The CARLA Conspiracy

The homestead was built on wide-open grasslands near the edge of a gently sloping valley. In this tranquil location, there was a cluster of six buildings, including the main family house, a cattle shed, a garage and several storage buildings. All were abandoned and a few head of cattle still roamed the area, but most of the buildings were partially collapsed, overgrown with long grass and clusters of bushy cactus with startlingly colorful purple flowers. A glaring light blinded them as they passed through the rickety front gate.
The shine turned out to be sunlight glaring off the metal roof of the house.
“Why do you suppose someone abandoned this ranch?” Jessica asked out loud. “I wonder what it feels like to just walk away?”
The house had become a nesting site for many small birds, which flew in and out through broken windows. The couple stood among the falling plaster, bats and beehives of the ruined shell of a kitchen. Years of rainwater dripping through holes in the roof had done a lot of damage. Near the front porch, remains of a cultivated garden were still evident, with out-of-control rose bushes around the base of a trellis beneath a first floor porch, where the owners must have sat and contemplated the vastness of the treeless plains to the east. Most of the house was now empty, just the cooker and several oddments of furniture remained, with the exception of the front room on the ground floor. This had a mattress, a few items of clothing and an office desk, which was filled with thousands of bills, receipts, bank statements, invoices and other assorted business documents, in piles on the floor, in shoeboxes and drawers, all seemingly undisturbed for at least 20 years.
Some information could be gathered about the former owners from inspection of these papers. Jessica was most interested to know how the property came to be deserted. None of the thousands of documents were dated later than 1954. How did they come to be abandoned miles away from the nearest town, and why was there no specific information relating to this particular house? She absentmindedly peeled a piece of the faded patterned paper from the wall and folded it into her back jeans pocket as a momento.
Upon further exploration, Garrett discovered another box of papers stashed in one corner of the garage. He gingerly removed a hornet’s nest from the lid, before he could rescue the documents. A pair of boots remained standing upright nearby, but had become home for several spiders, judging by the cobwebs.
Brody soon discovered the house had been constructed in the late 1930’s by Kip “Scout” Kildare, son of a family who arrived there from Texas in the 1920’s and owned several other ranches in the area. Initially Kildare built just a small claim shack, before work began on the house. First the kitchen was built, with attic bedroom above, then later the front part of the house which comprised the main living room, with two bedrooms and a hallway above. Other outbuildings were added at intervals, although the large barn was not added until after the Kildare family had departed. Apparently, they left in September 1953, after Kip became tired with the hardships of life on the prairie. By this time, his father had also left his nearby ranch and returned to Texas, so both properties were put up for sale at the same time. The rest of the family was not keen about having to leave. There was a photograph and what looked like a page from a diary taped to the back. It was faded with time and water stained, but with some help from Jessica, they were able to decipher the handwriting.
September 11, 1953: The family will soon be driving away, leaving our home behind. It is a beautiful, clear morning and as we topped the hill and could see the mountains, it was as if nature had willed that it be a breathtaking last look. Every pine tree on the distant peaks stands out clearly. The hustle and bustle of packing for the move has occupied us for a long time, but now it’s for real. Never again will we come home here again. If I did venture back, which I certainly hope to, it will never again be home.
Jessica stared at the photograph, not even trying to hold back the tears trickling down her face. Garrett took her into his arms and gave her a big hug. He was very drawn to her compassion and the ability to project her emotional attachment to life around her.
The house remained uninhabited, though it passed via a realtor from the Kildare to the Reynolds family, who lived for a time in a ranch a few miles away and used this dwelling as temporary accommodation for farm hands and later for storage of documents. Ownership passed from the elder Mr. Reynolds to his son, then his son’s wife. Now the property apparently belonged to a group of ranchers.
“This site should be restored and presented as a well-preserved example of an early Dustbowl or Depression-era homestead,” Jessica suggested.