One thing for sure about America is that it’s a big place, spanning almost 3,000 miles across the continent. And it is this idea of physical vastness that has led to its being characterized as a place of limitless possibilities.

The dream of westward expansion into virgin, fertile lands, along with the opportunity to escape the harsh realities of city living, was infectious, taking root in the imaginations of people across the world.

I’m recalling a 1992 movie called “Far and Away.” Directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, the film takes us on an epic journey from Ireland to Boston and then into the hinterlands during the Ozark Land Run of 1893. Joseph and Shannon, refugees from Ireland, engage in a fun and feisty battle of the sexes as they fight their way across America in pursuit of free land. Of course, like most Hollywood films, it is more about entertaining audiences and making money than anything else. Yet it does offer us at least a superficial understanding of the American dream.

Writ large, the American dream is a fantasy, a self-reflective adventure story. It is fodder for Hollywood and best seller books – we invest ourselves in characters who have the ability to constantly expand their interests, to become larger than life. Like Joseph and Shannon. The real American story, however, is about those poor emigrants who risked everything to come here. Freedom for them was the right to earn a living.

Most of us native Western New Yorkers do not hail from a line of swashbucklers like the characters portrayed by Cruise and Kidman. Our immigrant ancestors came here because of employment opportunities.

The Erie Canal had become a major trade route from maritime to the western fresh waterways, especially Lake Erie which opened the way to all Great Lake ports. Buffalo grew as a major inland port and metropolis, with Dunkirk making its own mark. Westfield was becoming the “grape juice capital of the world.” Fredonia was already established as the site of the first natural gas well.

About 30 miles south over the escarpment was Jamestown and its little Chadakoin River, which would become a furniture making mecca.

And then, another 20 miles south, there’s Warren Pennsylvania and the mighty Allegheny River where lumber and oil became lucrative businesses.

The mindsets and life priorities of the early denizens Western New York and Pennsylvania are hardly imaginable today. Yet I would venture to guess they did not complain too much about the weather or about being bored.

Since there was not much in the way of popular culture beyond dime store novels, newspaper cartoons, and traveling troupes and ensembles, folks were not likely to obsess over celebrity musicians, actors or athletes. I don’t think they dreamed much about the beaches in Florida or the Rocky Mountains or casinos in the desert. Call me naive, but I have a feeling they appreciated what was near and, therefore, dear to them.

Despite the frequent nastiness of the weather, our region offers great natural resources. The lakes and rivers are invaluable in so many ways. Recreationally, there are numerous options, from kayaking to sailing to motorboating. As a food source, there’s trout, bass, perch, pike, and more. The water travel routes connect to about anywhere one would want to go in North and South America. Most important, they are sources of the most basic necessity of life, which is drinkable water.

Our forests are dense, with great diversity of plant species and of wildlife. They serve as educational resources and are inspirational to all kinds of artists. The Chautauqua Gorge and multiple hiking and snowmobiling trails throughout the area are underrated and underused recreational resources. The Allegheny Mountains are mystical places, reminders of the great Seneca culture that was here long before the Europeans.

Yet in this era of our history, it seems we have little awareness of what is close to home. Our American dream is always about someplace else. We would rather fly ten hours to some commercial resort than take a two hour drive to explore what we never knew existed, and what is likely to be at least as enjoyable and a whole lot cheaper. While the common mentality among travelers today is to “get away from home,” a better way to think about it might be to discover your home. There is a wonderful world all around you, as long as the weather permits!

Pete Howard, a musician, writer, teacher, and painter, lives in Dunkirk.