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Scripture Rocks Heritage Park

July 7, 2017 by larrysmailart

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Very near to the community of Brookville, Pennsylvania a very interesting park is located. Today, the area has been worked on through dedicated people. The Jefferson County History center through grant monies has created this park with a parking lot, pavilion, trails and kiosks and such things. (The Jefferson County History Center web site is: http://www.jcjconline.org.)A personal friend, Ken Burkett was instrumental with the development of the area. Ken, an archeologist, has been part of the Jefferson County Museum; Parker’s Landing petroglyph digs; Fishbasket Indian village digs and many others sites.  He has been part of the North Fork Chapter 29 of the Society for Pennsylvania Archaeology for many years. I am a life member of this group, as well. (The web site for the North Fork  Chapter 29 Society is http://www.northfork29.org.) I applaud Ken and the help for their efforts! (By chance Ken was on the trails as we visited this morning.)

  Scripture Rocks heritage Park is located in woodland surroundings. (Go to http://www.scripturerocks.com for more details.)Many rocks are scattered on the

Death Rock

woodland floor. What defines this historical site are the carvings on  many rocks. At least 65 rocks are inscribed with Bible verses, scripture and some rants from the man who committed to doing these carvings over one hundred years ago.

Laurie and I left early to walk the trails in order to beat the hot, humid afternoon conditions and the predicted heavy rains. We slowly walked the 1.2 miles of trails reading the rocks and pondering as to what possessed the man to carry on with such an undertaking.

The man who did the rock carvings was Douglas Monroe Stahlman born in August 17th of 1861 in Jefferson county, Pennsylvania. He would be a teacher for a time. Later with his wife and family moved to Valprasis, Indiana. He became entangled in a scandal revolving around a religious movement of John Alexander Dowie. This would effect his entire life! The cult was called Dowism named after it’s founder. This sect followed a belief of healing by faith only. The founder declared war on the medical system.

Douglas’ wife would become very ill with blood poisoning and when he returned from being away to find her under a doctor’s care ordered the doctor to leave. The wife would die because of her husband’s desire to use only faith  healing on her because of the cult’s belief. He was jailed and deemed insane. His children would be taken from him.

Mr. Stahlman returned to Brookville in 1908. He was a man who had, and would later, face hardships in his life but he held to his deeply rooted religious convictions.

  Later, he would attempt to court a local woman named Mary Gilbert. Mary did not want to be his wife. This would lead to  carvings on some of rocks expressing some anger and frustrations. He would be inhabiting the woods and even had outdoor prayer services. Mr. Stahlman had a group of followers. He carved words against a Methodist superintendent on some rocks. Rock surfaces with Mary’s name on were marred in an attempt to remove her name.

Other interesting carvings featured big lettering with words such as: LOVE; HEALTH; DEATH; COURAGE: HOPE and others. These carvings were completed in 1912 and 1913.  Some of the lettering goes up to thirty inches in height. At least 165 carved rocks have been found. However, prior to the carvings he had dedicated  over 500 rocks.

Douglas lived on site for sometime as well.

   As time went on Douglas would be again deemed insane and arrested and jailed in 1915. He escaped jail and was later caught again. He spent the remaining years of his life in the Dixmont State Hospital in Allegheny County. He died in 1942.

Was Douglas M. Stalhman insane or just bitter. Probably, both insanity and bitterness would lead to his behavior with the rocks near Brookville.

Scripture Rocks is located south 28 of the Interstate 80 at the Exit 81 exchange.

 

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Great Days In June

June 28, 2017 by larrysmailart

 

Bull Thistle

Tuesday, June 27, I spent some quality time fishing on the Allegheny River. I was limited with bait , but I had some great fishing experiences.    throughout the early morning on this cool and breezy day I hauled in three nice Smallmouth Bass; five Walleyes and a Rock bass. I missed several other hits. I watched a Great Blue heron fishing along the shore. The bird was very successful!

 

Bear Tracks

This morning I was off again to hike in the State Game Lands 137. My goals were to see bear if possible.

