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An Army of Hunters: On Foot and in Verse

November 15, 2021 by John Conway Leave a Comment

Stephen Crane HuntingOn November 20, 1956, the New York Times described “an army of hunters” descending upon Sullivan County, leading to traffic jams “here and there” on area roadways. The county was among the most popular hunting grounds in New York, the Times reported, and had led the state in the number of deer killed for several years.

In fact, Sullivan County has a long history as a paradise for hunters. And also for those who spin hunting yarns. For nearly two hundred years, observant writers, beginning with the poet Alfred B. Street, have chronicled the triumphs and tragedies, the successes and failures, of hunting big game in the county. [Read more…] about An Army of Hunters: On Foot and in Verse

Filed Under: Arts, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, hunting, Literature, Sullivan County

Reimagining A Classic Catskills Story

November 2, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

KaatscastIn the latest episode of Kaatscast, the podcast about the Catskills, author Christine Wade speaks about her retelling of a classic Catskills ghost story.

In 1819 Washington Irving published his tale of Rip Van Winkle, who wanders off into the woods to escape his nagging wife, and meets up with the ghosts of Henry Hudson and his crew. They bowl, they drink, andRip falls asleep for 20 years. If you don’t know the story, it’s a quick read and an iconic piece of Catskills folklore. [Read more…] about Reimagining A Classic Catskills Story

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, Podcasts

Dog Rescued From Ruined Kaaterskill Hotel Cistern

October 20, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Husky at bottom of the well prior to rescue Kaaterskill Hotel siteOn October 17th at 4:15 p.m., Greene County 911 contacted NYS Department of Conservation Forest Ranger Fox about a dog that fell into a cistern at the ruined Kaaterskill Hotel site in the town of Hunter, in the Catskills.

Ranger Fox and Assistant Forest Ranger France reported that they responded to the location to assess the situation, along with Forest Rangers Martin, Mitchell, and Skudlarek. [Read more…] about Dog Rescued From Ruined Kaaterskill Hotel Cistern

Filed Under: Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, dogs, Forest Rangers, Search and Rescue

Thurlow Weed, Stephen Van Rensselaer III and the Disputed Election of 1824

October 7, 2021 by Peter Hess Leave a Comment

A Young Thurlow Weed (2)Thurlow Weed was born on November 15, 1797, the son of Joel and Mary (Elis) Weed, in Cairo, Greene County, NY where his grandfather settled after the Revolutionary War. His father was a farmer who was apparently hard working but never prosperous, occasionally spending time in jail for debt.

In 1799, the family moved to Catskill where young Weed received a small amount of schooling. His first job was pumping a blacksmith’s bellows while the blacksmith formed heated iron. He made six cents per day. At nine, he got a job as a cabin boy on a Hudson River sloop. [Read more…] about Thurlow Weed, Stephen Van Rensselaer III and the Disputed Election of 1824

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Albany, Albany County, Catskill, Catskills, Cortland County, Greene County, Martin Van Buren, Onondaga County, Political History, Stephen Van Rensselaer III, Thurlow Weed, Van Rensselaers

When Sullivan County Entered The Dial Telephone Age

August 30, 2021 by John Conway Leave a Comment

telephone operators at the Monticello Telephone CompanyIt was August of 1961, and what was called “the most complex project of its kind ever undertaken by New York Telephone” was just getting underway in Sullivan County, NY.

By March 21, 1965, the project would be complete, and dial telephone service — long taken for granted in most parts of the country — would finally become a reality for the majority of residents. [Read more…] about When Sullivan County Entered The Dial Telephone Age

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, New York Telephone, Sullivan County, Technology, telephones

Wide Awakes, Half Asleeps, Little Giants and Bell Ringers: Catskills’ Civil War Politics

August 12, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The latest episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Prof. Melissa Franson, PhD candidate in the History Department at Binghamton University and an instructor in the history department at SUNY New Paltz, about her New York History journal article “’Wide Awakes, Half Asleeps, Little Giants and Bell Ringers’: Political Partisanship in the Catskills of New York During the Elections of 1860 and 1862.” [Read more…] about Wide Awakes, Half Asleeps, Little Giants and Bell Ringers: Catskills’ Civil War Politics

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, Civil War, Military History, Podcasts

D.W. Griffith’s Orange County ‘Magic Hour’ Discovery

August 11, 2021 by John Conway Leave a Comment

D.W. Griffith and cameraman Billy Bitzer in 1919A few people sitting on the front porch of a Barryville home on the Delaware River last weekend learned firsthand what movie makers in the region discovered more than 100 years ago. There is a light that sweeps down the river valley shortly before dusk that is pure magic.

G.W. “Billy” Bitzer, the master cameraman who accompanied influential director D.W. Griffith to Cuddebackville, in western Orange County, NY, in the early part of the last century, dubbed it magic hour, and “the light Mr. Griffith waited for.” It brought Griffith and his crew back to the area year after year before he discovered the advantages of filming in California and became known as “the man who invented Hollywood.” [Read more…] about D.W. Griffith’s Orange County ‘Magic Hour’ Discovery

Filed Under: Arts, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, Cultural History, film, Film History, Neversink River, Orange County, Photography, Sullivan County

The Catskills Slot Machine Racket

July 22, 2021 by John Conway Leave a Comment

Sullivan County District Attorney William Deckelman (left) and Sheriff Harry Borden (standing at right)In April of 1931, eight slot machines were seized by Troopers in raids on a number of hotels in the Catskills town of Fallsburg, including the Elm Shade, the Ambassador, and the Flagler. The machines were destroyed “in the public square” before more than 150 onlookers and the $130 found inside them was turned over to the Town’s poor fund. [Read more…] about The Catskills Slot Machine Racket

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, Crime and Justice, Gambling, Sullivan County, Vice

Fort Delaware Museum Reopening Under New Management

June 29, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Fort Delaware MuseumThe Delaware Company, a non-profit history education group started in 2012, is taking over management of the Fort Delaware Museum of Colonial History in Narrowsburg, Sullivan County, under a public-private partnership with the county legislature.

Their first event, “Patriots and Loyalists: The Declaration of Independence in the Upper Delaware Valley” will take place on Saturday, July 10th, from noon until 3 pm. [Read more…] about Fort Delaware Museum Reopening Under New Management

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Catskills, Delaware Company, Fort Delaware Museum, Sullivan County

Plans For A Firetower On Catskills’ Bramley Mountain

June 26, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

KaatscastAt one time, New York state had more than 100 active fire towers, the purpose of which was to help lookouts – you guessed it – spot fires. These days, some of the remaining towers have been repurposed for recreational use. At Bramley Mountain, in the Western Catskills, the fire tower was dismantled in the 1970s, but a local family has been keeping it safe in a nearby barn.

Now that Bramley has an official hiking trail, that tower is destined, once again, for the summit. In this episode of Kaatscast, Laurie Rankin tells the story, as she takes listeners on a Bramley Mountain hike. [Read more…] about Plans For A Firetower On Catskills’ Bramley Mountain

Filed Under: Hudson Valley - Catskills, Recreation Tagged With: Catskills, hiking, Podcasts

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