The Historians

The Historians

By Bob CudmoreSociety & CultureHistory
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The Historians episodes

  • Good Ice Cream-Cup or Cone, who cares

    Thursday, Zero Two, Two Three, Twenty Twenty Three

    The Historians Go Fund Me 2023 is Afoot

    in preparation or progress; happening or beginning to happen.
    "plans are afoot for another year of Mohawk Valley History"

    The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore  

    or a check to Bob Cudmore 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. 

    The Historians Radio Schedule Saturday, February 25 at Noon and 12:35 on WCSS Amsterdam 106.9FM and 1490AM and WIZR, Johnstown 102.9FM and 930AM and in Northville 104.3FM. Next week on Albany Public Radio WMHT89.1FM RISE

    When ice cream cones were made at home

    A life of carpets and horse racing

    By Bob Cudmore

    When Fanny Markes was a little girl in the early 1900s, she carried ice cream cones from her home on Elizabeth Street in Amsterdam to a candy store on Brookside Avenue operated by her brother Charles and his partner, Amos Hill. Fanny's mother, also named Fanny, made the cones at home, pressing them with a device like a waffle iron.

    The store, called Hill and Markes, later became a wholesale distributing company. In 1927, Hill and Markes bought a building at Grove and Chuctanunda Streets that served as headquarters for the business until torn down for urban renewal in the 1970s.

    Fanny Markes married Edwin Tallman in 1917. Edwin served in World War I and became a chauffeur for Dr. Lew Finch on Market Street. The Tallmans lived on Romeyn Avenue and Fanny was a bookkeeper at Hill and Markes.

    Their son Schuyler served in World War II and became a student of military history. Now retired, he was a wire operator for Merrill Lynch.

    Fanny's memories of the early days were passed on to her son and daughter-in-law, Marilyn Terwillegar Tallman, after Schuyler and Marilyn moved into Fanny's Romeyn Avenue home to care for Fanny. Schuyler and Marilyn, who have known each other since they were children, still live in that home. Their family has kept some memorabilia from the early days of Hill and Markes, including a sign from the Grove Street warehouse.

    Marilyn Tallman recalled that Fownes Brothers, the glove maker, rented space on the third floor of the Hill and Markes building. The workers at Fownes, including Marilyn's grandmother, would stop by the candy distributor on their way out of the building to buy candy bars. The company also had a machine that made popcorn.

    Uncle Charles (Markes) was a hard worker and helped many people, Schuyler Tallman said. 

    The Finkle and Packer families operate Hill and Markes today at a location on Route 5S in the town of Florida.

    The Historians on SoundCloud https://soundcloud.com/obudmore

    CAPTAIN OF INDUSTRY

    John Sanford assumed control of the family carpet mills in Amsterdam after the death of his father Stephen in 1913 and felt the need to reorganize.

    The younger Sanford brought in William Hill Cooper, a native of England who had been president of Adirondack Power and Light Company in Amsterdam. Cooper became Sanford's first vice president in charge of production, a post he held until about the time that Sanford merged with Bigelow Hartford of New England in 1929. Cooper's son Wellesley then became general superintendent of Bigelow Sanford in Amsterdam.

    Perhaps the diligence of the Coopers enabled the Sanfords to devote more time to their passion, horse racing. According to coverage of William Cooper's 1937 death in The Recorder, he was a man who hid a gentleness of heart beneath a gruff exterior.

    In 1918, Cooper had a home built at 230 Market Street, a brick building different from neighboring wood frame homes. In later years, the Cooper home was owned by Herbert Singer of Amsterdam Printing, Dr. Fred Pipito, then Jeannie Morris, whose father was affiliated with the Schine Theatres.

    Today the home is owned by local attorney Kris Singh and his wife Sunita, who have been told by previous owners that the same man who worked on the Sanford mansion on Church Street, currently Amsterdam City Hall, may have designed the Cooper residence.

    According to historian Jacqueline Murphy, John Sanford inherited the Church Street residence from his father Stephen and expanded it starting in 1913, hiring builder John Turner. Turner added the front portico, a third floor and made other improvements.

