This little quiet town I call home was setteled back in 1783. It covers about 39 square miles and has a population of 584. The town's heydays were between the 1830 -1880. During this time period the population was anywhere between 1,200 - 1,600. In those days farming in this area was a mainstay. In order to plant crops and fields of hay for the livestock, the forest floor had to be refashioned. With plow and horse, these pioneers cleared thousands of acers. What a laborious task this had to be.
The pictures to follow are the remnants of these trials and tribulations.
These rock walls stretch for miles in every direction possible. Once these stones were harvested from the ground they would be laid to rest forming walls that have stood the test of time. Many of these walls would outline a farmer's property lines. Other walls were build to fence in livestock. Whatever the case, tons and tons of rock had to be picked, carried, and stacked to construct these fabulous structures. Many of these edifices remain exactly as they were placed 235 years ago.
If you look carefully you can see a deer stand in the left side of the photo. This area is renowned for White Tail Deer and Turkey hunting!
Walls have been heaved and stones litter the ground, as sapplings from long ago have displaced their counterparts.
This decayed old fellow must have been just a diminutive speck of vegetation on the forest floor when the wall was built.
You can see from the time stamp on the pictures that not much time elapsed before I arrived at another section of wall.
Experimenting with our new camera. Took a few shots with camera in fish eye mode. This particular photo I thought was cool.
The walls in the following three pictures are some of the ones that we constructed to clear land for the tree plantation.
Who needs to go to the gym. I can not conceive the grueling hours that must have been spent completing such a feat!
It is totally understandable why these early settlers procreated like they did. There seems to have been a real Catch-22 situation brewing there.
https://www.countyoffice.org/mcdonough-ny-historical-society/
Hope you enjoyed! thebigsweed!
What a great puzzle, I can't find the deer on the photo. I stared and stared, getting cross-eyed already, but I can't find it! 😏
With the stone fences still there, I can say that the area must have been taken cared of over centuries. I mean it wasn't harassed by the people and was just let it be.
The fish-eye effect made the photo look magical with what seemed to be a circular entrance through the trees.
The photos of your own construction are so green. Were these taken during a different season?
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Thanks for upvote. I am glad you did not find the deer.
If you look carefully you can see a deer stand in the left side of the photo.
The deer stand I am refering to is a stand for hunting from, if you look at the tree in left hand corner you will see a ladder leading up the tree to a seat. 😊
I got the same feeling also from the fisheye photo.
The photos where I have constructed the rock wall were taken in August when the Walnut Grove was at the height of the growing season.
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“I am glad you did not find a deer 🦌 “ ha ha ha
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Oh my goodness! A deer stand, not a deer! Whoah, you got me there. Yeah, I saw the ladder and the seat. 😂
The August photos look so refreshing. I wish it is like that all year round. 😊
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I have found the deer! Yes, it did take me a minute or two to find it, but it's there. Or maybe not and it's a tree, lol.
It must have been a lot of work to put those together. Also, I have noticed a big different between the photos from the forest and those that you constructed. Have you taken them at the different times of the year? This would explain the green trees :)
Thank you for this interesting post about your tiny hometown :)
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Well you are the first to see the deer or what looks like a shadow of a deer😁😁😁😁😁
Many people have responded also commenting that they can not find a deer. This was my reply to them.
Thanks for upvote. I am glad you did not find the deer.
If you look carefully you can see a deer stand in the left side of the photo.
The deer stand I am refering to is a stand for hunting from, if you look at the tree in left hand corner you will see a ladder leading up the tree to a seat. 😊
Pretty funny though got a couple of chuckels.😉😉😉
Yes the photos were taken at different times of the year.
The photos where I have constructed the rock wall were taken in August when the Walnut Grove was at the height of the growing season. As you can tell from the time stamp the otherphotos were taken a couple days ago.
Thanks for the feedback, always welcome. Will check out your posts. thanks again
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Everyone thinks it’s a magical photo that you star at and see a deer POP OUT !! And some of them really do see it!’
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Yeah. One person stated he had finally seen the deer. Had to break the news to him as gentle as possible that he may need a new pare of spectacles.😃😃😃 When writing the content should have put deer stand as one word. I pointed out that it was a stand for hunting from and that if you look closely you could see a ladder going up the tree, leading to a seat.
