Along The Mohawk #17

For the Mohawk Valley, Central New York region. 

Along the Mohawk features local music and interviews with musicians, storytellers, restaurateurs, and manufacturers and also features Soundscapes with local naturalist Matt Perry. The show will also include a short weekly old-time radio serial, Annie and the Loomis Gang, written and produced by Sharry Whitney and performed by a cast of local voice actors. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_19 0:01

Steve Ponty Chevrolet and Herker, your local family-owned and operated Chevy dealer, presents Along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_05 0:10

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people and places where we belong.

SPEAKER_19 0:21

Good morning. Thank you for traveling with me today along the Mohawk. I'm Sherry Whitney. On today's show, we'll learn about Trout in the Classroom with Stu Miller of Trout Unlimited. Maggie Riley talks about keystone plants as part of the native garden. But first, we learn about the curious case of Moody M. Peabody from Director of Public Relations Patrick Reynolds at the United County History Center in Utica.

SPEAKER_13 0:46

I was doing some research on Bags Square in Utica and uncovered an online auction for a painting of the Great Fire of Utica in 1836. And it's a catastrophic fire which burned several blocks on Lower Genesee Street. So I asked a volunteer if we had a map from the time period, and she pulled out this little tiny map, which is about as big as an envelope.

SPEAKER_19 1:08

How big is the original?

SPEAKER_13 1:09

It's like six by eight inches. It's made to fit inside a book.

SPEAKER_19 1:13

Well, it's very detailed for how small it is.

SPEAKER_13 1:16

Exactly. Quite a skill. So I had never seen the map and I didn't know who made it, and it was made engraved by a man named Moody M. Peabody, which was a very curious name, and I got curious about who he was. So I using some of the research materials at the History Center was able to find out where he lived in Utica. He was a printer, copper plate engraver, and he made illustrations for books. But then he quickly disappeared, so I started had to search for more. It turns out he wasn't in Utica during the Great Fire of Utica, which I was trying to figure out if he was, but it turns out he wasn't here because he was in Auburn State Prison.

SPEAKER_19 1:56

That was quite a surprise.

SPEAKER_13 1:57

Yes, quite a surprise, and uh it turns out that his skills as a copper plate engraver were also useful in making counterfeit money.

SPEAKER_19 2:07

So the year roughly this is the eighteen thirties, and tell us a little bit about currency at that time.

SPEAKER_13 2:19

So there was like Bank of Una Utica, five dollar banknotes and things like this. And uh Mr. Peabody made uh made up a fictitious bank called the Bank of Warsaw in New York. When he was arrested, he had the copper plates for the engravings under his bed on Lafayette Street in Utica.

SPEAKER_19 2:38

And this was uh family enterprise, was it not?

SPEAKER_13 2:42

Yes, um both his wife was a printer, and his son named DeWitt Peabody, named after who was he named after?

SPEAKER_16 2:51

DeWitt. Uh Clint Clinton.

SPEAKER_13 2:52

There you go. DeWitt Clinton, the canal guy, right? Um DeWitt Clinton, his son got arrested a year or so later. He was in Ithaca doing the same thing. So there was this upstate New York counterfeit money racket going on.

SPEAKER_19 3:06

Well, I guess you could say his talent was used for good and evil.

SPEAKER_13 3:10

Yeah. Actually, uh the newspaper said basically the same thing. If he had used his talent for good, things would turn out very much different. In the end, after he got out of prison in Auburn, he did like many criminals in New York back in the day, is he fled to Canada never to return.

SPEAKER_19 3:27

Well, thank you. That's an interesting story and a beautiful map by uh Mr. Peabody.

SPEAKER_09 3:38

Attention, listeners, your Mohawk Valley time travel experiment is about to commence. Stand by as we recalibrate the decades.

SPEAKER_04 3:50

Welcome to the autumn of 1911. We're standing in the village of Delta, a small community north of Rome, New York. At first glance, it looks like any other Mohawk Valley village. There are homes, barns, a church, and dusty roads winding through the valley. But something unusual is happening. In just a few years, nearly everything you see around us will disappear beneath the waters of a man-made lake. As part of New York State's massive barge canal project, workers have spent the last several years building a giant dam across the Mohawk River downstream from here. The goal is simple: create a reservoir large enough to help supply water to the canal system. Excuse me, sir. Good afternoon. I've heard many families are preparing to leave Delta.