 

Native Rhododendron

 

Owl Feather

I began my trek prior to six in the morning enjoying the forty degree temperatures and the lack of pestering insects. I slowly    walked along looking for photo opportunities and wildlife.  I saw one doe, but she watched me intently. I imagine she had fawn)s) behind her, but she wasn’t taking any chances and she turned into the dense foliage.

Summer wildflowers were everywhere as I searched for critters. I saw some various warblers including the Hooded warbler.

Dew on grasses

Later as I walked a grassy area I bumped a hen from a tree only to walk upon another hen just ahead. I glanced around for poults, but failed to see any, but I feel confident some were nearby. I didn’t see any bear, but I found old tracks in the dried mud.

 

Butterfly Flower

Posted in Hikes, Misc. Nature, Wildflowers | 2 Comments »

Cherry Run Time Afield

June 27, 2017 by larrysmailart

  

Black-eyed Susan

(Monday, June 26) How could I not hike on such a beautiful and cool morning? The morning was actually “fall-like” and I

Crane Fly

wanted to see what I could observe on such a fine day. I decided to travel over a few Cherry Run hills and hollows. Bear mating season is underway and I always search out opportunities to see those black beauties.                                                                   

I ascended a hill before leveling off across some woodland edges. I really enjoyed the coolness and peacefulness I was experiencing. Throughout the morning I would see twelve deer. Unfortunately, photo opportunities were few due to vegetation, distances and not seeing open views. Interestingly, I didn’t see any fawns this morning, but I am sure some were close by!

Daylily

 

Deptford Pink

I descended a slope onto an old timbering, but grass covered road. Suddenly, an explosion of fury erupted directly in front of me. A  hen turkey took to the air followed by miniatures. Yes, a number of turkey poults flew into the air in varying directions landing in trees. I estimated, due to their size, the poults to be about three weeks old. Wild turkey poults can fly short distances at around two weeks of age. I thought of setting down and calling them all back, but elected to continue on with the hike.

Milkweed Beetle

Moth Mullein

I circled the side of the hill unto a recently reclaimed strip job. I was struck in awe at the distances I could see. I sat down on some bare  ground to look about the distant hills. memories of my past could be viewed everywhere I looked. I started to visualize the turkeys and deer I had tagged as I looked those distances.  Lots of memories! I had bagged a gobbler on the one point just this past spring.              

I could see very far and I noticed a deer running across a field. I wondered what had made that deer run. Was the deer being attacked by horse flies?  IK could see a family of Canada Geese exiting a pond into the same field. Remember this distance is close to a half a mile! I didn’t want to leave, but I knew I was over a mile away from the jeep and time never stops for long.

Wildflowers, of course , are blooming everywhere. I took many a photo of them as I walked about the landscape. I am weird like that!

 

 

 

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State Game Lands 105

June 20, 2017 by larrysmailart

 

Indian Pipe

The weather was markedly less humid and cooler than recent days. I gathered up my gear and headed to State game Lands 105 in

Fritillary

northern Armstrong County. This is property maintained by the Pennsylvania game Commission.

I am always hopeful of seeing bear, but I failed to see anything resembling a bear on this jaunt. I had two exceptions. I walked into two separate baby Porcupines. Maybe with a good imagination one could see a slight resemblance to a bear…maybe??? They have black hair on their bodies don’t they?                                                                       

The first Porcupine I walked on was a small little feller. I would have liked to have held and petted this critter, but my smarts told me otherwise.  I was within a couple of feet of this little guy and he instinctively would turn his backside towards me. This is a defensive posture. I walked on through the woods and heard and saw another young Porcupine. This one was slightly larger than the earlier one. This Porky, also, had more white coloring on the body. This one didn’t stay put and began climbing a tree for safety!  

I saw five different bucks on this hike. two sported sizable racks and with a couple of months of growth yet to happen. I saw a few doe as well. I impinge fawns were nearby, but dense grasses and such would not allow any sightings of those little ones. I saw three young gobblers moving across a clearing.

Plenty of butterflies were dancing through the air waves. I managed a few photos of them.