    Friday, February 24, 2022-Episode 463-In this first Highlights Edition of 2023 we revisit: Bill Buell’s Schenectady stories from the 1920s, NY State Historian Devin Lander, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League, Jon Sorensen’s book When Mommy Was a Commie, Alan Maddaus on a jet bomber crash in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Mark Dawidziak on Edgar Allan Poe.

    Saturday February 25, 2023-Tom Flynn of the Center for Inquiry tells about Central New York’s Freethought Trail, including the Dresden, N.Y. birthplace of the 19th century’s best known agnostic speaker, Robert Green Ingersoll.  Tom Flynn’s interview for Historians Podcast took place July 7, 2021.  He died August 23, 2021.

    Sunday, February 26, 2023

    Gloversville radio star King Owen  

    King Owen was a radio star and night club entertainer.  He died in 1955 from long standing health problems, perhaps tuberculosis, at age 40.

    Mohawk Valley Weather, Thursday, February 23, 2023

    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS
    MORNING...
    * WHAT...Mixed precipitation. Additional snow and sleet accumulations
    of up to one inch and ice accumulations of up to one tenth of
    an inch.
    * WHERE...The Mohawk and Schoharie Valleys, Capital Region,
    Helderbergs, eastern Catskills, Taconics, and southern
    Litchfield County Connecticut.
    * WHEN...Until 10 AM EST this morning.
    * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous
    conditions will impact the morning commute.
    * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Light wintry mix will taper off to drizzle
    and freezing drizzle by the mid-morning hours.
    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
    Slow down and use caution while traveling.
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Thursday, February 23, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    Hussain lawyer argues for plea-deal reinstatement, cites 575 hours of community service already performed
     
    ALBANY — Attorneys on Wednesday sparred over state Supreme Court Justice Peter Lynch’s decision to...
     
    Amsterdam mayor focuses on finances, blight, development in State of the City
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    12 min
  • F.W. and S.S. and W.T.

    The Historians Go Fund Me 2023 is Afoot

    in preparation or progress; happening or beginning to happen.
    "plans are afoot for another year of Mohawk Valley History"

    The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore  

    or a check to Bob Cudmore 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. 

    Wednesday, February 22, 2023

    How to write historical fiction with Alyson Richman, co-author with Shaunna Edwards of The Thread Collectors, a Civil War historical novel.

    Thursday, February 23, 2023

    Vaudeville Days

    Vaudeville was a mix of specialized stage acts including dancers, singers, comedians and even roller skaters.  Vaudevillians toured America, some visiting big cities and others going to smaller towns.

    Friday, February 24, 2022-Episode 463-In this first Highlights Edition of 2023 we revisit: Bill Buell’s Schenectady stories from the 1920s, NY State Historian Devin Lander, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League, Jon Sorensen’s book When Mommy Was a Commie, Alan Maddaus on a jet bomber crash in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Mark Dawidziak on Edgar Allan Poe. 

    Mohawk Valley Weather, Wednesday, February 22, 2023

    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 4 PM THIS AFTERNOON
    TO 10 AM EST THURSDAY...
    * WHAT...Mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of
    1 to 4 inches and ice accumulations of a light glaze up to two
    tenths of an inch.
    * WHERE...Southern Litchfield County in northwestern Connecticut
    and the Mohawk and Schoharie valleys, eastern Catskills,
    Helderbergs, the immediate Capital District, the Taconics and
    portions of the mid-Hudson Valley in eastern New York.
    * WHEN...From 4 PM this afternoon to 10 AM EST Thursday.
    * IMPACTS...Plan on slippery road conditions. The hazardous
    conditions could impact the Wednesday evening and Thursday
    morning commutes.
    * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...For areas near and north of Interstate
    90, snowfall rates Wednesday evening may reach 0.5 inch to 1
    inch per hour before transitioning to a wintry mix.
    PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
    Slow down and use caution while traveling.
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Wednesday, February 22, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    Tonko ‘open to any discussion’ on sportsbook ad ban, faces industry backlash
    ALBANY — U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko is open to hearing potential amendment recommendations put forward on a push to tame…
     
    EDITORIAL: Restore historic Tappan Zee name to span
    State lawmakers have an opportunity to right a wrong and at the same time pay tribute to the state’s Dutch…
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    Sheriff’s office: alleged fugitive arrested in Johnstown; weapons, drugs uncovered
     
    JOHNSTOWN — Local authorities allegedly found drugs and weapons aplenty stashed in a vehicle on...
     
