Abandoned - Plimoth - Story 74

[Abandoned]

Intro

  This is the 74th story in the Smallville Series and tells of the settlement where the east coast railroad first began.  The Pilgrim settlers of Plimoth came by ship from the old county, their town is one of the oldest towns in Smallville's world and was settled before Smallville Time even began.  The Pilgrim's ship, the Maybelle, brought many settler from the old countries, like the O'Leary ancestors of Mayville story #68 and would bring many more. It brought the well-to-do railroad tycoon from the old country to Plimoth.  He and his people were responsible for the loggers who jammed the river and abandoned the logging camp that was later to become Smallville of story #1. The first railroad tracks were laid in Plimoth and got as far as the town of Chattachoo of story # 4 in year 27 SVT.  Later the railroad was extended to Ironwood of story #72 and would continue on to carry immigrants further west.   This story is being told in Plimoth in the early 80's SVT.


The map seed   # 671489305     Valley,   Small,   Fair,   Disasters Off,   Easy 8 -  Deer, Geese, Boar, Bear


Mods activated for this map and load order are:


Map Changing and Starting Mods:   Banished UI Maps, Labor Window, RK Minimized Status, CC Light Rain,  Cold Realism, New Maps, Settlers Deco, Jinxie Natural Decorations, Kid Tree Replacer Light, New Flora Edit, Override Fewer Trees, Wildlife Start

Tweak Mods:    Better Fields, Fishing Dock +25%, Hunting, Increased CC, 1:1 Alternative (Voeille), override New Outfits, Rocks Respawn, Tiny Smoke

Major or Must Have Mods:    An Empty Square, Nomads (Kid), override Uneducated, Storage Crates,  Jinxie Bitty Chicken Coop, Rabbit Hutch, Village Set, & Jinxie Festival Park, Kid Abandoned Places SE,  Kid Colonial City Center, Kid Forest Trader, Kid Gothic Tithes & Tributes, Kid Native Village, Kid Old Town, Kid Plimoth Harmonized, Kid Plimoth Plantation, Kid Workplace Village, Mini Warehouse.

Supporting Mods:    Campfire, Choo Choo, Kid Broadway Tower, Kid Deco Farm Animals, Kid Deadwood,  Kid Deco People, Kid Deco Wreaths, Kid Farmyard,  Kid Hedgerow, Kid Fruit & Nut, Kid Jam and Wine (new, testing), Kid Market Foods, Kid Stagecoach (new, testing), Kid Traveling Trader, Kid Washing Mod, Kid Work Shop, Tiny Chopper


Mod note:   Kid Jam and Wine makers were made to match Kid Plimoth Plantation & Plimoth Harmonized, Kid Settlers, and vanilla wood and stone.  There are grape and elderberry patches to make the jams and wines with.


Story Note:  This story and the town's location is not historically accurate.  I chose the name Plimoth because that is the name of the main mod I am using the most to create this fall town with its historic first Thanksgiving.  Real life Plymouth (English Plimouth) was settled by Pilgrims who came on the Mayflower in December of 1620, the first Thanksgiving was in 1621. Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts is a recreation of that original settlement.  The railroad in England was developed much later, in the early 1800's and later still in the US in the late 1800's. The real Pilgrims had no idea what a railroad was. 



So, with that said, welcome to Plimoth, weary traveler.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 1


  My ancestors got no welcome when they arrived here many years ago.   It was a rough sea voyage that lasted more than 2 seasons and ended with a fierce storm that blow them farther south then intended.  The captain managed to steer the Maybelle into a sheltered inlet and dumped them onshore with their few belongings, milk cows, and chickens.  He seemed glad to get rid of them; the ship was overcrowded and many passengers were sick.  The cows made a mess of the deck and more than once he threatened to kill the noisy rooster.   He set sail with a reminder that he would return in 5 years to pick up all the furs they could amass in that time to pay for their passage.  That first year they doubted they would even survive much less pay for their passage on that merchant ship.

  The settlers were Pilgrims, some called them Quakers, some called them Puritans.  They had been town's people, not farmers, hunters, or fisherman.  The first year was very rough, only half of them survived.  Some died from disease, some from starvation, two died from eating poison berries, one fell in the water and drowned while fishing, one was killed by a wild boar and one by a bear, a few women died in childbirth.  The survivors paired up forming 8 families, 16 adults with 15 children.

