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Wherein the Canoper’s role in Gene Stratton-Porter’s books is examined, and an explanation of what it was is given

12/26/2016

 
By Curt Burnette

The Limberlost Swamp is the wetland most associated with Gene Stratton-Porter, but other local wetlands played a role in her life and career.  She mentions Rainbow Bottom, the Wabash River floodplain in the Ceylon Covered Bridge area, in some of her nature books and two of her novels.  Another local wetland, the Canoper, is mentioned in the nature book
Moths of the Limberlost, and is featured prominently at the beginning of her novel At the Foot of the Rainbow.
​

The Canoper was a swampy area across the Wabash River and to the north of Rainbow Bottom.  In At the Foot of the Rainbow‘s chapter three, titled “The Fifty Coons of the Canoper”, some of the local men take a thread salesman from Boston, who is passing through the area, on a winter bogus coon hunt in the Canoper.  He is told there is a tree there with fifty raccoons living in it.  The men follow the railroad tracks north of town and cross the icy river bridge.  Their dogs pick up scent and Gene writes “Deeper and deeper into the wild, swampy Canoper led the chase.”  After running the poor salesman ragged through the cold and dark, it is eventually revealed that the only coon in the tree is a tame little pet raccoon chained to a branch!

In Moths of the Limberlost, Gene describes the effect of a carnival’s visit to Geneva on the area moths.  She writes “There was a carnival in the village, and for three nights the streets were illuminated brightly from end to end, to the height of Ferris wheels and diving towers.  The lights must have shone against the sky for miles around, for they drew from the Limberlost, from the Canoper, from Rainbow Bottom, and the Valley of the Wood Robin, their winged creatures of the night.”  The Valley of the Wood Robin was Gene’s name for the area between Limberlost Creek and the Wabash River.

According to local tradition, the Canoper got its name from the word “canopy”, and this referred to the dense forest cover of this swampy area.  The Canoper Creek (now the Amstutz Ditch) ran through this swamp.  Across one of its tributaries at one time was a beaver dam said to be as much as five or six feet high and one hundred yards long.  The Canoper Trail ran along the high ground between the Canoper and Thompson’s Prairie, and the Canoper Post Office, the first in Adams County, was established on the Canoper Trail about one and three quarter miles east of where Berne sits today.

The Canoper never obtained the fame of its nearby neighbor, the Limberlost Swamp, or even its next-door neighbor, Rainbow Bottom.   It still, though, played a role in Gene Stratton-Porter’s life and career—and was immortalized in its own little way as the “wild, swampy” place where Jimmy Malone and the raucous men at Casey’s saloon take the “Thread Man” on a cold, wet, merry chase in search of the fifty coons.  

A Girl of the Limberlost Book Review

12/19/2016

 
By C. O. Rayn

A Girl of the Limberlost, written by Gene Stratton-Porter, was received by us as a gift from the authoress of which we are proud to speak, and more so to have it in our collection of books. We have nearly read it through so far it has completely captured our interest. It is a book that we shall always greatly prize. It is a well laid out plot, well carried out, instructive in the character study and has much natural history. It consists of 23 chapters, and 485 pages printed on good size type and easy to read. It also takes you back to Freckles the second book of Gene Stratton-Porter editions. It consists of thirteen characters and old “saying,” thirteen is unlucky is proven quite otherwise for so good a book as this one proves it.

We would that all girls of the Limberlost had the same qualities that Elnora, the Girl of the Limberlost, was in possession of and that mothers would prove themselves of such pure and enabling principles as Mrs. Comstock proved herself to be. “Billy” a boy from reality will bring the tears and also make you smile. The good “Mr. Sinton” and his much loved wife that adopts “Billy.” “Phillip Ammon,” the invalid from Chicago is an interesting character to the reader as to Elnora and her mother, also. It is illustrated by four full page drawings, and published by Doubleday, Page and Company. We have read the book almost through and can give it our highest praise. We believe it the best book of the books from the pen of the authoress.

Editor’s Note: This is one of the earliest book reviews on A Girl of the Limberlost. Gene received copies early but it was released on 17 Aug 1909 on her birthday. The nature written about in the book is from the Limberlost Swamp around Geneva. It is believed this article was written by C. O. Rayn who ran the newspaper.


Source: Geneva Herald, 19 Aug 1909, p. 1

​Unlikely Summer Residents: Cliff Swallows in Geneva

12/11/2016

 
Picture
By Terri Gorney

Adams County is known for being one of the flattest counties in Indiana. So what were cliff swallows doing in Geneva the summer of 2016?

These swallows are uncommon in our area. Gene Stratton-Porter did not mention them being in Geneva during her time. Maurice McClue, an attorney from Angola, wrote in his “Natural History Memoranda” that they were extirpated from Steuben County around 1920. He was pleased to note that a small colony was using the side of a barn for their nests in Cass County in June of 1955.

These insect eating birds have learned to adapt themselves to use man-made structures such as barns, bridges or culverts for nesting. They build mud nests side-by- side that cling to vertical walls.

On May 21, Randy Lehman and I observed a small flock of them around the Loblolly Creek close to the Limberlost Swamp Wetland Preserve. Some of the birds were perched on electrical wires and others were busy scooping up mud from the creek banks and taking it below the bridge. It appeared that they were building nests.

On May 27, Curt Burnette was able to confirm that there was a colony of cliff swallows nesting here. He took a couple photographs of the nests.

Since a colony can eat hundreds of insects, like mosquitoes, a day, they are a welcome summer resident.

Southern Adams County appears to agree with the swallows as barn, tree, bank, rough-winged and cliff swallows have been documented here.

We wish the cliff swallows safe journey back to their winter feeding grounds in western South America. We hope to welcome them back to Geneva next May.

Birding Advice from Gene

12/4/2016

 
By Terri Gorney

How was Gene able to take such incredible photographs of living birds and their nests? In her articles and in her bird study books she told her secrets of her success.

Gene’s first advice was to “use plain common sense. Approach the nest slowly, and when the young begin to cry, imitate them so that they will think you are a kindred thing.”

She had enormous patience and would spend hours and days to get the best pictures. She would allow the birds to become used to her presence to win their trust. For her king rail photographs, she came back seven days in a row and moved a little closer to the nest each day. She did not disturb the nest and Gene was able to get some great photographs.

She recommended spreading out food that the birds like and if necessary to feed them several times. In the winter, she enjoyed walks and would carry seed and bread with her to spread out along the road for the birds.

She dressed in what she called her “swamp clothes” that were comfortable and practical for work in the field. She hired young men to help her carry her gear. She had four cameras, one weighed forty pounds,  a tall ladder, hose and waders. Two of the best men that she hired were Raymond Miller and Paxson. She writes about both men in her nature study books.

Since Gene lived in a time before the internet, she had a network of people in Geneva that she called her faithful friends or kind strangers who came to her when they had a bird or a nest of interest. Bob Black was an oil man who enjoyed hunting for bird nests in his spare time. He located over forty nests for Gene. Bob and Gene would remain lifelong friends.

Gene’s advice is still relevant over one-hundred years later. Common sense, patience, practical clothes and friends that will pass along information.

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