SPEAKER_03 4:46

That's right, some have already gone. Buildings are being moved, others are being torn down. Folks say the whole valley will become a lake. Hard to imagine, isn't it? My family has been here for years. Never thought we'd see the day. Do people think it's worth it? Depends on who you ask. Some say the canal will help New York grow, others just see the homes and farms being lost. Either way, looks like the water's coming.

SPEAKER_04 5:13

And he's right. Before this project is finished, nearly 300 buildings will be removed, cemeteries relocated, and the village of Delta will vanish from the map. The reservoir created here will become what we know today as Delta Lake. The people will leave, the roads will disappear, and the quiet valley around us will slowly fill with water. Today, visitors come here to swim, fish, boat, and camp, often unaware that beneath the lake lies the site of a once thriving community. I'm your time traveler, and it's time to return to the present. But as we leave 1911, take one last look around Delta. In a few short years, this village will be gone forever.

SPEAKER_19 6:08

After the break, Trout in the classroom with Stu Miller of Trout Unlimited. A visit to Maggie's Garden on Maggie's Minute, where she tells us about Keystone plants. And an interview with Blues Harmonica player Tom Townsley.

SPEAKER_05 6:22

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_07 6:30

From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community.

SPEAKER_06 6:38

We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.

SPEAKER_04 6:45

Big Apple Music in New Hartford has served Central New York and the best musicians since 1979. Guitars, amps, drums, sound systems, digital pianos, and school instruments. And providing sales, rentals, repairs, and musical instrument private lessons. Got an instrument that needs a little love? Let Big Apple Music repair it for you. Check us out for Sound System installs and repairs. The best brands for the best bands. Shop local, shop smart, shop Big Apple Music in New Hartford. Loving people for over 46 years. Check us out on Facebook and our website.

SPEAKER_10 7:18

Since 1917, NGMs Flooring America has delivered quality floors and expert installations. Save on carpeting, laminate flooring, ceramic tiles, and more. Plus, we offer 12 months of interest-free financing for qualified buyers. Stop by our location today.

SPEAKER_17 7:33

You work hard here in the Mohawk Valley. You make a difference. You leave your mark. You deserve a financial advisor who works hard to make a difference for your future.

SPEAKER_11 7:42

Investing for retirement, college, thinking about your legacy. We have spent most of our adult lives giving you straightforward answers for your financial decisions.

SPEAKER_17 7:53

We pride ourselves on being local, prudent, and trustworthy for you. Van Meter and Van Meter, with three offices to serve your financial future.

SPEAKER_19 8:08

I'm on the banks of the Iriskany Creek in the village of Clinton. Today, volunteer Stu Miller, representing the Mohawk Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited, is meeting up with sixth grade students from Mrs. Baker's Science class at Clinton Central School. They will be releasing their fingerling brook trout that they raise from eggs in their classroom. Okay, I'm here on the bank of the Riskany Creek with Stuart Miller. Tell us what we're doing here today, Stuart.

SPEAKER_14 8:34

Well, we're from Trout Unlimited, and this is a Trout in the Classroom program. We're releasing our trout after raising them from the class in Clinton. This is Baker's class, has raised them from eggs, and they got the eggs from SUNY Mooresville Hatchery, and they work with Oneida, Hercomer, Madison Boses. They raise the eggs to fry, and then in the spring, we release the trout in the uh local streams.

SPEAKER_19 9:03

How long has this program been going on and why do you think it's important?

SPEAKER_14 9:06

Well, the program's been going on trout in the classroom locally since the 90s. We have about 22 classrooms now. It's been led by Gary Bartell, and we have uh classes throughout the Mohawk Valley into the Adirondacks and down to as far as Edmston. The kids actually learn about the importance of natural resources, clean water, water quality, and the effect it has on trout and other species. Brook trout in particular are indicator species. They need to have clean, cold water to be able to live. The kids learn by monitoring the aquarium throughout the year. They watch the level of ammonia, the temperature, the pH, and make sure that the trout can live. Some of them don't make it, unfortunately, but it's part of the whole process and it's a great hands-on learning experience for students.

SPEAKER_19 10:01

Elizabeth, why did you think it's important to include this in your curriculum?

SPEAKER_00 10:05

Um, well, as a science teacher, I love all things science in a world where everything's so plasticky and artificial, conservation isn't necessary more now than ever. And so as a result, this opportunity popped up. A retired teacher had a 55-gallon tank. She did the program, asked for a volunteer to enter absence, take it over, and I volunteered blindly without knowing what I was getting into, but it's a pleasure. And the kids love it. The kids are all volunteers. I have about 84 students, and 12 decided to hop on board without really knowing what they were getting into. They gave up their time, and as a result, they get to release the trout. So it's a great program for them to learn about the environment and how to get back.

SPEAKER_16 10:46

Thank you.

SPEAKER_19 10:50

To learn more about bringing trout to a classroom near you, visit our website along the mohawkradio.com. It's summer, which means Maggie Riley's gardens are spilling over with flowers. But you don't have to work that hard or have a green thumb to make a difference for pollinators. Okay, Maggie, so you have really gone all in with flowers. You have flowers everywhere, spilling out of every corner. Some people may not want to be this deep into gardening like you are, which would probably be most people on this planet. But what could somebody do who's not really a gardener, but does see the importance of bringing pollinators and wanting to have those butterflies and bees and birds in their yard?

SPEAKER_01 11:43

Well, Sherry, I do understand that most people do not want to do what I do, but still want to try to be the steward of the land. You can really get a big bank for your buck if you plant a tree, a native tree. We've talked about different plants and we've talked about the soil and getting started with natives and what natives we should be planting. And host plants. And host plants. But I wanted to mention keystone plants. They're kind of like the superheroes, like an oak tree. An oak tree is top of the line of these keystone plants. They are host plants that feed the young caterpillars of about 90% of the butterflies and moths. And there are some species out there like chickadees that feed their young just an enormous amount of caterpillars. And they also feed specialist bees who eat only the pollen from specific plants. If you just want to have some trees and shrubs, if you plant an oak tree or a maple or a birch or any dogwood, willow, red buds, those are all keystone plant, you know, maybe some large bushes.

SPEAKER_19 12:59

And you talked about understory, which is something I had to work on because I had some big established trees. So explain why the different levels are important and what those levels are.

SPEAKER_01 13:09

I always tell people if you want to see how to really landscape where it looks more natural, go out into nature. You know, you gotta have that relationship with nature in order to respect it and care for it. Take a walk in the woods or even on, say, the Kirkland Trail. You will see the canopy trees as you talked about, Sherry. Those are those big ones like the oaks and the maples and the river birches. But there's a lot of layers. That's how we talk about a plant in layers. The understory trees are the trees that really like to be under those big ones because they like to be in a little bit of shade, kind of like your service berry and pagoda dogwoods, the red buds, they're all sorts of trees that will live under a tree. And then we go to the large bushes, like your viburnums, all sorts of different bushes. You can create a privacy hedge, a hedgerow, and then we go to the smaller bushes. And so you would get a huge garden and landscape, and it would be so beneficial without having to do and very low maintenance compared to all these flowers. Some birds really like to be way, way up high, others like to be lower. They basically allow an organism to go through its whole life cycle using that plant. Those are the powerhouses. You know, if you've got to decide, well, I don't want to do what Maggie's doing, it's just a lot, then plant yourself an oak and you don't need a lot of space to be able to plant trees. I think I told you this before. We only have four-tenths of an acre and we have over 40 trees on the lot. But I think next week I would really like to talk about one of those keystone plants that I know I say this all the time is one of my favorite plants is the service berry.

SPEAKER_19 15:00

Well, I will be very interested to hear about the service berry.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Okay, we'll do that next week.

SPEAKER_19 15:04

Great, thank you. Okay, thanks, Sherry.

unknown 15:06

Bye.

SPEAKER_19 15:08

To learn more about native plants, visit our website, alongthemohawkradio.com. Big Apple Music in New Hartford presents Music Along the Mohawk. I sit down for coffee at Emerson Ave Coffee in Utica with local blues musician Tom Townsley, who recently released a new CD, Too Late Smart. Unlike his previous releases, this one is partly an homage to the musicians who shaped his music and his life as a musician.

SPEAKER_12 15:40

I've been a blues harmonica player since 1983, I think, is when I bought my first harmonica. But the blues business I got started, I distinctly recall it was my birthday. I it was my second year going to grad school at SU. A friend invited me over to his apartment. He put on a little Walter record. And I said, Wow, this music's really great. Who is this? And he explained it was Little Walter, who was a harmonica player in Muddy Waters original band in Chicago, but also recorded some groundbreaking seminal recordings of his own right, uh, and is still considered generally to be like the most important blues harmonica guy. Well, I knew nothing about any of this, but as a trombone player before I liked jazz and and uh had gone to see Count Basie, you know, and so and and this felt like that kind of music, but on a scaled-down level. And it was electric too, which of course was another important difference. I became entranced with it, and I went out and started buying records. And another day, serendipitously in the record store, I met a guy, you know, he saw I was going through the blues bin. He said, Oh, you're into blues. I'm like, Yeah, he goes, Yeah, I play in a blues band here in town. I said, What do you play? And he pulled out a harmonica and started playing there in the store. I said, This seems to be another sign, right? So um I went out and caught his band, triple shot. I went out and bought my first harmonica. Uh, I messed around with it for quite a while. Weirdly, another friend of mine in grad school said, you know, I have this book about Blues Harmonica up in my attic. I don't know why I have it here. And he gave that to me. So all these strange forces, you know, were coming together. And I moved to Florida, played in a band down there for a couple years, and came back. Right around this time, I got the radio show on WAER Sunday Night Blues, which I think started as a two-hour program, and 26 years later it was four hours, and uh through that I was getting to meet a lot of musicians from all over the world, were sending me their CDs and things for radio play. And I also began writing for Blues Review magazine. I got involved with putting a blues society and a blues festival together in Syracuse, you know, and just a whole lot of things. I got a band called Cold Shot Blues Band, which went through various incarnations but became a fairly popular blues act in the 80s. Uh so on the CD, the guitarist is Maurice Tarbell, who I've been playing with uh for 40 some years on and off. Um bass player is Sean Peters. We have Frank Chalerico on keyboards, and uh on the CD it's uh Phil Leone on drums. He's the guy who's down in Nashville now, but you know, he's from here originally. And most of the time, the my drummer's Lenny Milano. I kind of wanted it to be in some sense a legacy album or kind of looking back over a career. So while many of the previous ones were mostly original songs, I wanted to pay tribute to a lot of the blues artists that meant something to me over the years. Uh, there's still some original songs on here, too. I wanted to get a really sort of authentic sound, like some of the old chess recordings from the 50s and 60s. And to some extent, I guess, celebrate having had this career and having had the good fortune to be able to play in front of people and have some of them like it, you know.

SPEAKER_19 19:32

For information about Tom Townsley's new CD, Too Late Smart, and upcoming gigs, visit alongthemohawkradio.com.

SPEAKER_12 19:40

To keep her man at home, cause she's an AI woman. She's been built, please! Got a hot out of the rhythm. Bring a grown man to the knee.

SPEAKER_19 20:10

After the break, chapter 15 of Annie and the Loomis Gang, and Matt Perry talks about Birds of the Meadow on MB Soundscape.

SPEAKER_05 20:18

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_07 20:25

From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community.

SPEAKER_06 20:33

We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.

SPEAKER_04 20:41

Big Apple Music in New Hartford has served Central New York and the best musicians since 1979. Guitars, amps, drums, sound systems, digital pianos, and school instruments, and providing sales, rentals, repairs, and musical instrument private lessons. Got an instrument that needs a little love? Let Big Apple Music repair it for you. Check us out for Sound System installs and repairs. The best brands for the best bands. Shop local, shop smart, shop Big Apple Music in New Hartford. Loving people for over 46 years. Check us out on Facebook and our website.

SPEAKER_17 21:13

You work hard here in the Mohawk Valley. You make a difference. You leave your mark. You deserve a financial advisor who works hard to make a difference for your future.

SPEAKER_11 21:23

Investing for retirement, college, thinking about your legacy. We have spent most of our adult lives giving you straightforward answers for your financial decisions.

SPEAKER_17 21:33

We pride ourselves on being local, prudent, and trustworthy for you, Van Meter and Van Meter, with three offices to serve your financial future.

SPEAKER_10 21:43

Since 1917, NGMs Flooring America has delivered quality floors and expert installations, save on carpeting, laminate flooring, ceramic tiles, and more. Plus, we offer 12 months of interest free financing for qualified buyers. Stop by our location today.

SPEAKER_08 22:00

Previously, on Annie and the Loomis Gang, Annie O'Connor's curiosity draws her into the swamp. There she becomes lost in the maze of reeds and black water and stumbles upon the Loomis Gang's hidden horse operation. She sees William among them. Now night has fallen. Annie moves blindly through the reeds and dark water, lost, disoriented, and alone in the swamp. At least she thought so. Chapter 15. William Leaves.

SPEAKER_18 22:30

I'm lost. Someone's there. Don't let go of me.

SPEAKER_02 22:36

It's me.

SPEAKER_18 22:37

Jedadiah.

SPEAKER_02 22:38

You're safe.

SPEAKER_18 22:40

You're here.

SPEAKER_02 22:41

Shadow brought me to you.

