Ralls Curse A Haunted Trail Story

By Rebecca McCarthy Copyrighted by Rebecca Lea McCarthy 2012

Disclaimer:
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The following is a fictional story based on the two last graves located in The Landing, Missouri, in a RV park that is now called Mark Twain Landing. This is a ghost story and a trail story for Mark Twain Landing, however the historical characters of Emily and Ely actually existed. The story of Elys death is a fiction.

It is amazing . . .
. . . how many people do know know their own history, hidden or in plain view, their roots and realities. We walk on the land but do not ask the land who was here before us, laughing, living, harvesting the fruit, sleeping, and worshiping the Gods who provide such opportunity. We are ignorant, and ignorance can kill you. You could be walking on a grave. Indeed, you likely are. Tread softly because you cannot tell who you tread on. As is partly known around these parts, Ralls County used to be part of Louisiana (I am sure you have heard of the Louisiana Purchase). France owned this land back in the 1700s until it sold off its interest to Spain in 1763 - the US purchase was in 1803. During this time, the land was settled only by the native tribes of Missouri and by the forgotten Gods of other lands: Greece and Egypt. Abandoned by worshipers when Christianity took hold, the gods of forgotten times fled to the new lands in order to find peace - persecution is a bitch after all. These forgotten gods minded their own business, settling in the area we now call The Mark Twain Landing (Google Images).
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Population started coming to this area in the 18th century, long after the old gods had made this place their home. They landed near St. Genevieve and Pierre Laclede Liguest laid out Saint Louis in 1764. In the early 1800s, Pike County, established in 1818, was represented by Colonel Johnson and Daniel Ralls.

Unbeknownst to many, Ralls had made a questionable deal with the Gods of old.

Except for the image of Emilys Grave, all images used in this text were taken from Wikimedia Commons: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Upon exploring the territory, Ralls came across the homestead of Anubis (Egyptian god of the Dead), Hades (Greek God of the dead), and their house servant Charon (Greek-ferryman of Hades). The two gods had met during a poker game, Charon was helping Hades cheat, and realized their shared interested in death.2 Thus, they had moved in with each other after relocating to the promised land - America.3 Both the Gods, and Charon, were tired of the noise and unrest in the underworld and sought peace and quiet. They found it in what was later called The Landing. Ralls had promised these two gods that as state representative, he would make sure that their land would never be settled by humans, allowing them the peace they sought. But like many other political figures, Ralls went back on his word, angering the Gods, who then destroyed him just a few months after he took office, October 20, 1818. Rather than solving the problem, Anubis, Hades and Charons action created a martyr of Ralls, as the land was quickly incorporated and on the 16th of November the northern part of Pike County was deemed Ralls County - irony is a bitch

And the people came . . .

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Video: Music Video: Charon. Ray Charles sings America the Beautiful.

. . . mostly from parts of Kentucky and Tennessee, bringing with them a farming culture and slaves. Among those early settlers was Aaron Forman Ely (Born in Kentucky on June 29, 1811). After settling in The Landing, Aaron met his wife, Emily Utterback. The two married and soon after, Emily was pregnant with their son, Martin Irving Ely in 1844. Such delight and joy was experienced by the Elys for their good fortune, that they invited people from all over to celebrate their marriage and coming birth. Celebration after celebration after celebration was held, as these new settlers rejoiced in the land and their family. Not only was the family growing but the township of The Landing was growing as well. Businesses were springing up: butcher shop, a post office, a doctors office, shops and other signs of human life and settlement. All this on and around the Old Gods homestead. Ralls County, and indeed The Landing was becoming a cursed place for the poor old Gods.

On February 29, 1844 . . .

. . . the Elys celebrated the birth of their son. All were invited to view the beautiful, and healthy, child. All, that is, but Anubis, Hades and Charon who were no longer

remembered or respected. The celebrations went on for days, indeed months as life was celebrated over death. Humans, after all, love an excuse to party. The same could be said for the gods, if, that is, we remember to invite them.

The Gods were angry.

I mean, would you not be?

Not only was the noise annoying,4 but the fact that they were ignored! They were Gods after all. They had decided to allow the humans to settle after the whole Ralls ordeal. Why not take the high road - offer the humans a chance to make right? But the humans had forgotten their history and lived only for the now. Tramping on the land and hearts of Anubis and Hades; leaving messes for poor Charon to clean up.

Hear the most annoying noise you have ever heard. The experience will help readers identify with the Gods dilemma!