    Lyon Street Bar and Grill brings historic Amsterdam restaurant back to life
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    9 min
  • ...his heart was in writing

    The fabric used to bind Smoke is canvas, produced at Mohawk during the war. From 1941 to 1945, Mohawk and Bigelow Sanford, the city's other major carpet mill, converted production to the manufacture of canvas, tarpaulins and blankets.

    The Historians Go Fund Me 2023 The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore  

    or a check to Bob Cudmore 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. 

    Smoke -- Carpet Mill Picture Book Awakens Wartime Memories

    by Bob Cudmore

    Two years after the boys came home from World War Two, Mohawk Carpet Mills in Amsterdam published a small but handsome picture book called Smoke: The Story of a Fight.

    The idea of the unusual title was to link the smoke of hearth fires and factories on the home front, "the servant of man," with the smoke of warfare, "the master."

    The book was dedicated to the 1200 men and women of Mohawk "who answered the call to duty" and "the thirty-three who will never return." Loy Baxter designed the book.

    In a printed insert, Mohawk president Howard Shuttleworth expressed pride in company workers "who gave unselfishly of their time and who spent long hours at th machines that we might fulfill the demands of the War Department for our wartime products."

    The fabric used to bind Smoke is canvas, produced at Mohawk during the war. From 1941 to 1945, Mohawk and Bigelow Sanford, the city's other major carpet mill, converted production to the manufacture of canvas, tarpaulins and blankets. Millions of yards of cotton duck were made in Amsterdam and used for tents, tarpaulins and gun and turret covers. Amsterdamians also produced more than five million blankets for the war effort.

    "Men lived in blankets," wrote Mohawk executive Reginald Harris, the author of Smoke. "Men waited in blankets. Men fought in blankets. Men died in blankets."

    The machine shop and foundry at the carpet mills also turned out war products -- a control stick support for the Navy Hellcat fighter, for example, and machinery used in radar, landing craft and tanks. Other local products made for wartime use included rayon for airplane tires, bulletproof gasoline tanks and torpedo turbine wheels.

    Mohawk employed a record 5,500 workers during the war at its lower mill in the East End and upper mill on Lyons Street, the factory complex devastated by fires in 1992 and 1994.

    In World War Two, as in all American wars of the past hundred years with the exception of the current war on terrorism, there was a definite distinction between the home front and the overseas war zones.

    The home front in World War Two was marked by rationing, blackouts and salvage drives.

    Amsterdam historian Hugh Donlon wrote that gasoline, meat and other commodities were rationed. Restaurants were exempt from meat rationing, according to Donlon, so that "the more affluent were eating out, enjoying meals of higher grade while saving (meat ration) stamps issued for home supply."

    "It was a new discipline for the freedom-loving and many resented the irksome restrictions," Donlon wrote.

    Blackouts were conducted at night with "full public compliance" never achieved, said Donlon, despite extensive efforts. Similarly, daytime air raid drills, announced by a siren atop the downtown bank building, had mixed results as people scooted from downtown doorways to check on air raid compliance.

    "This laxity was condoned," Donlon said, "with explanation that there would probably be livelier response if real bombs were to fall."

    In Smoke, Harris described local volunteer and salvage efforts during the war: "Mohawk people gave up their leisure hours to roll bandages, collect clothing for wartorn countries and raise thousands of dollars for reli

    Harris also lauded blood, bond and salvage drives on the home front: "It got so you didn't dare put your evening paper down for fear of losing it to the salvage drive."

    A native of England who came to America when he was 18 months old, Harris worked in personnel at the carpet company, was convention director and personal assistant to the company president.

    Harris is best remembered as a choral director and musician; he had earned a music degree at Syracuse University. From 1940 until his unexpected death at age 55 in 1960, he directed vocal music groups sponsored by the carpet mill, most notably the Mohawk Mills Chorus, the predecessor of today's Mohawk Valley Chorus. He was also organist and choir director at St. Ann's Episcopal Church.