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Hey great write up! Really nice pictures to interesting stuff. 462 upvotes wow good work and a nice pair 💰👍🥇
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I love seeing history like that. Those walls have seen so much in the time they've been around. Most people don't pay attention to them because they just seem to sit there, but if they could talk they'd have many stories to tell. One of the most striking things I see when I visit older cities is the walls they've built.
Yeah, I'm sure that if someone tried charging a membership to a gym back then, that person would have been laughed at. :)
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Thanks for the upvote and reply.
There is one thing I did not include in this post. It disturbes me to some degree that once again the poor farmers are being robed blind. Big Masonary and stone businesses are buying up these rocks at an alarming rate. A pallet of stone is selling for over $300 and the companies are paying $25 to have the pallet stacked and wraped with a wire mesh and then the farmer is getting $35/pallet. I am thankful that some of the pictures are of walls on my land. They are not going anywhere!
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Wow, that's a heck of a markup! I guess is someone wants to get the rocks cleared off their land, that's one thing, but the average person might not know that they could get a lot more for their stones.
That's not even factoring the historic value of having a wall that's been there for almost 3 centuries.
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Most of the families in the community I am a part of now, have been farmers for generations. Some with direct lines to the early settlers of this region. They are monetarily poor, but rich in so many other facets. Their situation doesn't afford them the luxury of being able to deny, what to them looks like a pot of gold. Coupled with a dose of ignorance, concerning the retail value, is proving to be a deadly formula for the destruction of these testimonials to HARD WORK AND FAMILY VALUES.
Money and it's destructive nature spreads it's tentacles to even the most off-beaten places.
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I laughed when i read the last paragraph. That was a funny thought. I tried looking for the deer but i could just see a dark shape...maybe its the deer or shadows.
Those stones must weigh a ton. The settlers would have worked very hard to make their new home hospitable.
How great that those stones have stood the test of time, the wall still standing after so long and also i wonder how this area has remaned untouched by civilization.
Personally, i prefer civilization but sometimes, places like this are needed for peace of mind.
Thanks for sharing this piece with us. I also thought the picture was cool!
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Thanks for upvote. I am glad you did not find the deer.
If you look carefully you can see a deer stand in the left side of the photo.
The deer stand I am refering to is a stand for hunting from, if you look at the tree in left hand corner you will see a ladder leading up the tree to a seat. 😊
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Lol...funny how i misunderstood that. Now i can see it.
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howdy from Texas thebigsweed! that's an interesting username by the way. Are you from Sweden and that is a clever play on words?
It really liked these photos, they have similar stone walls all over Kentucky also that have lasted for hundreds of years, those things are amazing.
How long did it take you build your wall?
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Of Swedish decent from my father's side. My mom was German. The walls I build were built over several years as we cleared the property for the Black Walnut grove. Wall was constructed a little bit at a time as rocks seemed to grow right up out of the ground. In the past I would cut most of the grove with a weed wacker. My intentions all along were to get the grove in a good enough condition to be able to sit my rump on a tractor to be able to cut the grass. This process has been going on for about 6 years now. 80% of the cutting I can now do sitting down with one hand on the wheel and the other one on a beer.
Thanks for the upvote and the reply.
Always appreciated, always humbled.
thebigsweed
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haha! howdy thebigsweed! I like your reasoning for wanting to get that area cleared so you can sit down on the tractor while mowing it. lol. Very good and you're almost there, you need to post a picture of that when he reach your goal!
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EXACTLY!!!
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Here are a couple of pics of the top orchard. First 2 pics I can park my gluteus maximuson on the tractor.
Looking at the back of the orchard where the vegetation is tall is weed wacker territory.
This is a pic of Figured Poplar that my son @ryan313 and I planted 3 years ago This is how the entire orchard looked several years ago. This whole area needs wacking. One day I may get to this ground also!
Thanks for the comment. Took a look at some of your posts. Very cool, will follow and read some of your content. I also consider myself to be a gentlemen redneck. With that said, I thought that you may enjoy a pic of what we call THE REDNECK STOVE. Named by my buddy who is a steal worker and fabricated this beauty.
Dam thing weighs around 450lbs.
Stay in touch, seems like we have some things in common.
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ha! you guys are pioneers out there! wow. that's alot of work but a beautiful area, what kind of trees make up the orchard?
lol. I like that big old redneck stove! what all do you use that for?
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Trees include Black Cherry, Black Walnut, Figured poplar, and White ash. All veneer grade timber, down the road, being cultivated for commercial use. with a little bit of luck I may be still around when they are taken to market. Lets see, another 30 years to go I'am 66, 30 + 66 equals 99. What the hell if I make 99 may as well go for the century mark.
