Winter Predictions, Fall Gardens, and 1859 Just Doesn't End

As September enters the calendar, thoughts turn to the upcoming winter. The Farmers Almanac is forecasting a particularly nasty winter season for most all regions in North America. For northwestern Pennsylvania, a good weather weather site to stay tuned into is CrawfordWeather on Facebook which published the above picture. It is a good site for southern Erie County and all of Crawford in the western Pennsylvania area with up to the minute weather updates (after all Mother Nature doesn't pay particular attention to political boundaries).

Other Forecasts:

In many regions in the western areas of Pennsylvania, there is an abundant apple crop, the oak trees are loaded with acorns (think about planting America's Tree), the wasp nests are high in the trees and there was plenty of fog during the month of August. According to weather folklore, all are signs of an impending snowy and cold winter.

Personally, I haven't seen a wooly bear caterpillar yet this year and the above picture is from last year. But they will make an appearance shortly and we'll see what they have to tell.

The Once Upon a Time Oil Capital of the World

The history of much of the western Pennsylvania region revolves around oil. It was on August 27, 1859 when the oil  began to flow at Drake's Well near Titusville. The success spurred developments in many communities besides Titusville. Oil City, Union City and Corry come quickly to mind as communities which thrived with the oil boom days following the American Civil War.
Pithole, a once thriving oil town, is almost legendary for it's rapid rise and fall. Pictured above is a coffee can filled with crude oil and set on fire for light (a primitive lantern of sorts), something I learned one day at the now famous ghost town.
For those readers not very familiar with the world's first commercial Oil Well and Pithole, Rock Oil.

Canadohta Lake initially received a tremendous boost from Drake's discovery and became something of a luxury resort community for many rich oil tycoons. The lake, once known as Washington Lake and then Oil Creek Lake was renamed Canadohta after a Seneca Chief, named Canadaughta.  The oil men formed their own club, the Canadohta Club and claimed the lake as their own.
Enter local resident, Ben Ruggles who took them to court after he was charged with trespassing. Ruggles won his case and the lake was deemed state or public property to be enjoyed by all citizens. On the downside, the legacy of the case remains even today with property disputes, paper roads, public and private road questions and countless disputes over docks, titles and ownership.
Throughout the upcoming winter, we'll take a look at Ben Ruggles (who was he) and the Canadohta Club (who really were they) .
Follow Koyote Hill or add as an RSS feed and stay up to date with some fascinating and informative series starting the next post. There is some intriguing little known information from Spartansburg and Riceville and all the way to Florida.Ben Ruggles: 1868 -1960.
 If you have something to contribute to this story, please contact. Thanks.

There is still time to plant a Fall Garden. But you need to hurry it up now. Lettuce, swiss chard and kale can all be successfully harvested before the heavy snow and bitter cold arrives. Some varieties even enjoy and taste better after a light frost.
Peas and red beets are also a good choice for a Fall Garden but time is just about out for beans. The earliest bean varieties are about 55 days.
October is the month in our region to get the garlic in the ground. It laughs at winter.It is also time to bring in the herb Rosemary if you have it planted, it is a nice houseplant.
Or if your in a gambling mood, plant now and enjoy a spring harvest when the snow melts.
Sunchokes, or Jerusalem artichokes can also be harvested after a light frost. They can be planted in the fall or the spring in the garden, or harvested in the wild. For more on Sunchokes, Indian Potato.
You may also be interested in:

Sunflowers - These fascinating plants have a long history filled with symbolism.

Perennial Fruits and Vegetables

Build a Bat House this Winter 

Sun Medicine - some cool facts about Goldenrods


Good Blogs to Read -

Step by Step in the Kitchen - Kathleen has a great recipe for Butternut Squash

Uncle Sam's History - This is one of Sam Hossler's history blogs

Go Crawford - well, that's me and news and events in our region. Learn more about the mystery snails in Canadohta and Pymatuning.