Sycamore

For two years, Jim and Fannie Norris had tried without much success to farm on New Mexico's Gila River. During the second year, when they could see that things were not going well, they made a decision to move to Sycamore where Jim had a homestead.

There were far more people against the young couple's move to Sycamore than there were in favor of it. The naysayers had their points: There was no road up those six miles of extremely rocky creek bed. There was no garden, nor even a good place to put one. A well would have to be dug, and the water piped up to the garden area. The only dwelling was the little one-room homestead shack that Jim had built in 1916 on a rocky hill, and they had no money to buy material to make it larger. The nearest neighbor was eight miles away; there would be no easy way to get help in case of serious illness or accident. And a new baby was due in August.

But Jim and Fannie remained firm and determined in their decision, and a lot of learning and growth took place on this road to the Sycamore they created.

-- Frieda Norris Welburn