USA > Pennsylvania > Pike County > History of the Forest Lake Club, 1882-1932 > Part 12
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WOODS AND TRAILS
ered many interesting Indian artifacts from the site. More than one hundred pieces of Delaware and Mo- hawk pottery, numerous net sinkers-bone awls- arrow heads-hammer stones-amulets, etc., were found and identified. Besides, great quantities of split bird and animal bones were found-including leg and shoulder bones of deer and elk-turkey bones -beaver teeth-fox and muskrat skulls, etc. The 'Indian Ledge' soon became known to the out-door enthusiasts of the Club and for many years 'hikers' made frequent visits to the ledge to 'dig for Indian relics,' until today there is little left of archaeological value."
Later, Mr. Gregor discovered that two smaller shelters or overhanging ledges bore evidences of for- mer Indian occupancy. One is the ledge below the Wolf Ramble summer house. The other is the small overhanging ledge at the children's playground near the bathing beach. Indian pottery and other primi- tive artifacts have been found at both of these places, giving evidence that in the long ago Wolf Lake was a favorite rendezvous of the Indian.
Today, as we walk along our trails through the woods or fish in our lakes and streams, the scene that greets the eye is so similar to that upon which the Indian must have looked a century and a half ago, that could he return and view it again, he would surely recognize at once his former home and hunting grounds.
XIV
WILD LIFE
THE BIRDS
I T is said that in the Buck Hill Falls section of the Poconos, thirty or forty miles south of the Club, there have been noted one hundred and thirty-six varieties of birds, and there is reason to believe there are at least as many kinds to be found within the en- virons of The Forest Lake Club, situated as it is in the same type of country. Elmer Gregor gives one hun- dred and forty-eight varieties as seen and identified by him.
Disappointment has sometimes been expressed that so few birds are to be seen; but it must be remem- bered that most visitors to the Club are there only in July and August and it is before and after that period of the year, especially in the spring, that the birds are present in the greatest numbers. The robins and the black birds are among the first arrivals, some of them appearing as early as the middle of March; and then, during the next few weeks, come the blue birds and red wings, ruffed grouse, grackles, red shouldered hawk, nuthatch and northern black cap. The king- fisher and the osprey spend some time with us, and the geese and various ducks pay a very early and per-
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functory call on their way to far northern climes. But we will see them again in the fall. The blue herons and the green and black crowned night herons stay with us considerably longer and many Club mem- bers will recall the lone blue heron that was to be seen, sometimes on Forest Lake, sometimes on Wolf, summer after summer for many years. The follow- ing lines from John C. Van Dyke's "The Meadows" seem appropriate in describing this well known feathered visitor.
THE BLUE HERON
Grey gaunt and grim, Silent and solitary I find you by the wood pool's brim Without your Highland Mary.
Yes: quite alone, For she with whom you mated Afar to other pools has flown As though your sight she hated.
You sulk and doze And worry without reason You lose your color and your clothes And curse the moulting season.
But this divorce Is summer's ending merely; In spring another wife of course, Will love you quite as dearly.1
1 "The Meadows," by John C. Van Dyke, reproduced by permission of Charles Scribner's Sons.
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Birds that may often be seen in late spring and early summer are the scarlet tanager, blue jay, oriole, warblers, sand piper, veery, vireo, junco and the wood and the hermit thrush. The whippoor-will is heard in June, as are the oven birds, fly catchers and thrushes; and the woodpeckers, flickers, and sap- suckers, so well called by Burgess the "Drummers and Carpenters," are busily at work. The warblers are seen among the rhododendrons, and the water thrushes are found along the streams. The crows, like the poor, we have always with us, to the great detriment of a smooth fairway and a newly made putting green.
In July, many of the songsters are silent and in August, few are seen or heard except the nighthawk, cliff and barn swallows, indigo buntings, and black birds. In the late fall the woodcock and partridge are abundant; the ducks and geese visit us again for short periods and then, when winter spreads her mantle, the siskins, cross bills, and red polls arrive to feed on hemlock seeds and berries. In January, 1885, Mr. Minturn took up twelve quail and placed them in a room in the Club House with the inten- tion of liberating them in milder weather. No suc- cess apparently attended the carrying out of this plan and quail are conspicuous by their absence.
