New SorGun

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Looking good! And I am sure they are going to be very happy when the rail comes through.

[Charlie_Zane 963]

Great news! New Sorgun will soon have vast urban sprawl!

Eager to see how that Hotel looks like and where the station will be located!

[Lyhoko Leaci 770]

Lyhoko: Yay, New SorGun won!

Lyhoko: Lyhoko wonders how many new towns will pop up in the region...

Lyhoko: Hotel!

[Benedict 3,119]

Interesting overall outcome of the vote... and a bit of mystery about the real finalist!

[Benedict 3,119]

Congratulations!

[SimCoug 5,973]

@Fox - Thanks for your constant support

@Schulmanator: Whoever scores the rail terminus will be very happy indeed.

@City_Master: I think the city council is already eyeing lots of future development...

@Lyhoko: A rail line will surly bring new towns and people.

@Benedict: Yes, a mystery indeed. 2013 will see plenty of twists and turns, just like the growth of every hamlet, town and city in RL. And thank you for compiling the top 100 list - I am honored to be a part of it.

HAPPY 2013!

Wow, It's been a few weeks since I've really worked on New SorGun, but the Christmas/New Year break was nice to spend with family and friends. I did a lot of reading (and watched the movie 'Lincoln' - great movie and fascinating depiction of the time period) and have a few new ideas for where New SorGun will go over the next few updates. I honestly thought I would be burned out of SC4 by now, but the itch just doesn't seem to want to go away anytime soon. Along with the overall story, I am starting to plan new Lotting and Moding projects along the way. I've updated the first page of my Lot thread to give you a hint of what will be coming down the pike. I'll try and update this list of ideas as new ones come to me. If you have ideas of your own (story, Lots, Mods) please don't hesitate to share.

Well enough chitchat! Let's get on with the show already. I present a little teaser for the next update:

Minneapolis/St. Paul 1873

At the headquarters for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company:

[simlink 1,098]

Very nice scene... though the laughing seems "off" to me. Maybe I'm over thinking it...

[Fox 1,444]

I agree simlink .. seems like an evil laugh .. lol.

Nice teaser.. I like how the City looks, and if New SorGun is going to look like this in the future then it is surely going to be promising.

[Charlie_Zane 963]

Is that a mischievous laugh of a Joyful laugh?

At least they came to an agreement!

[vivapanda 422]

Fantastic town scene! I hope that isn't bad in any way...

[Benedict 3,119]

Sounds like a good personal financial decision.

[Lyhoko Leaci 770]

Lyhoko: And just what is that decision?

Lyhoko: That laugh sounds off...

[Schulmanator 5,787]

NSG is gonna get it!!! I just know it.

[wwetom1 831]

I'm glad you enjoyed your break!

I love that picture! Looks like a great place to live back then

[SimCoug 5,973]

@sim_link: You are right to trust your gut.

@Fox: Thank you - I am no where near your level of expertise in the LE, but I appreciate the encouragement

@City_Master: Joyful laughing for the railroad bosses... but the little guy may have a different take...

@vivapanda: Thanks! Just some backroom deals... nothing to see there...

@Benedict: You are quite perceptive...

@Lyhoko: Scroll down for your answer...

@Schulmanator: See below if your guessed right...

wwetom1: Thanks! Besides the smells, diseases, cold, and no modern conveniences whatsoever, yeah, it was probably a great place to live

The next update is here - I hope you enjoy it!

Update 27

The End of the Line

Fall 1873

Winter was knocking on the doorsteps of the SorGun region. But you wouldn’t know it in New SorGun.

The trees were losing their leaves, but the spirits of the New SorGun citizenry were sky high – The announcement from the Northern Pacific Railroad was rumored to be coming any day.

Finally, on Monday November 17, 1873 – the telegram office in town came to life.

Mayor Walker was the first to read that fateful message.

This must be a mistake, thought Walker – he requested the message be resent. But there was no mistake. Disbelief quickly set in – most settlers in the region didn’t know that Steamer Bay existed, let alone know its whereabouts. But a few did.

