Going Stag

Our second stop on Safari this week was on a roleplay grid, where Lavia Lavine has made a pastiche of life in the days of the 'wild  west' where she reinterprets what has often been overplayed in movies, the less savory side of life. 

The sim is the setting for play but at its heart are some serious observations, making it interesting for any visitor as a cultural commentary on a famous part of US history. We arrived in the sumptuously glazed railroad station, close to the ticket office.

Lavia Lavine: Stag Hollow is located in the Oklahoma territory in the late 1850s. They were just getting the Trains and Telegraph in.  

Lavia Lavine: Stag  Hollow isn't just for RP though that is my hope but it is also for historical value. The western cities and towns were not the dustbowls that Hollywood portrays.: Most of them were actually like this with dirt and gravel roads.

Ayla Alvarez: more like mud bowls on a rainy day

Lavia Lavine: Let me show you the Stag Hollow Hotel.

In the hotel parlor, with its elegant moulding and the rich wall to wall carpet, of note were the pictures on the wall featuring portraits of both black and white ladies, which seemed unusual.

Lavia Lavine: Many towns in the western territories did not have the issues with slavery and so there were business owners and so of multiple cultures.

Dings Digital: nice living room

Lavia Lavine: This is the dining room I designed, the settings are my build. It wasn't easy owning a restaurant then as there was no plumbing... everything was hand pumped and heated on a coal or wood stove. Besides that their experience would be much like our own.

Dings Digital: yeah no, they had no mobile phones.

Lavia Lavine: the blacksmith was an integral part of western life, my Grand father was one so what you see is built primarily from memory though I did cheat with the barn.  I would swing on the forge handles to pump the bellows. I was particularly proud of my Grandfather, he even put horse shoes on a few of the Budweiser Clydes

Thirza Ember: it's incredible to think that a place like this Livery, which had been used for centuries by civilization, only had about 50 years left before it became all but obsolete... is your family from Oklahoma Lavia?

Lavia Lavine: No, we are all from Pennsylvania, but I have this love for Western Towns and a more accurate representation of them. People worked hard, and loved hard

Ayla Alvarez: it was a hard life

 Lavia Lavine: Every town had a saloon and they were mostly peaceful... once in a while a fisty cuff fight would break out but rarely gun fights. They liked living.... there are rooms upstairs where travelers would stay for a while and enjoy the saloon girls... and even that was exaggerated.

Lavia Lavine: Economies varied widely. Some towns thrived on mining, while others were agricultural or trade hubs. The economic landscape was complex and influenced by geography and available resources. Their economics were based on raising cattle and horses and timber and in some cases perhaps a gold mine.

Lavia Lavine: somebody's horse needs a V8

Ayla Alvarez: horse is a bit tipsy already

We moved on to the ornate waiting room of the town's clinic, in sharp contrast with the spartan ward just on the other side of the door.

Lavia Lavine: this is the waiting room for the clinic and their methods of medicine were very barbarian compared to today. Everywhere used fireplaces and cold or wood stoves to keep their homes warm. There are cribs for babies and surgical areas, In many towns the Barber took care of medical needs but many also had Doctors by this time, Doc Holiday was in fact a dentist. And a gun slinger.

Alex Salamander posing as a patient. I'm pretty sure there's nothing wrong with him.

Lavia Lavine: Law enforcement varied by town. Some had established police forces, while others relied on volunteer deputies or citizen vigilance. The legal systems were often informal and sometimes corrupt, and while saloons were popular, other forms of entertainment existed, such as dances, fairs, and church gatherings. Education and family life were also important. While "Wild West" movies capture the adventurous spirit and some historical elements of frontier life, they often overlook the complexities and nuances of daily existence. Life in 1800s frontier towns was multifaceted, shaped by various social, economic, and cultural factors.

Thirza Ember: well fiction always tends to exaggerate, which is why it's sad when people watch Netflix and think they're learning something.

Ayla Alvarez: there was never a fair maiden tied to the railroad tracks?  no Snidely Whiplash?

Thirza Ember: oh, that part is true Ayla. 

Lavia Lavine: This is the town bank, again I wanted to show a multicultural theme 

Forest Azure: /me gets out a gun... this is a robbery! give me all your money!

Lavia Lavine: LOL Forest Do you accept gloebits?

Forest Azure: no!

Lavia Lavine: good because we don't have any

Ayla Alvarez: I can only imagine these streets in the rain

Lavia Lavine: barber shops had been around for a long time but something new in the late 1800 was the hair beauty salon. They pumped the water and then heated it on the stove and mixed it with cool water so it could be poured over the lady's head. Their method of curling was to use cotton cloth and wrap the hair around.

Ayla Alvarez: no magazines to read

Thirza Ember: I find that hard to believe, the 1850s were the heyday of literature

Ayla Alvarez: Poor Richard's Almanac

Lavia Lavine: Walt Whitman, Washington Irving and Mark Twain were a few, it's a shame it seems that people don't care to read anymore. Many had the time to read back then

Ayla Alvarez: grins... virtual worlds involve a lot of reading... and typing

Speaking of reading and writing, the Pony Express was another office featured on Lavia's Main Street. The posters in the window made for interesting reading.

Forest Azure: orphans preferred?

Lavia Lavine: yes, they preferred orphans so no families would have to mourn, many of those journeys were through hostile territory and they were subject to robbery if they were carrying money

Ayla Alvarez: sounds intense

 Lavia Lavine: I built the telegraph machine. 

We moved on to the other shops further down the road, including a dressmaker's with crinolines in the window. Very chic.

Thirza.Ember: lovely dresses, but imagine how dirty the bottoms got though

Lavia Lavine: this why most gowns then were worn only once.

Lavia Lavine: The next place is the church and this Im rather proud of it is fully my build. Here I created a little scene of the Pastor giving a mini sermon

Thirza Ember: so is this a reconstruction of a church you know?

Lavia Lavine: sort of yes.  The one I was married in. I of course tweaked it and added a few touches of my own

Ayla Alvarez: very impressive

Lavia Lavine: This is the cemetery, the fence and gates are my build. In a small town since everybody knew everybody the whole town came for the funeral

Tina Bey: incredible!!

Finally, Lavia took us over to the area where the RP principally takes part, with with interior details like kitchen and bathroom.  

Thirza Ember: what typically is the storyline in a place like this

Lavia Lavine: well the history is based around 3 families, the Ryders, the Lavines and the Millberries. All three make their fortune. There is a gold mine up on the hill that was discovered by the Ryders. Olivia was originally a Ryder who married a Lavine. Her widowed sister in law owns the "ladies school" aka brothel

Ayla Alvarez: I have to go....but ty so much for the tour, Lavia

Tina Bey: Congratulations Lavia!! Everything you have created here is beautiful, but I have to leave now. Thanks Thirza.

Lavia Lavine: Sadly we didn't get to see everything but maybe another time. Everyone is welcome to return and see the rest of it.

Forest Azure: yes, a great build, Lavia! thank you so much :)

Thirza Ember: great job and very informative!

 

HG Address: grid.genesis-roleplay.org:8002:Stag Hollow