After the era of woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers came the first settlers

After the era of woolly mammoths, saber-toothed tigers and mastodons that roamed these once coastal plains 10,000 years ago, came the first settlers. They were members of more than 30 tribes of the Wampanoag Indian Federation of the Algonquin nation, who ventured here from within this continent about 8,000 years ago. The first European settlers arrived thousands of years later. In 1602, sea captain Bartholomew Gosnold of England, landed on these shores, explored the region and gave Cape Cod its name. In 1660, a band of about a dozen men led by Isaac Robinson and Jonathan Hatch left Barnstable to found a new settlement near the present Mill Road, between the Salt Pond to the west and the Herring Brook and Siders Pond (which was formerly called Fresh Pond) to the east. The plantation, on land bought from the Indians, was called Suckanesset, the Indian name for this part of the Cape. The settlement flourished and in 1686 it was granted a charter as a Town by the General Court of Plymouth Colony. In about 1690 the name of the town was changed to Falmouth, the name of the anchorage at the mouth of the River Fal in Cornwall, England, from which Bartholomew Gosnold had sailed in 1602. Gosnold was the first navigator from the Old World to set foot on what is now Falmouth. During his voyage he chose the name "Cape Cod" for the peninsula called "The Narrow Land" by the Indians.

As the town grew, smaller villages sprang up along the coast, at North Falmouth, West Falmouth, Quissett, Woods Hole, East Falmouth, Davisville and Waquoit, and inland at Teaticket and Hatchville. These villages together with Falmouth Village itself and the surrounding land, became the Town of Falmouth.

In the early days Falmouth was a fishing and farming community, and in the 1800's was the home port for a small but significant fleet of whalers. Ships were built at Woods Hole, Quissett and West Falmouth. During this period, the population of the town declined because land on the Cape was not very fertile and farming was more profitable elsewhere; also textile and other factories began to attract the younger people to the new industrial towns near Boston.

We had a beautiful, although chilly, ride Sunday during the American Diabetes Association's Tour de Cure fund-raising event in Falmouth, MA. Spring had sprung, Mother Nature was the star, although the revolutionary heritage of Old New England was evident. I had the chance to speak to members of the FalmouthPeace.org, an outgrowth of the Falmouth Antiwar Vigil, which works to end the occupation of Iraq. It seeks to raise awareness locally, by: "Standing For Peace". Each Saturday members gather in East Falmouth to express concern for the enormity of the Iraq War, as well as to provide possible solutions to our national predicament.

While not a qualifying ride for the Tour de France, the Tour De Cure is a noteworthy cycling event. All across the United States 30,000 riders become reacquainted with their bicycles. For some, it's just a matter of grabbing a few power gels and a bag of granola, filling a Camelback with water and heading out for a 100 mile ride. For others, it's trying to find tubes to fix the flats and WD 40 to dissolve the rust accumulated on the chain while the bike sat in the garage since the last Tour. Most riders are somewhere in between Fit and Desperate. My next ride will be along the shore of the old fishing town Gloucester, Massachusetts. If you would like to donate to our efforts as a sponsor, you may do so online: ADA sponsor page for the E Team. Each mile I ride, each dollar I raise will be used in the fight to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes. No matter how small or large, your generous gift will help improve the lives of more than 20 million Americans who suffer from diabetes, in the hope that future generations can live in a world without this disease. Together, we can all make a difference! Thank you for making a generous contribution to this cause that is so important to me!

You may enjoy reading: The "Vice President of Cake" politely declined.

The creature, called Swamp Thing, was originally conceived as Alec Holland mutating into a vegetable-like creature, a "muck-encrusted mockery of a man". However, under writer Alan Moore, Swamp Thing was reinvented as an elemental entity created upon the death of Alec Holland, with Holland's memory and personality intact. He is described as "a plant that thought it was Alec Holland, a plant that was trying its level best to be Alec Holland."

Alan Moore's Swamp Thing had a profound effect on mainstream comic books, being the first horror comic to approach the genre from a literary point of view since the EC horror comics of the 1950's, and broadened the scope of the series to include ecological and spiritual concerns while retaining its horror-fantasy roots.

Waldo County, situated in mid-coast Maine along scenic Penobscot Bay, has genuine New England character evidenced by working port towns and quaint rural villages. Visitors are awed by the area's unspoiled beauty. From striking coastal views to sweeping mountain vistas, dramatic natural settings abound. In addition great care has been taken to preserve and refurbish numerous historic landmarks, homes and buildings. Consequently, the Maine of yesteryear is still found here.

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Comments

[Jennifer]

My son likes this blog because he loves comics and graphic novels. I love to look at it for the beautiful art work.

[rainer]

I do like your post, very entertaining and well written

[Jack E]

Thank you Jennifer. I hope to continue to comment more on comics, while still focusing on art, photography and culture. Feedback is always valuable.

[Jack E]

Rainer, I was with my niece this weekend. We rode together during the ADA event. She had forgotten the charger for her music player, so we had plenty of time to chat. One of the subjects was how blogs, professional and personal, suffer from sloppy grammer and spelling errors (the New York Times is guilty). I am sometimes guilty, and it is a shame because so many editing tools are staring me in the face on my desktop. I am making an effort to stop, look and listen before I post. Thank you.