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19th century West Mountain — “Astonishing” corn crop

The corn crop on West Mountain was “astonishing” for that point in the season.

“Benjamin Barber of West Mountain says the corn crop on on the plains west of Glens Falls is something astonishing,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on July 1, 1895. “He says the corn on his farm is three feet high. In the same field last year, the corn was less than fourteen inches in height.”

In other 1895 West Mountain news collected from historic newspapers of the region:

• “Quite a disastrous fire occurred on the mountain near the old ore bed Saturday, being nearly 100 acres and destroying timber, fences, etc.” the West Mountain correspondent reported in The Morning Star on May 24. “It took about thirty men and plenty of hard work to extinguish it.”
• “W. A. Burnham of Glens Falls commenced repairs on the Wilkie Reservoir Saturday. It will occupy about a week,” the West Mountain correspondent reported in The Morning Star on July 6.
• “Fred Potter is harvesting 140 acres of rye owned by the D. W. Sherman heirs,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on July 26.
• “George L. Akins of Glen Lake has moved into the old Daniel Mead place,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Aug. 26.
• “A. Canfield of Glens Falls visited this place in quest of squirrels one day last week,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Oct. 2. “James Mead of Glens Falls tried his luck hunting gray squirrels here for a few days since. They are reported as not very plenty.”
• “Apples are reported scarce in this locality,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Oct. 2.

Yet, cidermaking still took place.

“Ransom Van Dusen has repaired his cider mill, and Benjamin Barber has commenced making his year’s supply of cider,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Oct. 25.

• “Gould Kenyon of Fort Edward came here on his wheel on Sunday,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Nov. 1.
• “Postmaster Hodgin is repairing the highway on the plains between here and Glens Falls,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Nov. 1.
• “James Mead and George Ferris of Glens Falls had a successful hunt in this vicinity a few days since, getting ten gray squirrels,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Nov. 7.
• “Some of our enterprising neighbors in the Gurney district had a bee Monday, grading around their new schoolhouse,” the West Mountain correspondent reported on Nov. 7.

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