Getting Back to the Land Lindsay Dill, Allegheny Land Trust
Another summer gone by and a new season on the horizon. After a year of halting in-person programs and encouraging distance between us all, we’re glad to have spent a summer back together, bit by bit. From volunteer and environmental education events to community-organized “Friends Of” outings and intern-led activities, this year has helped Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) reconnect not only with the land but also with you, the community, with whom we are grateful to share the land. Since summer, we’ve gradually begun inviting the public back to Wingfield Pines for in-person events, following safety precautions per the pandemic. We’re grateful to have hosted a First Friday Hike, an Environmental Science Merit Badge Boy Scout program, and several guided volunteer and Volunteers help manage invasive exploratory hikes onsite. Keep an eye on ALT’s event calendar, as we continue to add more events per and native plant species. public safety recommendations and staff availability. This year, Alexander Wees was ALT’s 2021 Hamm Intern, and it was the tenth anniversary of offering this internship opportunity at Wingfield Pines. Alex managed invasive and native Upcoming Events plant species, improved signage, hosted several onsite events and shared weekly updates with Campfire Cooking 101 Friends of Wingfield Pines, as everyone got back to the land in their own time. While his Tuesday, August 31 time has now wrapped up, we’re sure Alex will go on to great things. (For an article and more 5:30–7:30 p.m. All Ages | $5/person information on the Hamm Internship, see page 74 of the summer 2021 issue of TODAY.) https://alleghenylandtrust.org/event/campfireWe’ve enjoyed seeing explorers share photos on our Friends of Wingfield Pines Facebook cooking-101/ page, as they explored the land during various points of the pandemic, and as they continued August 31 is National Eat Outside Day. Join ALT sharing their experiences once the world began to reopen. It is your eyes, ears, and enjoy- and Pennsylvania Master Naturalist Kristen Haas a campfire cooking class. Learn and cook some ment on the land that helps keep Wingfield Pines safe and healthy. We hope you’ll join this in recipes over the fire. Kristen will demonstrate some Facebook group to meet fellow explorers, volunteers, hikers, bikers, birders, and more. great cooking ideas, tips, and hacks that the whole Though it was initially purchased as protected space to help mitigate downstream flood- family will love. Participants will take home a list of ing by absorbing and filtering millions of gallons of water during periods of heavy rain, recipes to make on their next camping trip. Wingfield Pines has become so much more than a giant sponge. The abandoned mine drainage Mushroom Hunt with ALT and Western treatment system cleanses polluted water. Its wetlands and trails serve as a community hub Pennsylvania Mushroom Club for passive recreation. Its wetlands and AMD system are outdoor laboratories for students of Friday, September 10 5–7 p.m. all ages from local schools, universities, and professional All Ages | $5/person education programs. And, the area has become known as https://alleghenylandtrust.org/event/sept-mushone of the very top birding spots in western Pennsylvania. room-hunt/ We’ve had the privilege of hearing stories of visitors Join an ALT staff member and an identifier associated with the Western Pennsylvania Mushroom Club using our green space as a place for respite from the for a mushroom walk and ID session. Note: this will stresses of the past two years. Wingfield Pines serves as not be a foraging hike. a play-inspiring green space in the best of times and a Find these events and more at beacon of hope in the worst of times. We look forward Environmental education at alleghenylandtrust.org/events. to seeing all of you on the land and at our volunteer and Wingfield Pines education events soon! n
Long Before Two-Day Shipping, There was the Canal
Carolyn Jones Friedrich, Historical Society of USC The Pennsylvania Canal was started by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania in 1826 and completed in 1834. This network of canals and railroad lines connected the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. A number of shipping companies organized during this period and transported both freight and passengers using the canal. One company advertised five-day shipping between the two destinations. However, historians believe that eight days was likely the shortest transport time across the state, with 12 to 15 days being more typical for delivering freight. This labor-intensive transport process required goods to be moved between boats and rail cars. Freight was unloaded and reloaded at three different junctures between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Special car boats were manufactured to simplify loading and unloading, and soon became the dominant transport vehicle. These special cars could be lifted from railroad 80
UPPER ST. CLAIR TODAY
Fall 2021
tracks into the canal and joined together with other cars to make a complete boat. Eventually, railroad lines connected a majority of cities in the state. The Pennsylvania Canal was purchased by the Receipt from Reliance Portable Boat Line Pennsylvania Railroad Company in 1857, and within a few years most of the canal sections had been abandoned in favor of transport entirely by rail. From the Historical Society of Upper St. Clair’s archives is a receipt from 1845 that reveals that Upper St. Clair resident John Gilfillan used Reliance Portable Boat Line and was promised to receive his shipment in 14 days. n
