A Blacksmith in Porthaven
Update 21
Summer 1868
Over 10 years ago, a man by the name of Anthony S. Myers was the lucky individual who won the popular vote and gave Porthaven a name the townsfolk could stand behind. Mr. Delin followed through and gave away two acres of pristine land, near the water and not too far from town.
At first, Mr. Myers could only let the land sit – as he needed to save up his earnings from the lumber mill where he earned a reputation as a hardworking individual who was very handy at fixing the mills machinery.
After a few years, Anthony had enough saved to build a home on his land and move his growing family out of the cramped shacks in town.
In 1866, the Army engineers at Fort Sunset completed a road running from the fort to the town of Porthaven. (highlighted in red)
Traffic along the road was growing every day, and Mr. Myers decided it was time to put his skills to use. With a small loan from the town bank, his entire life savings, and all the guts he could muster, he got to work on his future dream.
In the spring of 1867, after months of hard work, Anthony opened the first blacksmithing business in the town of Porthaven.
Business was good – Porthaven was growing steadily each year, which meant more customers – and the garrison at Fort Sunset often required his services as well.
Speaking of the growing town – Porthaven has seen steady growth over the past 10 years.
The main street in town was home to a number of shops, including a popular pub called Murphy's (The owner is an Irish immigrant - one of the first in SorGun).
Mr. Delin was practically giving away lots in order to attract new pioneers. Because of the Civil War, westward expansion during the last 10 was almost non-existent. But nearly free land and a steady job at the lumber mill meant neighborhoods were slowly taking shape.
The war also had severe effects on Mr. Delin’s investments, as well as his political connections. As Abraham Lincoln’s Republican Party slowly gained power, many of the politicians who once held sway were looking for new jobs. Despite his financial troubles, Mr. Delin kept up appearances and built the finest home in town.
Fortunately, the logging business was still red hot and the Porthaven Mill was as busy as ever.
Because of creative, hardworking citizens like Anthony Myers, Porthaven has weathered the storm. But like any town reliant on a single economy, Mr. Delin’s dream could come crashing down at the drop of a hat. As long as San Francisco, San Diego and other growing west coast cities continue to rely on lumber from the northern logging towns, Porthaven’s future would remain bright.
The truth was, boom and bust cycles were the norm in the western US in the late 19th Century – and while times were good in the SorGun region, smart pioneers knew it was always necessary to prepared for the future storm.
(Click for full size)
Credits:
I'd like to thank daTSchikinhed for submitting the winning town name and helping me develop the character of Anthony Myers. Check out his awesome CJ – .
I'd also like to thank Blunder for coming up with the name for Fort Sunset – his reasoning for the name was quite poetic.
Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed this little update.
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