Winter conditions in the past

While this past week icing and our 7" snowstorm have been a bit of a challenge, their severity pales when reading this excerpt from Port Jervis' The Evening Gazette for January 22nd, 1923:

"Early Sunday morning trucks and cars with ten men from G. W. Case Company and Rutan Auto Company's garages started out to open this 14 miles of road, which has been closed for automobile traffic for nearly ten days; and which was one of the most drifted pieces of road in this section. In some places snow banks were eight feet deep, and the farmers were driving through the fields in order to get the milk to the stations with sleighs."
.....
"Superintendent Charac Van Inwegen has had his troubles with the snow drifts between Port Jervis and Huguenot. This road was drifts most of the way to a depth of 3 or 4 feet. Mr. Van Inwegen succeeded in getting through to Port Jervis Saturday night and the first truck came through from Huguenot Sunday morning on this road;"
Port Jervis NY Evening Gazette 1923 - 0141.pdf

In the first half of the 1900's, there were severe snowstorms which impacted Montague. One elderly resident recounted that in those days they used such Big V plows to do the county and state roads.

After one storm, he related: "the banks along the road were close to five feet high". 

Another resident remembered being unable to exit her house for days, as the snow had piled a depth of some feet against her door.

Students who lived up on the road towards High Point Park [before the tracts were given over to the state] needed to have a parent meet them after school dismissed at the foot of the mountain with a horse pulled sleigh, in order to get home, as the road was otherwise impassable.

At least we're not dealing with this:

Voter-approved constitutional amendment will impact NJDEP State parks !!

Passing along an urgent request for advocacy:

Locally, High Point State Park [HPSP] and it's added on Green Acres' parcels will be negatively impacted, if the funds previous to this ballot question does not come through. The Parks division needs assurance of funding of over 20% of the Corporate Business Tax [CBT} funds to be dedicated towards parks capital projects - many of which are now backlogged, while our state parks remain understaffed and underfunded as compared to previous years.

This Fall, folks witnessed interpretative signs at HPSP in need or replacement, some structures and roadways still overdue for repair or maintenance, as the Park lacks sufficient manpower and funds to attend to these and smaller projects - particularly after losing the labor assistance once available from the now closed Deckertown Tpke. correctional facility.

Comments should be filed through Jan. 7th - and directed to OLSAideSEN@njleg.org with a subject line of “Ballot Measure 2 Enabling Legislation recommendations,” or call 609-847-3855.

The Senate Environment and Energy Committee is seeking public comments through Jan. 7th, on language for the enabling legislation which will make the Ballot Measure a law.

Please urge the committee to state in Ballot Measure 2's enabling legislation that ... all state parks should retain the revenue generated in each park from concessions or fees, and that the State Park Service should get dedicated funds each year - calling for a full restoration of funding for capital improvements and stewardship at State Parks and historic sites, at 23% of the Corporate Business Tax-- with at least $16 million to be assured in this coming year from the open space pot, which was last year's amount. This was supposed to be increased up to $32 million in order to help make a dent into the $400 million backlog awaiting attention in capital improvements, before this ballot measure passed.

In addition, please urge the language require that whatever revenues are generated at each park or historic site remains there, dedicated to that entity - in order to enable it to enhance, repair or improve facilities there... instead of such funds being pooled into New Jersey’s general treasury, for use by the other agencies - particularly non-governmental organizations (NGO's) which are eligible for other funding and  also generate funds via the programs they run.

A related article is specific to Liberty State Park.

It's that time of year...

The six-day firearm deer season began today.

The time period of hunters are allowed to hunt daily is from a half-hour before sunrise [about 6:30 a.m.] til a half-hour after sunset, [about 5 p.m.]. 

Remain alert when driving!  Defensive driving is recommended.

There is also a NJ bear hunt which runs, December 8 through December 13, until 7 p.m.

 St. Nicholas (270 – 343 A.D.)

Many cultures observe today as St. Nicholas Day

and recall his protection of children, of the poor and a concern for seafarers.

He was the bishop of Myra, in what is now southern Turkey, and dedicated his life to helping those in need. It was his reputation for secret gift-giving that would evolve into "Father Christmas" or "Santa Claus". “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” started as a poem by Clement Clarke Moore was published in 1823 and is best known as “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”.

It introduced the lasting image of Santa with his reindeer and sleigh and assigned his visit as occurring on Christmas Eve. Filling chimney-hung stockings is an tradition that predates even the Dutch, whose tradition is to fill their children’s wooden clogs with gifts the night before St. Nicholas Day (December 6). Placing gold into wet socks hung to dry by the fireplace was a custom reported as begun by the young man named Nicholas who lived in Asia Minor - since replaced by gold foil covered chocolate coins.
What we consider "Santa" is Sinterklaas (Dutch), or Père Noël (France),  Father Christmas (Great Britain), Babbo Natale (Italy),  Grandfather Frost or Ded Moroz (Russian), or a variation named “Christkindle” or Kriss Kringle, or Christkindl (German).

Weekend happenings:

  Experience an old fashioned Christmas at the Foster-Armstrong House at 320 River Rd. this Sat. and Sun. from 1-4PM. 

Courtesy MARCH Facebook page

The house is almost 225 years old, and is specially decorated and has holiday themed exhibits for all ages to enjoy. Stop in and see what Christmas's past were like. NO admission charged. Christmas crafts available for purchase, books, etc.