    Material for this article was derived from Smoke: The Story of a Fight, by Reginald Harris and Amsterdam, New York: Annals of a Mill Town, by Hugh P. Donlon.

    Wednesday, February 22, 2023

    How to write historical fiction with Alyson Richman, co-author with Shaunna Edwards of The Thread Collectors, a Civil War historical novel.

    1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician.

    Thursday, February 23, 2023

    Vaudeville Days

    Red haired Amsterdam native Inez Courtney was 15 when she performed a specialty dance act during a three day run in the vaudeville show at the Rialto Theater in Amsterdam in October 1923.  People referred to her as St. Vitus, Mosquito and Lightning.  Born into a large Irish-American family, Inez took up the stage after her father died.

    Friday, February 24, 2022-Episode 463-In this first Highlights Edition of 2023 we revisit: Bill Buell’s Schenectady stories from the 1920s, NY State Historian Devin Lander, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League, Jon Sorensen’s book When Mommy Was a Commie, Alan Maddaus on a jet bomber crash in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Mark Dawidziak on Edgar Allan Poe. 

    Mohawk Valley Weather, Tuesday, February 21, 2023

    Rain and snow, mainly after 3pm. High near 38. East wind 6 to 11 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. Total daytime snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
    Tonight
    A chance of rain and snow before 7pm, then a chance of snow between 7pm and 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 24. West wind 15 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
    Wednesday
    A chance of snow, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 37. West wind 6 to 8 mph becoming southeast in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
     
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Tuesday, February 21, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    Updates running late
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    4 min
  • Monday Story Behind the Story

    The Historians Go Fund Me goal this week $150.00 The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore  

    Use the link or a check in The U.S. Mail to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. 

    Monday, February 20, 2023-Story behind the story (Podcast about 7 minutes), the Mohawk Valley reindeer man

    Tuesday, February 21, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Smoke

    Two years after the boys came home from World War Two, Mohawk Carpet Mills in Amsterdam published a small but handsome picture book called Smoke: The Story of a Fight.

    Wednesday, February 22, 2023-From the Archives, October 7-Episode 443-How to write historical fiction with Alyson Richman, co-author with Shaunna Edwards of The Thread Collectors, a Civil War historical novel.

    1863: In a small Creole cottage in New Orleans, an ingenious young Black woman named Stella embroiders intricate maps on repurposed cloth to help enslaved men flee and join the Union Army. Bound to a man who would kill her if he knew of her clandestine activities, Stella has to hide not only her efforts but her love for William, a Black soldier and a brilliant musician.

    Thursday, February 23, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Vaudeville Days

    Friday, February 24, 2022-Episode 463-In this first Highlights Edition of 2023 we revisit: Bill Buell’s Schenectady stories from the 1920s, NY State Historian Devin Lander, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League, Jon Sorensen’s book When Mommy Was a Commie, Alan Maddaus on a jet bomber crash in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Mark Dawidziak on Edgar Allan Poe. 

    Mohawk Valley’s reindeer man

    By Bob Cudmore

       Mohawk Valley native Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary, had a major impact on life in Alaska.

       Born in in 1834 in the hamlet of Minaville in the town of Florida south of Amsterdam, Jackson was the son of farmer and legislator, Samuel C. Jackson, and his wife, Delia Sheldon Jackson, daughter of New York State Assembly Speaker Alexander Sheldon.

       The Jackson name was bestowed on the Erie Canal community of Port Jackson in 1835.  Port Jackson was later annexed by the city of Amsterdam and is known today as Amsterdam’s South Side.

       Jackson attended Union College and Princeton Theological Seminary.  He was graduated, ordained and married within one week in 1858.  His wife was Mary Voorhees from Mill Point in Glen. 

       Jackson wanted to be a foreign missionary but was turned down by the Presbyterian Church because of poor eyesight and short stature—he was five feet tall.

