The Great Trek of the Russian Mennonites to Central Asia, 1880-1884, Fred Richard Belk, 1976

ies broke camp to continue about 100 miles downstream. The boats landed near the Turkomen village of Kipchak four days later and were told their destination was only three hours away. Notifying the horsemen who were nearby, they pushed out into the stream for the last time. Arrival in Lausan, October 1882 On October 9, the groups joined at their new settlement on the Khiva side of the Amu Darya. After unloading the boats and un- packing the horses, the riverbank was full of boxes, trunks, wagon wheels, axles, and a variety of items including small children running and playing among the supplies. After resting for a brief time, they 158 The Great Trek of the Russtan Mennonites began looking over the site. They found themselves in a low-lying, insect-infested marshy area, where brush and tall reeds were growing and the occasional sound of wild animals, such as hogs, jackals, and tigers could be heard. This “open door’ they had so expectantly looked forward to presented almost insurmountable obstacles to the discouraged band. '* The first Saturday night was spent in the tall reeds of the marshy flats adjacent to the river. The next day, after observing Sunday with a thanksgiving service, the men surveyed the land as to the best loca- tion to build temporary quarters. The marsh was bordered by a low plateau with hills in the distance, but this higher ground was stony. The lower lands were sandy and could be irrigated during times of high water using small dams and canals which had been built by government engineers before their arrival. Because of seemingly better conditions, they decided to build on the flats. Early on Monday morning, they began assembling the wagons in their settlement, con- structing dugouts, each with a window and a door, and digging wells. Later, a dugout church, with one end projecting from a small hill, was constructed. An extra room was also added to this hillside chapel for a school. Some of the young men were put to work clearing the area of reeds. So tall were the reeds that the settlers could only see over them by standing on their horses. Other Mennonites began measuring garden areas on either side of a small canal that got its water from the river. Still other workmen went to Turkomen neigh- bors and purchased wood, reeds, mats, groceries, and fuel. After these initial projects, the Mennonites began calling their fledging settlement Lausan, after the local Turkoman name for the irrigation canal and hill beyond. They did not care what their refuge was called, just so long as they could at last find peace and stability.'® Lausan, however, did not bring immediate peace to the weary Mennonites. December floodwaters flowed into a number of the dug- outs, forcing many families to move to higher ground. Claas Epp and about 20 families moved to “the hill,’ while ten more located within an enclosed courtyard purchased from the natives. Soon five more fami- lies constructed