Cairn field near Jamaica, Vermont

[Raymond]

Does anybody know the story behind the large collection of cairns and paraphernalia (at the bottom of the page) along the road between Stratton and Jamaica, Vermont? A plaque on one of the rocks had the name Roger Franklin Peck engraved on it.

 

[Pamola]

was there anything else written on the plaque?

The only confirmable Roger Frederick Peck died in 1995 in CT, in theory. He died at the age of 53, suggesting unnatural causes. Not that probable an option.

The other possible Roger Peck (no confirmable middle name) died in Rutland in 1978 at the age of 24. This obviously suggests unnatural causes, and in the case of an emergency, he would have been transported to either Rutland, Manchester, of Brattleboro, where the death certificate would have been filed at the hospital. The tidiness and upkeep of the site belies a newer tragedy than 28 years, so I am skeptical of this as well.

Unfortunately the CT post and the Rutland Herald only have archives back to the late 90's. Anyone work at a library?

Man, I love these research quests.

 

[Grumpy]

I see a lot of those little "cairns" in Vermont watercourses. Maybe building them is just a way for people to amuse themselves and while away the time?

G.

 

[Pamola]

I see a lot of those little "cairns" in Vermont watercourses. Maybe building them is just a way for people to amuse themselves and while away the time?

G.

It's possible, but the plaque suggests otherwise. Also, cairns themselves are historically a symbol of the dead and a memorial long before they were used for wayfinding. They were said to ward of scavengers, man and beast both. They were also said to keep the dead from rising. Check it out at wikipedia

On one of my first trips above treeline as a kid, the group leader told us to add a rock to the cairn in memory of someone. That stuck with me and I don't do it any longer due to the fact that it's a harmful practice for the mtn, but I still don't look at them the same way.

 

[coldfeet]

At the gathering last month, funkyfreddy and I drove past those cairns and stopped for a few pics....very spooky....plaque was written for "the little people"...also on 9/11....1995 (I think)....We were actually going the wrong way and drove down this road by accident.....loads of cairns...did you see the one with a beer can as the base? I have a pic of Freddy with the cairns in my pic report on the last gathering if you want to view it....

 

[Pamola]

plaque was written for "the little people"...also on 9/11....1995 (I think)

That settles it. It's the Roger from CT. He died on 9/11/95. No indication on the web of how he died, but he was from Trumbull, Fairfield county. Here's a cached article about his brother, mentioning Roger briefly.

If anyone has a myspace acct and some serious tact/gall, his son is on there. That would get the answers we're actually looking for. How, and why in VT. Searching for the full name in google will bring up his acct. I'm not on there and don't plan to be.

I would suggest we let it die though. The memorials and the confirmation that it was a death should be good enough.

Requiescat in Pace, Roger.

 

[bcskier]

I see a lot of those little "cairns" in Vermont watercourses. Maybe building them is just a way for people to amuse themselves and while away the time?

G.

Not only in Vermont watercourses. Has anyone else seen the cairn "village" at the junction of the L.T. and White Rocks trail near Wallingford (Div. 4)?

 

[coldfeet]

Now that u mention it, there was a business card with a police officer's name on it (I think a lieutenant) and his location was in CT....Freddy was interested in the history of these cairns also...hope he is reading this...

 

[cbcbd]

That settles it. It's the Roger from CT. He died on 9/11/95. No indication on the web of how he died, but he was from Trumbull, Fairfield county. Here's a cached article about his brother, mentioning Roger briefly.

Hmm...
I'm from Trumbull, CT and know a Peck from Trumbull (now in Shelton). I don't think it's the same Peck as in the story, but still odd.

 

[Pamola]

I must recant my assuredness on whether it is the Peck I said.

I called the PD in Fairfield and no one there knew of this connection/relation. The coincidences are just too much though. I may try again tomorrow to reach David Peck, the actual chief, express my condolences, compliment on the memorial, and set things straight.

 

[Raymond]

I remember the business card. I thought it said Donald A. Peck, but it could have been David. I think he was a police officer, though, so that fits.

The middle name was definitely Franklin, not Frederick.

I don’t recall the beer can, but there was a little house by the plaque, and a compass on a wrist strap wrapped around a rock. And the plaque did say something about the little people, but it was extremely difficult to read.

 

[RoySwkr]

the road between Stratton and Jamaica, Vermont?

I remember a huge collection of cairns along the road between Stratton and Arlington (Kelly Stand Road where the cairns were) a few years ago. Maybe somebody from Stratton likes to build cairns?

Note that building cairns is illegal in Acadia NP so people have to go to the GMNF to do it

 

[professor]

There is often a much more limited "cairn garden" in the Mad River, just south of Irasville on Rt. 100. I had always assumed that it was an artistic statement by the property owner, rather than a memorial (which probably gets at least partially wiped out every srping anyways).

 

[darren]

Got this email from Harry Seifert:

I was able to find a listing of an obituary for Roger Frankline Peck dated September 13, 1995, via the Fairfield (CT) Public Library site

http://www.fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/obits95.pdf

However, I could find no more details online.

- darren

 

[funkyfreddy]

check these out

http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/555259444OcFpao

When David and I saw these and pulled over I got a very peculiar feeling from this cairn field..... almost as if I was in the beginning of a Joseph Citro novel I was very adamant " Look but don't touch!", felt there might be some strange mountain manitou on this Vermont roadside and I didn't want David or I to bring a hex back to NYC with us

It does look very Celtic now, doesn't it? I asked the summit caretakers on Stratton Mt. about it and they didn't know who created it even though they've lived in the area for years...?

 

[Raymond]

I was hoping maybe you'd just been there at midnight on Halloween.

 

[funkyfreddy]

perhaps in spirit....