Hometown Hoedown

Hometown Hoedown – Cathy McDavid (April 30)

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I moved to Scottsdale, Arizona when I was thirteen years old. And while I’ve lived here ever since and consider it my home, I was born and raised in Connecticut. Our house was in Scantic—a small community near East Windsor with not much more than a church, a cemetery, historical society, State Park on the Scantic River, along with several home-run businesses like a construction company, art studio, and auto repair. The only new additions since I was a child are a few Airbnbs and some more houses. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same picture-perfect heart of Colonial New England all these decades later.

Just to give you an idea of what old and quaint Scantic was and continues to be, our house was built fifteen years post the end of the civil war. The original property consisted of many, many acres with the main crop being tobacco—specifically a broad leaf variety used for cigars. Some of you may have heard of the book by Mildred Savage called “Parish” which was made into a 1961 movie of the same name starring Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, Claudette Colbert, and Karl Malden, among others. Much of the movie was filmed in East Windsor and featured vivid scenes of shaded tobacco fields. Of course, the tobacco industry has died off since then, but there were still some fields when I was a child and one of the original tobacco drying barns on our property remained standing, although it was in great disrepair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was able to return for a visit about a year-and-a-half ago. Both my parents are buried there And while it’s far from where I live now, I honored their wishes as they were so happy during the time we lived there. It seemed only fitting they are resting in the cemetery, not far from the graves of Colonial settlers who lived in Scantic during the 1700s.

When I visited, I brought with me and donated a collection of painted primitive art that was done by a friend of my mother’s, Jean Dewey, to the historical society. The scenes on the items are from Scantic and depict the idyllic life from then and now. Small tidbit. Jean Dewey’s adorable son Christopher was in my class at school, and I had a terrible crush on him. In the third grade, he gave me a kiss on my cheek, and after promising not to tell anyone, I proceeded to blab to every girl in my class the following day.

One last note of interest. Scantic was so small, we didn’t have a school and were bussed to Broad Book, the next town over. While considerably larger, Broad Brook is still as charming as ever, and when I visited recently, I was delighted to find that some of the original buildings, like the opera house and general store, were much like they were in my youth.

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me and visiting my hometown. Tell me something memorable about where you grew up and if you ever return for a visit.

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Hometown Hoedown – Kit Morgan

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A Trip Down Memory Lane: The Estacada Timber Festival

Growing up in Estacada, Oregon—a town steeped in the traditions of the logging industry—was a unique experience. One of the highlights of our year was always the Estacada Timber Festival. A grand event that began in 1958 that celebrated the very heart of our community.

I remember in the ’60s and ’70s, the Timber Festival was a big competition that drew loggers from all over, even as far as Canada! It featured everything from log rolling to axe throwing, and the whole town turned out to watch and cheer. I can still remember the excitement, the smell of sawdust in the air, and the sense of pride in our local logging heritage.

The festival wasn’t just about the competitions. It kicked off with a big parade that brought everyone together, and how in later years, the day always ended with a spectacular fireworks display. I still remember the couple of years they were shooting the fireworks off behind the high school. There was a huge field back there, and everyone brought a blanket, laid down, and could watch the fireworks going off right over head. It was awesome! It was also a true slice of good old-fashioned hometown fun.

I remember as a kid, the Timber Festival wasn’t complete without the carnival that rolled into town. For us little ones, that was the main event—cotton candy, rides, and the dizzying whirl of the Ferris wheel and other rides our parents hoped wouldn’t make us sick.  It was pure magic and an essential part of our summer fun. When you live in a town with a population of less than a thousand people, something like the Timber Festival was huge! Flash forward to about ten years ago. Many of the loggers competing are local loggers, or they were local loggers, and many of them have been competing in the festival for decades!

One of my fondest memories is the year Ramblin’ Rod, the beloved host of our favorite afternoon children’s cartoon show, served as the grand marshal of the parade. Ramblin’ Rod might’ve been a local celebrity, but to us kids, he was as big as any national star.

By the time I was in junior high, I was in the marching band, marching in the Timber Festival parade. We grew up with the Timber Festival and all that went with it, and it’s a huge part of my hometown’s nostalgia.

Though Estacada has grown over the years, (the population is now a little over 5000) the festival had its last run in 2019, but there have been efforts to revive it in recent years. I’m not sure if they succeeded, as I’ve been down in California, but the memories of those festivals still bring a smile to my face. It’s a reminder of how special and tight-knit our community was—and still is.

Does your hometown have something like the Timber Festival that you grew up with? Is it still going strong? Or has it faded over the years?

Hometown Hoedown – The Heart of the Berkshires

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Welcome to my hometown! But to be perfectly honest with you, I haven’t lived there for more than fifty years…and I’ve never really given much thought to the history of Pittsfield, Massachusetts until the Fillies suggested doing a blog about our hometown towns.

So, here goes…

Pittsfield, Massachusetts, located in western Massachusetts, is a city rich in history and culture. Situated in Berkshire County, it encompasses a unique blend of natural beauty, significant landmarks, and a vibrant community.

The city can trace its roots back to the colonial era when it was first settled in 1752. The city was named after British Prime Minister William Pitt the Elder. Initially, Pittsfield relied on agriculture, with crops like corn, oats, and wheat being important for the settlers. However, during the 19th century, the city experienced rapid industrial growth, transitioning from an agrarian society into a thriving manufacturing hub.

By the end of the Revolutionary War, Pittsfield had nearly 2,000 residents. While mainly a farming area, because of the many brooks that flowed into the Housatonic River, the land was dotted with mills that produced lumber, grain, paper (Eaton & Crane writing paper was known worldwide), and textiles. When Merino sheep from Spain was introduced in 1807, the area became the center of woolen manufacturing in the U.S. for nearly a century.

By the late 1800s, the town was a bustling metropolis. In 1891, the City of Pittsfield was incorporated. In that same yar, William Stanley Jr., who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to Pittsfield produced the first electric transformer. Stanley’s enterprise was the forerunner of the internationally known corporate giant, General Electric (GE). Thanks to the success of GE, Pittsfield’s population in 1930 had grown to more than 50,000. Though it continued to be one of the city’s largest employers until the 1980s, a workforce that once topped 13,000 was reduced to less than 700 with the demise of General Electric. On a personal note, I worked at GE after college for two years, made some great friends, and learned how a big conglomerate operated…which made me turn to public education for the remainder of my working career!

Weather in Pittsfield has four distinct seasons…however, winter often begin around Columbus Day in mid-October and can last to Mother’s Day in May. Spring is nearly non-existent, and summers can be cool & rainy or hot…however, nothing compares to the Berkshires in Autumn. It is glorious!!!

       

Pittsfield and Berkshire County is less than three hours from New York City to the south, and Boston to the east, making the area home to a myriad of world-class art, theater, dance, music, film, and historic sites. The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Arts in North Adams and Tanglewood in Lenox and Stockbridge have long drawn the culturally inclined to Western Massachusetts. Berkshire Theatre Group in Pittsfield and venues like the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge also draw tourists from around the world.

       

Pittsfield can lay claim to a number of famous residents who have made significant contributions to our nation’s history, including Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, written at his Pittsfield home he called Arrowhead. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., lived in Pittsfield for 7 years. His poetry put him in the company of other writers living in the area in the mid 1800’s. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet, educator, linguist, owned a home which is now the site of Pittsfield High School.

Other notables include

  • Robin Williams, actor, maintained a summer home in Pittsfield
  • Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
  • Brian Piccolo, Chicago Bears halfback, subject of movie Brian’s Song
  • Marshall Field, founded Chicago’s Marshall Field’s department stores, took first job in 1853 as a clerk in Pittsfield
  • Silvio O. Conte, congressman (He and my dad were good friends during their school years)
  • Niraj Shah (born 1973/74), billionaire CEO and co-founder of Wayfair

If you, like me, are surprised by the city where I was born and raised, I have one more interesting, albeit, tragedy that occurred in Pittsfield.

At approximately 10:15AM, President Theodore Roosevelt’s motorcade was travelling along South Street when the mounted troopers assigned to protect him noticed the speeding trolley. As the streetcar turned onto the street with the presidential carriage, the driver rang the trolley bell and attempted to stop. Two cavalrymen flagged down the motorman, ordering the trolley to stop, but it nevertheless collided with the back left wheel of the carriage, smashing the carriage’s back and striking the front wheel as well. The impact sent the carriage into the air briefly.

William Craig yelled for the president to “Look out! Hold fast!” before they were both thrown off the wagon. Craig was thrown under the streetcar and killed instantly while Roosevelt was thrown out and hit his head on the sidewalk. Cortelyou sustained serious injuries. Governor Crane escaped uninjured. Pratt, the driver, struck his head, resulting in a fractured skull. One carriage horse was also killed in the collision.

Like many of New England’s manufacturing centers that experienced an economic decline in the latter part of the 20th century, Pittsfield has been forced to redefine itself. With the reconstruction of prime industrial property at the heart of the city, and an energized arts and entertainment scene in the downtown, Pittsfield has established itself as a cultural center in Berkshire County with the prospect of renewed economic vitality.

Thanks for coming along on this portrait of an American city — my hometown, Pittsfield Massachusetts.

 

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Hometown Hoedown – Cowboys, Miners, Butch Cassidy, Oh My!

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My husband and I moved to Winnemucca, Nevada in 1984 as newlyweds for a one-month drilling contract at a developing gold mine. We ended up staying for 32 years…as one does. I had my kids there and taught school in the area for 29 years. I still think of it fondly, nine years after leaving.

Winnemucca is located in Northern Nevada on the Humboldt River. Because of its location, the area has been continuously inhabited since the 1830s when beaver trappers, such as Peter Ogden, built camps there.  One of the first settlers, a fur trader named Joseph Gianacca, built a ferry allowing travelers to cross the river, and the settlement then became known at French Ford.

Winnemucca

In 1948 Northern California was given to the USA by Mexico, and French Ford developed into a popular stopping point for emigrants traveling along the Humboldt Trail to California.

Silver was discovered in the Humboldt Range in 1860, bringing in miners. Ranches also began developing in the area in the mid-1860s, and some of those ranches are still in operation today.

 

Basque shepherds came to Nevada in the mid-1800s (bringing with them their dogs, called Australian Shepherds), and Winnemucca remains one of the hubs of Basque culture in the United States. Basque hotels are famous for their family style dinners and unique cuisine. Winnemucca had two such hotels, one of which is still in operation as a dining facility.

The Martin Hotel–a historic Basque hotel

The Central Pacific Railroad reached Winnemucca in 1868 and in 1869 Winnemucca became a stop on the Transcontinental Railroad. The Chinese working on the Transcontinental Railroad created a China Town in the city.

After the Transcontinental Railroad was completed, French Ford was renamed Winnemucca in honor of a famous Paiute Chief.

Chief Winnemucca

Because of the railroad, Winnemucca became a shipping hub and a center of commerce in the 1970s. Cattle from ranches in northern Nevada, southern Oregon and southwest Idaho were drive to Winnemucca to be shipped by rail to Sacramento and San Francisco.

In September of 1900, Butch Cassidy and his gang is alleged to have robbed the First National Bank, riding away with more than $32,000 dollars. Some of the money is said to still be buried along the muddy banks of the Humboldt River.

Today Winnemucca boasts a population of close to 8,000 people. It’s still a cowboy town, so it’s not unusual to see buckaroos in full regalia shopping in the local grocery store. There are numerous ranches, large and small, in the outlying areas, some dating back to the 1860s and 1870s.  It’s also a mining town. Nevada is the third largest gold producer in the world and several of the gold mines are located nearby.

