Image by Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL via Flickr

He set out to see this country

to feel those lonely winds

with survey party close beside

the started west my friend

the mountains touched his spirit

he sketched them then and there

recording for posterity

the feel of mountain air

with color on his pallette

he painted what he saw

the texture of a country

untrampled, empty, raw

The peaks were white and sparkling

the rivers, clear and cold

detailed by the master’s hand

with landscapes tale now told

he took them to the seat of power

and with his voice so clear

told them to embrace this land

and hold it ever dear.