1871 didn’t begin as a business idea. It began as somewhere to go.
I’m Steve Nestor, the creator of 1871: A Time Before.
The name has a very personal origin.
I was born in 1971. When I first imagined 1871, I went back exactly one hundred years, to a time before me, before some of the experiences that would later shape my life, and began creating somewhere that felt safe.
Not the real 1871. A fictional one.
And somewhere in that imagined past, SageBrush Crossing began to appear.
A town grew around the idea
At first, 1871 was something very personal. But the more I created, the more I realised there was something much bigger hiding in it.
SageBrush Crossing began filling with people. Not heroes or gurus with answers, but ordinary, imperfect people with relationships, hopes, regrets, contradictions and choices of their own.
There were places to gather. Things to discover. Animals, objects and stories. Questions worth sitting with.
And gradually I understood what I wanted 1871 to become.
A place that gives everybody more opportunities to explore what a good life means to them.
Not somebody else’s version of success. Not the life they think they’re supposed to want.
Their life. On their terms.
I don’t believe there’s one right way to live a meaningful or successful life.
For one person, success might mean ambition, achievement and building something enormous. For another, it might mean family, friendship, creativity, service, freedom, belonging or simply having more time for the people and things they love.
THE CROSSING
A crossing is a place of choice.
Continue. Turn. Stay. Go back. Follow somebody else’s trail. Or make your own.
We arrive at crossings throughout our lives. Sometimes we know exactly which way we’re going. Sometimes we realise we’ve been following somebody else’s trail for years.
1871 doesn’t decide which road is right.
1871 creates crossings. You choose the trail.
Hi, I’m Steve.
I’m an author, professionally qualified coach, learning and development professional and the creator of 1871.
I’ve spent much of my working life helping people learn, think, talk and see things from different perspectives. But 1871 also grew from something much more personal: my own experience of questioning who I thought I was supposed to be and gradually becoming more comfortable living life on my own terms.
The photograph here captures something I rather like.
It’s me taking some of the early 1871 card collections to the Post Office.
There wasn’t a big company behind them. No grand launch. Just an idea I believed in, some cards I’d created, a couple of hessian bags and a trip to the Post Office.
1871 has grown considerably since then. The reason for creating it hasn’t.
To give everybody more opportunity to live a life that feels genuinely their own.
WHAT 1871 HAS BECOME
The town is still growing.
1871 reaches far beyond the stories of SageBrush Crossing.
There are cards, journals and curious things people can explore for themselves.
There are stories, resources and experiences for people who work with others.
There’s Every Chair Has a Story, built around our CHAIR framework for better human conversations.
And we’re working with businesses, venues and communities to find new ways of bringing people together through stories, conversation, curiosity and reflection.
Where all of this eventually leads, I don’t entirely know. And I rather like that.
Because however big SageBrush Crossing becomes, I want 1871 to remain true to the idea at its heart:
1871 won’t tell you what that life should look like.
But perhaps it can give you somewhere to stop for a while and think about it.
A small but important note
1871: A Time Before is created to encourage conversation, curiosity, self-discovery and personal reflection.
Its stories, characters, cards, questions, resources and experiences are not therapy, counselling, medical care or a substitute for professional support. They are not intended to diagnose, treat or provide advice about mental or physical health.
Some of the stories and questions within 1871 may invite reflection on personal experiences, emotions or difficult subjects. You are always free to pause, skip a question or choose not to explore something.
If something feels beyond the scope of reflection or conversation, please seek appropriate support from a qualified professional or someone you trust.
SageBrush Crossing is a fictional place. Its people and stories are imagined. What you find in them is entirely your own.