  By autumn the survivors had a small settlement built with houses for all the families.  They had little food or firewood.  They feared they would not survive the winter.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 2

  The first thing the Pilgrims built was an animal shed for the cows and chickens. They built a storage barn where they slept until their houses were built.  They spend many wakeful nights trying to keep the foxes from killing off all the chickens or the rooster. They could not lose that rooster if they wanted baby chicks so they brought that noisy rooster into the barn at night. They slept little but at least they had eggs and milk for the children.

The river water was salty and the small stream of fresh water was some distance away and there were bears there.  They dug a well next to the school that was built even before the houses were all built.  There were several children that were already 6 years old.  School would be good for them and help keep their minds off the parents they had lost, at least for a little while each day.

  A chapel was built a short way from the school and a cemetery across from it.  Alongside the chapel were berry bushes in a hedgerow that was not thriving.  It did provide branches for firewood and some berries.  There was another similar hedgerow by the large dead tree extending out into the river which served as a fishing tree so there was fish to go with the eggs and berries.  There was some wild foods to be gathered but that would end with the first frost and it was not safe to venture far because of the bears. Hunting was not good, they got 1 bear but lost 2 men, one to that bear and one to a wild boar.  The Pilgrims planted a small farmyard with cabbage and potatoes but even that was not enough, they had a lot of hungry children to feed.  It would be winter soon.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 3


  The food and water supply and bears were not the Pilgrims only concern.  When out looking for fresh water and deer, the men saw there was a Native hunting grounds across the stream and a dead tree formed a bridge leading to it.  There were bear, deer, and wild boar in that area and a very large game bird we had not seen before. Further downstream was a lake and a Native Village.  There were several teepees and what looked like the chief's hut.  The women were growing vegetables and drying meat and fish, the men were hunting and fishing.  There were birch bark canoes out on the lake.  They were too close to the Pilgrims settlement for comfort.  We children heard stories of how our ancestors often saw smoke signals in the distance and heard native drums in the evening.  It was not just hunger, foxes, and rooster that kept them awake.  It was fear.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 4


  If they were to survive at all they had to protect themselves from the Natives and from the bears.  They had to protect their meager food supply from the wild animals.  As hungry, tired, and weak as they were they began building a stockade around their settlement. 

  The summer had been warm with a gentle wind from the south and west but it was much cooler and rainier when the wind came from the east off that big expanse of water they crossed to get here.  When the wind came from the north and northeast it was very cold.  The Pilgrims clothes were not nearly warm enough.  What extra clothes they had were in short supply.  They could not spend long periods of time outside and the days were getting shorter.  They were near despair when the first snow arrived in autumn.

  With that first snowfall help arrived.  Four Native braves with 2 carts of supplies arrived in town.  They indicated with sign language that they came in peace and brought gifts.  One of the carts was full of gathered wild foods and the other cart had venison and rabbit meat plus leather and furs.  They also brought one of the big game birds and several smaller ones they called turkeys.  They indicated to the Pilgrims that the birds were like our chickens there in the animal shed only bigger.  The Pilgrims would set aside an area for the big birds by the apple tree and work on building that section of stockade fence to protect them.

  The Pilgrims tried to give the Natives tools in exchange for their gifts but they would only accept a few.  As best they could the Pilgrims indicated their heartfelt thanks for the life saving gifts they were given.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 5


  Those gifts of food and furs indeed saved the lives of the Pilgrims that winter.  To their surprise the Natives returned in spring. They brought venison, rabbit meat, several large pumpkins, and several stalks of what looked like miniature cabbages.  The Natives called them Brussels Sprouts that, like pumpkins, kept well over the winter. 

  The Natives also brought seeds for the pumpkins and Brussels as well as for corn, squash, and bean seed.  They called them the Three Sister because when grown together they help each other.  Our ancestors later learned the 3 vegetable represented a Native Legend.  They were shown how to plant these vegetables and how to plant fish with them to help them grow.  The Natives also showed them which wild mushrooms and berries were safe to eat.  There was a bog of good tart berries called cranberries by the stream not far from the Pilgrim's settlement.  Again the Natives would accept only a few meager tools as thanks for the gifts and help they gave.

  The ancestors built a notice board between the school and the chapel to keep count of certain supplies.  The records showed they were low on both tools and coats.  They had emptied 2 of the 3 supply carts into the barn and in their place they set up an anvil to immediately start making tools while the supply shed was being built.  It was decided that the smith would work there and the tailor would make coats out back of her house in the summer months when the weather was warm. 

  The warm weather and planting instructions from the Natives produced a bountiful harvest.  The Three Sisters, pumpkins, Brussels, as well as the potatoes and cabbage all did exceptionally well.  Our ancestors invited the Natives for a harvest feast of Thanksgiving to celebrate the good harvest and to thank them for their help.  That feast in late autumn of their 3rd year here became a yearly tradition in Plimoth and still is to this day, weary traveler. 

