The Cost of the Back Forty

The Kessel clan had always tried to just fit in. They
were like so many other West Virginia families, who
were land rich, but cash poor. At least, that was the
front they showed to anyone that wasn't related to
them. Even then, they held everything close to the
vest. There was good reason for their deception, as
they actually had more worth than anyone could ever
know. The back portion of their property, adjacent to
Monongahela National Forest, had been producing
distilled spirits for over a century. When the money
from that illegal business dried up, and the 1970's
came along, the hills were perfect for growing a new
cash crop, marijuana. Now, with more surrounding
states legalizing cannabis, that money stream was
also going away. Deciding how to branch out into a
different trade would be dangerous, no matter what
they might produce. To make things even worse, a
multinational coal corporation had been working to
strip the hilltop behind their land, and that would let
prying eyes see into their operations. The Kessel
family were determined to do whatever it might take
to keep the family business running, and the money
flowing into their coffers.