       According to Troy genealogy/history researcher Rebecca Rector, who provided information for this column, the Albany Times Union reported that Jackson “was diminutive in nature, but became fairly sturdy by forcing himself into the rugged life.”

       Instead of becoming a foreign missionary, Jackson served on the American frontier.  He established over one hundred churches and missions, including the first Presbyterian churches in Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Arizona.

       In 1877, Jackson went to Alaska and, although he never permanently lived there, was appointed superintendent of education in 1885.

      Some academics and native people have criticized Jackson’s English-only approach to education.  Professor Stephen Haycox of the University of Alaska said Jackson’s efforts were a detriment to native languages.

       Jackson found the indigenous people were starving.  American whalemen had destroyed the whales and walruses the natives depended on for food.  The introduction of firearms decimated fur-bearing land animals.

       Jackson was editor of the North Star monthly newspaper in Sitka, Alaska.  In 1888 North Star reported, “The neglected condition of these (Native) people lay like a heavy weight upon the large and loving heart of Dr. Sheldon Jackson.”

       Jackson visited Siberia and found people there relied on domesticated reindeer for food.  He raised funds to introduce reindeer herds in Alaska.

       Sent by the U.S. government to Lapland and Norway, he purchased over 500 reindeer and secured a colony of Laplanders to look after the animals until Alaskans were trained in how to raise reindeer.

       Jackson said that “the reindeer is to the far North what the camel is to desert regions.”  Union College honored Alaska’s “Reindeer Man” at their 1900 Founders Day.  The Schenectady Gazette called Jackson the “dynamic St. Paul of America.”

       Jackson collected Alaskan artifacts and this collection became the basis for the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka.  Rosemary Carlton, in a 2006 article, called into question what she said was Jackson’s “duplicitous” collection of traditional artifacts from native peoples he had worked hard to change. 

       Toward the end of his life Jackson lived in Washington, D.C., working for the Alaskan division of the U.S. Bureau of Education.  His wife died in 1908.   Jackson died the next year and is buried in Minaville’s Chuctanunda Cemetery.

       Biographer Robert L. Stewart said Jackson was able to “triumph over physical weakness when sustained by high purpose and unfaltering hope.”

       Jackson’s daughter, Delia S. Jackson was a founder of the National Women’s Party, a leader in the fight for women’s suffrage.  She died in Washington in 1952.

       Time Magazine in 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of the 49th state, and placed Jackson as number two on a list of  top ten Alaskans.  The magazine praised him for “setting up free public schools for Native American, Eskimo and white children.” 

    Mohawk Valley Weekend Weather, Monday, February, 20, 2023

    Washington's Birthday
    A slight chance of showers between 7am and 3pm. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Light and variable wind becoming west 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
    Tonight
    Mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. West wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
    Tuesday
    Rain and snow, mainly before 5pm. High near 37. East wind 6 to 15 mph becoming southwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible.
     
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Monday, February 20, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    Police shortage in Gloversville leads to huge overtime expenses in 2022
    GLOVERSVILLE — A shortage of police officers last year resulted in huge overtime expenses for Gloversville, with some officers earning more…
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    Rao family offers $100K challenge grant for new MC-SPCA facility in Amsterdam
     
    AMSTERDAM — Construction of the Montgomery County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to...
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    7 min
  • Sunday and a New Week

    The Historians Go Fund Me goal this week $150.00 The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore  

    Use the link or a check in The U.S. Mail to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. Keep Mohawk Valley History on local radio and Albany Public Radio each week WMHT89.1FM (Tomorrow and Wednesday)

    Our latest donor is author and Amsterdam native Dave Northrup.

    Fictional short stories related to Amsterdam, NY during its rise and fall in the 1900's. Amazon

    https://www.amazon.com/Memory-Broken-Things-Stories-Amsterdam-ebook/dp/B00I292BEO/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1676806082&refinements=p_27%3ADave+Northrup&s=digital-text&sr=1-1&text=Dave+Northrup

    Gloversville radio star King Owen in The Daily Gazette today, posted on The Historians next weekend

    Mohawk Valley’s reindeer man

    By Bob Cudmore

       Mohawk Valley native Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary, had a major impact on life in Alaska.

