Just to be interesting I thought I would start this thread to just let some of you know exactly what is here. So as the first news worthy article has to do with the Radio Observatory that is located just north of the house in Greenbank. It is a radio free zone and only one of a few in existance in the United States covering the area that it does. That is why there is only limited cellular service away from the site. They do not use gasoline powered transportation within the site because of interference and only use deisel.
The observatory apparently is playing a key role in the Mars landing scheduled for Saturday. They will track and monitor it's decent and determine if it was successful. If anyone is interested the site is enclosed.
Maybe you too have a place of origin that is nationally know or of intrest to the rest of us.
http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2008/phoenix/
I have two home towns; Winnipeg where I was born and Rio Rancho where we've lived since 1985.
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Pop 600,000+. Av High, Jan 9, July 78, Av Low, Jan -9, July 56. Record Low -49, record high 105, 27" annual preip, Crime rate 4 or 5 highest in Canada
Claims to fame: near the geographic center of the North American continent... largest rail yards in Western Canada... Winnipeg Jets hockey team (72-96) won the finals (WHA) 3x prior to joining NHL... Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Canadian Football) winner of 10 national championships... First Canadian Province to give women the vote (1916)
Famous people born there, &/or origin of: Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman (The Guess Who), Bachman-Turner-Overdrive (BTO) Fred Turner was a high school friend and partner in early automotive mayhem, Charles Thorason (designed and christened Bugs Bunny), The Crash Test Dummies, Ken Ploen, football player QB, Billy Mosienko & Terry Sawchuk, hockey players extraordinaire, Monty Hall - tv host - Let's Make a Deal, Sir William Stephenson, WWII spy; the real Intrepid, Doug Hennings (magician)
Rio Rancho, NM (NW of Albuquerque. pop 80,000 July average temps - 91 high 62 low, January high 50 low 25. 9" av precip annual, Crime rate, quite low about half the US average for personal crime and 1/3 for property crime,
Claims to fame/infamy: Hmmm, Home of one of Intel's largest wafer plants, Fab 11X (plant opened as Fab 7 in '81), City was started by Amrep Corp, seller of Florida swamp lands and vacant dry desert to unsuspecting people in the 60's & 70's, First garbage pickup service started by two New Yorkers with stolen NYC garbage truck, home to the New Mexico Scorpions minor-league ice hockey team, at least two former mayors are or have been under investigation for financial irregularities, first U.S. city to offer citywide voice-over-WiFi (VoWiFi) service... now defunct.
35 miles south of the Jemez Mountains, our summer retreat from the heat. (66 by road)
Mine is Salina, Oklahoma Pop 1800 nearly stable for the past 40 years or so. Oldest town in Oklahoma, founded in 1796 by a french explorer. Salina is located next to lake Hudson (10k acres of water) on the Grand river. Salina is famous for absolutly nothing and I hope it stays that way.
I was born in Shenandoah County and later moved to Bridgewater (Via a few other stops). It was a small town at the based of the mountains and a good place to grow up. I'm sad to say, it's changed. It's become a Yuppie paradise while the nearest city, Harrisonburg, has been overrun by gangs and drug activity. I81 is just too good a pipeline between the north and the south.
If you've seen the movie Shenandoah, that's the area I'm from.
John, that's interesting. The observatory can't do anything but improve and preserve the quality of life there.
Born in Niagara Falls NY. Raised in Potter county PA. Stint in Army. Moved to California 42 years ago. Lived in So. Cal, moved to No.Cal, Middle Cal (Fresno), Met DW , moved to SO. Cal. Hmmm seem to be going in circles. Been married 35 yrs 8 mo. 5 days and loved every minute of it. :) c*
I thought I would wait and post this and I am about half ashamed to admit that the National Alliance Headquarters are based here. William Pierce the author of the Turner Diaries lived here until his death about 4 years ago or so. You never really knew who came and went but Timothy McVey was known to have frequented the compound on occassions. They never really caused any problems but as they say a hog will not s$*& in his own bed. It has toned down dramatically since his death but they still have there annual Adolf Hitlers Birthday celebration.
I just wonder how the ATF, FBI and CIA communicate high tech in that area that has no cellphone reception. I forgot they have the money thanks to us to have satelite phones.
Ronald Reagan was born in a small town south of where I live. He went to High School just up stream from where I live.
Wahl Clipper has their corporate HQ just across the river from where I live.
