the borderlands [Lore] Bareback Gulch

[RarityDash]

Bareback Gulch - A Sleepy Mountain Mining Community

 

Nestled in the middle of the Roughrider Ridge is the peaceful mountain town of Bareback Gulch. Quiet and serene, this mining-focused settlement is set apart from the bigger cities of the ridge, lacking in both the kitsch and artifice of Las Pegasus to the south and the grit and grime of Beakbreak City to the north. Bareback Gulch stands instead as a modest, down to earth mining community, as well as a friendly and scenic waypoint for traders and travelers alike.

 

Bareback Gulch sits on the Trensal River, which cuts through the Roughrider Ridge, and is set right against the Brambe Mountains. The much larger diamond dog capital city of Gaberott sits in almost perfect parallel across the mountains and the two settlements are locked in near constant competition over the mineral rich mines as a result. The rocky, arid terrain of the ridge and varied climate make Bareback Gulch ill suited to extensive agriculture or much else in addition to mining. As a result, though it is a much older settlement than Appleloosa and the other frontier towns of the Saddleveil Plains, many have already surpassed it in size.

 

The residents of Bareback Gulch are generally able to make comfortable lives for themselves. The metals, minerals and gems that can be found in the mountains can be quite valuable to traders while money from catering to travelers supplements the town's economy. That said, the village has definite periods of boom and bust. The prosperity of the community hinges almost entirely on how successful the mining expeditions prove to be. If the mines are picked dry, life can get more sparse and meager for the ponies of Bareback Gulch until such time as new mining spots are discovered.

 

Bareback Gulch is a small, closely-knit community made up mostly of small homes and shops. Multiple inns of various size can be found to tend to the travelers passing through. Some residents choose to make their homes away from the center of town up in the mountains, near the mines and only travel into town when they have need to buy food or supplies. More recently, some entrepreneurs from Las Pegasus have set up more tourist-geared sites to take advantage of the scenic charm of the picturesque terrain, like the now famous Bareback Gulch obstacle course which is cut into the canyon. While unsure what to think of such ventures at first, the residents of the Bareback Gulch are thankful for anything that brings ponies and their bits to the town.

~Hitchhikers' Guide to Equestria