Episode 5: Eastward Ho!

Finally time for some rest.  Got here to the Brickhouse yesterday mornin’.  George and Martha, they’s the owners, showed me around town and introduced me to some folks.  We went through all the ins and outs of the B & B last night.  Theys took off bright and early this morning.  Had a car come get ‘em to take ‘em to the St. Louis airport so they’s could lend me their four-wheel drive SUV, sos I can get out to the property.  They showed me the road.  It looked like an overgrown tree tunnel (excepts all the leaves is off the trees bein’s it’s January) covering a rocky path.  Dunno how long ago that was actually a road that was used.  They says there’s generations of stories about Cahoika Junction.  Some of them seem a bit on the scary side.  Speakin’ of scary.  It was a bit spooky bein’ here by meself this afternoon.  Even Sable didn’t stray too far from me.  She only ate when I put her dish down next to me.  Me son, Roy, got here a little bit ago.  He’s gonna stay here with me at the inn for the week.  Oh! Friday, I managed to find a number to the law office in St. Louis.  Apparently, they’s still goin’ one generation of lawyers after ta other in both their families.  Tomorra, Roy and me is drivin’ to the city to talk to them lawyers and find out more about the trust and the property.  I’m already determined to see it this week, even if it means trespassin’!  Not sure if I’s the clear owner or not.  At least we’ll find out tomorra.  Well, here’s some stuff I found out about the history of the place this afternoon when I cruised the internet and read some of Ma’s genealogy papers.

Cahoika Junction was founded in 1872 and named for the Indians that populated the area. This was a major trading post as it was known for the furs the fur traders brought and for the fancy wares the Indians made from the copper from the copper mine.  One of the original founders was my great, great, great, great grandad Homer Biddle who was born in 1842 and moved to the Cahoika area in 1870.  He’d married Esther in 1862.  They had three kids before arriving in the new territory.  Henrietta was born here late in 1870.  I guess since, she was born here, that’s how Homer decided to pass the inheritance on down to the third generation in her line.  Well, Henrietta married George in 1886, then they had my great-grandma, Lillie, in 1887.  Henrietta passed in 1919 and Homer a year later.  Apparently, Henrietta and George figured nothin’ was keepin’ them here since they weren’t goin’ to inherit the estate as they left for Kansas City and never returned.  Lillie had already left a few years earlier as she had married Lester Van Garden in 1907.  She met him when he came through town to purchase the fancy wares.  He was a rich farmer and business man from Hawthorne, Kansas.  Lillie was 33 when Homer passed and the only child of Henrietta and George.  Apparently, they may have  been a bit ticked that they didn’t get the inheritance ‘coz the attorneys didn’t catch up to Lillie until 1970. And as I said earlier, she passed a year after gettin’ the letter. 

Well, I reckon I’s better get some sleep.  Anxious about meetin’ the attorneys tomorra.  Figure they might be relations as one of them has the same last name as Homer.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *