Know What is Coming and What Has Happened

                                                                                                                             

Friendly but Brawling Winter Forecasts

Labor Day brings on the onslaught of winter weather predictions; it is almost a traditional ritual. The Old Farmer's Almanac and NOAA have issued two very different forecasts. The old almanac based on long held and secretive formulas says the winter in the Great Lakes region and the northeast will feature extreme cold conditions, last quite a long time, and will have less snow.

NOAA's forecast says it will be somewhat milder with plenty of snow beginning in December but there will be an early warm-up in Feb.

Then there are local meterologists and their predictions based on historic folklore:

• If ant hills are high in July, Winter will be snowy.
• Squirrels gathering nuts in a flurry, will cause snow to gather in a hurry.
• A tough winter is ahead, if the apple skins are tough
• Let alone all the commotion about Wooly Bear caterpillars.

Here's the Historic Facts:

Winter factually arrives on the calender on December 21, 2010 at 6:38 pm. But it often snows well before that date, often around Halloween but certainly sometime right after deer rifle season opens in northwestern Pennsylvania opens after Thanksgiving (count on it). Historically, December, January, and into February it is always cold, blustery and very snowy. December and January are famous for the incredible snow machine. It never seems to go away. Winter ends when it wants too, despite Groundhog Phil's or any other animal's predictions. But Jack Wax is the first real sign of spring; followed by the spring peeps which always seem to emerge with warmer weather the last week of March, as the wood pile is down to the last row and kindling is nowhere near the house.

Another Historic, Well Known Fact

Late summer and from early to mid-fall are great times to get yard and garden work done. It is a good time to divide perennials or start a new one.

Plant garlic now for next year and try to get the garlic from a local source and not the supermarket. The garlic will be ready in early summer. If a hard neck variety is chosen, there is an extra benefit – the flavorful scapes.

Go native with perennials. Native plants have special relationships with important pollinators, are hardy to the local climate and are generally carefree. The trout lily is a good choice as are mayapples. Trilliums can be a little tricky but well worth the effort. Sunchokes, sometimes called mistakenly Jerusalem artichokes, are also a good choice for a barrier or screen.



Historic Bridges



Western Pennsylvania has many historic bridges, many are in danger of being demolished. Perhaps, it is time to consider saving and preserving these structures. The add to the historic atmosphere of the region, preservation is likely less expensive than building new (and sometimes ugly) bridges and they do represent part of Pennsylvania's historic heritage.

The following is the first part of  report written by Nathan Holth of historicbridge,org on a  August 22, 2010 tour of some of these local bridges. Many have withstood winters since the late 1800's.
The bridge featured is the Perry Street Bridge in Titusville. It could be demolished if preservation action is not taken. Thanks to Nathan for both the report and the photograph. The next post will continue his report.

We arrived in Crawford County in the afternoon (having seen bridges in
Butler and Venango Counties in the morning) and began by visiting the Franklin Street Bridge in Titusville. The bridge is one of two bridges that are nearly identical to each other, yet unlike any bridges found elsewhere in Pennsylvania. The Franklin Street Bridge, a steel tied arch bridge, was designed in 1939 by County Engineer Karl A. Miller. Miller was a rather interesting individual. Historic American Engineering Record research into Miller shows that he was an engineer who placed great value on repairing and maintaining bridges rather than replacing them, a good value that often seems sadly lost on today's roads and bridges. Another interesting thing found about Karl Miller was that he may have shared something with Historic Bridge Weekend attendees, which is an appreciation for the shear variety of bridge designs found in Crawford County. Many of his photographs feature various bridges in the county. Also in Titusville, we crossed the Perry Street Bridge, a historic pin-connected Pratt through truss. Our main goal here was to take HD Video while crossing the bridge. This weekend was our first opportunity to test our new HD recording capabilities. Sadly, the day before the Bridge Weekend, we discovered that the Perry Street Bridge has been slated for demolition and replacement. PennDOT will likely have to first conduct Section 106, a process which requires them to stand back and consider alternatives to replacement of a historic property, but they usually end up at demolition and replacement anyway. However when this process does take place, anyone concerned about losing this heritage should participate in the Section 106 process (which is required to include public participation) and speak out in favor of preservation.

Written by: Nathan Holth, www.historicbridges.com

Frontier Preacher – a Fictional Novel Based on Historical Events  

Sam Hossler, a former Canadohta Lake resident, has announced his new novel, Frontier Preacher, will be available in early September. Sam is a prolific and brilliant writer, a avid angler and hunter. For thirty some years, Sam has written extensively for Outdoor magazine's and newspaper columns and served as the editor of the Canadohta Lake Breeze. For many years, he organized the Canadohta Lake Kid's Fish day and help with other Canadohta Lake Area Business Association's events.

Sam now lives in Florida.
In an email, Sam said his latest novel will be available by Labor Day at Sally's on the Lake in Canadohta, Morrison's ll Sport Store in Titusville, the Erie Book Store in Erie and also at his Web site samhossler.com
Sam's writing, while fiction, is based on historical facts and centered in the northwestern Pennsylvania area.
The Frontier Preacher, is based on the historical life of  John Corbly (1733-1833) who was an important evangelist in the northwestern areas during the Whiskey Rebellion. Corbly lived an adventuresome frontier life, often marred by tragedy.
Meadville, for historical perspective, was founded in 1788 by a group of settlers led by David Mead. The site was chosen because of the convergence of French Creek with Cussewago. Meadville was the frontier and was also located on French Creek because of the ease of getting to Fort Franklin and safety.
I have read Sam's first two fascinating novels, cover to cover: The Summer of 1763 and The Great Land Grab. I'm reading Frontier Preacher now, it is difficult to put it down and get work done.  Sam has a great ability to bring history alive. All three books are related and focus on the  time period  following the French and Indian Wars and life in this section of the state.
If your looking for some great, entertaining, and informative writing, stop by either at the Web site or at one of the locations mentioned and get a copy, or buy all three. It is well worth the investment and enjoyment.

French Creek and the Creek Connection

It looks like everyone had a great time at Creek Camp ll which ended recently. Creek Camp is a program of Creek Connections and Allegheny College. During the week long camp students get to enjoy historic French Creek, learn about it's ecology and the local environment. This year as in the past several students in the 10^th and 11^th grades enjoyed the French Creek frontier from Costa Rica and, according to the Director of the Program, Laura Branby, one year there were six German students. After spending the day on the creek and the watershed area, the students spend the nights at dorms on the college campus.

Throughout the school year, local students, gather water data and help plant trees for stream erosion and pollution control.

French Creek retains much of the same characteristics as it did during the early historic frontier days. The watershed has remained largely undisturbed and provides an environment for many rare and endangered species. It makes for a great classroom.

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