Most birds are insectivorous and for this one gives thanks when it is remembered that some caterpillars consume daily twice their weight in leaves. Of the appetite of birds it has been said that if there were but
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WILD LIFE
one nest of robins to the acre in Pennsylvania, each nest containing four young, each bird weighing one ounce, only four ounces to the acre, it would take 3,600 tons of insects to feed the birds of Pennsyl- vania for a single day. (Carroll B. Tyson's "The Poconos.") This would seem to point to the impor- tance of protecting our bird life against some of its natural enemies. A reference to the rules regulating hunting and fishing, as set down in a previous chap- ter, will show that the beneficent and harmless wild life in the vicinity of the Club has always remained unmolested. It is perhaps appropriate in this con- nection to record that the employment of a game warden was authorized in February, 1913, and one was engaged in the following May.
It is reported in the records, that in the fall of 1914 some money was subscribed for the purchase of wild ducks for the following year. This followed the suggestion of William L. De Bost, who, with others, held the opinion that ducks placed on the lakes and plentifully fed would thrive and multiply and become a yearly decoy for others of their kind. The ducks were obtained, and, after clipping their wings, placed on Wolf. They became quite tame and seemed to take as much pleasure as the bathers in swimming back and forth to the raft-in fact, the latter finally became so jealous of their web- footed friends' aquatic ability, that they banished them to a pen on the other side of the lake. This
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plan lasted for another season and then the experi- ment was abandoned.
Following this, about 1920, a duck enclosure was built on Wolf Lake and an attempt was made to breed wild mallard ducks for decoy purposes. A report of the Fish, Game and Forestry Committee for 1921 states that the flock had been firmly established and that it was the hope of the Committee to be able in the fall to furnish live decoys to members and their guests. Thirty ducks, raised during the spring of 1922 and held on Forest Lake during that sum- mer, were released in the fall in the belief that some of them would return in the spring to breed; but this much desired event did not materialize and the breeding attempt was finally abandoned. In 1920, three duck blinds, built of logs as permanent struc- tures, were erected on the shores of Wolf Lake, and have been available for many years.
The above paragraph leads naturally to the story of the "Wild Geese" so well told by Billy De Bost, who was one of the leading characters in the drama. One spring, several years ago, Mr. De Bost sent up to the Club two pairs of wild geese, he having entertained the idea of making them permanent decoys. The orders were to place one pair in Wolf and the other in Corilla and the commands were strictly carried out; but someone, either through slight carelessness or, perhaps, because of Quaker propensities put the two gentlemen in one lake and the two lady geese in the other. Then was set up such a honking as had
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never before disturbed those placid waters; and sig- nals of distress were exchanged between the caretaker of the Club and the author of the experiment. But, "Love will find a way" and after a hectic and noisy forty-eight hours, the tumult suddenly ceased and all four birds were found swimming happily around together. Those old ganders, with wings clipped but with stout hearts had finally pushed through the woods from lake to lake and joined the ladies.
THE ANIMALS
A list of 28 species of mammals has been given by Mr. Gregor as follows:
Black Bear (rare)
Raccoon
Canadian Lynx
Woodchuck
(now rare)
Weasel
Bay Lynx (Bobcat)
Varying Hare
Timber Wolf
Cottontail Rabbit
(accidental)
Gray Squirrel
Virginia Deer
Red Squirrel
Otter (rare)
White-footed Wood Mouse
Mink
Star-nosed Shrew
Muskrat
Short-tailed Shrew
Porcupine (rare) Skunk
Common Mole
Red Fox
Flying Squirrel
Gray Fox
Beaver
Cross Fox
Chipmunk
Long-tailed Jumping Mouse [ 197 ]
HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
It would be an unpleasant experience to most of us to come in contact with some of the above-men- tioned animals, but little is to be feared. The wolf has ceased to exist in our woods and the Canadian Lynx is extremely rare. The Bay Lynx or "Bobcat" is undoubtedly still with us; we hear him occasionally and his tracks are often seen when the snow is on the ground, but he himself is very successful in keeping out of sight of man, and he will not attack unless provoked to battle.
