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Description
Scene from the upcoming sequel to my novel "The Outsider"

Ruthie was eager to start digging into the cliffside to see what secrets it contained. However, that would have to wait another day, because of the need to drive to Longbow County Community College and pick up the equipment sent by DSU.

The trip involved a 60-mile drive to Longbow Crossing, which was the county seat of Longbow County and, at 9,600 residents, the largest town in the area. During the trip, Jacob gave a history lesson about their destination. His knowledge and interest in local history impressed his passenger, considering he was only 19. He started by telling her that the town was built along a small alkaline-filled river that, during the 1800s, was the only source of water suitable for horses. Because of that single resource, starting in 1864 there was a small US Cavalry stockade that, for 20 years, housed a very miserable garrison. There was a trading post set up in 1870, which later included a corral for cattle and a rival one for sheep. Mining in the 1890s prompted the construction of a branch line connected to the Trans-Continental Railroad. The town had a brief run of prosperity between 1892 and 1898 due to mining. Then, when the mines ran out, the speculators left the area to the ranchers. The branch line and the ranches survived, which saved Longbow Crossing from being completely abandoned and turning into a ghost town. The community college started in 1937 as a WPA project. After World War II there were enough returning veterans to keep it going. With a current student enrollment of 600, it held on as an outpost of knowledge in one of the most desolate places in the US.

The central area of the county seat had a couple of blocks of solid-looking buildings that had been constructed from stone or brick during the late 1800s. Nearby were some small bungalow-style houses from the 1920s. The rest of the town was a mis-match of suburban-style residences from the 1960s, trailers sitting on dusty lots, some four-plexes, and a couple of more recently-built apartment buildings. There was a scroungy Mega-Mart, which was puny in comparison with the ones in California. Other than that, in the downtown area there were some local businesses selling farming supplies, two bank branches, a tool store, a couple of breakfast places, and some bars. The closest thing to "culture" was a used book store that sold mostly paperbacks printed in the 1960s, stacks of old magazines, romance novels, some very worn old movies, and dusty CD's from groups popular in the 1990s. On the outskirts of the town there were two large truck stops, and a sheep pen that now was rarely used. There were two strategically placed Mega-Burgers along the main road guarding both the east and west side of the town. Lining the streets and filling the parking lots were massive double-cabin pick-up trucks and semi-tractor trailers that seemed to have been parked randomly. Some of the yards had Fortress America signs featuring the movement's favorite confrontational slogans.

Jacob talked about Longbow Crossing with a subdued tone of sarcasm that amused his passenger. He talked up the county seat as "our great metropolis" the two-story stone building used by the town's mayor and the county commissioners as "the grand palace of power". The muddy streambed was "the scenic waterway". There was a small city park that boasted sickly Dutch elm trees, sparsely planted grass, and a cracked empty fountain covered with dust and dry algae, known to him as "our nature reserve".

When Jacob drove Ruthie past the town's high school, the school mascot looked down at them. It was an image that already would have been changed almost anywhere else in the US, but it hung on in Longbow County. It was a caricature of a Native-American wearing a loincloth and holding a longbow. The creators didn't have much imagination: they had directly plagiarized their mascot's face from the one formerly used by the baseball team in Ohio. Jacob commented:

"We need to change that. We really need to change it."

"Uh... yeah, I'd say so."

"There's more to it than just the stereotyping. That whole thing's a lie. Even the county's name is a lie. They fucked up the name when they fucked up the history."

"How do you mean?"

They were just a couple of blocks from the community college, but Jacob suddenly made a sharp right turn and drove towards the stream. He got out. Ruthie, not knowing what else to do, climbed out of her seat and jumped to the ground. Following Jacob's lead, she looked across the muddy water towards the partially forested hills in the distance.

"Longbow's a fucked up name. It should be 'Long's Bow'."

"Long's Bow?"

