History, Natural History & the Arts
Described in numerous news articles as the Spanish Alps, Las Villas, as they were collectively known, was a lively enclave of Spanish, Puerto Rican and other Hispanic summer resorts in Plattekill, NY, and the Catskill Mountains.
Las Villas of Plattekill and Ulster County (Arcadia Publishing, 2016) by Ishmael Martinez is the first comprehensive historical retrospective on Las Villas of Plattekill and Ulster County. [Read more…] about Las Villas of Plattekill and Ulster County
Recent dry and windy conditions have resulted in numerous wildfires across New York State. Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers responded to eight wildland fires in seven counties on Wednesday, October 23rd alone.
The causes of these fires include unattended campfires and debris burning. Multiple tickets were issued for leaving campfires unattended and not clearing three feet around a fire. [Read more…] about More Than A Dozen Wildfires Reported Across New York State
New York York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Rangers battled two small wildfires last week including a small wildfire in the Horseshoe Lake Wild Forest which was started by an unattended campfire and another in the Hemlock Ridge Multiple Use Area in Ulster County. [Read more…] about Rangers Extinguish Wildfires in Ulster, St. Lawrence Counties
In New York State, Ulster County in particular had high rates of enslavement of people of African descent owing to its vast, bountiful farmland and its early settlement by wealthy Dutch, English, and French families.
The stories of those enslaved in Ulster County have long been underserved by historians, and the lives and identities of many are now lost forever, but new research continues to uncover important genealogical and societal information on who the enslaved and their enslavers were, what their lives were like, and the fate of newly emancipated Blacks and their families. [Read more…] about Bearing Witness: Exploring the Legacy of Enslavement in Ulster County, New York
On Friday, March 17 at about 1:25 pm, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Ray Brook Dispatch requested Forest Ranger assistance in the search for a missing snowmobiler last seen the previous night in the Moose River Plains, in the Central Adirondacks in Hamilton County. [Read more…] about Lost Snowmobilers, Snowmobile Accident Keep Ranger Busy
Use your bank’s “bill pay” option (or just send a check)
Thanks for your support! These are difficult times. Without your support we cannot publish the Almanack.
*Donations are not tax deductible.
(Click the X in the top right corner this box to not see this message again for 7 days).