After all, the bear question seems to be one of veracity. This animal is rare now in these parts, but, if Frank Dexter and the writer can be believed, a black bear was seen by them this past summer about two miles north of the Club House on the old Plank Road; bruin, however, is extremely shy and will put as much distance as possible between himself and man, and in the shortest time.
The otter is now very rare in this region, undoubt- edly the penalty exacted for his possession of such a beautiful silky coat. The banks of lakes and streams are the habitat of this animal and he feeds almost en- tirely on fish. He dives into the water from the bank, or, where possible, makes slides down into the water the more easily to get at his prey. He is a nomadic creature and travels around from lake to lake, sometimes visiting several in his search of a day's food supply.
The mink is still fairly common. He is a member of the weasel family, equally at home on land or in
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the water and besides having a liking for fish, will prey upon almost any animal of his size or smaller. He is, in turn, hunted most persistently for his fur. So there are two sides to his story.
The muskrat, as its name implies, belongs to the rodents. He has a rat-like head, a long laterally flat- tened, scaly tail and his fur is brown above and gray below. His hut-like home of mud, twigs and dried grass is built on the borders of streams and lakes, and his food consists of roots, tender shoots and leaves of aquatic plants, with an occasional fish dinner.
The raccoon is related to the bear family, though nocturnally inclined and not at all ferocious. He is grayish-brown, with a black cheek-patch and black- and-white ringed tail. He preys largely on aquatic animals, and, in turn, his principal enemy is the col- lege boy.
The red fox is, of his family, the most commonly found in our woods. He has been called all kinds of hard names and his cunning is proverbial; yet his hunting is confined largely to field and wood mice rather than birds and poultry, and he is himself one of the most hunted of the animals.
It is said that the beaver is coming back, after a period of almost total extermination. Probably no animal has been so persistently hunted to satisfy the craving of man (or is it woman?) for his beautiful fur. After all, this sagacious and industrious little animal, who is perfectly harmless and lives entirely
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HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
on bark and twigs, deserves to be welcomed back to our lakes and streams, and we should hail his return.
The remaining members in our list of mammals are also quite harmless, though in a manner of speaking, the skunk may be considered an exception. The wild cat, red squirrel, weasel, skunk and fox have been classed as bird enemies and blacklisted by the Club although some of our member naturalists take the view, and possibly with justice, that no one form of wild life, within reason, should be protected more than another, leaving the matter of protection of each species entirely to its own instincts of self-pre- servation.
When we come to speak of the deer, so plentiful now in our forests, there will be raised no dissenting voice as to his cordial welcome to The Forest Lake Club, even though he has occasionally to be driven off our fairways in order to obtain a good brassie shot. Fifty years ago the deer were many in number, but the absence of a closed season up to about eight or ten years ago almost spelled disaster for their continued existence. To stroll over toward the MacGregor cottage, as far as the turnstile, a little before dusk, almost any clear summer's evening, is to see these graceful creatures, sometimes four or five in num- ber, materialize one after another from out the shad- ows of the woods-a novel sight for city eyes and one more attractive feature of The Forest Lake Club.
After all, why not consider the thousands of acres of The Forest Lake Club a preserve for the wild life
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WILD LIFE
whose homes these acres were long before man took possession.
"When they ask where you go in the summer, And you answer, 'Pike County not far,'
They prick up their ears and they murmur: 'Oh! That's where the rattlesnakes are!' "
It is said that in a certain History of Ireland, the subject of snakes is covered in the following single sentence: "There are no snakes in Ireland." In the present history this subject, unfortunately, cannot be dismissed so curtly. As noted above, Pike County and the rattlesnake have long been linked together in the public mind, though perhaps unreasonably. It is true that there are or have been a great many rat- tlesnakes in this part of the country and formerly they were frequently seen about the Club grounds. Of late years, however, they have been much more rarely seen. Frightened by the golfers, perhaps.