 

Tiger Swallowtail

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Beautiful Crooked Creek

June 14, 2017 by larrysmailart

Crooked Creek

As a young fellow Crooked Creek flowed orange in color from past mining operations. Efforts were     completed and the waters normalized into a beautiful waterways moving towards the Allegheny River at Rosston, Pennsylvania. I remember seeing a greenish water in years past, however all the rocks and such were still orange. I, also, remember with these conditions showing my cousin a small group of baby Bullhead Catfish circling around the shoreline water. I said, at the time, this creek is becoming clean. And how the waters became clean! Time wasn’t long once the greens and blues became dominant and the orange acid left. the fisheries filled the waters rapid, too. Today many species of fish inhabit Crooked Creek.

I enjoy walking along the creek when I have a chance and I enjoy casting a line, too. This day, June 13th, was such a day. I fished some and I walked some.                                                                                                           

I caught a lot of Bluegills, a Hickory Sucker and a few Smallmouth Bass. Mostly I walked and took photos as a remembrance.

 

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Great Blue Heron track

 

 

My dad and I would go to this area and gather “crabs” to go bass fishing. Of course those crabs are actually crawfish, but we  always called them crabs. Gathering these critters was as much a sport as bass fishing to us.

I only saw one Great Blue Heron on this excursion, but I saw several doe and four fawns while traveling to fish and walk.

Posted in Fishing, Misc. Nature | Leave a Comment »

Carp Fishing!

June 7, 2017 by larrysmailart

  I went fishing especially for Carp. After loosing three riggings in six casts while fishing the Allegheny River  I made a decision to go for Carp in a pond. The choice was a good one for me.

I stopped at the house to exchange gear. I elected to fish with a fly rod.

The walk to this particular pond is approximately a mile through fields and forests so I actually gained some hiking time, as well. As the walk progressed I noticed something unusual. I thought I was looking at a piece of rubber or something. The object just was out of place. Suddenly, I realized what I was seeing. I was seeing a Snapping Turtle. The turtle’s shell was covered with mud thus it looked very smooth until I came closer to the image and saw other details.

The approach to the pond detailed some wildlife immediately. A Great Blue Heron was standing breast-deep in the water searching for something to eat. I managed several photos. A Wood Duck escaped my presence, as well. Carp were  everywhere surfacing and splashing.

Snapping Turtle

The pond’s surface was inundated with much moss. This surprised me since we seemed to have a lot of rain. The surface looked more like it was from the August dog-days. This made fishing difficult, but the edge of the water was open along the shore.

I fished  for a time hooking two Carp. The second one really gave me a fight on the fly rod tackle.

Other sightings of the day were a doe and her fawn and three separate hen Turkeys. Two of the hens had obvious poults and the third acted as if poults were in the area. The little ones were only a day or two since hatching.

Posted in Fishing, Wildlife | Leave a Comment »

State Fish Hatchery and Other Places

June 3, 2017 by larrysmailart

  A secondary place I had planned on visiting on my day trip was the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission Fish Hatchery at  Tionesta. This hatchery is along the Allegheny River. I had not been at this hatchery in many, many years. We had stopped, as a family, while traveling to Kinzua Dam to see it and fish. I was a little fellow at the time. I remember seeing aquariums at the hatchery with live fish. I wanted to test my memory and reminisce.

Wild Columbine

The hatchery began operations in 1928. This day employees were working with Walleye and Muskellunge fry. Fingerling Tiger Muskies were, also, available for a future stocking. The workers were very kind and shared information on the process with me. Those little inch and a half Muskie fry will be ready to stock in October as fish around 7-9 inches, possibly more. That is a rapid growth.

 

Allegheny River at Tionesta

I walked down to the Allegheny River and enjoyed memories of fishing here those many years ago. Mergansers were in the area enjoying the sun.

Mergansers

I spotted some Red-spotted Newts in the still water areas. I had seen my first newt of my young life at this very place. I am weird like that for I remember being excited over seeing an amphibian.