Trappers and a few of the more rugged travelers told stories of Steamer Bay. It is home to a few fishermen – no more than 20 settlers could lay claim to the land.

A river empties into the bay, which is boarded by many wide beaches full of steamer clams, the most delicious in the entire region, some say.

Tide pools dotted the many beaches, and sea life of every kind thrived in the bay.

A number of Indians still roamed the area, living off of the abundant food sources, both on land and at sea.

In short – Steamer Bay was essentially the great wilderness… nothing more than a few fishermen huts and Indian tribes.

Which begs the question; Why? With a number of well-developed towns in the region, why would the Northern Pacific Railroad Company choose such a desolate location for the end of their great railroad?

To the railroad bosses, the answer was as clear as the babbling creaks that crisscrossed the region. Money.

The railroad figured the final terminus location would become a great metropolis, no matter where it ended. So why not pick a spot where the land could be owned almost exclusively by the railroad? And that is exactly what they did – while everybody was wondering which town would hit the jackpot, the higher ups in the railroad (and their friends… even some politicians) quietly bought up tracks of land around Steamer Bay.

A few dollars could be turned into thousands with practically no risk. It was an investors dream, and thanks to corrupt officials, the railroad was getting away with it. The pioneers who risked everything to start a new life, who built towns out of nothing, who one day hoped that their hard work would be rewarded… they didn’t stand a chance.

Word spread quickly after the announcement. Mr. Delin and other town leaders in Porthaven realized their town still had a fighting chance to take advantage of a bad situation. Funds were raised from the towns’ citizens, and work on a wide road was begun immediately to connect the town with Steamer Bay in the hopes that it may someday turn into a branch line.

New SorGun was not so fortunate. The distance was far too long, and the resources needed to build any sort of road did not exist. To add insult to injury, the property values around town crashed. Most of the town’s wealth was on paper, tied to property values. Fortunes vanished in an instant. Not all, but many residents packed everything they could and headed for Steamer Bay.

While not exactly a ghost town – New SorGun was eerily quiet in the winter of 1873. Unfinished houses stood abandoned.

For many, the winter was the only thing keeping them from packing up and heading to Steamer Bay too. Would the spring of 74’ bring cooler heads and a chance for New SorGun to regroup – or would the panic continue?

[Charlie_Zane 963]

Oh dear! That's not good for New Sorgun!

Will anything bring the citizens back?

[coolwiththecool2 827]

wow...that is a pretty far distance, even in modern times. Wonder whats going to happen next

[Fox 1,444]

Oh noes!! New SorGun !!

/me gets out shotgun and goes hunting for the corrupt officials and politicians.

This is a catastrophe for the region!! I say we get all the wealthy involved and we build our own damn railroad!

[vivapanda 422]

With this CJ you proove to be a master of unexpected twists!

Though I'm sad for New Sorgun I'm sure something good will come out of this... eventually

[Schulmanator 5,787]

What the????!!!!!!!

Those evil tycoons! They are shrewd. But now they're killing successful towns! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Benedict 3,119]

They weren't called rail barons for nothing, were they? Phenomenal update, great story, pictures, and winter scenes.

[Liszak 48]

Oh no, our lovely SorGun!

[clarkjordan12345 108]

I hope corrupt capitalism doesn't have the last say for this fantastic little town!

[SimCoug 5,973]

@CityMaster: You can bet that the citizens of New SorGun will try their best.

@TayMay: Thanks for stopping by.

@Fox: Well, you never know - stranger things have happened

@vivapanda: Thanks!

@Schulmanator: Shrewd indeed - New SorGun will have to step up if they want to survive.

@Benedict: Thank you!

@Liszak: Don't count them out yet.

@clarkjordan: Stay tuned to find out.

Teaser time:

The winter of '73/'74 was the harshest anybody in the SorGun region could remember. To many, it was only matched by the despair felt around the town of New SorGun. So low were the pioneer's spirits, nobody noticed the first flowers poking through the snow dusted fields.

(Click for full size)

[Charlie_Zane 963]

Surely if they had noticed those flowers, their spirits would rise just a touch?

[Schulmanator 5,787]

Brrrrr! Looks cold!