I'm still here. :)
Famous people born there, &/or origin of: Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman (The Guess Who), Bachman-Turner-Overdrive (BTO)
::)
I lived down the street from Randy Bachman for a couple years. He build a large mansion on "H" Street Rd along the US/Canadian border (Lynden/Blaine, WA) Watched it being built - of course, I lived in a little old 500 sq ft home with the asbestos siding - the bedroom had a shed roof - could just fit a queen size bed - couldn't walk in the room except near the head of the bed because the roof went down to 4 ft at the foot of the bed... no I wasn't in the same league as Randy ::) :D
Hillsboro in Pocahontas County was the birthplace of the first American woman Nobel Prize winner in 1938. Pearl Buck was born here in 1892. The house remains restored.
John the last time I was in WV we road on the Cass RR steam train. Was a great October day. That's one of the highlights of WV IMO.
I was not from a town.
Born in McMinnville, Oregon - at the hospital where a few years later, Larry West Shipley was a nurse taking care of my dad after a logging accident. He casually mentioned to my dad that he felt like killing somebody and that night casually went out and killed a girl to see what it felt like.
I read that he was freed through some technicality in the "justice" system and was suspected of killing again later. Still free as far as I Know.
Widow Creek Road, Rose Lodge, Oregon was where I grew up because my grandparents homesteaded there and it is mainly famous because I came from there. ::)
I was born in Houston, Texas, stayed there 2 weeks, my grandfather had a massive heart attack so we drove to Nebraska at the end of July - got heat rash all over - no air conditioning at that time, the doc told my mom to put alcohol on the blisters - bet I wasn't too happy about that... :o then moved to Ohio for 5 yrs, Dad was stationed at Lockbourne (sp) AFB - lots of good memories... then to Castle AFB at Atwater, CA for 3 mo, then to Massachusetts - Westover AFB for 2 yrs, then back to Castle AFB until I was 21 - moved to Lynden, WA for 12 yrs, back to Atwater for 3 yrs, then to Fresno for 3 mo, Clovis (right next to Fresno) for 10 yrs, met DH in 1996, got married June of '97 - moved to Kerman, CA - bought property in Mariposa, CA in 2002 so have been living between Mariposa & Kerman since then... guess I moved a few times...
Guess I should put our current Hometown information also.
Currently around 1700 population - 17000 in the entire county as I recall.
About 43 miles from Yosemite, we are on the Highway 140 entrance, which was the main one until the rockslide. The temporary bridges have taken a bit of the pressure off but buses cannot cross them. They are planning new temporary bridge construction to start soon to allow the buses to cross then later a viaduct is going to be built I think.
http://www.californiaconnected.org/tv/archives/450
I am not the only claim to fame this area has.
It is also the south end of the Mother Lode which was one of the main reasons the West was settled. The 49er's were crawling all over this area both making fortunes in gold and going broke. Still tons of historical interest here and a very great place to live.
ScottA that is only about 30 miles from the house. Still operating with the old Shay engines. Did ya get soot in your eyes. Nice ride to Bald knob about 5 hrs I think. They have a shorter 2-1/2 hour ride to Whitakers Station. That is Leatherbark country. Pretty rugid in it's time of the Timber industry.
I'm hoping to make it back there someday before the old shays wear out.
About 10 years ago they bought another one to repair and put inservice from CA I think. Hauled it in pieces. Too heavy and big all assembled. If you get back let me know. They have a complete shop to make parts and repair. I am thinking they have about 4 or 5 now.
Just another little thing in our county. The movie "Patch Adams" was based on the real life of Hunter Doherty "Patch" Adams who bought a 310 ac farm near Droop Mountain, Hillsboro and started which still remains and operates as the "Gesundheit Institute".
Are those narrow guage shay's? We had some nice ones here at the Westside Lumber Company, but they sold them a few years back. Might be one of them over there, I know one is in Fulton, CA at Roaring Camp Park.
We still have a standard guage shay (#2) at Railtown in Jamestown.
Home town is Sonora, CA. Tuolumne County. I am fifth generation. Similar to where Glenn lives, this place was put on the map during the gold rush... then logging. Not quite the small town it used to be, but I still love it. Other than college, I've moved away twice for work. Once to Idaho and once to Plumas County, just North of Truckee, CA. But I can't seem to stay away for more than a couple of years.
cholland not real sure. When I was there it appeared to be the standard width track. They were a workhorse in the rough mountain terrain here during the timber age.
In Barbour County in 1914 Anna Jarvis founded "Mothers Day" which was signed into law in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson to be the second Sunday in May.
Sort of Unusual for this neck of the woods but a really nice place to visit. They say there is vegitation there that only exist in the norther regions of Canada and Alaska. It is also the natural habitat for the Eastern Black Bear which can be seen daily in the dusk and dawn times. Being adjacent to a protective Black Bear Sanctuary helps also.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/cranberry_glades.html
Interesting area.
