Honoring the legacy of 'Grumpy Dad' at Snodgrass Gulch

Ian Davison scrambled down a minor cliff to get at the brook trout in Snodgrass Gulch.
Patrick L. Sullivan
Ian Davison scrambled down a minor cliff to get at the brook trout in Snodgrass Gulch.
Ian Davison and I ventured into our favorite brook trout haunt the other day.
I’m talking about Snodgrass Gulch, of course. Yes, that difficult-to-access gem that zig-zags over border lines at the magical spot where the states of Vermont, Louisiana and Montana converge.
If you have the “special” map you too can find it.
I’m being coy here because Snodgrass Gulch is home to a particularly fine population of wild brook trout and it would be disastrous if legions of people started tramping through it, throwing beer cans around and killing these beautiful and gullible char.
It’s also not listed in any state fishing guides. I suspect there is a good reason for this.
It was cold when we embarked, 50 degrees, which felt like sub-zero after the summer we’ve had.
Getting in requires a pretty hefty hike, and my right knee entered a formal objection to the program.
Both of us were using fixed-line or Tenkara rods. I deployed the Dragontail Foxfire, a noodly zoom rod well suited to this sort of thing, and Ian brought an 8.5 foot Temple Fork rod.
We have different styles. I generally chuck a big dry fly around at first, to gauge interest. Think Parachute Adams or Chubby Chernobyl, size 10.
Ian was more subtle. He used something called the Animal, which looks to me like a Griffith’s Gnat, in smaller sizes.
The stream was on the low side, and several runs and pools were reconfigured by downed trees.
One pool in particular was unrecognizable, but somewhere in my mind a memory stirred.
I made my way across the stream into some fairly dense forest and looked around.
Aha!
Affixed to a tree, and facing away from the stream, was a wooden plaque of sorts, a memorial to “Grumpy Dad.”
Deep within Snodgrass Gulch is this tribute. The wooden plaque is facing away from the trail and stream. Only by chance did an angler discover it. Patrick L. Sullivan
I spotted this some years ago, chasing after an errant backcast that got hung up on a passing spruce tree.
Grumpy Dad’s dates are given as 1/6/36 to 1/20/10, and there are 11 names carved in the wooden block.
Some of them are getting a bit hard to read.
I wondered why the thing was facing away from the stream, where only someone like me would see it. Perhaps that was a favorite camping or picnicking site before it became a thicket?
Maybe someone will read this and provide more details.
Anyway, we clambered along, hooking and losing fish. This is known as the “compassionate release.” This is also known as a “rationalization,” or “lame excuse.”
Wild brookies on Tenkara rods are extra-wriggly, so a compassionate release here and there is no big deal.
On this trip it became a theme. I uttered many bad words and phrases completely unsuitable for a family newspaper.
In deference to my advanced age and creaky knee, Ian skipped over the relatively easy to reach spots. It dawned on me that this was similar to the compassionate release but opted not to pursue this line of thought.
He did balk momentarily when I asked him to scramble down a particularly nasty bit of rockslide so I could photograph him in action.
I also tried my hand at shooting video. I thought it would be funny if I ad-libbed like a golf announcer.
“Ian Davison approaches the 14th pool at Snodgrass Gulch. He lines up the cast, using 5X nylon tippet and The Animal, size 16. And here’s the cast. It’s floating, floating, floating…”
What I discovered is that watching someone fish is indescribably boring. The ratio of action to waiting is very poor, say one minute of action to 50 of standing there looking at a bit of fluff floating on a stream.
It’s enough to make a guy grumpy. So when the time comes, do I get a plaque?
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.