As most of you know, the name Lander comes from Lander, WY- the place of my birth. There is a tiny river that runs down the length of the Lander valley. This river is a large source of memory for me- the river is called Popo Agie. The name Popo Agie (pronounced Po-Po Zshuh) comes from the Crow Indians and means “Tall Grass River.” “Agie” means river in the Crow language and “PoPo” means tall grass or tall rye grass. The Crow named the river this because of the tall bunches of rye grass that grew along the banks of the river in the valley.

After having visited New York City and Salt Lake City all within the month of August, I was reminded of my childhood in Lander and how crisp and clean the western air is and how clean the waters flow. Utah was beautiful and brought me back to a simpler place in time. -New York was once a place like Popo Agie but that time is gone. I would call this song more of a mind-set than subject matter.

Running down the crooked miles,
I could feel the muscles tire.
I could bend my tongue and sing the words of pioneers
Coming up between my teeth.
-All at once their melodies turned to fields of industry.

popo agie - performed at the oyster ridge music festival in kemmerer, wy 2006.