America 1883: The Western Homeland

Chapter 163 Paradise Valley: Turning Wasteland into Farmland

The office was tucked away on the second floor of a brick building on Livingston’s main street, completely inconspicuous.

The dark wooden door had only a brass plaque nailed to it, simply engraved with the cold, hard words "National Detective Agency".

Pushing open the door, the interior was dimly lit, with heavy, dark velvet curtains blocking most of the sunlight.

The solid wood desk was littered with telegram documents, a map of Montana territory, and a bulky brass telegraph machine.

The walls were dominated by huge safes and oak cabinets crammed with files; the only decoration was a Winchester rifle hanging on the wall, its metal barrel gleaming coldly in the dim gaslight.

The entire space was silent and oppressive, with each item resembling a weapon waiting to be drawn.

Tom was invited into the office.

Behind the desk sat the Pinkerton representative in Livingston, a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in a well-pressed suit, showing no trace of his former military service. This demeanor inexplicably reminded Tom of Frank, who also loved wearing suits and was also a retired soldier.

"Hello, how can I help you?" the person in charge asked.

"I need intelligence," Tom said bluntly.

"What kind of intelligence?"

"Talent who can come to the west, or who are already here. Teachers and professors are given priority, preferably those with knowledge of agriculture, animal husbandry, or medicine."

Upon hearing this, the person in charge's eyes flickered slightly: "You mean, you want to recruit these people to work for you?"

Tom nodded.

He is severely understaffed, lacking manpower in every aspect.

There is simply no way to find decent professionals in the nearby towns alone.

"I welcome anyone with any skill level as long as they come to Montana; salary is not an issue."

"Excuse me, but what is your main area of ​​expertise?"

"Raising cattle, farming," Tom said, meeting the scrutinizing gaze. "But what I do is different from others. If you can help me find people, we can cooperate long-term."

He paused briefly, then added, "For example, the transportation of valuables, such as gold bars and livestock, can all be entrusted to you."

A hint of disdain flashed across the person in charge's face. Did a rancher really need so many people? How many "valuable items" could he possibly have?

"It's hard to say about long-term cooperation at the moment," the person in charge said reservedly. "What we can do right now is to help you gather information on relevant talent."

This is a polite way of declining.

Tom didn't press the issue: "Okay, let's gather intelligence first."

Back in Paradise Valley, Tom called Cooper into his office: "Buy the items according to the list, and then post these GGs out."

Cooper took the item, glanced at it, and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Tom called after him, "Cooper, can you read?"

Cooper quickly shook his head; he came from a poor, remote area and had no opportunity to learn to read.

"Go ask around outside if anyone can read."

Cooper hurried out, and soon returned alone.

"What's going on?" Tom looked up at him.

"They can't read—" Cooper reported helplessly, "There isn't a single cowboy on the ranch who can read."

Tom's heart sank; he had guessed correctly.

He pondered for a moment, then decisively ordered, "Send someone to the hot spring inn to bring back that literate cowboy."

Cooper turned and left.

When he returned, he was followed by a young cowboy. Although he was called young, he was only slightly younger than the group of veterans.

"You can read?"

"Yes!"

"Cooper, take him shopping, then stick the GG sticker on Livingston!" Tom gave the order and waved his hand, and the two left!

Tom had Cooper post a job ad that said all kinds of talent were needed!

Spring is approaching, and both ranches and farms need manpower.

The railway company’s professional reclamation team arrived at Paradise Valley at 6:00 a.m.

This team of 24 professionals is equipped with a full set of industrialized agricultural implements, including 12 heavy-duty steppe plows, 72 specially trained Angus oxen, and auxiliary equipment such as harrows, plows, and rollers.

Foreman Wilt, a seasoned veteran, immediately summoned the team leaders to assign tasks.

Land clearing has begun.

The eight firefighters were divided into four groups and began to control the burning along the firebreaks marked with lime.

Using specially made long-handled igniters, they advanced slowly eastward at a rate of ten yards per ten minutes.

Fueled by the northwest wind, the flames formed a neat wall of fire, completely clearing away the dry grass and shrubs from the ground.

The entire burning process lasted four hours, eventually revealing a charred black expanse of land, exposing the tangled layers of grass roots underneath.

At 10:30 a.m., the plowing officially began.

Twelve heavy-duty ploughing plows, each pulled by six oxen, were arranged in a trapezoidal pattern along a pre-marked route.

Each plow is equipped with one master plowman and two assistants. The master plowman is responsible for controlling the depth of the plowshare into the soil, while the assistants are responsible for driving the cattle and clearing the grass roots tangled on the plow.

The plowshare is forged from special steel and penetrates the soil to a depth of ten to twelve inches, capable of completely tearing apart the meadow layer.

At 1 p.m., the soil breaking operation started on time.

The twelve members of the Ten-Crushing Team were divided into six two-person groups and used eighteen-pound wrought iron rakes to carry out the initial Ten-Crushing.

The eight leveling team members then used pickaxes to work on the particularly hard rocks, and after each section was completed, they used rakes to perform fine leveling.

Meanwhile, four specialized grass root cleaners used specially made long-handled iron forks to collect the uprooted grass roots, and then...

The oxcarts transported the waste to the designated incineration site.

On the west side of the construction site, the blacksmith team set up a complete temporary workshop.

It includes two forging furnaces, a hydraulically driven grinding machine, and a complete set of tool repair equipment.

The assembly line consisted of three blacksmiths and two apprentices: the first person was responsible for checking the wear and tear of the tools, the second person carried out heat treatment, and the third person completed the final polishing.

All plowshares are thoroughly inspected every half hour to ensure they are always in optimal working condition.

Foreman Wilt rode his special patrol horse to patrol the entire work area.

He used different colored flags to direct the coordination of the various groups: a red flag indicated a need to speed up, a blue flag required a change in direction, and a yellow flag indicated a need for technical support.

Each group is equipped with a bugler who reports progress to the command center using a specific bugle call rhythm.

The logistics support system consists of five dedicated supply vehicles.

Supplies are delivered four times a day: tools and parts needed for the day are delivered in the early morning, drinking water and food are delivered at 9:00 a.m., afternoon tea is delivered at 1:00 p.m., and fuel needed for the next day is delivered before sunset.

The food allowance is two pounds of beef, one pound of bread, and half a pound of vegetables per person per day, plus one ounce each of coffee and sugar.

Land reclamation is being carried out according to a strict grid division.

The entire 300-acre land was divided into twelve 25-acre units, each of which was further subdivided into 100 lots.

A marker flag was immediately planted at each completed section of land reclamation.

There were three rainfall events during the work period.

During light rain, the team used anti-slip equipment to continue working, but reduced the plowing depth to six inches.

During moderate rain, the focus shifts to tool repair and skills training.

During the heavy rain, everyone was evacuated to the camp, and all metal equipment was treated to prevent rust.

The entire reclamation process lasted 22 working days, and the final land leveling met the standards for cultivation, with soil particles smaller than two inches.

Successfully delivered and accepted!

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