{"id":12737,"date":"2003-10-23T07:49:38","date_gmt":"2003-10-23T11:49:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12737"},"modified":"2026-02-11T10:28:52","modified_gmt":"2026-02-11T15:28:52","slug":"ghost-wagons-by-ginnyf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=12737","title":{"rendered":"Ghost Wagons (by GinnyF)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 <\/strong>Tall tales?\u00a0Ghost Stories?\u00a0 Or did it really happen?<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (850 words)<\/p>\n

Ghost Wagons<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make sense. A whole wagon train — wagons and all — can\u2019t just disappear,\u201d Adam Cartwright remarked for at least the third time since he and his brothers had heard the tale.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The three Cartwright brothers had just delivered a small herd of cattle to Fort Churchill. They had supper in the mess hall which was abuzz with news about the raggedy, starved man who had stumbled into the fort the day before. Unfortunately, the man died, but he had managed to croak out the words \u201cWagons. Folks. Gone. All gone\u201d before he passed on.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

It was late in the season for a wagon train to be still on the east side of the Sierras, let alone one in trouble. A patrol had been sent out to search for any sign of the train. The patrol had not yet returned when the Cartwrights left the next morning.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The day was overcast and windy, and the mountains in the distance shrouded in dirty gray clouds.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cLooks like it\u2019s snowing up there,\u201d Joe commented.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah. It\u2019s gonna to be cold tonight with that wind comin\u2019 down off the mountains. Hoss grabbed his hat as an errant gust tried to grab it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam looked around at the rock-strewn landscape. \u201cWe should camp here for the night. That looks like a likely spot.\u201d He pointed to where two large boulders set at right angles to each other. \u201cThat should give us some shelter from the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Later, as they sat eating their supper of beans, bacon, and bread, Hoss brought up the missing wagon train. \u201cI wonder what that poor fella meant when he said the wagons and folks were all gone? You reckon he was with the wagon train?\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cToo bad we couldn\u2019t have stuck around till the patrol came back,\u201d Joe added.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cThat could be days. We need to get home,\u201d Adam pointed out. \u201cWe\u2019ll be delivering more beef to Fort Churchill in the spring. Maybe we can find out then if the patrol found anything.\u201d Adam sipped his coffee and studied the sky. \u201cThose clouds are really racing. We\u2019ll be glad for the shelter of these boulders tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The brothers settled into their bedrolls for the night, but for some reason, none of them were able to sleep. Joe crawled out of his bedroll and poured a cup of coffee from the coffee pot nestled in the embers of the fire. He leaned back against his saddle and watched the full moon flit through the scudding clouds. Hoss joined him. \u201cIt\u2019s sure a spooky night.\u201d Hoss shivered and pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, something does feel kind of strange,\u201d Joe agreed. He too, wrapped his blanket tighter around himself.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Adam gave up tossing and turning and laid there listening to his brothers. \u201cThe only thing strange here tonight is your conversation. This constant wind is making us jumpy. Not to mention the coyotes. They\u2019re sure howling up a storm tonight. Get back in your bedrolls. We\u2019ll get to sleep eventually. I\u2019m bushed.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One by one, the trio dropped off. None of them heard the faint rumble of wagon wheels and plop of hooves above the wind. None of them looked to see the clouds coalesce into the shapes of covered wagons trekking through the night sky.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

**********<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The following spring:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cThank you, Captain Slater.\u201d Adam Cartwright pocketed the bank draft and receipt for the beef cattle he and his brothers just delivered to Fort Churchill. \u201cWe\u2019ll see you in the fall, as usual…\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

On the way out the door, Hoss turned to the captain. \u201cSay, Captain, when we were here last fall, a fella\u2019 staggered into the fort goin\u2019 on about a lost wagon train and you sent a patrol out lookin\u2019 for it. We were wonderin\u2019 if it was ever found.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cNow that was a strange thing.\u201d Captain Slater rubbed his finger over his mustache. \u201cThe men are still talking about it. We found eight deserted wagons, still loaded with household goods and food and water, but no sign of people or animals. Looked like they had made camp for the night. They were pretty far off the usual route for wagon trains, though. In fact, no one seems to venture over that way much… Not even the Indians. It\u2019s desolate, even for these parts. There\u2019s this old half-breed who hangs around the fort. He claims that evil spirits live there.\u201d The captain chuckled. \u201cIf you believe that sort of thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cYou boys have a safe journey home, and give my regards to your father.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two weeks later:<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The dark clouds of a spring storm hung over the high desert. Coyotes yipped and jackrabbits scurried for their burrows as the thunder crashed. The howling wind tore at the tattered canvas covers of a circle of deserted wagons. Lightning flashes illuminated the unearthly parade through the turbulent sky above the wagons: Eerie figures of Indians, Spanish Conquistadors with their horses, explorers, prospectors,\u00a0 and lastly, the latest addition to the ghostly company — an emaciated group of would-be settlers and their animals trudging alongside eight battered-looking covered wagons.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The End (we hope)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/g><\/svg><\/i> \"Loading\"<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary:\u00a0 Tall tales?\u00a0Ghost Stories?\u00a0 Or did it really happen?<\/p>\n

Rating:\u00a0 K+\u00a0 (850 words)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121,"featured_media":14681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"template-full-width-post.php","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1009,8,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12737","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brothers","category-short-stories","category-halloween","wpcat-1009-id","wpcat-8-id","wpcat-29-id"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":909,"today_views":1},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/images.jpg?fit=275%2C183&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19943,"url":"https:\/\/bonanzabrand.info\/library\/?p=19943","url_meta":{"origin":12737,"position":0},"title":"What Comes Around (by Missjudy)","author":"missjudy","date":"February 7, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Summary:\u00a0Ben took the leadership of his wagon train when the group decided to keep moving to Fort Laramie after the tragedy at Ash Hollow. 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