Izatt Family Homestead in Thatcher

One of the reasons that we were excited to attend Rachel's wedding last month was because of its proximity to the small town where Chuck spent his earliest childhood years - Thatcher, Idaho. I've never been there, so we dedicated most of Sunday to exploring the Izatt Homestead.

Clyde and Will were SO psyched to see where their daddy grew up and played as a little boy; they helpfully inquired every two minutes or so if this stretch of land was it. (Spoiler alert: it wasn't. Yet!)

We started out that morning by attending sacrament meeting in the Thatcher ward, where Chuck was promptly recognized as an Izatt - pretty impressive considering he hasn't lived in that ward since he was 8 (granted, they asked if he was Lee, but still!). It was a really nice meeting, and Chuck's parents had fun afterwards catching up with some old friends and acquaintances. 

Next we moved on to the cemetery where Chuck's great-grandparents and grandparents are buried.

We stayed a few minutes so that we could walk around and see the Izatt family area, which provided a nice visual for Clyde to remember the significance of his middle name.

 The next leg of our adventure called for some off-roading up into the hills to find Chuck's grandpa's sheep cabin:

Still there! In pretty decent condition, too.

 Terri directed my attention to the deluxe outhouse, complete with varying options for comfort... for the right price, of course :).

  We ventured on foot a bit further to find an area where foundation had been poured for another cabin before plans changed:

The kids had such a blast running around and playing. I was mostly in constant awe at how much land there was - hundreds and hundreds of acres that have been in Chuck's family for, well, a couple hundred years. I'm pretty sure I just kept wandering around thinking, "Wow, what a cool little stream. Hey! That stream belongs to Chuck's dad and aunts! Ooh, that's a neat copse of trees. Wait! That copse of trees belongs to Chuck's dad and aunts!" Craziness!!

 This cute fence was just perfect for quick photo op of Grandma and Pops with the grandkids in attendance:

 L to R: Grandpa, Eli, Bri, Will, Lily, Clyde, Courtney, and Grandma. (Jack was napping in the van.)

 From there, it was time to drive down and see the house! Chuck's great-grandparents built this white house back in 1860 - you know, a year before the Civil War started. What??

 Chuck's grandparents lived in it most recently, but it's been vacant for the last few years. Before going in, Dave took a few minutes to share some of the history of the house and the area with us. Again, I was slightly overwhelmed by the hundreds of acres surrounding us that now belong to Chuck's parents.

 The house was amazing - definitely showing signs of age and vacancy, but SO cool:

 Pops gave us permission to look for treasures to take home, which was fun. Courtney and I spent some time in the bedroom that Dave's older sisters shared and I found a couple of dresses in another area that I obviously needed to bring home :).

 

 The second house on the property is the house that Chuck lived in as a wee boy:

Right now it's inhabited by the guy (and his family) who rents out the ranch, so we didn't go inside.

We did walk over and look at the base of the TALL flag pole that Chuck's family put in one year for the 4th of July:

 And Clyde and Will each got a turn putting their hand in Chuck's handprint! Chuck was just a few months shy of 6 when the handprint was made - so right between Clyde and Will's ages, which they (of course) loved.

 It was around this time that Chuck and Lee learned that some of their old childhood things were in the upper part of this barn, so they both climbed up to have a look.

 Clyde was delighted when Chuck found and tossed down an old helicopter from his boyhood. It now resides in our play room!

 

 Someday we'll have to attempt a big Izatt family picture in Thatcher (we've talked about centering one of our summer family reunions there) but in the meantime we gathered up the Izatt men:

 It was quite the task to get Lee, Dave, and Chuck to cooperate for a picture, but I think it was worth it :).

 

 Aaaand since we were there we got a few shots of the five of us:

 I promise we own clothing that isn't blue and orange... we just don't apparently wear it often :).

I'm really glad that I finally made it out to Thatcher - it's a trip that was a long-time in the making and very worthwhile.

 I love my father-in-law so much, and seeing him here - on the land where his family has lived and worked and raised their families for years and years - provides so much context for the incredible man that he is. His admirable work ethic, his devotion to his family, his commitment to serving others --- all have their roots here in Thatcher. I'm grateful to have seen this area, so rich in family history, firsthand.