Category: Mohican

Welcome to Will’s Core Canon, a series covering some of my all-time favorite movies and why they work. This series seeks to go beyond surface-level analysis to strike at the core of why these films resonated the way they did.

Every year around my birthday, I like to revisit one of my favorite movies. This year, I could not be happier to have picked The Last of the Mohicans, 1992’s epic historic romance set in colonial America directed by Michael Mann and based on James Fenimore Cooper’s classic 1826 novel. This movie also credits a previous film adaptation from 1936 as a source of inspiration. The film follows Nathaniel “Hawkeye” Poe (Daniel Day-Lewis), the adopted son of Mohican warrior Chingachgook (Russell Means), in upper New York State during the French and Indian War.

A party escorting the two daughters of a commanding colonel is sabotaged, only for Hawkeye to step in and save them. The oldest daughter, Cora (Madeleine Stowe), and Hawkeye begin to bond as they return to the fort, only to find it under siege. The traitorous Mohawk warrior Magua (Wes Studi) seeks revenge against Cora’s father. Though they must be separated, Hawkeye pleads with Cora to stay alive and that he promises come what may, he will always find her. Lives are not spared as negotiations between the various warring parties take place on what to do with our cast of heroes.

(Twentieth Century Fox)

Director Michael Mann has been discussed a lot recently, as his first movie in 8 years, Ferrari, was just released to positive reception. The Last of the Mohicans was Mann’s first bigger-budgeted movie, and only his fourth movie overall. He was mostly known before this for smaller thrillers like 1981’s…

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MOUNT VERNON — This year’s River Rally Clean Up is Sept. 14 along with several other clean-up events scheduled throughout the spring and summer.

For Earth Day, Friends of the Kokosing Scenic River will be adopting the litter cleanup schedule along both the Kokosing Scenic River and the Mohican Scenic River.

The goal is to reduce the human impact in Knox County.

All clean-up events will start at 9 a.m. and end at approximately noon.

If a rain date is needed, the clean-up will occur the following day, according to program manager Matt Baugher.

Here is the upcoming schedule:

• March 2 | Memorial Park Lower Gambier
• March 9 | Laymon Road Big Run
• March 16 | Pipesville
• March 23 | Millwood Landing Hazel Dell Rd
• March 30 | Zuck Rd Landing Zuck Landing to 715
• April 6 | Riley Chapel Landing Riley Chapel to 715
• April 13 | Confluence Landing Landing to 715
• April 20 | Mohican -Knox County Wally Road Brinkhaven Road Greer Landing
• Sept. 14 | River Rally Clean Up Memorial Park to Big Run

In other recycling and litter prevention news, the county’s compost facility’s contract with Park Enterprise Construction Co. will end June 30.

Baugher said he’s working with Delaware Knox Marion Morrow Solid Waste District ahead of negotiations for a potential contract renewal.

The current contract includes the removal and proper disposal of unacceptable materials, keeping the delivered yard waste material pushed back into piles ensuring available space for residents to leave compostable supplies.

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STOCKBRIDGE — In order to forge closer ties with descendants of the town’s original settlers, the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans, town leaders have approved a proposal to appoint a six-member commission to work with the Tribal Council based in Bowler, Wis.

Select Board member Patrick White presented the plan to the board last week to create projects such as student exchanges and a wide range of other collaborations.

He pointed out that the town will need to seek “formal buy-in” from the Mohican leaders to formalize a closer relationship. The proposed Stockbridge Mohican Commission is expected to be on the agenda of the tribal council’s next regular meeting on Feb. 13, said Sherry White, the Mohican’s liaison with Stockbridge, in a phone interview Tuesday.

“The contemporary community of Stockbridge wholeheartedly embraces the reunification of the Mohican tribe with its ancestral home,” White wrote in a document detailing his proposal.

He cited the tribe’s acquisition last August of Fenn Farm, 351 acres of woodlands on the north side of Monument Mountain, as “a bold start to a new era, and the opportunity to foster closer ties. We will endeavor to learn lessons from our ancestors, while approaching reconciliation with the advantage of a contemporary view of the past. We know our work has just begun.”

The Fenn Farm land was purchased by the Mohicans through a $2.26 million state grant. The tribe plans to maintain the land as is, according to Shannon Holsey, the tribe’s president.

According to White’s proposal, the Stockbridge Munsee Commission would include three local residents appointed by the Select Board and three Mohicans selected by the Tribal Council.

The board voted unanimously to approve the creation of the commission, pending an agreement with the council.

“There’s a sense in the Berkshires, because of the PCB…

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The key to winter walking is to stay low. Finding a hardened surface, or semi-hardened, can help, too, especially in freeze-and-thaw conditions. For example, the Mohican Recreational Trail in Williamstown. Furthermore, while the trail is somewhat short for biking, walking end to end and back you cover nearly 5, mostly flat, miles, a good outing on foot. There are fine views of the Hoosic and Green rivers, plus, looking up, views of the southern end of the Green Mountains and the Greylock massif. The trail is not plowed, but sufficiently trafficked sot that any snow is likely to be beaten down.

Parking is at both ends, off Syndicate Road and at the Spruces. Spruces parking is on Route 2, near the North Adams line. Pass between the lions-on-pillars and turn right. For the other end, turn onto Syndicate Road where it joins Route 7 north of town center. Turn down the steep, short hill. (Incidentally, the signs have a slightly different name for the trail.) This description begins at Syndicate Road.

The view from the bridge shows the junction of the Green and Hoosic rivers.

LAUREN R. STEVENS — EAGLE CORRESPONDENT

The kiosk has (or will soon have) information about the Mohicans and the Hoosic River; there is also a map of a parallel foot path that gets even closer to the river. The first section of the trail is hardened. Soon you see a sign for the footpath, left, which is not paved and somewhat rough. A bit down that, another sign, and a second one, direct you to the Gravel Beach, where you can walk along the shore on a point bar.