[taniu]

@Abandoned Great new story - I'm reading and waiting for what will happen next. Regards

[Kristahfer]

As usual, a great story...


I really look forward to each installment.


Thank you @Abandoned

[Abandoned]

oh How nice Thank you both 

[Abandoned]

Chapter 6


  The Pilgrims had set up a small market roaster to cook turkey and chickens.  They served corn, squash, beans, potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and cranberries.  The woman made special little tarts filled with  pumpkin. It was a grand feast.   

  After the Thanksgiving celebration the Pilgrims kept the roaster going, the children would gather round for a hand-out of little tidbits.  The roaster needed more firewood than our branch gathering could supply.  A tiny chopper was set up not far from the stockpile.  Work on the wall continued and it already made a difference helping the Pilgrims feel safer and more secure.  The stockade walls also stopped the snow from drifting quite so bad inside the town itself.  More logs would be needed to complete the walls.  But logs was not their only concern.  Most of the hides and furs given to them by the Natives were being used to make warm coats and to keep them warm at home on cold winter nights.  They had only 2 years until the ship returned to collect the furs they agreed to pay for their passage.  They were not hunters, would they be able to gather enough furs to satisfy the merchant.

  Again help came just when it was needed.  Two families with 3 adult child and 2 newborns came to town.  They saw the town from the high ground where they came through the pass from the north.  They were hunters.  Game was not as plentiful as it once was because more merchants from the old countries wanted furs.  We told them of our need of furs to pay for our passage here.  They agreed to stay and help pay our debt if we agreed to provide food, clothes, and tools.  We agreed.

  The newcomers built 3 houses and a small shed near the stream northwest of town.  They built a hunting cabin and went to work hunting deer and beavers that had a dam in the stream.  The Pilgrims cleared a field and planted corn, there would be plenty of food for all.  Work on the stockade continued and a mini warehouse was built along the back wall by the storage barn.  The Pilgrims put in as many furs as they could spare from what the Natives had given them.  The hunters said the merchants may be expecting as many as 50 furs per year, an average yearly hunt.  That was a lot of furs.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 7

  The newcomers told the Pilgrims they should consider building a collection dock.  The merchant may then consider making an agreement to return to trade for more furs in the future.  The Pilgrims began clearing trees by the river but were very cautious because there were often bears gathered closeby at the river bend.  The hunters built a hunting blind there in case the dock building project didn't keep the bears away.  A few more furs could be added to the tally. Only one bear returned and he was left to go on his way unharmed.

  The trees that were cut were enough to build the dock and to complete the stockade.  Our ancestors only had 1 year left to stock the collection dock with enough furs.  With the town completely enclosed they no longer had to worry about wild animals getting into town, the chickens and roosters were safe.  They would soon have warm corn bread to eat with the chicken eggs. 

  By early spring of their 5th year the corn left from the last harvest had dried in storage and could now be ground into flour.  A workplace grinder was set up by the back stockade wall near the tailor.  A baker oven was built next to it.  The tailor had no furs now to make warm coats, the supply of coats was dropping.  One of the hunter's wives said that the flax growing wild was good for more than just making aprons and bonnets;  it could be used with the goose down to make warm coats.  The hunters got quite a few geese last autumn so there was probably enough down and flax to make coats with until the furs could again be use.  Hopefully there would be enough furs to pay the debt owed the ship merchant.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 8


  The chances of paying that debt greatly increased in spring when more hunters and a trapper arrived.  There were 2 families with their 5 adult children.  The hunter had a donkey and cart, he built a trapper hut and small shack back by the other hunters northwest of town.  The 2 couples built shacks back there too, one wife set up a gatherer's workplace.  Their 2 oldest sons each set up a tent by the hunter's blind northeast of town.  They had spotted 2 herds of wild boar in that area as they made their way to town from that north pass, the same path that brought the first group of hunters to Plimoth.

