1880 Census – Between Two Cities
Update 34
Spring 1880
Even inside the rail car, the salty air teased his nose. The journey west from Steamer Bay hugged the shoreline and offered panoramic views of the sound just as if he was traveling by boat, but Mr. Fredric Stevens was happy to be chuffing along the branch line that connects to Porthaven. The thrill of sailing was certainly in his blood, but the accommodations offered on the train couldn’t be overlooked.
Unfortunately Stevens’ visit to the dining car was cut short. The branch line to Porthaven included one stop in Orchard Bay, a tiny little town that sprung up next to an inlet up the beach from Steamer Bay.
The station was nothing more than a simple platform hugging the tracks, surrounded by a few houses and shops that had sprung up once the station was completed. It was then that Stevens remembered that the Steamer Bays and Porthaven’s of the SorGun region were far and few between. The small towns and remote crossroads were going to make up the bulk of his census duties from here on out.
“These boots will come in handy today,” he thought as he stepped off the platform into the muddy road.
It was a good hike into town. The railroad wasn’t about to spend the extra time or money surveying a path that would benefit the pre-existing town, but a station was erected anyway because it still was the best way for folks in Orchard Bay to move about the region. Stevens and his team were able to hitch a ride on one of the wagons for the winding trip into town.
Fredric Stevens and his band of bean counters set up shop at the only Inn located near the center of the town (although most visitors would consider Orchard Bay a village, at best). A few doors down from the Inn, Stevens stumbled upon a small shop that featured a fine shirt in the main window. Hiram N. Colfax, a young lad in his early 20s, was manning the counter and seemed quite happy when Stevens strolled through the door.
The two struck up a friendly conversation and Stevens learned that Colfax had lived in Orchard Bay since the founding. Colfax’s father had moved the family business to the SorGun region over eight years ago, after years of barely scraping by in San Francisco. At the time, it was rumored that Orchard Bay would be the next boomtown and land was cheap. In the eight years since, the town has grown steadily but no fortunes were made in the process. Pioneers seeking a new life bought up tracks of land and orchards and farms slowly pushed back the surrounding forests.
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But Orchard Bay was never quite able to grow beyond the small community that it was. Hiram had studied under his father for years, and he learned the tailor trade well in that time, but Stevens could sense that the kid’s heart was somewhere else. Hiram excitedly questioned him about his travels across the country – what were the people like, what was it like in big cities? The kid’s eyes lit up when Stevens told him stories about Chicago and buildings that would reach up to the sky. As the two parted ways, Fredric Stevens couldn’t help but think that a small little town like Orchard Bay wouldn’t be able to hold in a bright kid like Hiram N. Colfax much longer.
After a few days in Orchard Bay and its outskirts, the census crew hopped back on the train and moved closer to their next prize, Porthaven.
The past 10 years had seen Porthaven expand as farmland gobbled up forests and river valleys. The first stop was a tiny shack of a building outside of town right in the midst of the farming expansion.
Stevens and his fellow census crew spent the next day hopping from one farm to the next. Although the sawmill put Porthaven on the map, the surrounding farms kept the little town afloat over the years as the timber industry cycled between booms and busts.
Once the branch line from Steamer Bay to Porthaven was completed, it became even easier to move the produce to market. The local depot almost looked like a makeshift operation, but it was usually a hub of activity with farmers dropping off their harvest, and trains unloading supplies and equipment.
After a long day of tramping through orchards and stepping on cow pies, Stevens and his crew spent the night in at the tiny train station with the hopes of catching the first morning train into Porthaven. There would be many days ahead spent with the whiff of cow manure in the air, so the prospect of spending some time in a decent size town, perhaps in a real Inn, lifted the spirits of everyone in the group. Fredric Stevens was especially excited to see how Mr. Delin’s little settlement had grown over the past 10 years. He could only imagine what would await him.
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Replies to: Season 2 Preview
MilitantRadical, Forthwall, ggamus, Alex_1210, NMUSpidey, Mithrik, vinlabsc3k, Ace, Bluthlucidity, spursrule14, jason leo:
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