THE PUTNAM SPORTSMAN

Fred Franckiewicz, from Carmel, landed this 11lb, 7oz, walleyed pike from the ice on Croton Falls Reservoir on January 21. The female was 28.5 inches long and was already heavy with eggs. An adult female like this can lay a half million eggs spread over sand and gravel banks in incoming rivers and streams. Most hatch, but young fry and growing minnows are lost to predators, leaving only a small percentage to reach maturity. About 25,000, or five percent, will grow up to provide sport fishing and great eating for anglers. Bob’s Bait and Tackle, on Route 100, just off Route 35 in Somers, will be displaying it on their wall, enticing Westchester anglers to come to Putnam to experience “walleye fever.” It wasn’t fit for man or beast on Monday in Carmel, but I got an early morning call from Lori DiLorenzo, with the D.E.P. with the latest reservoir closings for the test of the 2010 ice fishing season. East Branch, Bog Brook, and Diverting Reservoirs, all in Southeast, are now closed. This is in addition to Boyd’s Corner’s and West Branch, closed last Monday. Signs have been posted at all. And DEP Police have been issuing tickets to violators caught out on the ice of the latter.

2010 is census year, and folks are making extra pocket change, going around Putnam County, taking a tally of residents, house by house. It will be some time before we finally get a tally of how many people call Putnam county home these days. The June 30, 1955, PUTNAM COUNTY COURIER carried an article on the front page releasing statistics of an old census report coming out of Spafford’s Gazetteer, a governmentauthorized publication. The COURIER gave credit to Israel Ben Scheiber, from Tompkins Corners, for a copy of the information about Putnam County in that book.

“Carmel Village, the Capital of this County, is pleasantly situated on the banks of ‘Shaw’s Pond’ (now Lake Gleneida). A clear sheet of water, one mile over, in the northeast corner of the Town of Carmel. Here are the County buildings, a pleasant Hamlet of 20 dwellings, a Post Office, some mills, stores, shops, etc. The next in size is the Hamlet called Patterson, of 15 dwellings.

Cold Spring Landing, in Philipstown, and one on the West Branch of the Croton, where are fine sites for waterworks, have also the distinction of being called ‘Villages.’

County statistics-Townships-5, Post Offices-2, Population-11268, of which are, whites, 11,058, free blacks, 166, slaves, 49, foreigners, not naturalized, 39.

Persons employed in agriculture 1,996, in commerce 35, in manufactures, 655. There are 79,113 acres of improved land, 11,089 meat cattle, 1914 horses, 14,083 sheep. 77,321 yards of cloth were made in the household way in 1821. Taxable property- $1,746, 602.

There are 33 grist mills, 40 saw mills, 3 oil mills, 14 fulling mills, 8 carding mills, 6 iron works, 2 trip hammers, and 8 distilleries. No. of Electors-1887, 65 school districts, and 2420 children received instruction in the schools. Public money received in 1821 for the schools-$1441, 03.

Putnam elects one member to the Assembly, and in conjunction with Westchester, one Representative to Congress (that had been determined 113 years earlier, based on the area’s population at that time, and never updated!)

The PUTNAM COUNTY COURIER was established in 1841, one year before the Spafford’s Gazetteer’s information was released. I wonder what the COURIER’S circulation was back then. Was the paper delivered to outlying areas by horseback, a horse-driven buggy, or wagon to local stores, or just mailed to Putnam’s few Post Offices?

In the time it took to write this column, thus far, a huge pileated woodpecker has been pecking away in the stub left by a dead branch that broke off from a maple tree that I hang deer from (though not this year).

At the top of the front page of the June ‘55 COURIER it read, “Local News broadcast by the COURIER, five days a week at 2pm over WLNA 1420 Peekskill.” Weekly circulation at that time was “over 3800.” The Mahopac Falls Fire Department was preparing for their Firemen’s Fair, set for July 8-9, 15- 16. A 1955 Mercury 4-door sedan was scheduled to be raffled off on the last night.

A Pan Fish Derby was set for “small fry” (anglers up to 16) for Sunday, July 4, that week, sponsored by Putnam Valley Fish and Game. Three hundred had attended the event the year before and more were expected to show up on Sunday to compete in various age groups to catch a big fish and win a fishing equipment prize, but there were no losers, as each child would receive a gift, plus free frankfurters on rolls, and soda. (Trivia question: When did Frankfurters evolve into becoming known as hot dogs?)

Jack Stewart and Freddie Franczkiewitz, from Carmel, stopped by last week—Fred with a 11lb, 7 oz walleye out of Croton Falls that measured 31 ½ inches. Fred thought he had hooked a big bass until he saw the head of the fish come up in the hole in the ice, and he saw the unmistakable white eyes of a walleyed pike. The walleye provides excellent eating, but this fat bellied heavyweight trophy is headed for the taxidermist.

If it’s mounted in time, Fred may lend it to me to display at my display table at July’s 4-H Fair. I’m sure I can find one of my many “Walleye Fever, Catch It in Putnam County ! t-shirts, made and distributed to support Putnam County’s stocking efforts to bring the walleye back after a 30-year absence. Walleyes were never stocked in Croton Falls Reservoir, with Fred’s trophy coming in via Diverting Reservoir. Because of Putnam’s annual walleye stocking program, the walleye is now an established sportfish in most of Putnam’s reservoirs and have shown up in Muscoot and other northern Westchester Reservoirs in the past few years.