Sassy an I went to a boardwalk in the Everglades. It was wheelchair accessible.
The mosquitoes would pick up the wheel chair along with it's occupant and carry them through the Glades. d*
Not so much with mosquitoes here it's just the bears that like to take you for a ride.
I was born in McCleay Oregon, about 8 miles east of Salem. We moved to Monterey, Ca when I was 6, went to a year of community college there, then to Oakland for college. Dropped out, drove long haul for Iowa Beef Packers for awhile. Ended up in Orange County, south of LA for about 3 years. 1975 moved back to Salem. Major culture shock after Southern Cal. In 6 months I was living in Portland Oregon, where I stayed until 2000. Moved to Sequim Washington (sort of) for 5 years, then out to the Joyce area. That's where I am now, and happy to stay put, thank you very much. I'm just a West Coast kid.
I went back to McCleay last fall just to see what was there. I didn't recognize the old property, its covered in McMansions. But the 2 room school house and the general store were still standing and in use.
I was born in Oregon, lived in Lincoln City area, Mill City, Gates and Mehama east of Salem - daughter's in Salem - relatives buried over half the countryside and I have never in my life heard of McCleay.
You hauled swingin'meat, considerations? I did some long hauling - mostly unregulated but a few hot loads in a 45 foot refer.
McCleay....Go to Salem, Get on State Street, head east out of town, past the prison, past the mushroom farm and the elementary school. It's just a wide spot in the road. No mayor, no urban growth boundary, but a community nonetheless. We had about 20 acres out there, no indoor plumbing for the first year or so, and a phone exchange. The operator went to bed about 9PM and didn't take kindly to non-emergency calls till about dawn. I think the phone number was Capitol XXX - 5 numbers.
(https://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk265/considerations/McCleayStore.jpg)
Here's a map of Salem showing Macleay.
http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=44.913873,-122.91901&z=13&t=h&hl=en
And yes, I did haul swinging meat. Learned all about what it can do on a freeway cloverleaf [shocked] and hallucinating at dawn. They said we were the first husband and wife team they ever hired. The man (its been a long time, but I think it was the dispatcher) asked if I could lift and carry heavy loads.
I bear hugged him and carried him across the room, said "I think so". He hired us...too many people watching, and laughing. That was about 1970 or so. Lots of adventures available in this life.
Did not turn out to be a career, but I saw a fair amount of the country from the cab of a semi.
Not too late to learn about places I haven't been. I never had a clue it was over there-- thought that if I went past the freeway I would end up dropping off the world ...or in Silverton.
I know the hallucinating bit.
Had to get a load to Spokane - 4 AM ...frozen harder than the back of my head-- maybe 4 degrees out and couldn't shut the truck off. Parked in a rest area behind another truck with it's lights on, parked about 3 feet behind him, set the emergency brake and fell asleep over the steering wheel instantly with the engine running. A truck drove by and I woke up -- thought I fell asleep at the wheel and started stomping on the brakes --- the air was hissing and I didn't hit him--- then I realized that I was parked behind the other truck with the brake firmly set...whew. [crz]
Quote from: glenn kangiser on June 11, 2008, 10:18:26 AM
I know the hallucinating bit.
I was parked behind the other truck with the brake firmly set...whew. [crz]
At least you were parked. I didn't know that the Midwest was populated with giant lions. Cruising down the highway, sun is coming up, beautiful dawn, and this immense lion stood up out in one of the fields and stretched, just like a cat....it was a haystack. We stopped for breakfast and a seat swap a little earlier than usual that day.
so, I wont blame anyone for not being up on their Texas history if they dont live here. However, there is much to be proud of, men who gave all for men to live free. Anyway, one "forgotten" hero I would like to comment on was Padre Miguel Muldoon, or Father Michael Muldoon as he was also known. So, the little town I call my piece of heaven is Muldoon, TX. Population 400~ish. It was his land grant in the 1800's. A little history of of where I get my name....
The History Of Muldoon, Texas
Muldoon is on Farm Road 154 nine miles north of Flatonia in southwestern Fayette County. It is located on a grant of land originally made in 1831 to Father Michael Muldoon, who was the curate for Stephen F. Austin's first Texas colony. The town was not platted until 1886, when the Waco branch of the San Antonio and Aransas Pass Railway extended its line between West Point and Flatonia. A post office was established in 1888. By 1890 the business community was the center of a voting precinct and included a store, a saloon, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, and a physician. Local quarries produced fuller's earth and stone used in the construction of the Galveston jetties. Due to the poor agricultural characteristics of the soil and the proximity of other communities Muldoon grew slowly; it reached a peak of a population of 200 and eight businesses in 1943. During the 1980s three businesses and the post office remained to serve fewer than 100 residents. In 1990 the population was ninety-eight.
