Michelle: We got our family tree from the homesteaders in Centennial, Wyoming, and they homesteaded in 1888, and they came out from North Dakota, and they bought 150 acres on the homestead act for $12. Crazy. And they brought five sons with them. So that's kind of where. So up front, up top, here are the original homesteaders, Charlton and Julia. Surprise. So they came out here in 1888, and they had five boys. And my family is from Frank W. Gregory. And my grandma's name is Francis, named after Frank. So then, this is from a cousin of mine that her grandma knew the. Knew the family tree, which I didn't very well. So my other cousin gave me a picture of my dad. So I was going to talk about my dad. Oh, that's cool that he's in front of the original two-story homestead. Probably before I was born. And one story I've heard is him. And it would have been his uncle worked on the roof, so the cabin wouldn't cave in because this would have been back in 1888.

Josh: And then your family built that?

Michelle: So Charlton and Julia built the two story cabin.

Josh: That's so cool.

Michelle: And so what's happened out there is the homestead has not been sold out of the family. So we're one of the few in Wyoming that hasn't been sold out, you know, to other people. It's still in the Gregory family. So now it's all as cousins out there. And we're starting to reconnect because just over time, we've lost communication with each other. So, in 2020, during my mom died in February of 2019, it was left in her will that I could buy the property. So I had to buy my sisters out of. So we. So my husband and I moved out there four years ago full time. Yeah. In our little. On our. On the one fifth of the division. So where my dad comes in, being important in all of this, the land was just kind of divided up willy nilly all through, like, 1888 to 1970s. So before he died in 1979, he went to a lawyer and made up an agreement with. With the cousins to divide the property five ways. And so each person got 30 acres. So he got that all legally done. Which was good, because there was one cousin out there that was paying taxes on the whole 150 acres and was gonna get the whole thing. And then kick the rest of us off. So everyone just cut. Kind of settled out there, but nothing was legal.

Josh: So what year was that?

Michelle: That was in about 1972. And that because of my dad. Yeah. This is Darrell Riken. Yeah. And he was the son of Francis, and so Frances, my grandma, was very close to her brother Kelly, or Albert. He went by Kelly. And so that brought in my grandma, my dad's sister. So we're the only part of the family that, because we treasured the land out there, dad and his sister divided it up, so they each got 15 acres. Yeah. So then my dad died in 1979, married to my mom, and then she lived out there for 25 years.

Josh: That's so cool. So then this is where you grew up, then?

Michelle: No. I grew up in Cheyenne, we think. What happened? Well, I. My. I don't know if it's correct or not. But in the depression, in the thirties. They were out here to mine to do mining copper. And I think they went broke, and everybody moved to Cheyenne. All the families just kind of left and went to Cheyenne and worked for the railroad. So that's how we ended up in Cheyenne, you know, through all the. The family members.

Josh: But the house was still able to stay within the family?

Michelle: That's really cool that it worked out in the family. My dad helped keep. Keep everything because he would go out there all the time. So, yeah, I guess, in a way, I did grow up out there in the summer.

Josh: And then what would you do over the summers there? Like, anything fun or any good memories?

Michelle: One good, really good memory. He would fly fish. We're on the little Laramie river. Out there. And so the property is just. It's on the river as you cross the river to get into centennial. So that's a little Laramie river. And so we're one of the few properties on the river that's really cool. And dad would take me as a little girl, and we would fly fish up and down the river. Well, so one of my cousins, who I've just reconnected with, his name is Larry Gregory. He would come out with us, and we would play in the river, up and down the river while dad was fishing. And we were probably only about 14, and I hadn't seen Larry for, like, 50 years. When I was reconnecting with the cousins up at the land. I got to his house, and he walked out the door, and he goes, he knew me. I couldn't believe it. And he's like, do you remember? It's. We were the ones out fishing with your dad. Do you remember? I was like, yeah, I remember that. So I have reconciled just in the last three years, reconnected with him. Yeah. And then I met his daughter and granddaughter, and his daughter brought me this.

Josh: Oh, so that. Okay, so this is where this comes from.

Michelle: Yes. And I guess they have a box of pictures that I haven't seen yet, but she's gonna share them with me. But one of my other cousins shared that. This is about the only picture I have. Homestead. So the great great grandma that homesteaded out there, Julia, she. You had to improve the land for the homestead act. So she tilled up the ground out there and had a garden. And one of the cousins thinks she planted turnips and cabbage. Because it's really hard. To grow stuff out there. I have another cousin that has a picture of her in front of the garden, so I'd like to get that, too.

