Tag: Mohican

LAKEVILLE — Farming looks easy with your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles away from a cornfield said President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and that same sentiment holds true today. But unlike the farmers in Eisenhower’s time, today’s farmers are able to use high-tech tools to help make their decision-making just a little bit easier.

That’s why Ashland Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) is hosting the fifth of its new Conservation Chats field day events on Precise Solutions in cooperation with Holmes SWCD. The event will take place August 25 at Fairview Farms, outside of Lakeville at 12970 Township Road 474.

“In-season prevision modeling is a great tool for farmers to accurately manage and measure their nutrient applications and input,” said Erica White, Ashland SWCD technician and Jerome Fork watershed coordinator. “These tools are not only making our farmers more profitable by becoming more efficient with their inputs, but they are also making a significant impact to improve our water quality.”

To help make that transition, Ashland SWCD has offered 100 percent cost-share to producers in the Mohican River watershed for the last two years in a partnership with Sunrise Cooperative, Land O’Lakes/Winfield United, Yara International, Ohio Farm Bureau and the Caring for Our Watersheds student competition.

Earlier this year, West Holmes High School sophomore Garrett Houin won first place in Ohio’s Caring for Our Watersheds student competition, and by becoming a state finalist was able to bring cost-share dollars from the program directly to the Mohican River watershed to help implement modeling tools.

He worked hand-in-hand with White and Ashland SWCD staff to develop his proposal. In his research, Houin discovered that nutrient runoff from farm fields and bacteria from failing septic systems and livestock manure are the biggest threats to water quality in the main stem of the Mohican River…

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A goal of two archaeological digs conducted this summer by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians is to find evidence from the 1700s, when the tribe lived in a Christian community with white colonists. But the first of the digs in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, has turned up artifacts and other features that could be much older.

Beneath a 19th-century bell tower, archaeological teams measured, dug and sifted in a quest for the exact location of the community’s first meetinghouse, built in the 18th century.

“I think you can start to see it right in here,” said archaeologist Nathan Allison as he scraped some dirt away with his trowel. Allison also serves as the tribe’s historic preservation officer.

“Yeah, it looks like an edge right in there,” said Ann Morton, the archaeologist leading this dig.

Sifting through dirt, looking for artifacts at an archaeological dig in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. (Nancy Eve Cohen/NEPM)

This might be a typical archaeological moment, full of uncertainty — and hope.

“It could be a builder’s trench for a larger building,” Morton said. “And the only larger building that we know about in this area is the meetinghouse.”

A builder’s trench is dug when a foundation is made.

This did not turn out to be the trench. But they did find it the next day — a straight sided, flat-bottomed trench, near where a survey shows the meetinghouse would have stood.

The 1739 meetinghouse was the place where tribal members and colonists worshipped, and where they governed the township together. The community was first known as “Indian Town,” and later Stockbridge.

Tribal Historic Preservation Manager Bonney Hartley said the meetinghouse is where sachems, or tribal leaders, advocated for her people.

“So many petitions, really eloquent letters and things… that…

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With no fanfare and few people realizing, an infamous chapter in Bay Area environmental history has closed. Or rather, sailed away.

The Cape Mohican, an 873-foot-long military cargo ship that was involved in one of the biggest oil spills in San Francisco Bay in the past half century, was towed from its longtime berth at the Port of Oakland and under the Golden Gate Bridge on Friday.

By Wednesday, it had reached Mexico, attached to a tug boat with a steel cable as thick around as a beer bottle and chugging along at 7 mph en route to the Panama Canal, then Beaumont, Texas, by Aug. 1, and probably not long after, to a final date with the shipyard in Brownsville to be broken down and recycled.

The hulking 50-year-old vessel, a gray barge carrier that stretches as long as the Transamerica Building laid on its side, saw service in the Persian Gulf War.

But its claim to fame — or infamy — occurred on Oct. 28, 1996, when a worker at a dry dock in San Francisco near Pier 70, just south of the present-day Giants’ ballpark, mistakenly opened a valve on the ship thinking he was releasing water. Instead, 96,000 gallons of heavy black bunker oil poured out. About 40,000 gallons of oil flowed into San Francisco Bay.

Windy weather and an early season rainstorm spread it quickly. The spill blackened miles of shoreline on Alcatraz and Angel Islands, drifted as far north as the Richmond San Rafael Bridge and washed up on beaches from Point Reyes National Seashore to Half Moon Bay.

“It was a horrible feeling to witness the pollution,” said Mary Jane Schramm, a volunteer at the time with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. “You would step in an area on the…

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Police Report: Mohican Trail Garage Catches Fire While Family Out of Town. Car Thefts Continue … Lock Your Doors!

