Nightfall

The town of Nightfall was named for its majestic sunsets, or so they say, but fact is, once the sun goes down, there’s a whole other side to the town that most folks never get to see. It’s a side that the folks who have seen don’t tend to talk about much either, at least not to outsiders…

In 1842, Medical Doctor and Psychologist Colonel Lionel Hyde founded Goulliard Asylum for the Perpetually Insane. It was the Wild West’s answer to supervised care for the critically insane. The facility survived solely on the personal funds of Col. Hyde, which rapidly dwindled over the course of a few years. The asylum nearly went under in 1847 when the founder died in a strange and unexplained accident.

At disaster’s edge, the facility was taken over by the Army of the United States in December of that same year and used as a research institution to study psychological effects of war on the human mind. Dr. Icabod Lithistrom ran the institution on behalf of the U.S. Government. During the Civil War, even with hundreds of former military personnel sacrificing their lives as “volunteers” contributing to the research cause, the institution grew to proportions requiring a town to support it.

As a result, in 1863, Dr. Lithistrom and an Arizona Territory newcomer of sketchy back round, Jake McHansen, founded the Township of Nightfall. Over the next twenty years, Dr. Lithistrom managed the affairs of Goulliard, while McHansen, who had become the first mayor, ran the township in an iron glove manner.

Nightfall’s townspeople prospered well from the Institute, but all who worked here signed oaths of secrecy with the government. So much knowledge about mental breaking points was being organized that it was thought dangerous to allow foreign interests to access the government’s findings. The community was very quiet outside the walls of Goulliard.

The Territory soon became the state of Arizona, and in the course of the events that followed, rumors began to circulate that Dr. Lithistrom, perhaps destabilized by experimentation “overload”, might go public about the secrets of Goulliard. At the same time, Mayor McHansen was considering “leveraging” his substantial experience in a bid for state governorship. The U.S. Government made a sudden announcement in 1883, that the Institute’s purpose had been fulfilled and it would be closing its doors at year’s end.

By the spring of 1884, the Township had greatly diminished in population and McHansen was preparing to move his political base to the nearby boomtown of Tucson. Lithistrom was in the process of “terminating” the “skeletal” staff of the facility, when out of the blue in April, the long—forgotten son of Goulliard’s founder, mysteriously appeared. Without delay, Dr. Jebediah Hyde proclaimed his intent to salvage his father’s original research endeavor.

Shortly after Hyde’s arrival, he claimed that a very unstable Dr. Lithistrom wandered off into the harsh desert surroundings and disappeared. Mayor McHansen, after agreeing to minor surgery that would make him healthier for the campaign trail, died of complications while in the care of Dr. Hyde. The doctor renewed his father’s care for the insane and also ran the affairs of the waning community with the full approval of the local cattle barons who had never been totally supportive of Mayor McHansen due to land disputes.

The Asylum was a very active center of experimentation under the direction of the second Dr. Hyde. It was his intent to fully control insanity in Nightfall, however, some believe he went mad himself. Legend tells of countless horrors that were wrought by his hand, and there are still many unanswered questions as to the circumstances surrounding his demise. Many believe the town is still haunted by the spirit of Dr. Hyde. Recent rumors suggest that evil draws near once again. Caution must be taken when visiting Nightfall, for there are many dangers that lurk in this unforgiving town…