Stove used for campfires, roasting marsh mellows, a place to gather when company has visited and just recently for making Mountain Pies. 🤔Yeah, that was the face I made when I heard the term mountain Pies, sometimes referred to as Hobo Pies.
Check these things out. Bought 2 right after my daughter left, only because I could not talk her boyfriend into leaving them here. He is now in my doghouse.😊😊
https://steemit.com/food/@thebigsweed/mountain-pies
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ha! what a great idea! I love the look of those things. We're eventually going to get a firepit built here so those would work great!
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The picture of the family is incredible, I love old pictures, it makes me always to think what the people thought at the time of photograph and how they lived, the same time I think that may be in the future someone will find my picture and will wonder too.
The old wall is a witness of the village and may be still have DNA of the people who sis work that time. That moment I wish I would be in future with technology that allows me to decode DNA of such past events. Beautiful pictures and nice forest, I prefer to have such wild untouched nature :)
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Thanks for taking the time to reply. As out of character as this family would look in modern day society, I am sure we would look the same to people a couple of hundred years from now if they were to stumble upon a photo of ours. Love the fact that I can roam around the area I live in and in some instances feel like I may just be the first person to have placed my two feet in this spot. There is so much open space, nature, and beauty here, it beckons me to partake in its splendor.
Glad you enjoyed! Your support is greatly appreciated and always humbling!
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How fascinating. You know, when I lived in Bali, the women there would carry massive stones on their heads up stairs I had to take a rest going up empty handed. It's amazing what people can build up to when they do it every day.
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Thanks for the upvote and feedback. The inspiration to continue to be creative comes from people like yourself who take time to read and respond to my posts. Thanks again.
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Are you on discord? If you are, what's your handle on there? I want to give you a tip, but not onto the public blockchain LOL.
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Sorry for the delayed response. Any pointers would be greatly appreciated. The reason for delay is that I am not on discord. Was giving it a go earlier today. I am not even sure where to find info to join. While trying to locate info on discord I did run into steemchat. Is discord possible part of steemchat or am I all fouled up. I must confess that technology and everything going on with blockchains,apps,bots, chatrooms, forks, and most everything except posting, is new to me. If you have the patience to provide me with info regarding discord I would love to set it up and pick your brain for a few moments!
You are never to old to learn. Thanks again and if this does not fit into your busy schedule,understandable. Thanks for all your support.
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Well I picked one of the great discord servers I’m on at random to create an invite for you. Please use it ASAP to create an account then find me at same handle as here under message channel. Discord is the secret to much success on here. https://discord.gg/BuCUjqZ
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I believe I have navigated to correct page and placed your handle and mine letting you know i was ready, but where is the dam button to post after message is written in general message area. So sorry!
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I found you and just sent you a big long “how to” message!
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It is 12;49 and I am finally reading your message. Great Advise. I will be looking into your suggestions as they seem to have generated both interest and $ Thank you for your patience lol. It is a little embarrassing, but the message you see here was the message I placed in the message section at the bottom of the page on curie. The problem is that for the last 20 minutes I have not been able to post or send that message to you. Where is that dam button to post my message to you?
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This was a nice post, too, sweed. I’d love to know what tips you got out of Indigo.
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That was fun @thebigsweed, thank you! In that picture you said there’s a deer on the left side, would you point it out to me? I’m looking but I don’t see it.
And about the gym, oh for sure! Moving earth around like that, they all must have been really strong.
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Thanks for the upvote and the reply. In the picture I believe you are referring to I was pointing out a deer stand. It is where we hunt from during whitetail deer season which is happening as we speak. The stand can be seen attached to the tree in the left hand side of photo. Thanks again!
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That’s too funny. Deer stand, I read it as deer are standing. Haha.
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Beautiful photography. How in the world did you get 459 votes though? I'd love to tap into that, bro, if you're sharing tips....
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Right nice 👍
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Your guess is as good as mine. I believe they came from the Curie community curation project. I was as shocked. Did nothing different than I do other days, blog, post, read, and comment. I wish I had a tip to share, because it would be yours also!
As always thanks for your support.
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Hmmm..hadn't heard of them. Must be random then, huh?
Anyway...congrats!
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Hi thebigsweed,
Visit curiesteem.com or join the Curie Discord community to learn more.
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