 

Callen Run

I traveled cross country towards Belltown. I was heading to the Heath Pump Station Hatchery. This small-scale hatchery is run by the local sportsman’s club. Callen Run is on site. Years ago, my brother-in-law, Bob Hudson and I would always make a trip to see and sometimes fish for the trout. Bob would be killed in a work-related accident in 1988. I had not been there since prior to his passing. Many memories surfaced.

 

A live Muskie…Frankie’s Pal!

I walked along the Clarion River while visiting the hatchery.

 

Ready to bloom!

Pennsylvania’s state flower is the Mountain Laurel. Although some were in full bloom, another week from now would be been

Mountain Laurel

better. These flowers should be about in full array in another week.

Posted in Misc. Nature, My Family, Wildflowers | 2 Comments »

Buzzard Swamp Hike

June 2, 2017 by larrysmailart

Ostrich Fern

I remember hearing of Buzzard Swamp in my teen years. The words I had heard were from grizzled old hunters stating of people becoming lost in the area in times past. Now I can see why. The area minus the trails and man-made ponds loos the same in all directions. the land is primarily flat.

Beaver Dam

 

This morning I left the house about 4:30 A.M. for the trip north to Buzzard Swamp. This land has been managed for wildlife through efforts of the Pennsylvania Game Commission and the United States Forest Service. The location of the site is near Lolita, Pennsylvania and south of Marienville.

   I arrived on site around six in the morning to a balmy thirty-eight degrees. I shuffled around getting my gear organized when I  remembered to turn my cell phone on. I was immediately warned of a message. I was stunned with the words from my friend, Galen Braddy from North Carolina. The message was a mutual friend Ken Crummett of West Virginia being in the hospital. Ken had had a stroke. As I type this entry I am awaiting details and further word of Ken. A few weeks ago I spent time with Galen, Ken, and Kip Feroce during the first week of gobbler season. ken and Galen both bagged gobblers locally. The news sure dampened the hiking mood for me, but I tried to make the best of the situation managing to spend some time walking around a wildlife propagation area and beyond.

 

Tree Swallow

Deer were everywhere! I have no idea just how many deer I had seen here on site and while traveling. I was blessed to see three  fawns, too.                                                                                    

Like deer, Canada Geese were very abundant. I could see a lot of goslings about, as well. I witnessed some Mallards and Wood Ducks, and later, I saw some Mergansers. I saw some gobblers and hens at various locations, too. A lot of birdlife used the area. Swallows, Bobolinks, robins, warblers, Red-winged Blackbirds…  Next entry will include some places I visited. The areas were sites that were important to me in years past or have special memories.                                                                          

Posted in Misc. Nature, Wildlife | Leave a Comment »

A Letter From My Dad

May 26, 2017 by larrysmailart

The following letter was printed by the Schenley Distilleries magazine in August 1945. The magazine was called REMARKS OF MERITS. My dad, Allen

Allen K. Smail on the right.

K. Smail, wrote to the company he worked for locally just prior to the war and after the war was over. The Joseph Finch branch was located here at Schenley, Pennsylvania in southern Armstrong County until the early 1980 era. The printed letter was edited for space. Any wording in parenthesis are my extra notes. Dad would have been 94 on June 4, 2017.

Allen K. Smail (I have this uniform.)

Allen Smail, Finch writes: “I really enjoy getting REMARKS OF MERIT. It sort of brightens up these weary days to be able to read about the happenings around there and also to find out what your old buddies are doing. It makes you feel good to know that you are being remembered by the folks back home and you strive all the harder to get your job finished so you can get back to those folks and share in the things you are fighting to preserve… now that it is over over here, we are allowed to tell of our experiences and places where we have been.

In England I was about thirty miles from London at a 9th Air Force Airbase. Being so close to London we were subject to a lot of air raids. Later when the Buzz- Bombs  started coming we were right in “Buzz-Bomb Alley.” We were lucky as none landed on our field but they did drop all around us. From England I flew over to France by C-17 and landed near Paris but moved to Chartres. (D-day 13)I didn’t stay there long, but moved on to a little town in Belgium named Jodigne. I met up with the Buzz-Bombs again. We had between three and four million gallons of gasoline and oil there and with those bombs dropping around I considered it a good place to stay away from. (Buzz-bombs in World War Two were explosive like missiles that would be fueled up and sent towards a target by the Germans. They made a buzzing noise until the fuel was spent. Silence would then tell anyone hearing them that the bomb was now free-falling. My dad told me how frightful it was, especially, once the buzzing stopped.)