The worse of the lot were the Elys and their celebrations!
The celebration of the birth of Martin was non-ending! For almost 4 months the celebration continued and just as things were settling down, Aarons 33rd birthday, was approaching. The Gods decided they had to do something. They approached Aaron and explained to him the circumstances. They asked him not to celebrate his birthday, as a show of good faith, and to simply give the Gods some rest. Not knowing that Anubis and Hades existed or even lived there (after all, weren't theses Gods simply human myths?), he agreed and and ran home to tell his wife, Emily, who also agreed to honor the peace agreement. But no one told the townspeople of The Landing who threw Aaron the biggest celebration the town had ever seen.

The Biggest Celebration Ever5

The Gods were angry and thinking that Aaron had gone back on his word, ended his life - on the day and time of his birth, 33 years later. Emily was mad with sorrow and sought the Gods out. Finding out the truth, the Gods took pity on Emily and allowed her, and her son, to live out their natural lifespans. But they deemed that after the death of Both Emily and Martin, that The Landing, indeed the entire town, would pay for their careless natures - their ignorance of history.

Martin Irving Ely, after serving in the Civil war, surviving and raising a family in Ralls County, died on February 4, 1936. On that day, The Landing became a ghost town - wiped from the memories of most who dwelled in the land. All that was left was a small section of the Rackerby Cemetery that contained the Elys: Aaron, Emily, William (Martins younger brother) and Martin.

Click to experience people having overthetop celebrations!

But the gods are not entirely unkind . . .

. . . (just simply difficult - especially when losing at poker). Although an impossible task, the Gods allow The Landing to return once every 100 years, in the month of October, to find new citizens. If the township can gain a population of 3333 upstanding, honest and loyal humans, in the memory of Aaron and his family, the town will be allowed to return from the underworld, alive and thriving. But only certain people are allowed, the most upright, non-corrupted and honest souls will be brought into the fold.

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The Haunted Trail of Terror Event . . .

. . . Disguised as a fun halloween event, the lost townspeople of The Landing welcome unsuspecting folks to the haunted trail. In reality, those who attend will be judged by Elys and other town members as they pass judgement on the worthiness of your soul for citizenship. Indeed, each Landing Citizen met along the way will look into souls of those attending and pass judgement. Final judgement is passed by the grave lady, Emily, as well as Hades. At the end of the trail, each person will be given a coin, if Charon accepts your offering, you will be taken into the Landing fold forever doomed to walk these grounds, escorted by Anubis. If not, you will be thrown out by Anubis, forced back to live out your miserable reality on earth.

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Information About the Historical Characters

Descendants of Isaac Ely of Hampshire County, Virginia (WV): Back to Index of Names

Husband: ELY Aaron Forman-00034

Birth: Marriage: 29 Jun 1811 Kentucky 26 Jun 1834 UTTERBACK Emily J Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1840 Ralls County, Missouri Death: 29 Jun 1844 Ralls County, Missouri Burial: 1844 Rackerby Cemetery, Ralls County, Missouri Permanent Record File: 1129:34 Father: Isaac, ELY Mother: Mary (Polly), JUDY

Wife: UTTERBACK Emily J-00117

Birth: Marriage: Census: Marriage: Census: Census: Death: Burial: 18 Mar 1818 Kentucky 26 Jun 1834 ELY Aaron Forman Ralls County, Missouri 1840 Ralls County, Missouri 6 Mar 1848 STEVENS Samuel W 1850 Ralls County, Missouri 1860 Ralls County, Missouri 11 Jun 1878 Ralls County, Missouri Rackerby Cemetery, Ralls County, Missouri

Father: Hankerson Adam, UTTERBACK Mother: Catherine, PENCE Other Husbands: Samuel W, STEVENS

Children of Emily and Ely

M ELY Isaac Jefferson-00176
Birth: 6 Mar 1836 Ralls County, Missouri 12

Census: Moved: Marriage:

1850 Ralls County, Missouri 1857 California 19 Aug 1866 STRODE Mary Jane Knights Landing, Yolo County, California First Cousins Census: 1870 Grafton, Yolo County, California Census: 1880 Yolo County, California Census: 1900 Yolo County, California Census: 1910 Yolo County, California Census: 1920 Yolo County, California Death: 19 May 1922 Knights Landing, Yolo County, California Burial: 1922 St. Mary's Chapel, Yolo, Yolo County, California Permanent Record File: 11291:176

