Entry 29: Pitchforks and Pyromania

When Bill Featherstone discovered the secret port he rushed back as quickly as he could to his home in Anorien. When he got home, he rested for four days (whilst helping out on the farm) before setting off for the village of St. Raphael.

When he got there he found a crowd of people that was hanging around the gates of the church with nothing better to do.

`Oi, listen up every body!'

` `ere it's that ole Bill Featherstone. Wonder what `e up to?'

` Prolly `arpin on about his latest guide book o' `is. Loik anyone wants to go trampin' about in them forests getting sat upon by drop bears.'

General laughter from the rough crowd ensued.

`Now, don' you go laffin' at me. Oi've got sum terrible noos.'

` O, my my, terrible noos, that does sound bad.'

More laughter.

`You don' understand. There's a port up north. An' factries an' e'rythin'. Way up pas' Enbourne.'

`Up pas' Enbourne? I tell ya there's nowt up there but a load a trees.'

`Seriously. `m tellin' ya.'

`Roight Bob. `E sounds like he's serious. It's toime to get your `ome made explosives out. It looks loik we've got some work to do.'

And so they did. 

What would happen to the industries, now that the pitchfork crowd had gained control?

Entry 28: School's In

This is Broadoak. Broadoak was founded in the year 1914. It has grown a lot in that time. Today, it is a small riverside farming community.

This is Broadoak's school. It was built a year after the founding of the village to keep the young 'uns occupied during the day. Unfortunately, it has only one classroom and can no longer support the educational needs of the village. Not only are there more students to teach, they are starting to need more than primary education.

  

It was decided that a new, larger school be built to accommodate the needs of the village. This school had to be much larger than the original one. Given the build time, it was decided that the new school should be on a different site to the old one, so that the students could continue being taught while the building was taking place. A site was chosen on a radial road near the centre of the village.

 

First, the area was cleared of trees.

After that, the ground was levelled so construction could begin.

 

 The school was made simply, being just a wooden framed building featuring a few classrooms. The build still took a few months to complete however.

Entry 27: A Walk in the Woods

This is Bill Featherstone. He's the Oak River region's premier hiker and cartographer.

He's been travelling the region for years, charted hills and dales, mountains and valleys. He's sailed to islands to view lonely beaches and converse with stranded whales.

Let's join him on his latest journey, heading north from the village of Cakebread, the edge of known civilisation.

He starts out from the farm tended by his son, Geoff.

He travels through distant forests.

  

He hikes by ponds and steams.

He boldly goes where no man has gone before. Except they have... What's this road doing here?

 

Bill followed the road and found a bustling port. This is the port that the mine and the lumber yard truck all of their goods to, before shipping it overseas.

There was only one thing left for Bill to do. He had to get back to Oak River and inform everyone else.

A ploppable problem

I'm attempting to introduce some streams to my region. The problem with this is that it is difficult. There are three main types to choose from. The large surface water set of Jeronij and the stream and pond sets of Pegasus and Diggis. Manipulating the terrain to make the streams look nice is hard work and I'm trying to fit this around filling out applications which is taking most of my spare time.

Oak River page updated

I've updated the Oak Rive page. It was quite out of date. I've now included all entries in the list and have updated the satellite and transport maps of the main area.

I've also updated the pop and wealth stats to 1925. Dart River has slipped down the list in population terms behind Anduin and Sarah's Cove. However, it still remains the industrial powerhouse with more industrial jobs than any other city. It's this industry that causes it to be the richest city. The high tax income and low expenditure mean that they are making money quickly, though as services come in the differential will decrease.

Entry 26: What have you done for me lately?

It's been 25 Game Years since the region started. In that time, since the first settler, the population grew to 39,790. Farming and industry have taken off. Mines have been found and trees have been chopped.

 Let's have a look at how it's grown.

The first image is of the whole region in 1905. You can't see much, but it gives the whole context.

