My First Visit to Garganta la Olla- May 2007

In 2007, I made my first visit to Garganta la Olla as part of a BYU Family History Field Study Group. It is a magical town, nestled up in the mountains of western-central Spain. Because it is a town off the beaten path, it has remained much the same as it looked several hundred years ago. The exterior of many of the buildings looked the same as they did in ancient times. If it weren't for the asphalted roads and sidewalks, you would think you had stepped into a time machine and you were back in the seventeen or eighteen hundreds.

My added interest in this town stems from the fact that my great-grandfather, Meliton Gonzalez Trejo was born and raised here. It was fun to see the house of his birth, the church of his baptism, and walk the streets where he and his ancestors walked. It was a truly priceless experience.

BYU Field Study Group- May 2007

Birthplace of Meliton.

The town is surrounded by mountains and a river. The town has two bridges, the old bridge and the new bridge. The new bridge was built in 1577, which seems somewhat comical to those of us from the US where there is nothing in the entire continent that dates back more than 400 years. To the left is a picture of the house where my great-grandfather Meliton was born. I was not able to go inside, because the current owners were not home. However, it was still fun to see the outside and contemplate the life of Meliton and the daily things he must have done in this little village. 

Meliton and Emily Family

This family picture was taken in Salt Lake City, Utah in the early 1890s. Meliton is holding son Milton, daughter Sarah in front and Emily is holding baby Jared. Standing in the back is Marie Louise, Meliton's daughter by his first wife Mariane Christensen. Stay tuned to my blog for further information on my village reconstruction project.