Behind These Mountains - Vol. 1 Author:Mona Leeson Vanek While political beliefs were shaping and reshaping, state government and federal government activities wielded major influences. Agriculture began to augment timber as an economic base. Ranchers grew cattle, hay spuds and families. As timber and loggers flowed through the valley, changes also trickled in. Some of each stayed. The united ... more » States Forest Service, which had established tenuous roots against strong opposition, gained ground after the 1910 fire threatened not only their existence, but the very sustenance of life for everyone in the valley. Slowly Forest Service ideology spread like a rapacious weed whose flowers bring beauty while its roots infiltrate the environment. When reservationism butted heads with financial solvency, settlers quickly innovated ways to use this new partner to their own advantages. Living conditions improved abreast with timber and agriculture markets. social activities and community culture became more complex as education, religion and gathering places expanded. World-wide events affected valley residents mainly through economics. When timber didn't sell, times were lean. As tourism money flowed past the valley on the wheels of the automobile, the government was enlisted to funnel it in. Highway building was added to bootlegging and the new arrivals as the newest enterprise. Nevertheless, as the decade of the 1930's loomed on the horizon, those who'd come to the valleys behind these mountains, couldn't rub two nickels together to leave them. All were captivated: Those who came, set deep roots, and reveled in the simple way of life amid the mountain splendor; those entrapped by poverty into a way of life whose quality lay in the beauty and bounty of the mountains and its people; and the government, who owned most of the land.« less