The End of the Line
Update 27
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?
Replies to the last Teaser
LoonyMan, Kruness, Ying Blanc, Forthwall, jason leo, Fox, raynev1,and Hellken: Thanks for the comments, and I hope you enjoyed the full update.
ggamgus: You have a very... how do I say this, sophisticated plotline. 
Not only is it ingenious, it's also 100% historically correct. I did some fact-checking and I couldn't find any flaws whatsoever. This CJ is just fantastic. Brilliant work.
I really enjoy history, so it is only natural that it shows up in my CJ. But now that I have a fact checker, I'll need to be extra diligent regarding historical accuracy
NMUSpidey: You have everyone on the edge of their seats! Excellent storytelling! Me, too, I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to happen with it all.
Thank you! I consider that high praise coming from a such a great writer.
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