We were almost caught in the Bulge last December, however the Germans were stopped in time. (My dad told me he of hearing the artillery, etc.  approximately forty miles away.) I’m now in Frankfurt in Germany working with the Ordnance as a guard. (I have his MP (Military Police) arm band here at home.) I suppose you have heard of the K-9 Corps in the Army. Well, I’m in something similar to that only I’m hooked up with dogs that are used for guards. They are trained to attack and bite any intruder who might wander on your post. It’s just too bad for anyone who doesn’t stop when you halt them.” (My father’s dog was named Wolf.)                                                                                                      

Dad and Wolf. He loved this dog!

Posted in My Family, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

I Worked Birds Four Times!

May 23, 2017 by larrysmailart

  I was stationary at a high point very early to listen for gobblers. The sky was cloudy with a lot of red in the eastern horizon. I was

An intersting white Iris.

thankful the sun came out later.

I was quite a bit disturbed at this time when I realized my Gore-Tex boots leaked and my socks were soaked! I purchased these boot from Dick’s on April 7th of this year. Later, this soaking would lead me to get up and walk for the early morning temperatures and inactivity caused shivering on my part. My feet were cold and very uncomfortable! I was disgruntled!

Free to a good home! Gore-Tex is crap!

I heard a distant gobbler a few hundred yards away and as I began the trek towards him another tom gobbled close and directly below me. I angled away from the gobbler and started to enter the woods and bumped a hen from the roost. She cackled as she flew and, now two gobblers sounded off. I set up about eighty yards from them. Shortly, I was hearing 4 or five gobblers roosting together.

 

Black-billed Cuckoo

Unfortunately, either the scared hen returned or another hen roosting with them began cutting and silence fell upon the early woods.

Wood Duck

I would creep in the direction once I knew the birds were not coming in. I called and an explosion of gobbling was the result. These birds, presumably, Jakes, were around forty yards from me. They would only gobble with a loud yelp series or crow call, but that only lasted a short time. (Jakes are young turkeys and last years gobblers.)

I went up and over and had another tom answer me. His gobble was only a “courtesy” gobble. He remained quiet after the initial call. By this time, with cold and wet feet, I walked along a farming road to stop and wring out my socks. Shameful! I reentered the woods and spooked a turkey where I had been calling!!!

I was actually thinking of going home and began  walking a reclaimed strip towards the jeep, I called and received an answer way across Cherry Run and the road and up a hollow. I thought my feet are already soaked so why not wade the creek and go after the gobblers. I would later get some gobblers riled up, but they eventually tired of the game refusing to cross a gulley. I circled way out around them and gobbled and heard another gobbler clear across the hollow again. Off I went and I failed to rile him up.

I began heading back to where I heard the lone gobbler earlier. By this time, I was tired and had a raspy throat from sinus draining allergy issues. Why me? I entered the woods and called and set back and took a cat nap. I walked further back the ridge and received an answer. This gobbler seemed interested.

   I was working this fellow and he was coming in slowly. I heard something walking to my left and could soon see three gobblers at about eight yards. I couldn’t see their beards because I was viewing them through my peripheral vision…no details! The great debate entered my mind. Were these all Jakes? Could their be a longbeard within this group?  I began thinking of shooting whatever legal bird appeared first. Meanwhile, the longbeard below was still coming.

The three turkeys began putting some and I knew they suspected something amiss. They began walking towards the gobbler. I could see they were all jakes now. I pulled up and bagged a gobbler at 35 yards.  No regrets, but I can’t help wondering what would have happened had I not shot. I suspect quiet on the western front, but one can never know with a surety.  I began the very long walk back to the jeep.

Posted in 2017 Spring Gobbler Season, Wildlife | Leave a Comment »

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