The Emerald Virus

by Patrick Shea

  Will had no trouble finding work as a blacksmith since many of the skilled craftsmen were in the armies of the Union gearing up for the war with the South which had recently started. Blacksmiths were in high demand in the city, as were factory workers who would work in these boon times created by war. Johanna found work as a seamstress in one of many new factories making uniforms for the Union Army.

  Accordingly, they could afford to rent their own very small flat but both of them hated tenement living. They had never lived in or actually seen a big city in their lives, and living with so much filth in such crowded conditions was a high price to pay.

  Will had listened to talk of the Western Territories since he had arrived in America. It was exciting, it was wild, it was dangerous, and land was cheap, but only for those courageous enough or desperate enough make the move. He and Johanna talked about finding something better almost every evening. Twelve-hour days’ working in dank, hot conditions was not their goal. While they felt good about finding work and actually saving money, they knew New York would be a temporary home.

  Cheap land in the West seemed like a dream. But what an incentive the land had become for tens of thousands of European immigrants. Under the Preemption Act of 1841 a person could purchase a plot of 160 acres for as little as two hundred dollars. This far exceeded anything possible if they stayed in the existing United States, but it came with a price, such as traveling through the Indian territories.

  In December of 1861 Johanna had a miscarriage with their first child. She was shattered, and Will blamed the miscarriage on the terrible working and living conditions. The thought of losing Johanna during another difficult pregnancy scared Will to the point where he decided they were better off taking their chances in the west than in New York city. They decided to use their time to prepare for the trip west. They would be ready to leave by the end of winter.

  Abraham Lincoln was now the President and he had promised to pass the Homestead Act if elected. The bill was now making its way through congress and Will hoped it would pass soon. The Act would allow him to claim 160 acres of public land simply by filing a claim with a local Land Office and then living on and improving the land for five years. The other requirement was that you must want to be a U.S. citizen.

  Will and Johanna were studying hard and hoped they could attain citizenship before they started their western journey. They left New York in February of 1862, the day after they had been sworn in as U.S. citizens. They were jubilant as they traveled by train to St. Louis and then by the steamboat ‘Radnor’ to Independence, Missouri. They purchased a wagon, mules, one horse, supplies, and tools for their new home. They carried a few personal belongings but had no furniture other than two chairs and a table they thought would be useful on the trip. Will was fortunate to find a wagon train to the Western Territories that was in need of a blacksmith. The wagon master allowed Will and Johanna to join his group without payment and Will agreed to provide his skills where needed. This would prove to be mostly in the area of repairs to wagons and wagon wheels, and of course shoeing mules and horses.

  Their goal was to settle in the newly established Washington Territory. This new territory had been broken out from the original Oregon Territory and was made up of the northern and eastern parts of the original territory. Will and Johanna knew northern weather, and wanted to stay with what they knew.

  By the time they left Independence they knew the Homestead Act of 1862 had passed. This was important not only for the free land but because it meant other family members could join them and lay claim to adjacent land. They only had to find a place with a lot of unoccupied land. They knew this meant living away from current settlements.

  In the ensuing months of the trip they had ample opportunity to talk about what to expect with other pioneers making the trip, as well as with the trail boss and scouts who led the way for them. By the time they reached Fort Laramie in what was to become the Wyoming Territory, they were concerned with the stories of tens of thousands of pioneers who had preceded them to the Oregon and Washington Territories, and they were concerned if there would be any land left. Large groups of pioneers had been following the Oregon Trail west since 1843, and smaller groups before that.

  During their brief layover at Fort Laramie Will visited a local blacksmith to buy additional supplies for his work. While there he listened to a discussion between three rough looking men and the shop owner about the trip back to a cattle ranch north of Fort Laramie in the eastern part of the Washington Territory. Will joined the conversation as they talked about skills needed in what was to become first in 1864 the Montana Territory, and then in 1889 the state of Montana. It seemed that the ranch the cowboys worked was in need of a good blacksmith since the last one had died of cholera.

  Will and Johanna decided that this land of mountains, rivers, valleys and rangeland would be ideal. By the end of the week they left the wagon train and headed north with the cowboys to the Judith River. The river was named by William Clark, of Lewis and Clark, for Julia ‘Judith’ Hancock, whom Clark would later marry.

  While the trip north was difficult, the only problem they encountered on this part of the journey was passing up so much beautiful land along the way. Johanna cried when they crossed the Yellowstone River and decided to continue north. When they arrived at the ranch they asked detailed questions about the area, and more importantly, about the best place to claim. While Will was willing to work as a blacksmith to help get started, he had every intention of starting his own farm and ranch. The ranch was glad to get a blacksmith at least temporarily, and had already sent for a new blacksmith from back east. They were hoping he would arrive late the next year.

  Will laid claim to a plot of land on the Judith River northwest of Lake Ackley. He liked the land because from the river the land rose quickly to a meadow suitable for building a home and then widened quickly to the forests on either side. On the south end of the land the valley narrowed into a box canyon. From the north wall of the canyon you could look over most of the land and see the river in the distance.

