(One of several beavers that have been sighted around the Beaver Crossing area. Why have they returned after all these years?)
On a whim I decided to double back on Highway 81, passing back through Benedict just in time to catch their well known daily walking of the World War Two Veterans. It is quite an honor for young scouts of both the Cub and Boy variety, and even the occasional Webelos, to have the opportunity to lead these fine citizens on their daily walk from Coot's Western Omelet Shack to the entrance to the Benedict Arms Apartments where the majority of them live out their final days. This quarter mile trek is often viewed by the majority of the town who salute with a healthy dose of both vim and vigor as the old soldier's pass. I never served in the military due to my wandering spleen and have always regretted it.
I then headed east on Interstate 80 with Lincoln in my sights. But first I decided to make an unplanned stop in Beaver Crossing. I did this for two reasons. My hog was thirsty and so was I. I filled up the motorcycle at Lucky's Shell, home of the cleanest bathroom in Seward County or so the sign claimed, and walked a few blocks down the main drag to an old fashioned soda shoppe. I rested my aching buttocks on a red plastic covered revolving stool and ordered up a nectar soda from the jerk. He said it would be a minute so I opened up a greasy and well read book that was chained to the counter. "The History of Nebraska" was missing a number of pages but not the section on Beaver Crossing.
Beaver Crossing is a town rich with history. It's early days in the first decades of the 19th century were filled with hardships. The land that would become Beaver Crossing was positioned between two rival beaver colonies who had battled for superiority for centuries. Fuzzybottom, the eldest beaver and the leader of the upstart colony, at least they were young upstarts when the fight for supremacy first began around the time of Charlemagne, finally devised a plan to gain the advantage over the greybellies, or so they were called by the Fuzzybottom and his followers. Neither colony had any knowledge of exactly who Charlemange was other than what they had heard from visiting French-Canadian beavers on holiday to the area which was known for its fine selection of gourmet woods.
Fuzzybottom and his soldiers won the day and took control of the entire region but were soon slaughtered into extinction by the influx of humans into the area. A bustling town soon was established and the rest is history. Of late there has been talk amongst the few surviving beavers of the return of the beaver king who will rid their former homeland of the scourge of humanity. But beavers are well known for being prone to exaggeration so until more evidence surfaces the humans of Beaver Crossing will live their lives in the usual fashion. But a few are beginning to stockpile weapons and supplies in preperation for the future conflict.
My nectar soda came and was exactly what this grizzled old traveler needed. I was soon back on my hog and heading east towards Lincoln.
Sincerely,
Spooner Jenkins
No comments:
Post a Comment