A Salute to Michael Muldoon
A brief tribute to a forgotten hero of Texas
© 1999 by Tony Hearn
More than a century and a half ago when Stephen F. Austin was languishing in jail in the capital of Mexico, the kindness of a young Irishman named Michael Muldoon played a crucial role in the founding of Texas.
Austin, regarded by historians as the "Father of Texas," most probably would not have gained that honor had it not been for the simple charity of this man also known as Padre Miguel Muldoon.
Michael Muldoon, born in Ireland and ordained a Catholic priest after studying for holy orders in Spain, had crossed the Atlantic to serve as a chaplain to General Santa Ana, the president of Mexico. He met the young impressario, Austin, at Santa Ana's court. When Austin was thrown in jail, Muldoon visited the future founder in jail daily, carrying food, books, and human kindness. In the course of the year Austin was imprisoned, the two became close friends.
But keeping Austin and his vision alive in prison was not the only service Father Muldoon provided for the future Republic and State of Texas. The Catch 22 of settling Texas was religion. When Santa Ana finally released Austin from prison, Austin learned that only Catholics could secure land grants from Mexican authorities. Austin needed a way to change would-be Protestant settlers into Papists. Only a Catholic priest could turn Austin and his followers into members of what Mexico regarded as the one true faith. For friendship's sake, Michael Muldoon stepped forward when no one else did to volunteer as the first Catholic vicar of Texas. Within days, Muldoon was bound for the port of Indianola on the Gulf coast of Texas to work his way inland, sprinkling the sacred waters of baptism upon the brows of Austin's 300, the first settlers of Texas. His converts were to become known as "Muldoon Catholics." He confessed to some of his reluctant "converts" that he would not notice if they crossed their fingers behind their backs to preserve their own religious affiliations. Each baptismal certificate he issued could be turned into a land grant. As Austin's friend, he wanted Texas to succeed.
For several years, Muldoon traveled from the western Louisiana border to the Rio Grande, baptizing, marrying, and burying new Texans. He was a familiar and welcomed sight in pioneer homes and wayside inns and taverns across the land. Some Protestant ministers, infiltrating the new Catholic territory, perhaps out of envy over the universal affection for the vicar of Texas, spread tales that Muldoon was a heavy drinker. Records of bar bills have been used to sully Muldoon's reputation. Perhaps he bought drinks for the house when he dropped in on groups of weary settlers huddled for respite in those pioneer saloons. It is a historical fact that Muldoon enjoyed his life. He submitted cheerful poems to the Nacogdoches Gazetta, revealing his joyful, ecumenical spirit.
Muldoon performed one more heroic act for Texas before his mysterious disappearance. Shortly after Sam Houston defeated General Santa Ana in the battle at San Jacinto, which won Texas independence from Mexico, the Texas ambassador to the United States, William Wharton, was captured at sea by a Mexican man-of-war. The ship took the Texas foreign minister to a jail in Matamoros where he was sentenced to death for his role in the Texas revolt. While awaiting execution, Wharton had a visitor to his prison cell: Michael Muldoon.
"Have no fear!" Padre Muldoon counseled Wharton. "I'll be back very soon!" Within minutes, Muldoon returned. Running the guard away from the cell's door so the priest "could hear this condemned man's last confession," he pulled a spare priestly habit from under his own. Muldoon gave Wharton brisk instructions: "Put this on! If anyone stops you, just hold up two fingers, make the sign of the Cross, and say, 'Pax vobiscum!'" Wharton escaped.
Michael Muldoon explained his way out of the angry hands of the jailers in Matamoros, but within several years his love for Texas and her early settlers cost him his life. No records exist to confirm what happened to him, though hearsay suggests that he, as a persona non grata, was placed by Mexican authorities aboard a ship for a one-way trip to Spain. That same ship was said to have been sunk during a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico.
Whatever the fate of Irishman Michael Muldoon, and despite reservations concerning his moral and priestly character published in the official Catholic History of Texas, this pastor and patriot of early Texas deserves to live on in spirit as one of her noblest heroes. As he said, "Pax vobiscum!"
Yes, for now and always, dear Texas, "Peace be with you!"
Interesting, Muldoon.
I trucked through or by Flatonia once -- remember the name but not the why.
It's good that you have that much history of your namesake. If it is not written down I would do so. Something the family might want later on.