Mystery pits on Van Wyck (Catskills)

[mudhook51]

Catskill pits and mines.

In Roxbury, NW Catskills, we have several pits which are called the "old paint mines".
These were pits, now just depressions ,on a hillside, where the red shale was mined. It was then pulverized, mixed with lead and linseed oil,and used as paint. Many of the barns in the area had a redish stain, which the older generation said was the local product. Unfortunatly most of these buildings are now gone. The paint factory itself was dismantled in WWI and the heavy machinery used elsewhere.
There is also a "bear pit" on Roundtop, Bearpen range, but this is only 4' -5' deep at the most.

 

[erd]

Not the case here (the red shale) but that's very interesting to learn.

"Bear pit" as in a trap of some kind?

I can't see that here.

 

[woodstrider]

Van Wyck Mtn (Catskills)

I have bushwhacked up there a number of times and I have seen that plane wreck. There is a small sign mounted on a tree that tells the story of the 4 people that lost their lives. There is also an old woods roads, along Bear Run (?) or Bull Run. Anyway, It is the stream on the right side of the ridge if you begin on 42. It will take you to a clearing where you will find a cellar hole and other signs of former habitation. The road peters out shortly.

 

[erd]

Hi Woodstrider,

Long time no hear!

The cellar, if it's the one I'm thinking of, actually has a steel hoop from a wagon wheel leaning on it. The wheel rotted out, leaving the metal.

Best regards,

Ted.

 

[snowshoe]

Those pits could be two things . They could be old test mines. We have a few in the Kittatinny's that were tested for silver. Of course silver was never found. If they are mines there is usually a pile rock at the base and not normally dug in deep soil. The other could be charcol pits. Those are very common to see in areas as well. If they were glacial I think you would find less soil and more rock.

 

[Jay H]

The above is a picture of the plaque as I took it that day. Sadly, all the passengers and pilot died.

Jay

 

[woodstrider]

Van Wyck

Hey Erd-
You are the man! Is there anything about the catskills that is unknown to you?

Happy Trails

 

[erd]

Plenty! I think I could live to a ripe old age (indeed, I hope to do so) and still be endlessly surprised by all the stuff here...


Ted.

 

[erd]

Sorry to revive this old thread, but thanks to Gretchen at the Olive Free Library, I have (I believe) the answer to the pit question. According to one of the Unit Management Plans (presumably the last one for Sundown) they are bear pits, and were originally stone-lined. A friend told me of one of these over to the W of Doubletop recently, but I never made the connection.

How does one trap a bear in a pit? This I don't know, nor if the pit was used in conjunction with a trap. Not a pretty business (I like bears, rather) and while straightforward hunting for food doesn't bother me too much (given the hard times in which these pits must have been dug, it was probably essential protein) a gun seems cleaner. But, at least according to DEC (who usually know their stuff), that's the answer.

 

[MattC]

How does one trap a bear in a pit?QUOTE]

Perhaps they simply lured the bear into falling in, where it would then be a "sitting duck" for rifles. Anyhow, nice research work, Ted. I'm so disappointed that the pits weren't left by flying saucer landing gear.

Matt

 

[hermit]

Perhaps that is why the nearby brook is called Bear Hole Brook. I know from some books that I have that there use to be a bounty of $5 on Black Bears in the Catskills in the 1880's and 1890's.They use to do a number on livestock. The area was mostly agriculture back then. Thank's for the info. Ted,it's good to know what they were.

 

[Jay H]

Regarding catching bears in pits. I don't know how well bears climb when they can't get a grip. I know and have seen black bears climb trees with ease because their claws can provide a pretty good grip into bark and wood. Stones and rocks on the other hand are not pliable and a nice sized wall might keep a big enough bear from climbing out. So perhaps the pit was dug deep enough with vertical stone walls at one point. Not too deep as to scare the bear away but deep enough that it couldn't claw it's way out once it was lured in.

Kind of like an old fashioned way of bear baiting.

Jay