Wednesday, 14 July 2021 10:16 Last Updated: Wednesday, 14 July 2021 18:06 Published: Wednesday, 14 July 2021 10:16 Traci Dutton Ludwig Hits: 175

Fire in a garage at 2 Mohican TrailHouse fire: On July 10, a Mohican Trail house caught fire. Firefighters arrived and observed smoke pushing out from second floor eaves, with the main body of the fire appearing to be located in the garage. Police notified the homeowner who said he was out of town with his family, and no one was in the house. Firefighters used a hose line to attack the fire with water. They forced open the front door and found no one inside. They searched the house for extension and found a second-floor room above the garage to be affected by the fire. A second hose line was stretched for use fighting the fire in this area. Volunteer firefighters were dispatched for help. Greenville and Hartsdale fire departments also assisted until the fire was out. The fire investigator noted that the house was under construction, and the garage seemed to be the place where work materials were being stored. The cause of the fire could not be specifically determined. A contractor arrived on scene to board up the house during the homeowner’s absence.

Stolen cars
A Cushman Road homeowner reported an unlocked 2019 Audi Q7, valued at $40,000, that had been parked in his driveway overnight was stolen July 7. The car was unlocked with keys inside. The homeowner also reported another parked car was entered.

On July 7, Westchester County police pursued a 2021 Lexus that they believed was possibly stolen from a Huntington Avenue…

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Maia Sheppard, the daughter of a Williams College professor, sifts a shovelful of dirt in search of artifacts in Stockbridge on July 6. The Mohican Tribal Historic Preservation Office is conducting archaeological digs at “Indiantown” — now known as Stockbridge — to try and locate the 1739 meetinghouse site and at the site of the ox roast that was held in the town at the end of the Revolutionary War. 

BEN GARVER — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

STOCKBRIDGE — Volunteers in hiking boots and long pants dig holes marked by little orange flags among the 20th century war memorials on Main Street.

Bending over these rectangular holes, called “units,” archaeologists search the soil for evidence of the 1739 meetinghouse, an essential piece of Stockbridge’s history, which is neither publicly acknowledged in this field — aside from a small plaque on the chime tower — nor anywhere else in town.

“It’s been a longtime goal to document sites important to Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Nation and raise visibility of our history here, which has largely been erased in the town,” said Bonney Hartley, tribal historic preservation manager for the nation. “The town was founded for our tribe, but you don’t see that anywhere when you’re here.”

The archaeological excavation, which began Tuesday and continues this week, aims to prove the existence of the meetinghouse, and ultimately include it in the National Register of Historic Places. As of Thursday, Ann Morton, the primary investigator, said they the team had found promising, but not definitive, evidence of the meetinghouse. This evidence includes subtle soil discolorations that suggest a building’s foundations from the right time period — but not the meetinghouse itself — and wrought-iron nails.

Unlike most of the Tribal Historic Preservation Office’s projects, this one is mostly educational. It’s not to save…

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A TEACHER from Grappenhall is embracing his new hair style after bravely shaving his hair it as part of a charity event.

Greg Allcock had hair styled into a Mohican as part of the ‘Lop the Mop’ challenge.

The challenge meant the more money raised, the shorter the haircut, with all funds donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Greg, a computer teacher at Wirral Grammar School for Boys, chose to raise money for the charity after one of the school’s pupils tragically died from cancer after a long battle.

After over £800 was raised for the challenge, Greg was set to face a Mohican.

All money raised will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust

The challenge took place Thursday, 2 July when one of the maths teachers, Mr Thomason, volunteered to style a Mohican on Greg and the event was livestreamed on the school’s Facebook page.

The 48 year old said: ‘‘The challenge was brought about by the staff and pupils at Wirral Grammar School for Boys raising over £800 for Teenage Cancer Trust.

‘‘I would like to say a special thank you to the pupils, staff, parents and many others who have given so generously and supported the ‘Lop the Mop’ challenge.

‘‘It really demonstrates what can be achieved when so many people choose to come together to support a worthy charity.’’

READ MORE: Teacher set to take on London Marathon in memory of pupil

Greg, from Grappenhall, will also be taking part in the October London Marathon to raise further funds for the charity.

So far, almost £2,000 has been raised for…

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Casters bring in 41 fish and some bonus saugeyes

Art Holden  |  Outdoor Correspondent

GREER  For the past 30 years, Kevin Strother has been fishing the Mohican River, usually putting in at Greer and fishing the stream south as far as Brinkhaven. Many years ago, I fished out of his flat-bottom boat on that Mohican stretch, and just last fall, the two of us fished the Muskingum River at the Ellis Lock and Dam.

We were back at it again this past week on the Mohican, and this time Strother proved old dogs can learn new tricks. With the water stained, but running at normal summer levels, the action wasn’t fast and furious, but it was constant, as we managed to land 41 fish on the the 5-mile float, getting three bonus saugeyes, a white bass, three rock bass, and the rest all smallmouth bass in what Strother said ws his best day of fishing in years.

More: Fixing the dam at Shreve Lake gets pushed down the list – again

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More: Fish My Spot is looking for pond owners and fishermen

He’s a Rebel Craw fisherman

Pretty much a crankbait fisherman, more specifically a Rebel Craw fisherman, Strother knows every inch of the Mohican, as he grew up not far away in Nashville. He had been reading my stories about fishing the Ned Rig to catch smallmouth bass, but wasn’t having the same success I was, so a trip to catch up on old times and get some pointers was in order.