Josh: Yeah, that's cool. And so. And then you said the property, how many acres?

Michelle: So it was originally 150 acres. And then because there was five original brothers. My dad had it divided into 30 acres. But because his sister loved the land, too, they. They divided it again into 1515. So they're right next to us.

Josh: And then what is it like going back to the. To the place? Like, isn't it cool?

Michelle: It's awesome.

Josh: Yeah. Tell me more about it.

Michelle: So, what my dad did in the seventies, he moved a old spartan trailer out on the land, and we started going up there all the time. We spent Thanksgiving and Christmas up there because we were driving back and forth from Cheyenne, and we did that for several years before he passed away. So, before he died, he was building a two car garage, you know, to have a garage and sleeping quarters upstairs. So he got it all framed in, and then he ended up getting very ill and passed away. So he was only 56. So my mom was only 51, and she took the two car garage that was just a shell and turned it into a cabin. Yeah. So that's what we live in. I call it our tiny home. But it's got a living room, and it's full time. Since the pandemic.

Josh: Okay, so you moved out in, like, 2020?

Michelle: Yeah. So, because my mom passed away, we bought the property, and then it was kind of fun. Two weeks into when everything closed down for the pandemic, we had settled. We had done all this settling with my sisters, and the lawyer got it all finished. That was April. Our first payment was March of 2020. No, maybe it was April of 2020. My husband came home from work because he worked here. And he goes, what are we doing staying in Laramie? We can go out there and stay full time now. So he grabbed the dog, I grabbed the cat, and we moved out four years ago.

Josh: That's cool, actually. And so how the last four years been there?

Michelle: It's been amazing. Yeah. So. Never would have dreamed we'd be out there. It was kind of a dream, but never thought it would really happen, you know?

Josh: What are your favorite parts about living out there now?

Michelle: Oh, it's beautiful. Let me show you. So this is sheep mountain. So that's right out our front door. So we've made improvements to the property. We planted some maple trees. And they're very pretty. A little creek runs through here in the summer. And that's looking out to sheep mountain. That's out our kitchen window. Again, sheep mountain. And then that's our yard. And then the little Laramie river runs back here.

Josh: Yeah. Is there any time of year that you, like, prefer?

Michelle: I love this time of the year.

Josh: What about it?

Michelle: It's just so, you know, I just sitting there this morning going, it's just so beautiful. I get to look at that every. I'm basically retired now. And I can go sit out there and have my coffee and play with the dog.

Josh: Fall is my favorite time, it's so nice. The weather's not too cold yet, and the trees are just beautiful. I love the foliage.

Michelle: Totally love it. I go hiking up there.

Josh: Where do you hike up in Centennial?

Michelle: Well, this, I went with some ladies. We went up to the. This is up by Mirror Lake. It's called Lakes trail. Lake you could do it easy. I was gonna say not so easy for me, but for you. Yes. Mirror Lake. And there's the trailhead right there. Let's see. Let's see. Where is it? There's our dog.

Josh: And what's the dog's name?

Michelle: His name is Blue or Bluesy.

Josh: Bluesy's cute. I bet he loves the property, too.

Michelle: He loves the snow. So in 2020, we had a snowstorm already. September 8.

Josh: How much snow do you got? Do you get more than Laramie, or is it. Oh, I bet.

Michelle: Yeah. So out in our driveway, we can get four to five foot drifts.

Josh: Jeez. So do you get snowed in a lot?

Michelle: My husband has to plow us out, so right now I'm prepping for the winter.

Josh: Okay. And what does that look like?

Michelle: Oh, what does that mean? Yeah, we got our generators ready, and I bought a indoor safe propane heater in case the power goes out and stock the food.

Josh: Yeah. That's cool. That makes it feel like cabin life. That's so cool. That's awesome. That's so cool. Yeah, I wish. Yeah. I've never experienced anything like that, but it sounds awesome.

Michelle: Yeah, it's really neat. So. That is awesome. But, yeah, I wanted to. I just feel my dad's the important piece to everything. If he hadn't legally divided it, you know, as time goes on, you know, it's. The property is worth a lot of money now. So no one in the family would have owned it.