Chapter 70 – Post Meeting

After people had left, Lee turned to Jack and Abigail.

"I just wanted to let you know." Lee said. "Andy and I have reached an agreement for sixteen row houses. I have had Hickum send out an ad for twenty-five single men to help build the houses. I will be housing them in tents by the saw mill. The plan is to have the houses up and ready by the end of summer. I don't know if any of the men will be offered a full-time job after the houses are built, but I won't rule it out since I have been looking to expand. I have already talked to Wynn and Dee about me expanding the sawmill. I already own plenty of land around where the current mill is. Ideally, I would like to have an operation with six working saws, I currently have three. That is the size of one of my other mills that I still have majority ownership of. It is one of the largest that I have been involved with. I would like to make Hope Valley as big if not bigger. There is plenty of wood and people willing to work. I also have the ability to bring in other wood if I want when I expand.

With ownership of the other mills, I can focus the use of these saws for local use and pass off contracts to the other two if needed for a time. I think that expanding and growing the mill will be good for everyone. I have also acquired additional land up the mountain and further out as well. I have logging land between Buxton to the south and north of Rock Creek and as far east as Benson Hills. I know that we haven't talked about it, but I also replace trees in the areas that we log, so that there will be future growth. I also don't go in and clear an entire area. I selectively harvest and then plant new trees. I just wanted to put that out there. I know other loggers and owners that aren't as responsible. I just want you to know that I care about the land and the people of the valley. I know what clearing a section of the mountain can do. However, I am not opposed to clearing some of the flat land as needed for growth.

I plan to hire only single men, but I won't turn down a man with a family. I had thought about talking to you, Abigail, about building more houses anyway. I own the field behind the row houses, and was thinking of adding houses there for my men. I know that is where a lot of the children play, but if we need housing, we need housing. We will have to see, maybe we can reach an agreement later. I want to see how the current row houses go. Maybe I will be able to keep the same crew on. I also was thinking that we could fix up the old cabins on the north road. I believe that is land owned by the town. I would be willing to help foot some of the cost for that, but with the sale of the mine, the town should have some money to help with supplies. One other thing, the cost to build the new row houses, includes basic furnishings – table, four chairs, stove, icebox and stove. That way the town can rent them as partially furnished. Andy agreed to it. I want to talk to Adam about maybe building the furniture. I am sure that he would also be willing to build beds that would be available for sale. Again, I haven't spoken to him. It was Hickum that thought about those things.

I am sure that there will be more families than houses with the railroad laying the spur line. I reached an agreement with them on that a couple weeks ago. We are just waiting on provincial approval and as soon as the land is dry enough, they will be laying track. I haven't said anything yet, but they have also talked about possibly laying a main line through the valley sometime next year. There are some people that know, but as far as I know it is not common public knowledge. They are still working out the details, but it sounds like they want another line through the mountains and Hope Valley is one of two spots that will work. I am sure when they know more, they will approach the town. I have encouraged my contact that Hope Valley would be a great place to lay the track especially with the spur line. I am sure that Mr. Yeager would also be more than willing to help talk to the railroad about laying the main line through Hope Valley. It would be good for both of us as well as the town as a whole. I think that it would bring people to our town and even if they were just passing through, it would be good for business."

"That is great, Lee." Jack said. "I am glad to hear about replanting and selective harvesting. Sounds like a great plan you have."

"Thank you." Lee said. "I am glad to help Hope Valley grow. I know that this is good for me, but you all know that I have been more than generous with giving back to this town. I don't want people to think that I voted for the mine reopening because it will benefit me as a company. I would have voted for it anyway. Right now, I am the largest employer in town and I only plan on growing as much as Hope Valley will allow me to grow."

"No one is going to think that of you, Lee." Elizabeth said. "If they do, then they are just wrong. You came here and built a business, when you didn't have to. You saved this town after the mining trial."

"Don't forget." Jack said. "I was hoping to get my house built this summer. Actually, we need to get the house built this summer."

Lee looked at Jack for a moment then smiled, but didn't say anything.

"That won't be a problem." Lee said. "I already have the plans that you and Adam drew up. Even if we have to work on your house after hours, I don't think that there will be a lack of men willing to help with your house. We already have approval and the architects have finished the initial drawings. I have lined up the men to lay the foundation as soon as the ground is dry enough."

"Thanks, Lee." Jack said. "Mind helping me back upstairs. I think I have reached my limit."

"No problem." Lee said. "You need to rest, we need you one hundred percent as soon as possible."

