This tale begins way back whenever, when an intrepid group of adventurers and explorers led by Mr. Fred John, Mr. Bill Krause and Mr. Kerry Frederick were exploring the Wild West Branch of the Susquehanna River and came upon a clearing and decided to put down camp for the night since it was getting late. They unloaded their transportation and proceeded to get comfortable in the “what they believed to be” peaceful surroundings of the Rivers Edge for the evening.
They relaxed and began to unwind from the day’s strenuous activities of fishing and navigating the wild Susquehanna. They established a nice fire for cooking and warmth for the night and with libations flowing and food to enjoy - all was good. All of the sudden they were confronted by a very upset and angry local native with an immediate and unconditional request to vacate these sacred lands that they had come upon or face dire consequences! They were told very forcibly that “In this part of the world, People Ask for Permission before attempting to Trespass on Sacred Grounds of a tribe and not just to assume it is okay”! With no recourse, the Explorers responded that they would clean up and depart as quickly as possible and tried to calm the natives before the outbreak of war. As they began to gather their equipment and possessions they thought that with the day almost night that they would attempt one last time to seek the approval of the natives to spend the night with the guarantee of being gone from the area by early morning without a trace of being there. The Explorers John and Krause at great peril to themselves tracked down the Head Native and obtained the approval to spend just that night with the promise of no harm coming to the explorers.
The next morning when the Natives returned to the area all signs of the Explorers were gone. Not a shred of evidence remained that they had spent the night on the sacred lands and the Natives were pleased. This may have been the end of this tale if were not for the efforts of the leaders of the expedition. Mr. John enjoyed the beauty and serenity of the sacred lands so much he contacted every member of the native tribe until he finally made contact with the one angry native that he had encountered the year before. He had assembled another team of explorers to traverse the mighty West Branch of the Susquehanna River and asked the Native if the expedition party may be able to spend time at the sacred camp that they had visited last year. The native was so impressed with the lengths the Head Explorer took to find and contact him that he agreed to the expedition’s request for establishment of a weekend encampment. The explorer’s brought their equipment for the excursion and this time also brought their offspring to enjoy the splendor this area provided.
Several years had passed and some of the expedition members thought it would be a great way to spend a weekend with their spouses at the secluded and peaceful camp that they had discovered along the river. The leaders of this sect Mr. Borchelt and Mr. Heimbach invited some of their acquaintances and spouses to experience the Natural Beauty and Wild Animals that occasionally inhabit this area. The spouses very much enjoyed the seclusion and privacy afforded by the area and were able to relax and enjoy Unrestrained Freedom offered there. They in-turn invited others to join them and so did the tribal members, and the yearly Pow-Wow’s grew in size. Frequency of visits also slowly increased and the natives welcomed them into the tribe with ceremonies of Food, Drink and Cultural Festivities.
So much did the Natives and Explorers enjoy each other’s company that the Natives traveled to far destinations in large canoes with the explorers. They sailed distant waters and the explorers showed the natives unseen lands, peoples and their cultures. The Explorers exposed the Natives Smoke-Sticks that had long been forbidden on the sacred lands by several within the native tribe. This soon became the accepted way to signal others within the valley and announce the arrival of the Explorers back to the area.
The Explorer Borchelt shared his love of distillery with the natives by sharing his wares when he visited. He also exposed the natives to many other things and people to broaden their minds to new and exciting things. The Natives shared their love for the river and tried to put as many Explorers onto their Large Floating Barge for sightseeing tours and relaxing without the restraints of textiles that civilization normally demanded of the Explorers.
And so here we are with the size of both cultures growing slowly, from what “may have not been” to a very pleasant “what has become” and hopefully “shall continue to be”.