Needless to say, it was a big hit.

“I haven’t seen so many fish fought and reeled onto my boat since the Rebel Crawdad was introduced to the Mohican River some 30 years ago,” said…

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story is courtesy of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

LOUDONVILLE — Tucked away in a peaceful corner of Mohican-Memorial State Forest in Ashland County is a place where families, friends and ordinary citizens can pause to reflect on Ohioans killed in World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and the Afghanistan and Iraq operations.

The Mohican-Memorial Shrine is the state’s official monument to her nearly 20,000 sons and daughters who died in those conflicts.

A joint initiative of ODNR and the Ohio Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Mohican-Memorial Shrine was completed in 1947. It is maintained by the ODNR Division of Forestry, which also oversees the surrounding 270-acre Memorial Park and 4,525-acre state forest.

More than 60,000 Women’s Club members from all over the state worked two years to raise the construction funds. Legislation required that all materials and companies involved in the construction be native to Ohio. Roof timbers were hewn from state forest trees.

The native Ohio sandstone blocks came from a nearby quarry. Roof tiles were manufactured in New Lexington and floor tiles in Zanesville.

A Columbus art glass studio created the shrine’s six stained-glass windows, which depict peace doves with olive branches, as well as red cardinals (the state bird) and buckeye trees (the state tree).

Two epic wood-bound books containing the hand-lettered names of 20,000 Ohio war dead are preserved in a glass case within the shrine’s grotto.

The “great books” are the centerpieces of the shrine, drawing an average of 3,000 to 5,000 people to the grounds each year. More people came in the years following World War II, before construction of Interstate 71 and the accelerated pace of modern life took a toll on the number of annual visitors.

A set of…

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ASHLAND — Fireworks. Live music. Classic cars. 

The Ashland area will host a variety of festivities for the upcoming July 4 holiday weekend.

City of Ashland

The Rotary Club of Ashland will put on a fireworks show at Ashland Community Stadium on July 4. 

The rotary raised $17,500 for the fireworks show this year, which will start at approximately 9:15 p.m. As was the case last year, no one will be permitted to sit in the grandstands during the fireworks show, but the fireworks can be viewed from streets and backyards throughout the city. 

From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. on July 2, the rotary club will be gifting children fun packs (glow sticks, bendable neon toys, hacky sack balls, bubbles, candy and popcorn). The fun packs will be offered to the first 200 children who show up at the Rotary tent, located in the parking lot of Armstrong Cable.  

Loudonville 

In the Village of Loudonville, fireworks will be presented by Zambelli Fireworks on July 4 in Riverside Park at dusk, around 9:30 p.m. 

For its 21st year, Loudonville will host a car show. The show, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on July 3, will feature approximately 500 classic cars from various decades. The streets of downtown Loudonville will be closed for traffic during the show. Pre-registration and registration fees are required for vehicle owners participating in the car show. 

Loudonville Car Show. File Photo. 

Mohican State Park will also host activities in Loudonville July 2-4. Dinner will be offered in the Bromfield’s Dining Room, located in the Mohican Lodge and Conference Center, each of the three nights beginning at 5 p.m. Dinner will run until 9 p.m. on July 2 and 3, and 8 p.m. on July 4. 

On July 2, a scavenger hunt will be held…

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STOCKBRIDGE — “Mohican Miles,” a new exhibit celebrating the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohican Indians’ history and culture in its original homelands, opens Friday at the Trustees of Reservations Mission House Museum, 19 Main St.

The federally recognized tribal nation, based in Wisconsin and with origins in the Hudson and Housatonic River valleys, coordinated the exhibit with the Trustees. The semipermanent exhibit can be viewed by the public beginning Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and then ongoing during regular museum hours, also from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays.

The exhibit includes an overview of Mohican history, the tribe’s historic relationship with the Trustees, information about the community today, the work of the Historic Preservation Office in the homelands, and displays of historic objects belonging to the tribe.

“We are excited that we have a place to call ours to tell our history, our way. The history that Mohican Nation has in Stockbridge is significant, and we are grateful to be able to tell it,” said Heather Bruegl, cultural affairs director for the Stockbridge-Munsee Community.

The tribe curated and designed the exhibit from the archives of the Arvid E. Miller Memorial Library Museum in Bowler, Wis., which houses the largest collection of Mohican documents and artifacts in the world.

Trudy Fadding, of Stockbridge, through a fellowship at Williams College, where the tribe maintains a Tribal Historic Preservation Extension Office, worked locally with the tribe’s office to develop the exhibit content.

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As a result of an agreement with the Trustees, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community will maintain exhibit materials in the Carriage House, the separate exhibit room behind the Mission House, for at least the next four years.

The space formerly held many objects belonging to the Mohican people that were purchased by Mabel Choate, the founder of the…

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