Lee stood and helped Jack stand. He helped him upstairs and Elizabeth followed them. Both were tired and planned to lay down. After getting Jack settled, Lee headed back to his office. He stopped in the kitchen to thank Abigail and grabbed some coffee before heading out. He still had things that needed to get done. He had ordered the tents and wanted to make sure the contracts were typed and ready.

While Abigail was holding her town council meeting, Wynn finally had a chance to sit down and talk to Dee. They had gotten sidetracked when the wagon with more injured arrived. When they saw that Abigail had moved the meeting to the cafe, they headed to her office since most of their paperwork was spread out there. Wynn knew there was a lot that needed to be done, but he needed more information. He wanted as much information as he could to help the town and the Mounties that he was responsible for. Wynn had a feeling that there was still much more that needed to be dealt with before he left and he wanted to try and get ahead of things.

"First." Wynn said. "I need to ask you about Herbert Ansvil. I saw your face when his name was mentioned. What do I need to know and should I be concerned?"

"Yes, I recognized the name." Dee said. "It took me a minute, but it came back to me. I saw his name multiple times during the Pacific Northwest investigation. We just never had enough to charge him. We were sure that he was working with the Pinkertons on the gambling ring as well as helping Gowen hide money, but there was just not enough there. The task force didn't feel they could make charges stick."

"Let me ask you this." Wynn said. "Given what you know about the investigation and what you have heard, do you think that there is enough to use as leverage? If things are really that bad in Crownsnest, I want something that I can use to stop him."

"I think that there might be." Dee said. "I think that you would have to talk to Inspector Williams, he took lead on the gambling ring and I think that was where there was the best chance of having something on Ansvil."

"Thank you." Wynn said. "Now, I know that Abigail is meeting with the town council, but I was hoping to have information to help her. I know that she was looking for direction and a clear plan moving forward. I think that would start with knowing which men can be released back to work. Can you talk to Faith and see if you can get a list? I think once we have that, we will have a better idea of the housing situation. Also I was able to identify the woman and children that came in earlier. I also learned that there were six more dead in Rock Creek, including two children. I don't have their names. They were going to be sent to me once identification was made."

"I will keep an eye out for that." Dee said. "Anything else?"

"Have you heard from your mother?" Wynn asked.

"Other than the message she sent." Dee said. "No, why?"

"Nothing." Wynn said. "She just knows that I don't like surprises."

Dee just shook his head at his father. He knew what his mother was up to, but wasn't going to say anything since it wasn't often that they could surprise him. He just stood and headed to get the list from Faith. Dee knew that it was going to take a while for some of the men to heal. He also knew that they should send Carver and Green back, but he was going to give it another day before saying something to his dad. It was nice right now having the extra hands.

Wynn was thinking that same thing when it came to Carver and Green. He thought he would talk to all of them including Jack to see what the men thought before he made a decision. He figured that he would do that after Jacobs arrived since it would affect him as well. Wynn was still working on things when Abigail came back to her office after the meeting. Wynn looked up when he heard the door.

"How was the meeting?" Wynn asked.

"Good." Abigail said. "The town council decided to extend the offer of a full-time position to Faith and they also agreed to reopen the mine if a deal can be reached with Mr Yeager. I know that I need to sit down with him, but I also have been thinking about what else needs to be done. I know that we need to get the kids back in school, even though I know that Elizabeth sent homework for the week. I also have been thinking about housing and what are we going to do with the families that want to stay. Then there is what reopening the mine will do to the railroad."

"Slow down." Wynn said. "One thing at a time. I have Dee talking to Faith and getting a list of the men that can go back to work. We can always house people in tents for a little bit. More tents have been ordered and should be here any day. They can stay as long as you need them. When you no longer need them, they can be sent back to me or they can be stored here. If you choose to store them here, just know that the Mounties may need them at some point and Jack can arrange for them to be delivered then. The four tents here, plus the ones that I have sent for will remain the property of the RNWMP. I will authorize the use of them for as long as you/the town need. I have also had Hickum and Andrew Palmer working on the apartments and also looking at the three cabins on the south road. We can also put people in Gowen's house for a short time. We have options and we have some time. I also know that Dee is working on housing. I am sure that he has a plan in that head of his. He will share it when he has worked out enough information to share. Again – one thing at a time."

"Thank you for all your help." Abigail said. "I feel bad keeping you and Dee here, I am sure that you are looking forward to getting back to Hamilton."