[Fox 1,444]

Love the beauty of the picture, and the details.

Can't wait to hear/see how my town is going with this news.

[Benedict 3,119]

Great wintry teaser. Looking forward to the full update.

[SimCoug 5,973]

@City_Master: Yes, flowers are always good for a pick-me-up.

@Schulmanator: And to think all they had back then to keep warm was a wood stove...

@Fox: Scroll down for the new update

@Benedict: Thanks for stopping by - ask and you shall receive...

Update 28

Out, Damned Finch!

1874

Spring had begun to peak her head out from under the blanket of winters snow.

But the citizens of New SorGun were in no mood to celebrate. The exodus that had begun the previous fall had slowed, but a feeling of despair covered the town like an early morning spring fog.

Steamer Bay, on the other hand, felt like a non-stop festival. New settlers were arriving each day, and with the arrival of spring the volume of immigrants was growing like the rising tide.

(click for full size)

Businesses began opening shops in order to take advantage of the growing demand for goods and services. Blacksmiths, doctors, architects, wagon makers, lawyers and many others were flooding into town to open shops and practice their trade.

The town’s first newspaper even published the first issue in late spring.

The Northern Pacific didn’t waste any time either – as soon as winter was on the wane, construction crews went to work laying track that would eventually connect with Kalama, WA – the location where the track being laid from the east would meet up, completing the great transcontinental Northern Pacific Railroad.

The only thing that could stand in the way of the railroad and its new ‘city’ was another town, miles to the south. The Railroad bosses knew that only one town could dominate the region, and for that reason New SorGun became enemy #1 of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

And the bosses didn’t waste any time. The railroad began selling timber rights along its projected rights-of-way to loggers at dirt cheap prices. This funneled logging money into the new town site and boosted the local economy.

Next, the railroad shrewdly began selling downtown lots in the new frontier town for $250 – a tenth the price of similar lots in New SorGun. Land auctions were a daily occurrence, and the demand for lots skyrocketed.

Eastman T. Finch, the well-known entrepreneur from New SorGun even got in on the act. He purchased a downtown lot and opened a branch of his famous Illahee in the rapidly growing town.

But something happened on the way to becoming THE regional centerpiece. A man was accidentally murdered in Finch’s Steamer Bay location. Occurrences like this happened with some frequency all across the western frontier – but the actions taken by the railroad bosses were quite extraordinary. They kicked Finch and his business out of town.

Eastman’s loyalty to his adopted town of New SorGun was as certain as the sunrise each day. On the day of his banishment, his hatred of Steamer Bay and the railroad was equally as certain. Suddenly, New SorGun had found its general, and not a moment too soon.

Finch’s counter attack against the Northern Pacific bosses was swift and decisive. After hearing about competitors opening up similar adult oriented establishments in Steamer Bay, Finch brought in the big guns. See… Where others saw the Northern Pacific as the white horse riding into the region with riches in tow, Finch saw them as nothing more than a paper tiger. And why shouldn’t he? The railroad was nothing more than small local rail line that would soon connect two tiny towns in the western wilderness.

It would be years, if not a decade or more before Northern Pacific completed the rail line from Minneapolis to the Pacific Ocean. And Eastman knew that even though the Union Pacific railroad terminated in Sacramento, the city of San Francisco didn’t exactly wither up and die. Quite the opposite, actually.

And as coincidence would have it, Finch’s big guns hailed from that bustling town. It was a glorious spring day in 1874. A logging schooner from San Francisco had just tied up at the end of Yarahi’s pier and down the gang plank walked a dozen striking damsels. Finch’s new ‘escorts’ were hardened professionals from the Barbary coast district of San Francisco.

Finch dug into his deep pockets and built a world class establishment where weary loggers, travelers and the lonely pioneer could enjoy refreshments of all kinds. With the help of Finch, New SorGun had just reinforced itself as THE entertainment and commercial capital of the region.

Finch’s actions ushered in a renewed sense of confidence around town. For the first time, residents could see that New SorGun’s best days were still ahead.

[Lyhoko Leaci 770]

Lyhoko: Good, they're recovering.

Looks good, can't wait for more!