About this blog – a virtual Chatauqua

I have thinking about starting a blog for a while.  One fairly recent past life event and another upcoming future one pushed and pulled me into finally taking the plunge.

The past event was a few days I spent with my wife at the Colorado Chautauqua (CC) in Boulder last summer.  The CC, started in 1898 (by a bunch of Texan teachers escaping the the blazing heat of TX summers), is one of the oldest Chautauquas still in operation in the United States.  It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2006.

So what is a Chautauqua?  One translation of the word “Chautauqua” from Native American language is “bag tied in the middle” or “two moccassins tied together.”  There is a lake in the State of New York resembling these images and thus, it is believed, became known as Chautauqua Lake.

In 1874, some folks got together and started an adult-education program on the shores of Lake Chautauqua triggering what become known as the “Chautauqua Movement” in the United States.  Permanent Chautauquas (like the one in Boulder) and itinerant counter-parts that roamed around the countryside, brought teaching on current events, policies of public interest, and “new ideas” to people outside of big cities who did not have ready access to such information.  The “Arts” also become a regular part of the many Chautauquas that sprung up around the country in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

The Chautauqua Movement lost much its steam in the early 20th Century as information and entertainment became more accessible to urban and rural people alike.  Although only a few of the original Chautauquas have survived into the 21st Century, I think the original adult-education purpose of these meetings is still very relevant today.  And as a university professor, I am very interested in teaching both in and outside of the classroom.

Thus, one of the purposes of this blog is to hopefully create somewhat of a virtual, electronic Chautauqua for sharing information and a bit of teaching on things I (and hopefully you) find interesting.  In addition to being “teachy”, I might get a bit “preachy” on rare occasions  (just wanted to give fair warning!).  Since there is too much political rancor these days (and because I am a political independent), this blog will be a “partisan politics free zone.”  However, in the spirit of the original and ongoing Chautuaquas, I will discuss and comment on current events and policies over a broad range of topics, particularly related to my profession as a natural resource economist, my travels, and own life events.  I will also include items related to music and art, again particularly related to what’s happening in the world and my life.

So, spending time at the Colorado Chautauqua was the past event that kind of pushed me into starting this blog.  The future event that kind of pulled me into starting this blog is a sea/land tour of Alaska I am about to take with my wife Jodi.  I have been to Alaska a couple of times on university business trips – this will be the first trip there purely for pleasure.  I have always been fascinated by the “Last Frontier” and judging from the plethora of “life in Alaska” reality TV shows, much of America must be too.

While on this trip, I will be doing my best to keep a record of our travels, observations and learning via this blog including photos.  If you are interested in coming along on a virtual journey with us and seeing and learning more about Alaska, then keep following this blog! I  know following these trip blogs will likely be of interest mostly to family and friends, but all are welcome to come along for the ride!

By the way, the inspiration for the name of this blog comes from my keen interest in and enjoyment of the “great outdoors” and that by serendipity or sovereignty my last name, Bergstrom, is derived by the German and Swedish names for mountain (Berg) and stream (Strom).  So, I am John Mountain Stream – glad to meet you and Happy Trails!

p.s., With humble apologies to my high school and college grammar teachers, I make no claim to following proper English grammar in my writings – however, I do welcome corrections, especially from you English and Journalism majors, as it may help us all become better at written communication. Teaching and learning is, after all, one of the purposes of Chautauqua!