Stories

July 2009 Western Dispatch – Searching for the Soul of America

“This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” -- Neil Armstrong, 1969

The American experience is rich with stories of frontier exploration. From the extraordinary journey of Lewis and Clark in search of the Northwest Passage to the legendary adventures of John Wesley Powell in his quest to conquer the mysteries of the Colorado River – the country and especially the West have been defined by frontier adventures.

July, 2009 marks the 40th anniversary of another major milestone in America’s quest to push boundaries and explore new frontiers -- the Apollo moon landing. The television images of Neil Armstrong descending the ladder onto the moon’s surface captivated the attention of the world, rekindling the exploration spirit that lies within us.
The Apollo landing and the Corps of Discovery journey, events separated by almost 165 years, have achieved almost mythical status in American folklore. Both were defining moments of bravery and exploration underscoring the need for humans to set out into the wild unknown.  Wallace Stegner captures the essence of this idea perfectly:
“We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, a part of the geography of hope.”

Where is that “wild country” today? Where will our children go to nurture their souls in the future?  I have traveled the West extensively and there are still places to wander alone in the canyons, deserts, or mountains — but they are fast disappearing, and many are threatened. In fact, a new Sonoran Institute report explores this very issue.

Read the entire commentary by Luther Propst