THE MUSEUM. 



ties. To the genuine sportsman who 

 knows what he is after, and generally 

 gets it, these remarks do not apply. 

 Glenville, N. Y., istOct., 1896. 



Reminiscences of a Trip to Scho- 

 harie. 



BY ROB'T M. hartley. 



For several years we had been 

 planing and talking of a trip to the 

 Schoharie \'alley, and during those 

 years we never succeeded in getting 

 nearer to the famed valley than "plan- 

 ing and talking." 



The Schoharie Valley is some 30 

 miles to the south of us, in the coun- 

 ty of the same name. Picturesque, 

 fertile in soil, rich in geological spec- 

 imens, Indian relics and historical 

 interest. 



However, one beautiful morning in 

 August last, accompanied by my old 

 friend, C. F. Van Home of Glen, N. 

 Y. , the start was at last made. The 

 ride during the morning was over the 

 elevated plateau of the town of Char- 

 leston, the highest point of land in 

 this county (Montgomery) some 700 

 feet above tide water. It might be cf 

 historical interest to say that years ago, 

 over this plateau, parallel to the dir- 

 ection we were traveling ran the old 

 Indian trail or foot path, which com- 

 menced in the Mohawk country at 

 Fort Hunter on the north, leading 

 south to the Schoharie Valley and over 

 into that of the Susquehanna. 



Speaking of this trail brings to mind 

 that formerly along it was a large pile 

 of stones, known as the "Stone Heap, " 

 which for many years attracted much 

 attention from its presence, and the 

 legendary tales that hovered about it, 

 which have been handed down from 

 the time of the Indian occupation. 



So a few words in regard to it may 

 not be out of order here. 



It is recorded that this heap when 

 intact, was four rods long, one or two 

 wide, and ten or fifteen feet in height, 

 and consisted of sniail flat stones. 



Surely rather a curious pile to con- 



front the eyes of the early settler or 

 explorer.' 



There are several traditions in re- 

 gard to the cause of its presence. One 

 is — that it was the costom or rite in 

 the acknowledgement of an invisible 

 being. We may style him the un- 

 known God whom this people worship- 

 ed. This heap was his altar, and 

 every warrior traveling that path was 

 enjoined to cast a stone to his heap. 

 Another — Two Mohawk warriors were 

 passing this place, a quarrel arose be- 

 tween them, one murdered the other, 

 and his fellows to commemorate this 

 event erected a pile of stones upon 

 the spot. A costom of their nation 

 required every warrior traveling that 

 path to appease the departed spirit by 

 adding a stone to the heap, and thus 

 it grew to one of large dimentions. 



The end or ^'«rt/ of this interesting 

 monument is recorded thus: Not 

 many years ago the land upon which 

 it stood was owned by an individual 

 who cared little for the altars or mon- 

 uments of the red man, and the long 

 accumulating record was converted by 

 him into a stone wall, to the un- 

 feigned regret of pious antiquarians. 

 [It may be in place to say that similar 

 stone heaps have been noticed in other 

 parts of New York.] 



A large tract of lanil in Montgomery 

 and Schoharie counties known as the 

 "Stone Heap Patent" was granted to 

 John Bowen and others, Sept. i 5, 1770. 

 So much for the "Stone Heap". 

 We journey on and soon view a 

 grand outlook as the crest of the hill is 

 reached. 



The rich Schoharie valley is before 

 us; winding through it, glistens the 

 waters of the Schoharie Creek. To 

 the east are seen the rugged slopes of 

 the Helderburgs and further away in 

 the south tower the dim blue peaks of 

 the Catskills. 



It is four miles down the hill to the val- 

 ley bottom. In the valley the highway 

 follows the winding of the stream. The 

 archiLologic training, gained by the 

 e.xperience of many years seareh in our 