Now we zoom in to a close up of 1907.  In the first 7 years the region only grew to 627 people, and the villages are small and relatively isolated and surrounded by the forbidding forest. The first small industry appears on the banks of the Dart River.

By 1915 the farms had started to spread and shipping had become an industry, leading to the founding of new port villages.

 

By 1920 the first railway line had been built.

Finally, by 1926 farming has expanded so rapidly, that cornfields were more common than trees in some areas.

 

Entry 25: Grinding Axes

It was not just the settlers of the Oak River region that were interested in the land. Various big foreign businesses, and business minded individuals (who were also inclined to be big) had heard of the promise of the land. There were jewels to be had, great big pearls and lumps of gold just sitting by the road. This may or may not be true, but what was certainly true was the fact that there are a lot of trees. And trees mean lumber. And lumber means big profits.

So it was that Woody Woodson set up his logging company. The original inhabitants of Oak River were not even aware of the operation.

He built a small docks, and houses for his workers. The docks were temporary and to be used for immediate dispatch. The plan was to set up a road to the main coast and build a substantial docks there, but this would take time.

 

The machinery was moved in. Men stood around looking busy and occasionally chopped down trees.

They utilised the steam donkey technology, though they had planned on trying to get or invent better technologies.

The massive swathes of oak that covered the region were not of great interest to Woody. He was after the pines and other rare trees because that wood was selling for great profit.

The question is would Woody Woodson's wood company grow to great heights or would it be felled in its prime?

Entry 24: Bringing home the Bacon

The villagers of Revis Island and Revisham, with their organised grid system, were by far the most successful farmers in the whole region. Their produce was shipped to the mainland as well as being consumed nearer to home.

The villagers were pleased with their productivity but wanted a better way to showcase and sell their wares. Jim Snouter, one of the local pig farmers, in particular wanted to display joints of ham alongside his neighbour's turnips, hoping to attract new customers who could have the convenience of purchasing different types of food in one place - albeit from different vendors.

A site was chosen between the villages, allowing relatively easy access for each farmer. Next to the market, opportunistic businesses sprung up. A garage to repair the tractors and a Battery Hut to provide, ostensibly, batteries. Actually the Battery Hut just a cover for a gambling syndicate. Why they need a cover is up for debate. It's not like there are laws prohibiting gambling or police to enforce them.

Entry 23: To the manor born

`JEEVES! Jeeves. Where are you?'
`I'm here Lord Martlebury.'
`Jolly good. Get me a Revis Island Iced Tea please.'
`Certainly, my lord.'
`You know Jeeves, it really isn't boffo that I'm the only rich person in the region.'
`If you say so, my lord.'
`I jolly well do. It's so hard being surrounded by the common people.'
`I think I'll just give your drink an extra something, my lord.'
`If you must. That's the problem of owning this business. It makes me a lot of money but there's no one to share it with. I do miss society.'
`You could share it with your neighbours, my lord.'
`What an absurd suggestion Jeeves. We already make sure the grass around our properity is wonderfully fertilised. Even by the dusty streets. What more do they want? Paved streets for those awful bright blue cars that they drive?'
'Here you are my lord.'
'GAK! What did you put in it Jeeves?'
'Just a little extra somehing. Drink up, my Lord.'

Entry 22: Mine your own business

Want to know the solution to the problem of the mystery resources? Of course you do! Unbeknownst to most people but known to Mr Magnusson, a mining operation had been set up far to the north west of Dartacre. In fact, the mine was nestled in the mountains near a large lake. In 1920, a mining company, without any permissions from the fledgling and almost powerless authorities, set up its operations.

Renee and Edith Despard, who were keen bridge players, found coal and other precious resources in the hills.



They were able to set up a mining operation to extract the minerals. However, in order to work successfully they needed workers. They were a long way away from any settlements and so had to provide the housing for the workers.



Faraway was initially a small town but it grew as rapidly as the extractions from the mine. In 5 years, this small settlement far beyond Lake Despard (as it was now called) had grown in to a populous, but rather dusty, smelly and boring town.