       Born in in 1834 in the hamlet of Minaville in the town of Florida south of Amsterdam, Jackson was the son of farmer and legislator, Samuel C. Jackson, and his wife, Delia Sheldon Jackson, daughter of New York State Assembly Speaker Alexander Sheldon.

       The Jackson name was bestowed on the Erie Canal community of Port Jackson in 1835.  Port Jackson was later annexed by the city of Amsterdam and is known today as Amsterdam’s South Side.

       Jackson attended Union College and Princeton Theological Seminary.  He was graduated, ordained and married within one week in 1858.  His wife was Mary Voorhees from Mill Point in Glen. 

       Jackson wanted to be a foreign missionary but was turned down by the Presbyterian Church because of poor eyesight and short stature—he was five feet tall.

       According to Troy genealogy/history researcher Rebecca Rector, who provided information for this column, the Albany Times Union reported that Jackson “was diminutive in nature, but became fairly sturdy by forcing himself into the rugged life.”

       Instead of becoming a foreign missionary, Jackson served on the American frontier.  He established over one hundred churches and missions, including the first Presbyterian churches in Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Arizona.

       In 1877, Jackson went to Alaska and, although he never permanently lived there, was appointed superintendent of education in 1885.

      Some academics and native people have criticized Jackson’s English-only approach to education.  Professor Stephen Haycox of the University of Alaska said Jackson’s efforts were a detriment to native languages.

       Jackson found the indigenous people were starving.  American whalemen had destroyed the whales and walruses the natives depended on for food.  The introduction of firearms decimated fur-bearing land animals.

       Jackson was editor of the North Star monthly newspaper in Sitka, Alaska.  In 1888 North Star reported, “The neglected condition of these (Native) people lay like a heavy weight upon the large and loving heart of Dr. Sheldon Jackson.”

       Jackson visited Siberia and found people there relied on domesticated reindeer for food.  He raised funds to introduce reindeer herds in Alaska.

       Sent by the U.S. government to Lapland and Norway, he purchased over 500 reindeer and secured a colony of Laplanders to look after the animals until Alaskans were trained in how to raise reindeer.

       Jackson said that “the reindeer is to the far North what the camel is to desert regions.”  Union College honored Alaska’s “Reindeer Man” at their 1900 Founders Day.  The Schenectady Gazette called Jackson the “dynamic St. Paul of America.”

       Jackson collected Alaskan artifacts and this collection became the basis for the Sheldon Jackson Museum in Sitka.  Rosemary Carlton, in a 2006 article, called into question what she said was Jackson’s “duplicitous” collection of traditional artifacts from native peoples he had worked hard to change. 

       Toward the end of his life Jackson lived in Washington, D.C., working for the Alaskan division of the U.S. Bureau of Education.  His wife died in 1908.   Jackson died the next year and is buried in Minaville’s Chuctanunda Cemetery.

       Biographer Robert L. Stewart said Jackson was able to “triumph over physical weakness when sustained by high purpose and unfaltering hope.”

       Jackson’s daughter, Delia S. Jackson was a founder of the National Women’s Party, a leader in the fight for women’s suffrage.  She died in Washington in 1952.

       Time Magazine in 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of the 49th state, and placed Jackson as number two on a list of  top ten Alaskans.  The magazine praised him for “setting up free public schools for Native American, Eskimo and white children.”

    Monday, February 20, 2023-Story behind the story (Podcast about 7 minutes), the Mohawk Valley reindeer man

    Tuesday, February 21, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Smoke-The story of a fight

    Wednesday, February 22, 2023-From the Archives, October 7-Episode 443-How to write historical fiction with Alyson Richman, co-author with Shaunna Edwards of The Thread Collectors, a Civil War historical novel.

    Thursday, February 23, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Vaudeville Days

    Friday, February 24, 2022-Episode 463-In this first Highlights Edition of 2023 we revisit: Bill Buell’s Schenectady stories from the 1920s, NY State Historian Devin Lander, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League, Jon Sorensen’s book When Mommy Was a Commie, Alan Maddaus on a jet bomber crash in New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Mark Dawidziak on Edgar Allan Poe. 