Returning, go straight to continue riverside, past an area of bank erosion, to higher elevation, by a bench, and back…

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The scale of this waxwing winter will be revealed this weekend when people are encouraged to spend an hour recording the birds they see in their gardens, balconies, parks and school grounds.

The spectacular migratory, mohican-sporting birds have been spotted across Britain during the colder weather and will be recorded alongside more familiar sparrows, blackbirds and robins in the RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

“Waxwings are just such a brilliant bird and they always look like punk rockers in the trees,” said Beccy Speight, the chief executive at the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds). “People have loved seeing them this winter but I haven’t seen any yet so I’m keeping my eye out for them.”

Data from the long-running garden birdwatch has traced the waxing and waning of bird species in gardens, parks and urban areas, with 38 million fewer birds in our skies than almost half a century ago.

House sparrows traditionally top the list – and did so again last winter, with an average of more than four per count – but have declined by 57% since recording began in 1979. Starlings have similarly plummeted in number (down 81% since 1979) and many other common species, including robins and blackbirds, are in long-term decline. Wood pigeon numbers have soared (up 1,048%) with significant increases for goldfinches, magpies and great tits as well.

Goldfinches and great tits have benefited from the growing popularity of bird feeders and the provision of seeds in gardens throughout the colder months, and the RSPB highlighted the benefits of birds for humans too.

“Sometimes we forget that the wild world is right outside our windows,” said Speight. “Taking part in the birdwatch is such a great way of accessing that wildness and it can be that first step to getting people interested…

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – The popular lodge at Mohican State Park turns 50 years old this spring, and the state is gifting the aging structure – and those who love it — a major birthday present.

The lodge will close next week for several months, part of a $12 million capital improvement project that includes elevator repairs, heating, air conditioning and electrical upgrades and more.

The inn, about 75 miles southwest of Cleveland, is a centerpiece of Mohican State Park, with 1,100 acres in southern Ashland County. It features 96 rooms in the woods above Pleasant Hill Lake.

It’s one of 10 state park lodges in Ohio.

The lodge will close February 1, with a goal to reopen it in early May, said Andy Chow, media and outreach specialist with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Closing the lodge will make it easier to complete the extensive work, said Chow, which also includes new windows, a new generator and repairs to the building envelop. Repairs to both the indoor and outdoor pools, and the addition of a splash pad play area, are also planned.

Last fall, the state completed $4 million of interior work to the building, including guestroom upgrades that feature new furnishings, carpeting, window treatments, painting and bathroom upgrades.

The improvements to Mohican are part of a larger investment in state park lodges and cabins in recent years by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

Other projects undertaken since 2019 include work at lodges Deer Creek State Park, Burr Oak, Hueston Woods, Punderson, Salt Fork and Shawnee.

The lodge at Mohican debuted in April 1974, and was the state’s sixth overnight park lodge. The first to open was Punderson Manor, inside a historic Tudor mansion in Geauga County, now the centerpiece of Punderson State Park near Burton.

The most recent state park lodge to open in Ohio is in…

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Some of the most notable parks in the state include Hocking Hills State Park, Mohican State Park, Salt Fork State Park and Alum Creek State Park.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Governor Mike DeWine has officially declared the year 2024 as the Year of Ohio State Parks.

The declaration marks the 75th anniversary of Ohio State Parks and emphasizes the state’s commitment to preserving its natural spaces and expanding outdoor adventures.

Some of the most notable parks in the state include Hocking Hills State Park, Mohican State Park, Salt Fork State Park and Alum Creek State Park.

“Ohio’s state parks, where admission is always free, give visitors an opportunity to gain a deeper appreciation of Ohio’s natural heritage,” said DeWine. “The Year of Ohio State Parks is the perfect time to visit one or more of Ohio’s 75 state parks, experience our state’s natural beauty, and actively participate in the preservation of these treasured lands.”

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Parks and Watercraft plays a pivotal role in safeguarding Ohio’s state parks and waterways, ensuring that Ohioans can continue to enjoy the many benefits of spending quality time in nature.

Ohio started designating properties as official state parks in 1949 when lawmakers created the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. ODNR is also celebrating a department-wide 75th anniversary throughout 2024 by highlighting the achievements of all 12 divisions.

Learn more about the 75th anniversary on the Ohio State Parks website.

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Even though she grew up on her tribe’s reservation, Cox has also experienced disconnection from her culture. “Sadly, I don’t really know a lot about my own culture or language,” she says. “I did attend an Indigenous school, but I was the only deaf person there at the time and I had bad interpreters. When we had Menominee culture and language class, I was always pulled out to go to speech therapy — so I didn’t get the privilege of learning about my own culture and history. I’m trying to learn more now.”

It’s still surreal to Cox that she has made it in Hollywood, although it’s starting to feel more real thanks to things like the recent star-studded Echo premiere in Los Angeles. “I was so nervous because I hadn’t had any acting experience before, then there I was having my own Hollywood premiere,” she says. “But then I saw all the cast and crew who I hadn’t seen for such a long time. When we hugged, my nerves just went away.”

Jesse Grant/Getty Images

Her infant son started fussing so she didn’t get to stay for the official Echo screening, but that’s fine by Cox, who has a hard time watching herself act (or even getting attention on social media, for that matter). Three months in, motherhood has been a life-changing new adventure for her, and she plans to pass down her Menominee cultural traditions to her son.

“I wish I was able to speak my own Menominee language, of course, but his grandma can teach him that,” she says. “I definitely would love to take him to powwows, have regalia for him, and have him involved in different Native events so he can soak it all…

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