Lenoir

Courthouse Rocks

As they got closer to what looked like a lonely spire, it split in the distance into two distinct structures. The "Courthouse" being the larger and the "Jailhouse" the smaller of the two. The area had once been covered in gravel and sand, uplifted in the birth of the Rocky Mountains. Then the mountains added volcanic ash to the mix. These loose materials eroded away to become valleys. Remnants of an eroded plateau, the rocks rose 240 ft above Pumpkin Creek.

The creek provided fish and irrigation for grass good enough for grazing. If one was still by the water they might see a variety of animals, large and small, coming to drink. Deer, cougar, raccoons, birds, rabbits. It was as good a place as any to set up a snare or small trap line while they waited for their oxen to graze and rested or worked on the numerous tasks that always needed done or redone.

The rocks were a bustling crossroads, where the Oregon and California Trails merged. However, the structures were much further from the trail than first realized. They heard stories from men returning who said the old castle looked like it sat only a couple miles into the wild, but it was more like 12 miles from where they were camped. They still seemed impressed with themselves for having carved their names on the rock, for having touched such a totem of their manifest destiny.

It was hot and dry, Lenoir was sweltering even in the early morning's light. After dinner last night she had traded with another woman, a jar of preserves for eggs for breakfast. Lenoir wished, again, that they had brought chickens, but Clarence was very sure that he could hunt enough meat to make up for eggs. He brought less lbs of food than some other wagons, but more guns and ammunition. He didn't take in account that eggs were nice for baking. He only thought of them as fried or scrambled.

She had become very proficient at throwing together Johnnycakes and bacon served with milk. Or porridge made from cornmeal. Rice could be a desert with a little sugar and spice. Much of her cooking was similar to what her father would have wanted her to cook, but modified for an open fire and dutch oven.

She had been craving salt lately, maybe it was the baby or maybe something to do with her diet and dehydration. She decided to make bacon and fried potatoes with buttered bread. For lunch there would be fried fish if Clarence caught any, and perhaps rabbit stew for dinner if one was unlucky enough to walk into one of the snares.

Clarence prayed over their meal and ate breakfast. Shoveling the last of the potatoes into his mouth he nodded to his wife and stood.

"Thank you, wife. I will be off to find the fish." He said, placing his hat on his head and marching off with his pole and a box of tackle and bait.

A few other men went with him, one of them bringing two young sons that looked about nine years old. Clarence enjoyed showing the boys how to set rabbit snares and tie a hook to line. He had a fine pole made of pieces of bamboo laminated together with metal guides for the line along the length of the pole. It had a reel that was modern for the day and he was quite proud of it.

It was a good day for Clarence. He got to imagine what it would be like teaching his own sons how to fish and hunt. In addition he brought Lenoir six trout, two rabbits, and a bouquet of flowers.

She hung the flowers upside down to dry and congratulated her husband on his fine days work. She would have loved to kiss him, but she had a lot to do with cleaning and preparing lunch and dinner. She would start the stew while preparing lunch. Part of the rabbit meat and fish would get smoked and saved as well. It was a lot of prep work before the cooking even started.