"Nonsense." Wynn said. "We will be here as long as you need. I am still working, albeit, without some of the things I need, but it is fine. Dee loves it here and we want to be here. Besides, I am not going anywhere until I know that Jack is going to be fine. More than that, I want to make sure that the town has what it needs before I leave. I understand that you all have to make the decisions, but I will be here as a voice of reason and someone to bounce ideas off of as you need. As long as you don't mind sharing your office for a bit."

"Well, thank you again." Abigail said. "All your help has been wonderful. I am just glad there are people that I can turn to and get help from. You have used my office more than I have, so no, I don't mind sharing. Let me know if there is anything that you need. If either of us is having a meeting, we can place a red piece of fabric in the door and will know to not interrupt. By the way, have you heard anything else from the group that stayed back in Rock Creek."

"No." Wynn said. "I did talk to the man that brought the injured here. There were six dead that were taken to Rock Creek. Before you ask, no I don't know names yet. I have been able to identify the woman and children brought in. Unfortunately, the woman isn't going to make it. I think that the red fabric is a good idea."

"Sorry to hear that." Abigail said. "Is there anything that we can do?"

"No." Wynn said. "Pastor Frank was already sitting with the boy and his father."

"Good." Abigail said. "At least her family is there with her."

"I wanted to see what you think." Wynn said. "Dee brought up that Charlotte is a retired teacher and if Elizabeth wasn't ready to leave Jack just yet, maybe we could have Charlotte take the class for a bit if she is willing. It is just a thought. I think we still have a few days before anything needs to be decided. But please think about it."

"I think that is a good idea." Abigail said. "I was actually thinking the same thing. I would like to see class restarted this week, but Monday for sure. I know that would mean moving people out of the schoolhouse, but that shouldn't be a problem if some are going back to work and if we have more tents coming. Also, Lee reminded me that there are about seven cabins up along the north road. They are a little further from town, but they could be easily fixed up. The town owns that land and we would be willing to rent or sell those as needed. I had forgotten about those, since they haven't been used in over a year."

Abigail was interrupted by a knock at the door. Wynn got up to go see who it was. Wynn was glad to see Frank.

"Pastor Frank." Wynn said. "Come in."

"Ned asked me to give this to you." Pastor Frank said, handing Wynn a message. "Also I think that the group from Rock Creek is back. I thought I saw Jesse heading over at the livery. I know that he had stayed with Bill."

"Was there something that you needed?" Abigail asked.

"I was going to let you know that the woman passed away." Pastor Frank said. "Also the boy, Alec, is going to stay in the tent with his father."

"Thank you for letting us know." Abigail said.

"Are you alright?" Wynn asked.

"Yes." Pastor Frank said. "It is always hard when young people die. I think that we are going to try and have a funeral for her in the next couple of days. Her husband, Anton, asked me to do it."

"Let me know if you need anything." Wynn said. "If there is nothing else, can you see if the group is back and if so, have Bill come and talk to us."

"I will." Pastor Frank said. "I was going to ask you what is going to happen to the children. I think that we may have some orphaned children and certainly children that have lost at least one parent. We might have a situation where the father is going to want to go back to work, but won't be able to care for young children. Just a heads up. I know that you both have other things to worry about, but I thought that it needed to be on the list of things to deal with."

"Thank you again." Wynn said. "The thought had crossed my mind, but I was holding out hope for those at the settlement in Rock Creek. I know that there is a lot to do and that needs to be something that is taken into consideration. If you are willing, I would like you to be a part of that discussion regarding the children who have lost a parent or both."

"Yes, I would like to be a part of that discussion." Pastor Frank said. "I will go see if Bill is back."

With that, Pastor Frank turned and left.

"What was the message?" Abigail asked.

Wynn opened the message and saw a list of names.

"The list of dead taken to Rock Creek." Wynn said.

"Do we need to notify husbands and families?" Abigail said.

"Let me get the master list and see." Wynn said.

"Maybe we can have Pastor Frank help with that when he gets back." Abigail said.

Wynn sat down and compared the list of names that he had to the master list that McGinty had given him for Mountie records. Wynn's face dropped when he started checking the names against the list. He realized that a mother and her two children were among the dead, but the husband and father were back in Rock Creek. He then found the other three women's names. He saw that it would affect three and possibly five children. He marked the record to indicate all that had been accounted for and who had died. He knew that he was going to have to file an official report with the Bureau of Mines and also with headquarters. Wynn made a quick list of the three men that needed to be notified. Abigail waited for Wynn as he wrote a list. She wanted to know what needed to be done, but she also understood that there were people grieving and that needed to be addressed.