There’s a thriving Basque community in the area, one of the largest in the US, and a yearly Basque festival is held in June. Winnemucca is also home to the Buckaroo Hall of Fame, which honors legendary cowboys and individuals of the Great Basin.

Lastly, if you’ve heard  Johnny Cash (or anyone else) sing I’ve Been Everywhere, you’ll hear mention of a little town called Winnemucca in the preamble. Also, Rod McKuen, who spent years in Nevada, wrote a poem called Winnemucca, Nevada. He says he learned his first cuss word there.

So, if you’re ever driving on Interstate 80 between Reno and Salt Lake City, you’ll pass through Winnemucca. And when you do, I hope you’ll remember it’s rich history.

Go Lowry Bucks!

Hometown Hoedown – Karen Witemeyer

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The fillies thought it might be fun to share some interesting tidbits found right in our own backyards. So in 2025, you’ll see a handful of Hometown Hoedown features, and I’m blessed to have the chance to kick off this new series.

My hometown is Abilene, Texas. I came to college here back in 1989, married me a Texan, and never left. I might not have been born here, but it is home in every other way. Abilene started as a railroad town. Local cattle ranchers learned the Texas & Pacific Railroad would be coming through their area and promised the railroad water for their steam engines if they would pass through the northern part of the county. The railroad agreed. One of the ranchers suggested the new town be named Abilene, after the cattle boom town of Abilene, Kansas.

As with many railroad towns, the population boom outpaced the town’s ability to organize necessary law enforcement. By 1883, the town had officially incorporated and the leaders were desperate to get rid of their lawless reputation. They wanted to create a civilized reputation in order to draw settlers and businesses to the area. So they began passing ordinances. No gambling. No firing a weapon within city limits. They cracked down on disorderliness around the saloons. However, sometimes it takes more than a rule to make an impact on people’s behavior.

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“On the evening of January 8, 1884, City Alderman Frank Collins and his brother, Walter, who was a Taylor County Deputy Sheriff, entered a saloon at the northeast corner of north first and pine streets (right side of picture above). The saloon proprietor, Zeno L. Hemphill, who had been convicted of assault in 1880 and was to be tried in April 1884 for killing a man the previous year, confronted Frank Collins about the newly-passed anti-gambling laws.  Angry words and punches were exchanged, and Hemphill drew a gun and shot Walter Collins, who had stepped between the two men. Gunfire then broke out between Frank Collins and Hemphill. When the dust settled, Walter Collins and Zeno Hemphill were dead, and Frank Collins died from his injuries after two months.” (Quoted from the Abilene Texas History blog.)

As a result of this deadly shootout, the town leaders hired John Clinton as the city marshal and made it clear that enforcing the new ordinances would be top priority to prevent any similar incidents from occurring. Mr. Clinton must have done something right, for he served as marshal for 37 years. The citizens of Abilene continuously voted in favor of prohibition for their town, county, and state. The state election in 1887 overturned their “dry” vote and it wasn’t until 1902 that Abilene successfully banned the sale of alcohol in their city. The saloons remained shut down for 75 years. Who knew the roots for this movement went all the way back to a rowdy saloon owner taking on a a lawman and city official over the right to gamble in 1884?

This piece of local history is often reenacted at Frontier Texas, and interactive museum in Abilene’s downtown.

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One hundred twenty-seven years later, on January 8, 2011, a historical marker was erected at the corner of North First Street and Pine Street to commemorate the shootout. It’s hard to believe today that a downtown area filled with museums and gift shops was once a place of lawless saloons and shootouts.

What do you think tamed the west? City ordinances and the lawmen who enforced them? An influx of “civilized” settlers and businessmen? Women with their emphasis on morality? I’d love to hear your thoughts.