    Mohawk Valley Weekend Weather, Sunday, February 19, 2023

    Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
    Tonight
    Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33. Light east wind.
    Washington's Birthday
    Scattered showers, mainly between 9am and 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Light west wind increasing to 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
     
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Sunday, February 19, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    Amsterdam girls’ basketball overcomes tough stretch to defeat Mohonasen
    ROTTERDAM — The Amsterdam girls’ basketball team wasn’t able to recover from a rough second quarter when it lost to… 
     
    Waite: Legal pot market doesn’t spark enthusiasm
    Call me a curmudgeon. Given some of the stances I take, it may surprise readers to learn that I’m not…
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    10 min
  • Airplane, Flying Saucer or Balloon

    This Weekend On-Line

    From the Archives-February 25, 2022-Episode 411-Jim Coulthart is an aviation historian. He has a collection of WWII aircraft incidents, and accidents with ties to Central New York. 

    Author Mark Dawidziak investigates Edgar Allan Poe’s strange death in Baltimore, and revisits the moments of his storm-tossed life in his book A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe.

    The Historians Go Fund Me goal this weekend $150.00

    This is the 2023 link

    The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore

    Please contribute to the 2023 Historians Podcast fund drive.  Our latest donor is author and Amsterdam native Dave Northrup.

    Objective $7000. Please donate with the 2023 link or a check in The U.S. Mail to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. Keep Mohawk Valley History on local radio every weekend(today WCSS Amsterdam at Noon-106.9FM and Albany Public Radio each week WMHT89.1FM

    Bob Cudmore stories in The Daily Gazette and Amsterdam Recorder

    Gloversville radio star King Owen

    On The Historians Sunday

    The Mohawk Valley Reindeer Man

    Mohawk Valley native Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary, had a major impact on life in Alaska.

    Mohawk Valley Weekend Weather, Saturday, February 18, 2023

    Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 38. West wind 10 to 14 mph.
    Tonight
    Increasing clouds, with a low around 25. West wind 3 to 8 mph.
    Sunday
    Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
    Washington's Birthday
    A slight chance of rain and snow showers before 10am, then a chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 46. Light and variable wind becoming west 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
     
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Saturday, February 18, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    Town of Florida woman tried to flee from Amsterdam traffic stop, charged with felony DWI, troopers say
     
    AMSTERDAM – A town of Florida woman attempted to flee from a traffic stop last Friday before...
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    9 min
  • Canvas and Jackets and Lenore

    The Historians Go Fund Me

    Thru this Sunday, February 19th Historians looking to raise $150.00

    Use this link this Year

    The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore

    Mohawk Valley history on the WWW and Radio

    We’ve now raised just under $600.00 toward the 2023 objective of $7000. Please donate with the 2023 link or a check in The U.S. Mail to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. 

    Thank You  

    More snow memories

    By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History

    With winter approaching, more memories are surfacing of snowstorms years ago.  Tom Pikul grew up in the 1950s on Park Hill in Amsterdam near the Pulaski Bridge and recalled the childhood pleasures of snow days.

    “An especially snowy night was the herald of a fantastic possibility: schools closing the next day,” Pikul wrote. “I would go off to sleep in hopeful anticipation of good news the next morning.  Once awake in my bed, I could hear the radio in the kitchen tuned to WCSS and prayed that enough snow had fallen so that the announcer would say in his litany of the lucky, “And all Amsterdam District schools are now closed.”

    Pikul also looked forward to his birthday, Christmas morning and the first day of summer vacation.  But these days were fixed, Pikul said, “A snow day, however, had the charm and magic of the unpredictable.”

    Parents and people who had to go to work didn’t share in the excitement but Pikul said he was gleeful entering the stove-warmed kitchen for breakfast, “No school outfit was out this morning, but my winter play clothes were there on the rocker.”

    In the backyard, fun awaited.  Good packing show meant a snowman, a snow fort, snow ball fight, a tunnel or an igloo.

    Pikul said, “There was the wonder of the cold tiny bite of that first fat flake to hit your stuck-out tongue, while others touched your cheeks or gathered on your clothes, and the first mouthful of snow melted slowly to flow coldly down your throat.