  Will measured what he guessed to be 160 acres and described the boundaries using the old metes and bounds system, which required describing geographical or topographical features to mark the edges. While the township system was much more accurate, the central part of the Montana Territory would not be surveyed until 1867 & 1868 by Civil War General Solomon Meredith.

  Starting the next year, members of both of their families joined them, although neither set of parents ever made the trip to Montana. Five brothers of Will and Johanna would claim land adjacent to his, and the families would establish themselves on almost 800 acres of prime farmland and rangeland. The beauty of Montana and the richness of the land more than made up for the difficult winters.

  Sunday: On the Judith River

  It was near sundown and Will Klein sat on his horse and looked out over the valley from the south wall. On the south end it was more of a canyon than a valley but it opened up quickly as you moved north. Will had used this location many times in the past to look at the ranch that had belonged to his family for generations. He had always planned to pass the land to Sam when the time was right. He thought briefly of his great- great- grandparents Will and Johanna Klein and the hardships they had endured so long ago, and the legacy they had left for their descendants. Will had read the family diary of the trip west, and of establishing the Blue Wolf Ranch.

  As he had for most of his sixty-two years, he came here whenever he wanted to think things through. This was also the spot where his great- great- grandfather, his namesake, had first seen the blue wolf.

  While there had always been talk in the area about whether or not the blue wolf actually existed, Will knew it had. He had seen the wolf himself. The first time was in 1972 after his second tour in Vietnam. When he was discharged from the Marine Corps he had come home to the ranch. All he wanted was to work and work hard. He had just completed two combat tours and he was tired of being miserable most of th
e time; tired of seeing friends killed and wounded; tired of being both shot at and shot; and tired of being tired. He had done his duty and he was done with war.

  He worked hard that first spring. Although he loved to be on horseback, he spent more time in the Jeep than he would have liked. He realized that if he was going to survive in the future running a working ranch he needed to be efficient, and while horses were a critical part of ranching, they were not always the most efficient answer.

  After working through the spring and summer he enrolled in Montana State University in Bozeman for the fall term. Both his folks supported this, although neither of them had attended college. They were not yet ready to turn the ranch over to Will, and he was not yet ready to take it. Learning as much as possible about modern ranching and farming seemed to be a smart thing to do.

  While he was less than fully confident about getting through college, he also knew that most of the college educated officers he met while in the Marine Corps didn’t seem smarter than he was, just more knowledgeable. He wanted to try college, and he wanted to take advantage of the G.I. Bill. He felt after two combat tours and three purple hearts that he had earned that right. Mostly though, he wanted to better manage the ranch in the future, and both he and his folks believed that the Agricultural Business program at MSU would help insure the ranch would stay profitable in the future.

  He would become the first person in his family to graduate from college and although he rarely mentioned it, he always felt good about the accomplishment. He also knew that that he would provide his kids the opportunity to attend college, no matter what. He had learned a lot at MSU and not all of it came from books.

  As the shadows lengthened and day turned to dusk Will stepped down off his horse, removed his bedroll to sit on, a thermos of coffee, and his Winchester 30.06 rifle. Will had long since given up hunting, but he had a great deal of respect for the wildlife found in central Montana. Whether he traveled the high country by horse or by Jeep he was always armed. You never knew when you might stumble upon an animal like a bear, a snake or a cougar. Although wild animals shied away from people, you just didn’t know what would happen if you surprised one of them.

  And he was looking for a wolf this evening, as he did a handful of evenings each year during the late summer. He often wondered when he would see the blue wolf again. It had been more than thirty years since his only encounter and he wanted to see the animal one more time. He realized that that this was now a very unlikely event since if the news reports of the Emerald Virus were true, time was running out, but he had to try at least one or two more times.

  As Will settled in he caught a movement off to the left, about halfway up the west wall of the canyon. When he looked closely he didn’t see a thing, but still he felt a chill go up his spine. He hoped it was for a good reason. He would continue to use the binoculars to scan the entire canyon, but he would pay close attention to the west wall.

  Now that he was settled in he began to think about the pending crisis. He still couldn’t get his arms around the thought that the entire world was in jeopardy. How could something like this happen? How could every hope and dream he had for himself and for Sam suddenly go away? How could God let this occur? And yet he knew as a Christian that God did not owe him an explanation and would not provide one. Still he couldn’t help but wonder.

  After a couple of minutes he put these thoughts away and, as always, focused on the practical side of the problem. He knew from early reports about the Emerald Virus that there would be survivors and it seemed some of them had to be from this part of the country. He thought the only thing to do was to help prepare these survivors for whatever was to come. He also wondered who the lucky ones were; those who would die from the Emerald Virus or those who would survive.

