Heaston Hill
Heaston Hill has swelled from a quiet one-horse town to a nonstop hive of activity (pop. 500+) in a short year. During the daylight hours it’s a whirlwind of weatherboard buildings going up, carts and wagons full of supplies rumbling hither and yon, windmills pumping creek water and powering machines, shopkeeps competing to hawk their wares, and hundreds of miners spending cash and ore. Tarrytown Bench—the “Headstone”—looms on the ridge above, a constant omen of the town’s fortunes, good and bad.
Seen from a distance at night, partly illuminated by the New Science, Heaston Hill appears both miraculous and terrible. Electric lights run up and down Main Street, imparting an unnatural gleam where they shine. Where they don’t shine, the shadows seem deeper and darker. And sometimes they move in unnatural ways...
Demographics
Heaston Hill’s population consists mostly of unattached miners, cowboys and loggers from the surrounding area, and employees of the businesses set up to serve them. There aren’t a lot of families living here yet. This makes for a wild-and-woolly, wide-open boomtown where people come and go as they like.
Industry & Trade
The long Civil War slowed the progress of railroads and settlements alike, but since the cessation of hostilities it’s all sped up again. Heaston Mining’s influence has been transformative. The company has installed electric lights on Main Street, donated a water pump for the Fire Department, and started a bank and newspaper. They even put in a baseball diamond for the local nine.
Infrastructure
Once an observer gets past the town’s sheer unstoppable industry, the odor becomes apparent—a miasma one newspaperman of the time termed, “The quintessence of putrefaction.” Sanitation is generally poor. Between the ever-present horses and the ox teams hauling logs, most of Heaston Hill’s streets are a foul mix of mud and dung. Stray dogs and pigs roam free, earning Marshal Wister a bounty every time he shoots one.
Districts
Chinatown is roughly bordered by First and Third Avenues to the east and west, and by Bridger and Smith Streets to the north and south. Across town, Creek Street’s predominantly black residents have opted for collective action and mutual aid in the face of any prejudice that arises.
The Red Light District along Third Avenue holds typically illegal joints like the gambling hall, a “ladies’ boarding house,” and a half-dozen back-alley opium dens. Laws surrounding “immoral” activities may be lax, but common decency demands a measure of restraint and delicacy. Marshal Wister (page 36) doesn’t pester these places, mostly because Mr. Heaston told him not to but also because the miners would riot. Saloons are found nearly everywhere in town, and they’re open 24 hours a day, seven days a week—including Christmas.
History
Back in 1878, Standish and Angel Epp left their home Back East in New York after their business failed. The journey took the intrepid pair across the Midwest to the Oregon Trail. They followed its rugged stretches west along the verges of Sioux country with the other settlers of their wagon train, finally arriving at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, in 1879.
They gazed on the high Uinta Mountains and knew they were finally home. Their Frontier Store and trading post thrived for several years and a town grew up around it.
City Ordinances
In addition to the regular laws for crims such as murder and cattle rustling, Heaston Hill has the following additional laws on its books. Firearms: It’s illegal to carry any firearm, concealed or otherwise, within city limits. Guns must be checked at a hotel, boarding house, saloon, or the marshal’s office on arrival and are returned upon departure ($10 fine/weapon, plus confiscation). Liquor: No establishment shall serve liquor on Sundays or election day ($150 fine). Conveyances: It’s illegal to ride a horse, mule, or any other conveyance faster than 6 MPH within city limits ($5–$10 fine), or to drive any ghost-rock– fueled conveyance or Infernal Machine within city limits between sunset and sunrise ($5–$10 fine). Nuisances: It’s illegal to toss the contents of a chamber pot or similar “filthy substances” into a street or alley ($5–$10 fine).Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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