Happy Thanksgiving!

On November 15, the Intrepid Investigators each receive a letter från James Eric Biron and his wife, Sylvia Elice Sasso, inviting them all to a black tie Thanksgiving dinner at a lodge in the gorgeous Mountains of New Hampshire. The very formal invitation has a hand-written note attached to to it, describing how to get to Moose Manor (the somewhat grand name of the ski lodge) and a recommendation to leave on November 26, since Thanksgiving dinner is planned for 3 p.m., and the drive is usually around seven or eight hours, although it may be shorter, depending on the condition of the roads. Moose Manor is thoroughly modern, and it has most amenities required for a more than decent stay.

Baker, MacKenzie, Lake, Chester and Pollack all know the Birons somewhat well, since they are engaged in Arkham society Life. Moira knows them the best, going back to her own society days, and she actually played a fairly significant part in introducing Sylvia to James. Jules knows James through his art patronage, and he has bought several pieces from J. Pollack Fine Antiques over the years. Mackie is also acquainted with James through his art patronage, while Chester and Howard have met the couple every now and then over the last year and a half.

Dear Mr. Lake,

Mr. J. E. Biron and Mrs. S. E. Sasso would like to enjoy your company at a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, November 27, at Moose Manor in Holderness, New Hampshire. Please R.S.V.P. 

¨¨¨

Moose Manor is located just short of two miles northeast of Holderness and southeast of Livermore Mountain, which is east of Plymouth, in the Squam Range of the Appalachian  Mountains if New Hampshire

The Squam Lakes were a trade route for Abenaki Indians and early European settlers, who traveled the Squam River to the Pemigewasset River, then to the Merrimack River and seacoast. In 1751, Thomas Shepard submitted a petition on behalf of 64 grantees to Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth for 6 miles square on the Pemigewasset River. The governing council accepted, and the town was named after Robert Darcy, 4th Earl of Holderness. The French and Indian War, however, prevented settlement until after the 1759 Fall of Quebec. The land was regranted as New Holderness in 1761 to a group of New England families, and first settled in 1763. As proprietor of half the town, Samuel Livermore intended to create at New Holderness a great estate patterned after those of the English countryside. By 1790, the town had 329 residents, and in 1816, "New" was dropped from its name. 

Holderness became a farming and fishing community, except for the "business or flat iron area" located on the Squam River, which has falls that drop about 112 feet before meeting the Pemigewasset River. With water power to operate mills, the southwestern corner of town developed into an industrial center, to which the Boston, Concord & Montreal Railroad entered in 1849. But the mill village would be at odds with the agricultural community, especially when denied civic amenities including gaslights and sidewalks. Consequently, in 1868, it was set off as Ashland. 

Tourists in the 19th century discovered the region's scenic mountains and lakes. Before the age of automobiles, they would depart the train in Ashland and board a steamer, which traveled up the Squam River to rustic fishing camps or hillside hotels beside Squam Lake.