  The 2 groups did not know each other but had a lot to talk about.  They agreed hunting and trapping was not what it once was.  There were too many people and too much building going on now.  More people were arriving in East Port by ship all the time.  There was a lot of talk of open land out west, and buffalo.  Seems there was trouble with Natives out that way though.  Our Pilgrim ancestors hoped that more hunters and trappers arriving in Plimoth would not upset their good friendship with the Natives that helped them.  The Plimoth hunters stayed on this side of the stream and respected the Native's hunting grounds. Some of their young braves had moved on but the Native elders still came every autumn for the Pilgrim's Thanksgiving feast.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 9


  The rest of that year revolved around the fur count.  When the hunters and trapper arrived the town had 170 furs in stock at the collection dock, by late summer 189, and by early winter 212.  I really don't know why my ancestors were so concerned.  What would the merchant do, weary traveler, if the Pilgrims would not have had enough furs?  Take them back to the Old Country?  No, he would probably have taken tools or food or something to make up the difference.  But according to family stories the ancestors were pretty stressed.  By winter there were only 224 furs but there was no merchant ship yet.

  In early spring of the following year, a few days short of 5 years since they arrived, the Pilgrims spotted those billowing white sails coming down the river.  They did not expect the ship to be bringing more Pilgrims from their homeland.  There were 9 adults and 2 young children, the Pilgrims welcomed them to Plimoth.  They too had made a deal with the merchant for passage.  The merchant was surprised at the number of furs the Pilgrims had for him, more than enough to satisfy the debt. There were exactly 250 furs. The merchant captain was a good and honest man; he accepted the tally of furs and prepared a receipt marked Paid in Full for not only the Pilgrims passage but for the passage of the families he just brought.  He would not have to return for their payment. 

  The Pilgrims gratefully prepared baskets of food, including turkey, vegetables, and pumpkin tarts, as a thank you gift for the captain and his crew before the ship set sail again.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 10


  The Pilgrim town elders immediately began planning where to build 3 more homes in town.  They demolished the old mini warehouse that was no longer needed for furs and decided to remove the large stockpile.  A smaller stockpile in town and two outside the gates would replace it.  The town roads would be paved with some of the stone rather than moving it. 

  The newly arrived Pilgrims said they would have no problem having houses built northeast of town, there was so much land there.  It seemed the hunters had the wildlife under control and the newcomers were not sure they would even need a stockade.  They would like a view of the river.  So 3 houses were build for the 3 families and a small storage barn and stockpile nearby.  The families were settled by autumn and all available laborers went to the area to gather wild foods for their barn and firewood branches for their stockpile.  It was decided their travel time would be shortened considerably if a tunnel was built through the small mountain from there to the hunter and trappers side of town.

  The hunter and fisherman in the tents by the hunting blind both said they wouldn't mind a nice house there with the other new ones.  Two houses were built but a young single from one of the tents moved into one of them, his parents into the other one.  Another house was being built where that tent had been.  The fisherman and his family were still in their tent and Helm had just said he would like their tent left there so he could use it in summer to get up early to go fishing without disturbing the whole family.  Everyone was heartbroken that that wish would not come true, Helm fell from the fishing tree in late winter and drowned.  The tent would remain.

[Abandoned]

Chapter 11


  The population of Plimoth at the start of the new year was 71, 40 adults, 13 students, and 18 young children. Little did they know it but those children were in for a real old-fashioned treat.  When cutting trees to built the road and tunnel, the workers found flowering elder bushes.  The elder flowers meant there would be elderberries and elderberries meant elderberry jam.  More of the bushes were found back by the gatherer, the berries hadn't been picked because the gatherer didn't know if they were safe to eat. The Natives were familiar the berries but said they had not found the bushes growing in this area for many moons.  The Pilgrims knew these berries from back in the Old Country and they were thrilled to find them here.  More elder bushes were found in the new section of town where a new farmyard of corn, potatoes, and cabbage was planted.

  Another animal shed was built in that part of town by the tunnel.  The original shed in town was a bit crowded because another calf had been born. More milk was needed because a dairy workplace was set up by the animal shed in town to make butter.  The baker had trouble getting enough herbs for the bread and switched recipes.  Butter bread and elderberry jam would be so good for breakfast with the eggs.  There were more than enough chickens for the 2 sheds and there would be more eggs for everyone.   

  The elder bushes when blooming attract a lot of bees.  A hive was set up by the bushes closest to town hoping to keep the bees out of the tunnel.  The empty space where the stockpile used to be was the perfect place to build a jam maker.  By autumn the berries and honey were harvested and the first jars of elderberry jam were cooling on the table out front.

  The adults were in for a treat too because the elderberries did not just make good jam, they made good wine too.  Soon a wine maker was built just outside the stockade wall where there was room.  A small spice garden was planted inside the wall in the corner behind the turkey roost.  That Thanksgiving there was elderberry wine served at the Thanksgiving feast.  And when the temperature dropped even more and the first snowflakes began to fall, there were kettles of spiced mulled elderberry wine warming on the hearths.