Our Story begins with the arrival of Samuel Archibald Everfree, wealthy logging and mining tycoon and owner of the Company, "Everfree lumber and Mining Co." which he founded in 1867 after staking a claim in the forests surrounding Canterlot at the time and sought to make a profit in mining and timber operations in the area. Two of the key industries that generated money for the then-fledgling town, second only to ranching and Horse Breeding. the Primary industry of the Town.
Samuel’s Wife, Gaea Beatrice Everfree was a well respected Botanist, Ecologist and Dendrologist hailing from Canterlot. She had grown fond of the forests surrounding her New Home and became captivated by the natural beauty of the area. unlike her husband, she actually cared for the forest and disavowed what his company was doing to it.
One day in 1869, while overseeing some mining operations. Samuel would learn of the discovery of seven mysterious gemstones in one of the caves. Arriving tot he site of the discovery, he paid the workers who discovered the stones handsomely and took them for himself. Fashioning them into a beautiful necklace which he gifted to his wife.
In 1870, He commissioned the construction of a mansion atop a hill overlooking the forest. He promised that it would do a service to the town, providing much needed work and that upon it’s completion, a party would be held once a year where everyone was invited to celebrate the fruits of their labor. Years passed as the construction progressed and lives were lost building the structure, but upon it’s completion, when it was time for the party they promised the to the common townspeople, Samuel refused entry to the Common Folk and only allowed the more prominent citizens of Canterlot to join in the party. This caused a rift to form between him and his workers (as well as his wife) and over the course of two years, strikes and riots would occur, culminating in the Workers finally raiding and destroying his mansion, during another party. Only he survived the ordeal and of all the wealthy guests killed in the raid and fire, His wife was allegedly lost to the flames.
In the Aftermath, all that Remained of the Everfree mansion were a few stone walls, the stone chimneys and a massive cellar hole that was once it’s basement. oddly Enough, the only wooden part of the structure that survived unscathed is the elegant staircase that once graced the Foyer of the House. However, some of the workers who participated in the raimed claimed that as the mansion burned, something big and terrifying burst from the burning structure and escaped into the woods. This strangely coincided with a trail of Gem dust leading into the woods found a day after the fire.
After the fire and the loss of his Wife, Samuel continued to run the company from his offices in Canterlot throughout the rest of the 19th century and the early 20th century, but throughout that time, his company began to suffer. operations in the forest would be mysteriously disrupted as equipment and infrastructure would be found destroyed or reclaimed by the forest and workers, lumberjacks and miners found dead. Often found impaled on Trees, Embedded inside trees or hanging lifelessly from nooses made from roots or vines. Even entire mine and lumber trains were found wrecked and derailed. Those who survived made wild-eyed testimonies of being attacked by a Mysterious entity stalking the woods.
Even the settlers who had staked their claims alongside Samuel (or whoever survived) also described being attacked and terrorized by a similar entity. both describing it as a giant creature with root-like hair, teeth made of jagged rock, black eyes, and a shimmering aura that left a trail of gem dust in it’s wake. Usually any attempt to follow the gem trail had been mostly fruitless as the trails usually tended to end abruptly with no clear direction.
These attacks in the forest continued and the company continued to suffer. It was at this point that the last whereabouts of Samuel Everfree were that he was last seen in 1905, heading into the forest, never to be seen again. His last words that he yelled out before entering the woods being,"I am going to Eat this entire Oak Tree because I am a Powerful Wizard". Having completely lost his mind. His company would later shut down and fall into bankruptcy in 1928.
The Attacks were finally put to a stop in the the 1930’s when a group of self-proclaimed "Druids" entered the forest and came back, claiming to have defeated the creature. The methods In defeating the entity weren’t made clear though it involved a using a Steam shovel and setting part of the forest on fire.