The favorite haunts of the rattler are on rocky ledges or in the crevices of stone walls or boulders; and there is a famous "Rattlesnake Den" on the far side of Wolf Lake, which quite often has been visited by storming parties from the Club, and where many a rattlesnake, that might have bitten the children, has bitten the dust instead. Occasionally they have visited the golf links and been seen on the greens, but such sharp-shooters with the putter as Joe Merrill, John Honness and Donald Williams have about dis- couraged that venture. After all, the danger from
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the rattler is fairly remote. He gives, usually, some warning of his presence and is quite as anxious to get away as one is to have him go. While a snake-bite serum is available in the Club's medicine cabinet and there would probably be little difficulty in securing the usual amateur remedy, the use of which, how- ever, is open to question, the extermination of this creature is highly to be desired. The water snake and black snake are occasionally seen and, of course, our little friend, the garter snake. But these reptiles are quite harmless, however repugnant they may be.
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XV
SPORTS AND PASTIMES
T HE above title, though it may appear to some a rather homely and old-fashioned phrase, has been chosen for two reasons: One is that our Club fathers used it back in 1900 to designate what might be called the first authorized Entertainment Commit- tee, and secondly, it seems to properly describe the lighter activities and diversions of the Club members as contrasted with the more serious ones such as fish- ing and hunting. Fishing, we know, must be taken seriously as every fisherman will agree and hunting often becomes a serious affair when, for instance, "buck fever" sets in. Even golf is at times in danger of joining this category, but, as taking it very seri- ously usually means the complete undoing of the golfer, we will catalogue it under "Sports and Pastimes."
For several years after the Club came into exist- ence, no regularly organized effort was made for the entertainment of the members and their guests, aside from the privileges of fishing and hunting, which were naturally the predominating activities.
A croquet ground had been laid out in front of the Club House and this form of entertainment, though indulged in by some of the men as well as the
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women and children, was probably more or less spurned by certain of the younger set, who evidently felt the need of a more vigorous form of recreation. Accordingly, in January, 1888, several of the younger men, prominent among whom were Sam Ogden, Frank Davidson and Charlie MacGregor, conceived the idea of building a bowling alley and forming a bowling club, and application was made to the Board of Directors for permission to carry out their plans. The club was formed and called the Corilla Bowling Club. The Association Directors granted permission to the club on May 21st, 1888, to erect its house and alleys on the lot to the west and outside of the park grounds, and subscriptions were immediately solicited to provide funds for the proposed building. After considerable effort, about $1,500.00 was subscribed and collected and by the late spring of 1889 the building of the bowling alley had begun.
The work had progressed as far as the erection of the frame and the roof had been put on, but not all of the siding. This more or less insecure state of af- fairs existed on a certain Sunday in the middle of that summer. Quite suddenly, a terrific thunder- storm came up, accompanied by a full gale, and very neatly and with little effort the roof was lifted en masse, deposited on the ground many feet away, and the domicile of the Corilla Bowling Club was tempo- rarily left without its dome. This damage was soon repaired, however, and the bowling alley completed; but the Bowling Club, finding itself considerably in
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debt, appealed to the Association to take over the property in order to relieve it of its financial respon- sibilities. The Association Clerk, therefore, in Janu- ary, 1890, was appointed to confer with the Corilla Club to straighten out the financial tangle, and a short time later the Association took a bill of sale of the building, assuming the debts of the club and the collection of subscriptions. So ended the somewhat hectic career of the Corilla Bowling Club, but the bowling alley remained as an integral part of the As- sociation property and continued until a few years ago to give recreation and enjoyment to many mem- bers of The Forest Lake Club, especially during spells of bad weather. For many years there was a pool table in the bowling alley building until a billiard room was arranged for in the Club House.
In September of the year 1890, at the suggestion of Alfred B. Ogden, the Landscape Engineer, it was or- dered that a playground be set aside east of the stone walk leading from the Club House to the Davidson cottage and between the Hawley Road and the barn road, and a short time later the croquet site was re- moved from in front of the Club House and placed on the playground. Up to this time then, there was, according to the records, bowling, billiards, croquet, and the so-called "Playground" for the entertain- ment of the members and guests. Just what sports were indulged in on the playground, other than the children's games, is not on record, but fireworks on the Fourth of July and a baseball game between the
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married and the single men would probably not be far from a correct surmise.