"Yeah. Here's the story. When they were setting up the fort, they couldn't find enough wood along the stream to make a decent stockade. The cavalrymen had to go into those hills to get more wood, but they didn't know what was up there. So, they were all trigger-happy. I guess I'd be too, in their shoes. You gotta remember, Sand Creek down in Colorado and the Sioux uprising over in Minnesota had just happened, so the guys setting up the fort were totally paranoid. Anyhow, a group of Native Americans came over on horses to see what was going on. The troops fired on 'em right away, but fortunately they were still too far off and they didn't get hit. They rode off, but one of 'em, a chief it turn out, dropped his bow. It was a nice one he used in ceremonies, so he was sorry to lose it. Anyhow, at the fort there was a private called Abraham Long. Long was the son of a scout, and the story among the men was that he was what they called a 'half-breed', which meant his dad was white and his mom was Native. It was an insult, obviously. Anyhow, Long told the garrison commander that he spoke some of the native languages, and he might be able to strike some sort of deal with the local tribe. So, he picked up the bow and, completely by himself, rode out to the hills to look for the group that had run off. He actually found them, and gave the bow back to the chief. So he and the chief go back to the fort. Mind you, everyone there thought Long was gonna get himself killed, but no, after a couple of weeks here he comes, very much alive, with that chief riding next to him. So, with Long translating, the chief and the garrison commander strike a deal. What exactly was in that deal? The commander handed over a horse as a peace offering, but other than that we don't know, 'cause of what came afterwards. But the garrison collected the wood they needed, made it through the winter, and there were never any attacks. So, the place came to be known as Long's Bow Crossing, where Private Long crossed the stream and picked up the chief's bow."

"So, afterwards, what did happen? I take it that it didn't end well?"

"Nope. Sure didn't. But not because there was ever a fight. What happened was that some of the garrison, including Long, (who had gotten promoted) left for Denver and a new group came in to replace them. Problem was, some of the new guys had cholera. And... as luck would have it, that same week the chief and some of his men showed up to talk to the garrison commander. And, everyone got sick. It was really bad. It wiped out a third of the fort, but we think the tribe got it a lot worse. No one ever heard from them again, so it's safe to assume they had zero immunity."

"What about Long? Did he ever find out about it? The cholera, I mean?"

"Long died on the way to Denver. They got him buried over in Laramie."

"Cholera?"

"Probably, but no one knows for sure. There's no record of what happened to him, just that he died in Laramie."

"That's fucked up. So, what about name of Long's Bow Crossing?"

"They replaced the dead guys at the fort with another batch of cavalrymen. And at that time, prospectors were just starting to find silver. So, they shortened the settlement's name to Longbow Crossing. And everyone forgot about Abraham Long, which sucks, 'cause if it weren't for him, the garrison probably wouldn't have made it through the first winter. That's why that mascot's so fucked up. If they had a picture of Long, in his uniform holding a bow, that might work. But not what's there now."

"Sounds like it didn't work out for the Native Americans, if they all died."

"That happened a year later and it wasn't Long's fault. He tried to do the right thing, for everyone. The garrison and the town at least, made it because of him. And, if you read the diaries of the some of the men stationed here, I think it did change their attitudes. It certainly did for the garrison commander."

Ruthie was about to suggest returning to the Behemoth and finish the trip to pick up the supplies, when Jacob added a detail that impressed her, not about Abraham Long, but about Jacob himself. There was a lot about how he looked at life that she didn't agree with, but he did have his own strong values, of seeking the truth and wanting "to do the right thing".

"A couple of years ago, when I was in the History Club, we tried to pass around a petition to change the school's name to Abraham Long High School, to correct the record and give that guy some credit. I mean, think about it. He was a far better soldier than anyone else in that fort. If you think about the mentality in those days, everyone calling him a 'half-breed' and all that... I'd imagine he caught hell from the other guys. And yet, he risked his life for them, for his unit and for our country. And, in a way, for the tribe too, by trying to keep the peace. He put the needs of the others above his own, even though they probably didn't like him. To me, that's a true soldier. Around here they keep talking about patriotism, but they don't remember Abraham Long. When you think about the risk he took and what he achieved for the garrison, he's a bigger patriot than all the rest of us put together."

"What happened to the petition?"

"Nothing. The school board blew it off. But, at least we made some people aware of how things got started here, of the first year when one soldier managed to stop a war. And in the end, we did get support from some history bloggers and the dean of the college."

