• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, September 19, 2016

Wood from weathered barns, dilapidated hotels and fire-stricken buildings full of rich character provides an amazing way to restore history. In fact, uncovering that history of the reclaimed wood made into tables, chairs or other pieces of furniture makes the pieces that much more special. Without search engines the history would become incredibly difficult to uncover.

While some experiences just don't start from a search engine, the Internet tools can lead to more information on a topic or event. My husband and I didn't find the reclaimed wood table made from the floor of the remodeled Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone by searching for it on the Internet, but we did learn more about it after making the purchase. 

We found the table in Jackson Hole at the Western Design Conference. The maker of the table is Travis Anderson, a Ferrier in Idaho living on a four-acre ranch with his wife and six children. Although he is 15 years into the profession of shoeing horses, he's looking for additional opportunities to support his family. Custom furniture has become one. (There's an audience signal for ad targeting somewhere in there.)

Those who love old wood know that the history gives the piece life. The Old Faithful Inn in Yellowstone National Park opened in 1904, made from local wood and stone, but it would be years later that my husband and I both walked over the Inn's floor at different points of time in history.

The park had nearly 14,000 visitors when the inn opened that year, but during the next 10 years, that number grew to an average of 21,500 visitors annually. Builders around the Wyoming landmark marvel at the advanced techniques used to build the structure.

I marvel at the fact that I have a piece of the old. Owning the table also led me to searches about "how to prepare reclaimed wood." Search the Internet to find companies across the U.S. that restore and sell reclaimed wood. Each piece generally has a story.

A search on google.com answers that question about 2,970 times, and Bing, nearly 100. Both search engines provide queries on everything from removing old tacks to the supplies needed. Reduce, reuse, recycle -- and then discover the history behind the piece.