from a flour or feed sack, carries the printed emblem of its former use—a silent nod to the resourcefulness required to survive these years. Her stance is not slouched in defeat but upright with dignity. She’s not smiling, but she’s not broken either. Behind her, the shelter might be crumbling, but she embodies something sturdier: the will to endure, to keep going, to face the next day.

This roadside family’s story, like that of thousands across the American South, was never meant to be heroic—but it became so through sheer perseverance. They weren’t just passing through; they were rooted, even in impermanence. No electricity, no plumbing, no steady income—but still, there was pride. There was grace. They had each other. In that moment captured along Route 70, we see not just hardship but a testament to what the human spirit can build when all it has are scraps—and a reason to try.

06/06/2025

Vermont, 1940...
Caption
The hired man on Frank H. Shurtleff farm gathering maple sap from sugar maple trees to make syrup. The Shurtleff farm has about 400 acres and was originally purchased by grandfather in 1840. He raises sheep, cows, cuts lumber and has been making maple syrup for about thirty-five years. Sugaring brings in about one thousand dollars annually. Because of the deep snow this year he only tapped 1000 of his 2000 trees. He expects to make about 300 to 500 gallons this year. North Bridgewater, Vermont...
Source
Farm Security Administration Marion Post Wolcott photographer

06/06/2025

06/04/2025

05/29/2025

Around 1910 near Williston, North Dakota, a young girl stands in a meadow pulling a toy dog in a two-wheeled cart. William E. (Bill) Shemorry Photograph Collection.

05/29/2025