Description
Scene from the upcoming sequel to my novel "The Outsider"

Ruthie was eager to start digging into the cliffside to see what secrets it contained. However, that would have to wait another day, because of the need to drive to Longbow County Community College and pick up the equipment sent by DSU.

The trip involved a 60-mile drive to Longbow Crossing, which was the county seat of Longbow County and, at 9,600 residents, the largest town in the area. During the trip, Jacob gave a history lesson about their destination. His knowledge and interest in local history impressed his passenger, considering he was only 19. He started by telling her that the town was built along a small alkaline-filled river that, during the 1800s, was the only source of water suitable for horses. Because of that single resource, starting in 1864 there was a small US Cavalry stockade that, for 20 years, housed a very miserable garrison. There was a trading post set up in 1870, which later included a corral for cattle and a rival one for sheep. Mining in the 1890s prompted the construction of a branch line connected to the Trans-Continental Railroad. The town had a brief run of prosperity between 1892 and 1898 due to mining. Then, when the mines ran out, the speculators left the area to the ranchers. The branch line and the ranches survived, which saved Longbow Crossing from being completely abandoned and turning into a ghost town. The community college started in 1937 as a WPA project. After World War II there were enough returning veterans to keep it going. With a current student enrollment of 600, it held on as an outpost of knowledge in one of the most desolate places in the US.

The central area of the county seat had a couple of blocks of solid-looking buildings that had been constructed from stone or brick during the late 1800s. Nearby were some small bungalow-style houses from the 1920s. The rest of the town was a mis-match of suburban-style residences from the 1960s, trailers sitting on dusty lots, some four-plexes, and a couple of more recently-built apartment buildings. There was a scroungy Mega-Mart, which was puny in comparison with the ones in California. Other than that, in the downtown area there were some local businesses selling farming supplies, two bank branches, a tool store, a couple of breakfast places, and some bars. The closest thing to "culture" was a used book store that sold mostly paperbacks printed in the 1960s, stacks of old magazines, romance novels, some very worn old movies, and dusty CD's from groups popular in the 1990s. On the outskirts of the town there were two large truck stops, and a sheep pen that now was rarely used. There were two strategically placed Mega-Burgers along the main road guarding both the east and west side of the town. Lining the streets and filling the parking lots were massive double-cabin pick-up trucks and semi-tractor trailers that seemed to have been parked randomly. Some of the yards had Fortress America signs featuring the movement's favorite confrontational slogans.

Jacob talked about Longbow Crossing with a subdued tone of sarcasm that amused his passenger. He talked up the county seat as "our great metropolis" the two-story stone building used by the town's mayor and the county commissioners as "the grand palace of power". The muddy streambed was "the scenic waterway". There was a small city park that boasted sickly Dutch elm trees, sparsely planted grass, and a cracked empty fountain covered with dust and dry algae, known to him as "our nature reserve".

When Jacob drove Ruthie past the town's high school, the school mascot looked down at them. It was an image that already would have been changed almost anywhere else in the US, but it hung on in Longbow County. It was a caricature of a Native-American wearing a loincloth and holding a longbow. The creators didn't have much imagination: they had directly plagiarized their mascot's face from the one formerly used by the baseball team in Ohio. Jacob commented:

"We need to change that. We really need to change it."

"Uh... yeah, I'd say so."

"There's more to it than just the stereotyping. That whole thing's a lie. Even the county's name is a lie. They fucked up the name when they fucked up the history."

"How do you mean?"

They were just a couple of blocks from the community college, but Jacob suddenly made a sharp right turn and drove towards the stream. He got out. Ruthie, not knowing what else to do, climbed out of her seat and jumped to the ground. Following Jacob's lead, she looked across the muddy water towards the partially forested hills in the distance.

"Longbow's a fucked up name. It should be 'Long's Bow'."

"Long's Bow?"