TENNIS
Our records in regard to tennis as far as the early history of the Club is concerned are very incomplete. Prior to 1903 the game was played on a single grass court laid out just west of the stone walk and about half way between the north porch of the Club House and the entrance gates. From photographs taken at that time no back-stops are in evidence and there must have been considerable additional exercise pro- vided in running after balls. The first clay court was built by Joe Van Vleck about 1903 and had its site at about the center of the present courts. Tom M. Hall was a tennis enthusiast and it is recorded that in 1906 he presented a tennis outfit to the Club. This single court served for several years until shortly before 1910, when the present courts were built; and these have stood well the test of time. In 1928, an entire new back-stop was erected, formed of iron pipes and a new wire netting, a gift of Joseph Brob- ston. New posts were set in concrete for stretching the nets, and the courts were put in good condition. Much credit is due Bert Hendrickson for his atten- tion and care of the courts during many seasons while on his vacation at the Club. Tournaments toward the close of each season have been the rule for many years, certainly as far back as 1909, as officially re-
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SPORTS AND PASTIMES
corded, and in all probability from the grass court era. Nor has the interest in tennis waned, even with the present great popularity of golf; and the tennis tournament continues to be one of the chief events of the season in the realm of sports and pastimes.
TRAP AND TARGET SHOOTING
Trap shooting was for quite a number of years a very popular diversion. For some years prior to 1908 the range was situated at the site of our second fair- way and the marksman took his stand just to the right of the large tree that so often interferes with what promises to be a perfect slice from the second tee. The photograph shows him blazing away, while the lady looks on in apparent admiration. In Aug- ust, 1908, arrangements were made to remove the range to Mount Ogden. Accordingly, a good shoot- ing stand was erected and a semi-pit built for the traps, a little to the south of the summer house and facing east. It behooved the trap boy to keep well under the protection of the stand, as it is said that on one occasion one of the young women said "Pull" and at the same time pulled her trigger, nearly pene- trating the skin of the boy who supposed he was suf- ficiently out of range. In May of the same year, Elmer Gregor, who was much interested in the sport, had presented a barrel of clay pigeons to the Club. Among other enthusiasts of this sport were Albert E. Hendrickson, William L. De Bost and Harold C. Wil-
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HISTORY OF THE FOREST LAKE CLUB
liams. For several years the new range was well pat- ronized, but about 1918 its popularity had waned and the traps were dismantled and stored away. The old platform was in evidence for only a few years more and finally it too disappeared into the limbo of the discarded.
Target shooting is another sport that enjoyed con- siderable popularity at one time. In a Club brochure printed in 1889 mention is made of a target range, but where it was located is unknown to the writer. Evidently the sport waned for a number of years thereafter, but about 1905 a new range was con- structed by Joe Van Vleck. This was situated in the woods, on what is now the Thomas property, a cou- ple of hundred yards to the left of the public road leading to the Thomas cottage. A rock ledge at the western end of the range furnished a natural and perfectly safe bullet-stop for even the most inexpert rifleman. The range can still be defined, after a little search, though it has been considerably obliter- ated by undergrowth and brush.
HORSEBACK RIDING
It will be recalled that among the General Club Rules promulgated in the early days, there was one relating to the charge for keeping horses for private use on the grounds of the Association. This, of course, was long before the motor age and several members at that time availed themselves of the op-
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1
ORIGINAL TRAP SHOOTING RANGE
LATER TRAP SHOOTING RANGE
SPORTS AND PASTIMES
portunity to indulge their tastes as horsemen. The Gregor cottage had its barn, built in 1882 and which was removed only within recent years. About 1901, George Mulligan was given permission to erect a stable a little to the north of the bowling alley. This stood until about 1915. It is presumed that other privately owned horses were quartered at the Club's stables. From about 1901 and continuing for sev- eral years, horseback riding was much in vogue and prominent among the equestrians of that time were Elmer Gregor, Charlie MacGregor, Walter Rock- wood and young Dick Lahey, the latter the proud possessor of a Kentucky pony. A good many years later, for a season or two, Miss Josephine Merrill and Miss Betty Graham kept saddle horses at the Club.
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