JUST UP THE ROAD - ELKMONT HISTORY, PART 2

In days to come, Levi would bridle up his mule early each morning, scouting the surrounding areas while Gretchen and the boys stayed behind doing their daily chores. Levi soon discovered that the Elk River was only a mile or so from camp and soldiers were frequently patrolling the river banks looking for evidence of anyone crossing the river. After getting acquainted with the soldiers, he found out there was several settlements and there was a couple of trading posts about a day's ride from where they were camping.

Levi would occasionally kill a deer to supplement their food supply and was delighted to see so much wild game. There was Turkey, Deer, Elk, Black bear and a few Buffalo. Fur bearing animals were various and plentiful, including Mink, Fox, Beaver, Coon and Weasel. All would be major factors in making his decision to stay or move on.

Levi had a long day setting and running his snares and was on his way back to camp. Andrew ran up the trail to meet him all excited. "Papa, Papa, look what I found in the branch (creek)". Levi had seen it back east and at first he thought it to be fools gold but after biting into it, it was soft and malleable. He realized it was a gold nugget. "Son" he said, "Show me where you found this". They both ran to the branch. Levi scratched around in the rock crevices at the bottom of the pool using his bare hands and glimmering up at him was another nugget. This was all that Levi Simms needed to make his decision. "This is where we will stake our claim and make our home".

In days to come Levi had to resist the temptation of scratching around in the branch, he had to build a cabin for the family and shelter for his livestock before winter.  Over the next couple of months, the cabin and barn was erected. Now, they had a permanent house and livestock shelter for the winter ahead. In this period of time several families, drifters, some freed men and even Indians came thru Levi’s homestead but they were all encouraged to move on as he had claimed the rights to 640 acres and they would need to settle somewhere else. Levi and his family kept the secret about the gold, not daring to tell anyone.

After finishing his log home, Levi traveled to the river bottom one day and caught up with the soldiers on patrol, he asked them to mail a letter back East to his two younger brothers. The letter asked them to come west . "It’s a good place to live and you will do well. There is plenty of game and the soil is rich". (Mailing something in those days was not very reliable and very slow, sometimes taking two to three months to be delivered). But Levi had plenty of patience, being seasoned by the many months of wilderness travels and personal hardships.  Andrew and Herman began to take on more and more responsibilities and played a big role in the success of their new home. They cleared almost four acres of land at the lower end of the hollow, using a axe, mule and their hands.

 GARY COMPTON