M ELY Hankerson Washington-00184

Birth: Census: Marriage: 1 Apr 1837 Missouri 1850 Ralls County, Missouri 9 Nov 1865 ROUSE Mary (Hanna) Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1870 Saline, Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1880 Saline, Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1900 Saline, Ralls County, Missouri Death: 9 Apr 1909 Ralls County, Missouri Burial: 1909 De Moss Cemetery, Ralls County, Missouri Permanent Record File: 11292:184 Ancestral File Number: 9KR0-S0

M ELY Aaron Forman Jr-00185

Birth: Census: Marriage: 14 Nov 1841 Missouri 1850 Ralls County, Missouri 8 Oct 1865 KING Rebecca Frances Missouri Death: 24 Dec 1900 Yolo County, California Permanent Record File: 11283:185

M ELY William J
Birth: Death: Burial: Permanent Record File: 1842 Missouri 1842 Missouri Rackerby Cemetery, Ralls County, Missouri 11294:2594

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M ELY Martin Irvin-00118

Birth: 29 Feb 1844 Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1850 Ralls County, Missouri Military Service Ente: 31 Aug 1861 Company D, 4th Battalion, 2nd Division (Confederate). Promoted to Sergeant 18 Nov 1861 Military Service Disc: 28 Feb 1862 Camp Come Creek, Arkansas He saw action at Lexington and Pea Ridge Marriage: 23 Nov 1862 MELSON Annie Elizabeth Missouri Census: 1870 Saline, Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1880 Saline, Ralls County, Missouri Marriage: 18 Mar 1904 LYNN (LINN) Emily G Missouri Census: 1910 Salt River Township, Ralls County, Missouri Census: 1920 Salt River Township, Ralls County, Missouri Death: 4 Jan 1936 Monroe County, Missouri Burial: 6 Jan 1936 Rackerby Cemetery, Ralls County, Missouri Permanent Record File: 11285:118

Additional Links:
Video: Mark Twain Landing Pt. 1, By Rebecca McCarthy Video: Mark Twain Landing Pt. 2, By Rebecca McCarthy Mark Twain landing Webpage

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Work Cited
Bodsworth, Jon. "Hunefer Cropped." 1 March. 2010. Web. 15 June. 2012. Charles, Ray. America the Beautiful. Cavettbiter. 13 February. 2009. YouTube. 15 June. 2012. "Charon." Encyclopedia Mythica. 2012. Encyclopedia Mythica Online. 15 Jun. 2012 Crisp124. "ANNOYING noise!" 13 May. 2009. YouTube. 15 June. 2012. Dahl, Jeff. "Anubis attending the mummy of the deceased." 14 September. 2007. Web. 13 June. 2012. Dates in History. nd. Web. 15 June. 2012. Emily J. Utterback. Family Tree Maker Online. 2009. Web. 15 June. 2012. Ely, Charles. Descendants of Isaac Ely of Hampshire County, Virginia (WV)." 5 March. 2011. Web. 12 June. 2012. Grizzli. Gods. 13 July. 2007. Web. 15 June. 2012. Groups. "Mark Twain Landing Gives Back." StlToday.com. 13 September. 2008. Web. 15 June. 2012. Kemming, Bethany. "Coon Rapids Seniors Celebrate 50-Plus Years of Marriage." Coon Rapids Herald. 14 June. 2012. Web. 15 June. 2012. Lamothe, Lee and Humphreys, Adrian. The Sixth Family: The Collapse of the New York Mafia and the Rise of Vito Rizzuto. Mississauga, Ontario: John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. 2008. p. 394. Mark Twain Landing. 2008-2012. Web.12 June. 2012. McCarthy, Rebecca. Emily Utterback. Digital Image. 11 May. 2010. McCarthy, Rebecca. Mark Twain Landing (Pt1). 18 June. 2010. YouTube. 12 June. 2012. McCarthy, Rebecca. Mark Twain Landing (Pt2). 18 June. 2010. YouTube. 12 June. 2012. TheGroovyCruise. "Crazy Party on Top Of A Cruise Ship!" 11 September, 2008. YouTube. 15 June. 2012. "The Civil War." PBS.org. nd. Web. 15 June. 2012. "The New American Railroads- anonymous photograph 1860s. 11 March. 2007. Web. 15 June. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. "Anubis." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 15 Jun. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. "Hades." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 9 Jun. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. "Genevieve." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 12 May. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. "Ralls County, Missouri." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 16 May. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. "Pierre Laclde." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Mar. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Wikipedia contributors. "Pike County, Missouri." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 4 May. 2012. Web. 15 Jun. 2012. Wilson, David. Charon. 24 February. 2011. Web/Vimeo. 12 June. 2012.

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