JENNY LEIGH by Byron Tomingas 2024

My brother Henry and I were born here in Jackson Hole, our parents came here in the 1930's, we had relatives living here before that. If a person spends enough time feeling the shape and character of the land, it influences the entirety of your life.
My brother pioneered the scenic and whitewater float trips here. He has always been the more artistic and creative one of us. He has been after me for years to write the story of Jenny Leigh, the young Shoshone girl who married an English trapper, Richard Leigh known as Beaver Dick Leigh. The story of the Leigh family is a tragedy worthy of Shakespeare's best efforts.
The Hayden expedition was mapping in our area and hired Dick Leigh to guide them. Around 1860, they spent a summer month or two here. No one dared live here, the winters were brutal and long winded, even the summers had dangerous weather. But as the Little Ice Age loosened its frigid grip on the small valley containing the young, but ever so magnificent Teton Mountains, white men made a stab at living here year around. The Indians were wiser and spent winters in Lander WY or over in Driggs Idaho where the weather was a little nicer.
The Hayden party bestowed an honor on Richard Leigh and his wife Jenny for all their help with the mapping expedition; they name a very beautiful alpine lake "Leigh Lake" and one at the base of the most inspiring peaks, Jenny Lake. The majestic spires of Teewinot Peak seem to rise right out of the Jenny lake.
I had the unexpected privilege to talk to elderly man who had met Dick Leigh. He said that Leigh was the most free giving and generous person he ever came across!
Unfortunately, that generosity is what created the tragedy that marked the life of Jenny Leigh.
A white man came into the area who was suffering from some sickness. Dick, and his wife Jenny, let him stay with them and cared for him until he was able to travel on. Then one of Dick and Jenny's children became ill, then another and soon the whole family except for Dick Leigh became terribly ill running fevers.
As we came to find out, the peoples of North America did not have defenses built up against the many illnesses that came from city living as in Europe. The european heritage people developed immunities over many generations against the various illnesses, so Dick was okay, but his Indian wife and the children she bore, couldn't deal with the sickness and they all died, his entire family. It rained and stormed a lot in Jackson Hole, huge, raging, thundering storms dumping rivers of water and lightning(1), you can only imagine, what it was like in their tepee as the sickness took hold.
If you look at old photos, you will find one with Dick Leigh and his Indian wife and their children. That's not Jenny, that's his second wife.
This song is for Jenny, for the grace and gentleness she gave the world so many years ago.
Byron,
Jackson Hole Wyoming 2024
(1) Lightning.
Something I have been up close and personal with. I was hit by freak lighting bolt while river rafting here in the valley, no burns but it knocked me down, the people in the boat thought I had been killed. I'm probably the only person on earth who has been hit while rafting a river. I finished that float with a massive headache and took another the next day. Unfortunately, it cracked a bone in my back which later broke which is not uncommon. It also causes mental issues; just as smart, but "no go power" like a super mononucleosis. However, it started messing with my music and my mountain walks and nothing gets to mess with my music or walks. I believe that it was my rage and anger gave me the power to overcome the problem. After a couple of years I started doing some of my best work musically and I also learned and worked in computer embedded systems programming with some of the legends of that industry. Sadly, no super powers came with the event.
I did have a relapse of symptoms years later and again it was overpowered by anger at the situation but it took ten months of struggle. I have come to believe that the body has these resources:
1) air intake and processing,
2) food intake, quality and processing,
3) blood flow, which depends on food intake, volume & quality plus body movement
4) temperature which also depends on food intake, volume & quality
5) and the one that is never measured but absolutely critical, Electrical Energy.
Electrical level is the one that was failing in my system. Which certainly makes sense after an electric overload from a lightning strike.
Only extreme exercise seems to fix the problem and I believe that comes about because of the high volumes of oxygenated blood flowing. Everything works better if you put it to use often and thoroughly.