Grays Lake History: Grays Lake Valley Volume 1 (color edition) Paperback – May 18, 2022

Authors Ellen Nelson and Thomas Humpherys, both reared in the Grays Lake Valley, have collaborated to compile a history of Grays Lake and the surrounding area. This endeavor started as a history of the Grays Lake Ward then evolved into a history of the ward and the valley with so much information it was separated into two volumes.This volume covers the fascinating trail from early settlement of the valley to the present. It is an account of hard work and hardy people, failure and success, determination, romance, happiness and tragedy.Men worked to clear and fence the land, build a home and make a living for their families in a harsh environment. Women accepted new roles on the edges of civilization as they strove to make their humble abodes into a home, give birth, care for the sick and dying, deal with wilderness conditions, be a helping hand to their husbands when hired men were physically or financially unavailable, and have a hot meal on the table three times a day.Some families and their posterity continued to live in the valley. Some moved on with their lives and settled in different places. Nearly all look on their time in Grays Lake as the best and worst times of their lives. Despite changes, all treasure and share the bonds of friendship and love they realized here.The authors have assembled events they have seen, information from interviews, personal histories, newspaper accounts and various other resources to weave a trail from the past to the present that we might better understand the people and the heritage inherent in this place. Read more