"Yeah. Here's the story. When they were setting up the fort, they couldn't find enough wood along the stream to make a decent stockade. The cavalrymen had to go into those hills to get more wood, but they didn't know what was up there. So, they were all trigger-happy. I guess I'd be too, in their shoes. You gotta remember, Sand Creek down in Colorado and the Sioux uprising over in Minnesota had just happened, so the guys setting up the fort were totally paranoid. Anyhow, a group of Native Americans came over on horses to see what was going on. The troops fired on 'em right away, but fortunately they were still too far off and they didn't get hit. They rode off, but one of 'em, a chief it turn out, dropped his bow. It was a nice one he used in ceremonies, so he was sorry to lose it. Anyhow, at the fort there was a private called Abraham Long. Long was the son of a scout, and the story among the men was that he was what they called a 'half-breed', which meant his dad was white and his mom was Native. It was an insult, obviously. Anyhow, Long told the garrison commander that he spoke some of the native languages, and he might be able to strike some sort of deal with the local tribe. So, he picked up the bow and, completely by himself, rode out to the hills to look for the group that had run off. He actually found them, and gave the bow back to the chief. So he and the chief go back to the fort. Mind you, everyone there thought Long was gonna get himself killed, but no, after a couple of weeks here he comes, very much alive, with that chief riding next to him. So, with Long translating, the chief and the garrison commander strike a deal. What exactly was in that deal? The commander handed over a horse as a peace offering, but other than that we don't know, 'cause of what came afterwards. But the garrison collected the wood they needed, made it through the winter, and there were never any attacks. So, the place came to be known as Long's Bow Crossing, where Private Long crossed the stream and picked up the chief's bow."

"So, afterwards, what did happen? I take it that it didn't end well?"

"Nope. Sure didn't. But not because there was ever a fight. What happened was that some of the garrison, including Long, (who had gotten promoted) left for Denver and a new group came in to replace them. Problem was, some of the new guys had cholera. And... as luck would have it, that same week the chief and some of his men showed up to talk to the garrison commander. And, everyone got sick. It was really bad. It wiped out a third of the fort, but we think the tribe got it a lot worse. No one ever heard from them again, so it's safe to assume they had zero immunity."

"What about Long? Did he ever find out about it? The cholera, I mean?"

"Long died on the way to Denver. They got him buried over in Laramie."

"Cholera?"

"Probably, but no one knows for sure. There's no record of what happened to him, just that he died in Laramie."

"That's fucked up. So, what about name of Long's Bow Crossing?"

"They replaced the dead guys at the fort with another batch of cavalrymen. And at that time, prospectors were just starting to find silver. So, they shortened the settlement's name to Longbow Crossing. And everyone forgot about Abraham Long, which sucks, 'cause if it weren't for him, the garrison probably wouldn't have made it through the first winter. That's why that mascot's so fucked up. If they had a picture of Long, in his uniform holding a bow, that might work. But not what's there now."

"Sounds like it didn't work out for the Native Americans, if they all died."

"That happened a year later and it wasn't Long's fault. He tried to do the right thing, for everyone. The garrison and the town at least, made it because of him. And, if you read the diaries of the some of the men stationed here, I think it did change their attitudes. It certainly did for the garrison commander."

Ruthie was about to suggest returning to the Behemoth and finish the trip to pick up the supplies, when Jacob added a detail that impressed her, not about Abraham Long, but about Jacob himself. There was a lot about how he looked at life that she didn't agree with, but he did have his own strong values, of seeking the truth and wanting "to do the right thing".

"A couple of years ago, when I was in the History Club, we tried to pass around a petition to change the school's name to Abraham Long High School, to correct the record and give that guy some credit. I mean, think about it. He was a far better soldier than anyone else in that fort. If you think about the mentality in those days, everyone calling him a 'half-breed' and all that... I'd imagine he caught hell from the other guys. And yet, he risked his life for them, for his unit and for our country. And, in a way, for the tribe too, by trying to keep the peace. He put the needs of the others above his own, even though they probably didn't like him. To me, that's a true soldier. Around here they keep talking about patriotism, but they don't remember Abraham Long. When you think about the risk he took and what he achieved for the garrison, he's a bigger patriot than all the rest of us put together."

"What happened to the petition?"

"Nothing. The school board blew it off. But, at least we made some people aware of how things got started here, of the first year when one soldier managed to stop a war. And in the end, we did get support from some history bloggers and the dean of the college."