    “Back in the kitchen, fingers and toes that tingled and stung from the cold now throbbed uncomfortably, but getting so frozen and wet were more than made up for with a hot cup of chocolate.  Beanie, socks, gloves and pants were set to dry on a radiator or draped over the open hot oven door.  Then it was outside again after the sensual feel of slipping back into the now dry and toasty warm clothes.”

    Tomorrow

    Friday, February 17, 2023-Episode 462-Author Mark Dawidziak investigates Edgar Allan Poe’s strange death in Baltimore, and revisits the moments of his storm-tossed life in his book A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe.

    Saturday February 18, 2023

    From the Archives-February 25, 2022-Episode 411-Jim Coulthart is an aviation historian. He has a collection of WWII aircraft incidents, and accidents with ties to Central New York. 

    Sunday, February 19, 2023

    The Mohawk Valley Reindeer Man

    ...a good read for this Weekend

    Mohawk Valley native Sheldon Jackson, a Presbyterian missionary, had a major impact on life in Alaska. Born in in 1834 in the hamlet of Minaville...

    Mohawk Valley Weather, Thursday, February 16, 2023

    A chance of rain, mainly after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 47. West wind 12 to 17 mph becoming light northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
    Tonight
    Rain, mainly before 1am, then showers and possibly a thunderstorm after 1am. Low around 42. East wind around 6 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
    Friday
    Rain before 1pm, then a chance of rain and snow between 1pm and 4pm, then a chance of snow after 4pm. Temperature falling to around 30 by 5pm. Breezy, with an east wind 8 to 13 mph becoming west 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
     
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Thursday, February 16, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    Free Fishing Day schedule in New York announced
    Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday the 2023 dates for Free Freshwater Fishing Days in New York. The requirement for a…
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    Mavis points finger at others seeking dismissal from Schoharie limo lawsuits
     
    ALBANY — The attorney for Mavis Discount Tire claimed the actions of the operators of the..
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    11 min
  • Wednesday

    The 2023 Historians Go Fund Me

    The Historians Podcast, organized by Bob Cudmore

    We’ve now raised $595 toward the 2023 goal of $7000. Please donate online or a check to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302.  

    Wednesday, February 15, 2023-From the Archives, June 25, 2021-Episode 376-New York City correspondent Jim Kaplan considers the impact of black separatist leader Marcus Garvey on African independence.

    Thursday, February 16, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Snow day in Amsterdam 

    With winter approaching, more memories are surfacing of snowstorms years ago.  Tom Pikul grew up in the 1950s on Park Hill in Amsterdam near the Pulaski Bridge and recalled the childhood pleasures of snow days.

    “An especially snowy night was the herald of a fantastic possibility: schools closing the next day,” Pikul wrote.

    Mark Dawidziak

    Amazon

    https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Mark+Dawidziak&i=audible&ref=dp_byline_sr_audible_1

    Friday, February 17, 2023-Episode 462-Author Mark Dawidziak investigates Edgar Allan Poe’s strange death in Baltimore, and revisits the moments of his storm-tossed life in his book A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe.

    Mohawk Valley Weather, Wednesday, February 15, 2023

    Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 56. East wind 7 to 11 mph becoming south in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 22 mph.
    Tonight
    Partly cloudy, with a low around 39. West wind 13 to 17 mph.
    Thursday
    A chance of showers after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 49. West wind 6 to 15 mph becoming east in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 26 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
     
    Mohawk Valley News Headlines, Wednesday, February 15, 2023
     
    Daily Gazette
    Paper-Paper, On-line and e-edition
    When Credibility Matters
     
    Schoharie County fire chief in awe of community support after blaze destroys his Summit home
    SUMMIT — While sitting on his brother’s deck down the road from the remains of his gutted trailer in the…
     
    https://dailygazette.com/
     
    RecorderNews
     
    https://www.recordernews.com/

    Leader Herald Make Us A Part Of Your Day

    https://www.leaderherald.com/

    3 min

About The Historians

From the publisher's feed

The Historians is a weekly audio interview podcast that features authors and other guests who discuss the rich heritage of the Mohawk Valley NY region and the nation.