activa-t Chapter 104 The Revival of Bozeman Town? That'll take a while!
Chapter 104 The Revival of Bozeman Town? That'll take a while!
Chapter 104 The Revival of Bozeman Town? That'll take a while!
May 1884, Bozeman, Montana.
The permafrost has finally begun to loosen, and the ice and snow have turned into muddy streams under the sunlight.
The train service resumed, and the tracks began to gnaw at the earth again, bringing the scents of the outside world, but not life-saving food.
The newly arrived mayor is frantically trying to figure out how to navigate this town ravaged by the harsh winter.
The whole town was lifeless, except for the Deep Valley Bar, which stubbornly kept its doors open, its dim lights like the last breath of life in this frozen world.
The bar was filled with the smell of cheap whiskey and the ash from firewood.
The air was so thick it felt like you could wring water out of it, with only the occasional hushed conversation coming from a corner.
Behind the bar, the only bright spots were the owner, Dan, and his strikingly beautiful woman.
Besides that, the group from "Dutton House" occupied most of the space: Tom and John Jr., James, Margaret, Zack, Elsa, Ennis, Cooper, Simone, Claire, and Mary.
Elsa's clear voice broke the silence as she read the Montana Star, a copy she had finally managed to obtain.
"October 8, 1883: The first blizzard struck, nearly three weeks earlier than usual."
"In mid-October, the average daily temperature dropped below 23°F (-5°C)."
"In early November, the snow depth in the Yellowstone Valley reached 60 centimeters."
"On November 15, the entire Northern Pacific Railroad was shut down."
"In January 1884, Miles City recorded a record low temperature of -43.6°F (-42°C)."
"In February, the average daily temperature across the state was below -13°F (-25°C)."
"In March, the cold wave continued, with snow depths reaching 4.2 meters in mountainous areas and over 1.5 meters in plains, and ice as hard as iron."
"Snap!" Elsa slammed the newspaper shut, grabbed the whiskey glass beside her, and downed it in one gulp.
Ennis, who was standing next to her, remained silent and immediately refilled her glass.
Ever since Dan revealed that he still held the secret of the copper mine, the Dutton family has been very interested in this bar.
Or rather, he was less polite to Dan himself.
"Why wasn't it written? How many people died? How many cows froze to death?" Zack frowned, his young face full of confusion and resentment.
Tom toyed with his empty wine glass, a cold smile playing on his lips. "Zack, believe it or not, in a few days, you won't even be able to see this much news anymore?"
He tapped his fingertips lightly on the rough wooden tabletop.
Dan nodded in agreement, a knowing look in his eyes: "There's something to watch, so let's just watch."
This newspaper was casually tossed to him by a passing freight driver and security guard after the train service began.
Want to buy? You can't find a single new newspaper in all of Postman.
"Who would have thought that this damn winter would set a new record for cold?" Dan remarked casually, but his tone was as if he were telling someone else's story.
As the weather warms up, trains rumble, and troops move in.
Postman appears to be struggling to return to "normal".
But everyone knows that beneath that thin layer of "normality" lies a deep wound that exposes the bone, and the healing process will take far longer than imagined.
"Are you really planning to leave?" Dan's gaze turned to James Dutton, the family head who was as silent as a rock.
James nodded slowly, his voice low but undeniable: "Not just us, Dan. Many people will leave Montana."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across the muddy, desolate streets outside the window. "Too many livestock and people have frozen to death this winter. The riots that happened to Postman alone are enough to chill one's heart. Just imagine how the entire population of Montana will flow away like melting snow."
"Those things—" Dan leaned forward slightly, lowered his voice, and glanced at James, "What do you plan to do with them?"
The "things" he was referring to were the precious cattle that the Dutton family had survived the harsh winter.
He didn't forget to "kindly" remind her, a barely perceptible smirk playing on his lips: "Right now, beef prices across Montana are skyrocketing!"
The harsh winter devoured most of the livestock, and every cow that survived became a gold nugget.
That wasn't the worst part, Dan knew. Those merchants from other states who had caught a whiff of blood were probably already sharpening their knives.
Montana is short of cattle? That's a golden opportunity for them to take advantage of the situation!
The Duttons had barely stepped out of the Valley Bar when they were struck by the desolate scene on the street.
The remaining snow was mixed with mud, and the surrounding shops were closed in the cold wind.
A heavy sorrow, mixed with the relief of surviving a catastrophe, weighed heavily on everyone's chest. They had finally survived this hellish winter!
"Hey, did you hear the explosion?" Cooper rode up and asked casually.
Before leaving, the cook Jonah patted his chest and promised that if anything unexpected happened, he would light a bomb to warn everyone!
"What explosion?" Zack blurted out, with the typical youthful skepticism. "We finally got out for some fresh air, how could we possibly run into trouble?"
However, fate always seems to contravene people.
When Tom and his group returned to their ranch exhausted, an unexpected figure was leaning against the fence.
"Why are you here?" Tom asked, surprised.
"Snow Wolf" grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth, and strode forward to give Tom a tight bear hug, almost choking him.
"Our tribe survived! And the Shoshoni people too!" he shouted, his voice booming with the elation of someone who had survived a catastrophe.
Tom, his eyes rolling back in his head from the choking, finally managed to break free and said with a slightly awkward politeness, "Congratulations. Looks like you've found something to eat?"
The excitement on "Snow Wolf's" face froze instantly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
He recalled the solemn instructions given by the clan chief and the shaman before his departure.
He nodded, his gaze sharpening. "Tom, you haven't forgotten, have you? Our Crow territory still holds the valleys and gold mines you've been eyeing!"
Tom's heart skipped a beat.
How could he forget? These days, they've been preoccupied with figuring out what to do with the surviving cattle on the ranch.
The bison were unclaimed, so it was fine to steal them.
But these cattle are living creatures. Although they were taken back from bandits, everyone knows who their original owner was!
"The chieftain and the shaman invite you to visit the Klaue tribe's reservation," Snow Wolf said, oblivious to the worry in Tom's eyes, as he conveyed the invitation.
"Look at your valleys and gold mines! If you really intend to settle there, you'd better be prepared! This winter—" He paused, his voice lowering, "won't be much better than last year; it'll still freeze people to death!"
This seemingly casual remark pierced everyone's hearts like an icicle!
The thought of leaving Montana has never been so urgent.
"The pastures aren't good this year," Snow Wolf continued, oblivious to the sudden change in the Darton family's expressions. "Winter lingered, and spring came too late! But don't worry,"
He tried to reassure them, "The pastures in the valley are enough for you to graze your livestock!"
He finished speaking enthusiastically, only to find the atmosphere unusually silent.
Why do you all look at him like that?
"A gold mine! Don't you want to see a gold mine?" He couldn't help but raise his voice, trying to pique their interest.
"What? You didn't dig it all up?" Zack asked half-jokingly.
"Gold?" The smile vanished completely from Snow Wolf's face, replaced by sorrow and confusion. "What use is gold to our tribe? Can gold be eaten when we're starving?"