N Gauger's Time Travel Challenge

[N Gauger]

When I was growin' up in the southern Kentucky Mountains... My Father always told us to never take things for what they are... Always look at something as having different reasons for "being"

For instance, that chair over there - it can be used to sit on, to climb on to clean the ceiling, and to hang your coat on (the back). Yep, My dad (Rest his soul) waz a smarty!!! He would attribute this to my Great Grandfather.

He would tell us this story time and time again.........................

(Part 1)
Your Great-Grandfather first settled here in the late 1800's he built this house with his own hands and a few friends... He lived well into the 40's He saw much, said little and dreamed a lot. That's what you should do - always dream, always look and learn.. don't speak too much.....

Him and your Grandfather, would hike all through the mountains, hunting, fishing, or just talking... They saw the start of something big... Grandpaw knew in his vision, that it was the futue of this great U.S. ... Something that would help a bunch, hurt a few and kill many all at the same time.... It was someting to be revered and at the same time respected, for it would change lives time and time again................

 

[N Gauger]

............. The Railroads...........

Grandpa could see what was happening, towns growing larger day to day as people came down from the north and started settling here and there... Well, one day in the 20's Your Great Grandfather and his son were hunting.. The Son hit a deer with an arrow - and it ran!!!

Ran like the wind..... Well they waited a bit - maybe an hour - and started tracking it.. It ran further up into the mountains... They walked for more than an hour - seeing blood here and there.... and finally they came upon a site that changed your Grandpa's and Great Grandpaw's lives forever...........

 

[N Gauger]

It was an abandoned steam engine frame, this was about 1927 and there had been railroads all over The Blugrass State.. But as far as they knew, none had stopped running... The track was mostly intact as well as the wheels and the frame, but there was no boiler, no cab.. just the frame.......

Great-Grandpa just looked... he said: "Son, lets go find the buck, then come back here in a bit"

They did find the deer and they did return to the engine frame a few days later....

 

[N Gauger]

Well, they took to trying to get the ole' engine into a condition that would allow them to move it a bit, the tracks had to lead somewhere after all.....

Turns out - after working on it for a while, they did get it looking a bit nicer and Great Grandpaw had a mind that was always looking for a different use for a bunch of wheels and a steel frame....................................................

 

[Chessie6459]

Looking Good Mikey.:thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

 

[N Gauger]

Soon they had a few friends helping them... Grandpaw and his crew had started building something grand

 

[spitfire]

Oh yeah Mikey - that's looking gooooooooood!!!!!! :thumb:

Val

 

[N Gauger]

Thanks

 

[N Gauger]

Well in 1931 -- 4 years after they found that frame in the woods..... (2 years after they go the boiler running) Grandpawpaw finally had what he wanted... A way to ride through the ol' Kentucky Hills......

 

[N Gauger]

Now we have taken some leave on the times of what was happening in the Great U.S. at that time... Prohibition...... You'll note my story has been "complimentary" so far...

Well, There's more...... The Widow Magillucuddy saw these pictures, we were building the story on.. and she phoned us on over to her house.......

She sat us down, gave us some sweet tea... and showed us what our family legacy really was......

Kid, (She said) Your grandpaw and his dad and their 2 friends were known all around these parts by folks and cops alike....

And they knew the cops too.... And the revenuers too... Your Great Grandpawpaw was one of the biggest moonshiners there wuz.....

I started laughing and said - Now I understand!!! Look at these pics!!!!

 

[N Gauger]

We were a-tryin' ta figgure out what the heck was connected to the boiler!!! It's his Still!!!!!

Widow Magillucuddy gasped!! Son - That's why they never found it - - it was part of that dang-fangled engine!!!

You never saw so many confusciated revenuers in your time.... All of them a running through the woods - chasing that horn (on the top of the steam tube) and that bell....

You kids hear how far the sounds travel through the woods... Your grandpaw and his father would torment them to no end!!

I had to stop her at this point and ask..... I guess we know what the branches on the roof are for - Camouflage...

She nodded and continued..... You know boys, They hid from them police and government agents forever... They were never caught - Mostly because the revenuers could never prove they had a still... But I'll tell ya - - I have one last picture... and i want you to tell me....

"Do you think 5 or 6 men with shotguns could stop this as it came for ya in the woods?!?!?!?!?

 

[N Gauger]

We all laughed at the thought of a few men with shotguns scared out of their wits by the sight of the engine/still

She took another sip of her tea and I realized I had been so involved with her every word, I had paid no attention to my own sweet tea.......

I sipped as she continued.........

Your Grandpawpaw died in his sleep - resting in peace... in Late March of 37... The train, 'till this day was never seen again... Your Grandpaw hid it good... He didn't want to be involved anymore in bootleggin' after all, your father and his family had anything and everything they wanted - just like you kids.....

The money isn't quite clean - but it's still money....

You kids ever hear the whistles blow around the springtime?????

---- We nodded ----

Well.... Sometimes - they say --- It's not the regular trains we're hearing...... They say that sometimes the engineers are warming up the trains... and "they" hear the whistle.... charging through the woods... Steaming along........ On the same abandoned track.. about the time your great Grandpawpaw would have passed on.....

Next year - pay attention to it - - you never know.......

We thanked her and left....... We learned a lot that day about our personal history.....

.............. Now - we're waiting for March to come again..................

 

[Cannonball]

Great story!
Not just for the contest either.
I think it would make a great movie plot with the right narrator.

 

[N Gauger]

Great story!
Not just for the contest either.
I think it would make a great movie plot with the right narrator.

Thanks - Yeah - it would be a good twilight zone episode