SPEAKER_19 22:43

Shadow.

SPEAKER_02 22:45

Here.

SPEAKER_19 22:46

He hands her a small tin. What's this?

SPEAKER_02 22:49

Bear oil. Put it on your face and neck. Keeps the mosquitoes off you.

SPEAKER_19 22:53

Jedadiah turns and Annie follows. He follows a trail she cannot see. The swamp is firm under his steps as if he already knows where it will hold. How do you know where you're going?

SPEAKER_02 23:05

You learn where it will let you pass.

SPEAKER_19 23:08

Annie sees only dark water and reads, but she follows the rhythm of his steps. The ground beneath her feet grows firmer, the air changes, and then they are simply out. The night is clear and calm. Jedediah bids her a good night, turns to leave, then pauses.

SPEAKER_02 23:26

Tomorrow night, wear your shawl. You'll take Seamus' place at the ceremony.

SPEAKER_19 23:31

I don't understand.

SPEAKER_02 23:32

You will.

SPEAKER_19 23:33

Why me?

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Because you're here.

SPEAKER_19 23:37

Sleep comes in fragments and returns her to the swamp. Fire on black water, men and horses standing at its edge. The dream repeats, and there is a blur between being awake and asleep. She can smell the fresh scent of cedar in the bare oil on her skin, red from scratching where the mosquitoes found her. Near morning, she stops sleeping altogether. She makes tea in the dark before the rooster. The house is still. She drinks at the window watching the road south. William is not there. When she sets the cup down, the rooster finally crows and she goes outside. Annie is with the chickens when she hears the horse. A gray presence comes into view on the road. It is William riding a dapple gray. He wears the same gray coat he wore when they first met. His packed haversack hangs from his saddle. He is dressed for the road. William stops at the edge of the yard and does not come in. You're not coming in?

SPEAKER_07 24:40

No.

SPEAKER_19 24:41

She opens the gate and steps through to him. He does not dismount. You're leaving?

SPEAKER_03 24:47

Yes.

SPEAKER_19 24:48

Where are you going?

SPEAKER_03 24:49

To work.

SPEAKER_18 24:50

That's all you're saying?

SPEAKER_03 24:52

Yes.

SPEAKER_18 24:52

And you came here just to tell me this.

SPEAKER_03 24:55

I did.

SPEAKER_18 24:56

You're different today. You look like you did a few weeks ago when we first crossed paths north of Little Falls. Like that road is taking you back again.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

This is who I am.

SPEAKER_18 25:06

I don't believe you. I thought you wanted to be something more than a Loomis.

SPEAKER_03 25:10

That's because you don't understand what it means to be one.

SPEAKER_19 25:14

He speaks without looking at her, his gaze fixed on the road leading north. Will you be back?

SPEAKER_07 25:20

I don't know.

SPEAKER_19 25:22

He turns his horse and leaves. She stands there a moment as he goes. Then she turns toward the yard and goes back through the gate. As she lets it go, the counterweight takes hold. The gate swings shut behind her on its own, pulled close by the mechanism her uncle built into it years ago. The chickens are still moving when she crosses the yard. The rooster calls again with the light. The sun is rising.

SPEAKER_08 25:51

Next week, Chapter 16.

SPEAKER_15 26:05

This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape for June 28, 2026. An overgrown meadow in June can be one of the most productive habitats in the valley. To the casual observer, it may appear untidy, a tangle of grasses, wildflowers, shrubs, saplings, and scattered young trees. But to many songbirds, this habitat is ideal. Ecologists call it early successional habitat, land in transition between open field and young forest. For a brief period in that transition, a remarkable diversity of birds can thrive. Brown thrashers sing from the tops of shrubs, repeating the rich musical phrases. Grey catbirds mew and chatter from dense cover. Eastern tohees call their familiar, exuberant songs from brushy edges. Blue-winged warblers, field sparrows, American goldfinches, northern cardinals and alder flycatchers all find nesting sites, food or shelter among the dense vegetation. These birds depend upon a structure that combines openness with concealment. The thick growth provides protection from predators, abundant insects for raising young, and a variety of seeds and fruits as the summer progresses. Yet this habitat is temporary. Left undisturbed, the meadow will continue its slow transformation into forest. As the trees grow taller and shade the ground, many of these species will disappear, replaced by birds adapted to woodland conditions. For about a decade, however, the overgrown meadow becomes something special, a prairie-like landscape alive with bird song, standing between field and forest.

SPEAKER_19 28:22

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people.