  He was deep in thought when a movement to his left brought him back to the present. It was twilight now. The sun had dropped below the horizon but there was ample light to see. Sitting about a hundred yards away, on the west face of the canyon, sat a large black wolf. The wolf seemed to be pure black, although there might be a hint of grey fur on its chest. What Will could clearly see was the light reflected off the slate canyon walls behind the wolf helped surround the animal in a distinct blue aura. Or maybe it was the light on the wolf itself. There was no way to say for sure from this distance.

  Will was shocked almost to the point of flinching, although he managed to stay still. The wolf was sitting and looking at Will just as Will was sitting and looking at the wolf. Will thought the wolf looked imperial, and he thought that was exactly how the blue wolf should look. He believed that this animal had to be a descendent of the blue wolf the first Will Klein had seen at this site. Will thought it was ironic that he would see this descendent on his last visit here.

  He wondered how many generations had passed between the first wolf and this one. While Sam was the sixth generation of his family to live here, it must be many more generations for the wolf. He smiled at the thought as he and the wolf continued to look at each other.

  Now the wolf looked away toward the canyon floor and Will followed the gaze until he too saw the grey female walking toward the west wall. She walked purposefully to the wall and began her climb on trails that were ancient and well used. She weaved in and out of various rock outcroppings as she disappeared and reappeared. She joined the blue wolf and sat and looked up at Will. Wolves mated for life and these two looked like they had been created for each other. It was one of the more magnificent sights Will had ever seen.

  Neither wolf seemed concerned about Will’s presence in their world, but he knew the second he moved both animals would disappear. He thought the wolves were simply waiting for him to leave so they could continue their current mission, whatever that might be.

  As the light dimmed and the aura around the blue wolf began to fade, Will knew this memory would stay with him for whatever amount of time he had left. He felt that seeing the male and female together was a good omen, although what good might be left in the world was hard for him to imagine.

  It was time to go home. Will stood up and began to pack his belongings onto his horse. When he looked a last time at the wall both wolves were gone.

  On the ride back to the ranch Will thought about his daughter Sam and the sheer joy she had brought into the family. Sam had been born 32 years ago and from the time she started first grade she insisted on being called Sam rather than Samantha. It took some months for Will to discover that there was another Samantha in Sam’s first grade class and Sam did not care for her, hence the change to Sam.

  Contrary to the plan, Sam was an only child. Katie had a difficult delivery and for some reason could not conceive again. However, Sam was such a handful as a child that Will and Katie quickly gave up on their plans to have four kids and focused on trying to keep up with the one with whom they were blessed. Will had to laugh to himself when he thought of his favorite quote. He could not remember who the quote was from but he loved the humor and truth of, “If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans”.

  Sam loved living on a ranch. She learned to ride starting at age five and had loudly disapproved about having to wait so long. There was nothing about ranching she could not do. She worked as hard as any ranch hand and was better than most of them with horses and cattle. Her father had taught her how to shoot over the years starting with small caliber rifles as a child and moving to larger caliber rifles and hand guns in her teenage years. Will thought she was probably a better shot than he was. She could use a lariat, drive a tractor or a truck; brand cattle and horses; repair fence lines and do about anything else needed on the ranch.

  Sam was as tough as any boy during grade school and that did not change in high school. Some were larger and some were stronger, but none were tougher. Sam wasn’t even aware of this; it was simply part of her life.

  Will knew when Katie died of cancer during Sam’s sophomore year in high school his world was about to fall apart. Sam made sure he was wrong. Although gri
ef stricken over the loss of her mother, she understood what was needed. Will knew at that point how special his daughter was, not just as a daughter or as a ranch hand, but as a person.

  That understanding changed to a conviction as he watched her continue to grow. She finished high school at the top of her class and went on to Montana State University where she attained a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering, a degree she planned to use in modernizing the ranch which had grown to almost three thousand acres over the years.

  Sam returned home from MSU and worked the ranch with Will for two years. Together they honed Sam’s knowledge of ranch management and running the business and came to the conclusion that Sam should pursue a Master’s degree. She returned to Montana State and completed an M.S. degree in Land Rehabilitation. Now, the goal was for Sam to take over the ranch in the near term.

  Will had hoped Sam would be married by then and that he would be a grandfather. Sam had dated a little in high school; and Will knew she had dated a couple of young men while at college, but nothing that ever seemed serious. Sam, at five foot seven inches with a slender build was attractive. She had an unusually light complexion, at least for Montana, with green eyes and raven black hair that Will thought would lighten over time but never did. However, last year as she completed her Masters she met a young man that might be the one. She hadn’t said too much about him but she invited him to the ranch one weekend to meet her father and some friends and neighbors they had invited to a typical ranch barbeque. Will was surprised Sam had invited a man to the ranch, and even more surprised that he liked Ned.

  Ned was an even six feet tall, and was a bit lanky; he had straight dark hair and a nice smile. In general he was a quiet and studious kind of person.

  Will thought the two of them could make an interesting couple, but he knew better than to act too curious. Sam, if nothing else, was as stubborn and independent as any person he knew. The more he asked the less likely she was to tell him, at least in the beginning.