Here's Your Extra Tidbit - 2004-12-02 17:02:16
Darned if I can read that second word. I've got the whole thing in pdf and jpg format if anyone wants to twiddle with it.
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I think it says "Not The buried treasure is here for swamp and thicket".
Just kidding. can you post a bigger version of a close-up? and please- not in pdf format. I deal with that enough on the Ypsilanti City Website. Whatever it says, as I'm sure you already thought of, it's probably just surveyor notes about the farm-a-bility of the land. A funny thing about that is that many times when settlers arrived, they realized that these 'helpful hints' were made by surveyors with no real agricultural knowledge who often misjudged soil quality and the like. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Laura - 2004-12-02 17:25:21Your interpretation was funny...a larger copy is below. That info about non-ag surveyors and farmers is interesting; thanks Brett.
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Laura - 2004-12-02 17:26:18p.s. I can't stand pdfs either. Ugh.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-02 18:18:34
sorry, i tried enhancing it a bit and it doesn't help, since you're limited to the original scan's quality and resolution (combined with the notoriously bleedy ink they used back then, often with dull pen nibs). If it's any consolation, I'm sure the mapmaker's boss in 1819 probably said "what the hell does is this word?" as well.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-02 18:21:58
"What the hell is this word", he meant to say. But it didn't matter, it was too late, the cartographer knew his boss was probably drunk.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-02 18:54:50
Perhaps the cartographer was, too; there's that historical inkblot slopped all over the map. Thank you for trying to enhance it, though, Brett.
Let's see...what would be some logical words that would fit in "Not xxx for swamp & thicket"? You can see that the word has no "tail" or "protruding" letters like b, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, p, q, t, or y. I wonder if the missing word is "seen".* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-02 18:55:29
as atonement for my sloppy posting sins, I give you this link:
http://www.ypsilantihistoricalmuseum.org/
it might take a moment to figure out my point. That's the link to the Ypsilanti historical society. Follow it. See what you find.* * * * * * * * * * * *
Laura - 2004-12-02 22:06:09Brett: thank you for the link. I've seen parts of their site before, but clearly I'm missing something. I'll recheck it. * * * * * * * * * * * * Ypsidweller - 2004-12-03 08:48:24
From the angle it looks like the arcade block near that shitty party store that no one should frequent.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 09:04:16
I wonder if you mean Nickles Arcade in AA, Ypsidweller?* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 09:07:06
The arcade block is between Forest/Olive/Huron/ and Adams. Also the river takes a big turn/circle there and could be Frof Island* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 09:13:00
My comment was stupid. My brain is not yet caffeinated. Thanks yd. I hadn't known that area is called "the arcade block."
However, on rechecking the original map, I see that the south side of the French claims seem to be a bit more southerly unless Im mistaken.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-03 10:43:17
grasshopper, you take much for granted. As the chicken i told you of who always assumed the farmer would bring him food each day, you reject my teachings because you feel that you have visited the yhs website, and so need not do so in the future.
Follow the link. Or if your trust for my typing skills is slight, and you believe I play tricks, then go to the Ypsi Courier, click "Ypsi on the Web", and then go to the historical society from there. Seriously.* * * * * * * * * * * *
raymond - 2004-12-03 10:46:08We've worked hard to return a few mowed and barren acres south of Textile Road to the former glory of swamp and thicket. Here's our method: drink beer, gaze about, and xxx in the moonlight. Brian made an alluring painting about one "xxx swamp and thicket" incident. With the advent of surrounding subdividiots, our backyard behavior succumbs to circumspection. At least while we had the freedom and opportunity we explored every inch of our domain.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:05:19
(lazily stretches long grasshopper legs, grudgingly gets up from sunny patch of grass, yawns) oh, *all right*, I'll do the ant thing and check out the YHS site at lunchtime. Report pending...
Raymond, that is quite well-written and funny, thank you.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-03 11:21:31
I predict that you will not report anything. Of this I am certain.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:24:16
Brett. :) You're much too young to be so cynical. It's 37 minutes till lunchtime...I can't very well muck about in the YHS site during worktime, now, can I? (scurries off back to work).* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 11:28:55
Brett: Can you get another street sign put up at Olive and N Washington? No letters I write to the city ever seem to work. Ps: It had the Historical district thingy on top too. T'was knocked down and disappeared almost two years ago know and I need to know where I am.* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-03 11:31:23
Soon all will be revealed, grasshopper.
You are correct when you say you could not muck about the yhs site at work, but for reasons you do not yet truly grasp.
Soon my riddles will be clear to you. * * * * * * * * * * * *
Laura - 2004-12-03 11:31:25No wonder I couldn't think of where Olive was exactly--I have never seen a sign for it. My goodness, if they have the cash for those stupid downtown banners with a non-Ypsi skyline, you'd think they'd have the cash for a simple street sign for an actual Ypsi street.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:33:21
Oops, Brett beat me by an antenna to the comments. Brett, I heed your oracular words and look forward to the lifting of this veil of mystery.* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 11:35:05
Its behind the high school.(olive) * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:36:17
Oh, that small street--I know right where that is, thank you yd. Have passed by many a time.* * * * * * * * * * * * asphalt - 2004-12-03 11:40:22
Which they finally put the final coat of paving of this morning* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-12-03 11:41:36
In ye olden tyme when the Keg was the beer store of choice, we'd zip across Huron southish and cut up Olive with a 12-pack cold ones.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:43:18
They seem to be nearly done more or less downtown too; the buses no longer have to do the Mich Ave loop, anyways. And Leighton mentioned on his blog that they'd just paved in front of the Elbow Room--no doubt covering up a a formerly visible piece of the old Ypsi Local track. You kinda wish they could have preserved it under a piece of carproof glass or something. Or I kinda wish, anyways. Impractical, I know. * * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 11:44:59
When I used to go there I would sometimes make the strange cut south on Huron (Wrong way) for a bit, N washington for a house to Olive. I see many making the walk of shame with their empties to walk by later with freshies. Too bad the owners an ass* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 11:46:25
Let the tracks lie in their tomb. They deserve peace.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-12-03 11:50:42
One day I was bumping through the ruts there I spied a pile of twisted tracks by the sidewalk, ones which I had photoed weeks earlier in the ground. Along with a lovely old brick. I wonder if the track was bound for a smelter or a collection.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:51:38
(Incidentally, the area that is being discussed, from Keg to Huron and Cross to Hamilton and Cross to Forest and Hamilton is very close to/on top of a Native American burial ground which is indicated on former local historian W. B. Hinsdale's famous map. Hinsdale wrote a 1927 treatise on the "Indians of Washtenaw County.")* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 11:53:19
Maybe they melted down the tracks to make some more freakin street sign poles.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 11:54:04
Raymond: oh, I hate to read things like that. No YHS person salvaged a sample piece for the museum? (sigh). I hope you snagged the brick. I'm darn glad I grabbed my interurban spike when I could.* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 12:06:23
Cool. I should have sifted for bones in the dirt when they built the new condos at arcade/adams. Boy they look like crap.* * * * * * * * * * * * raymond - 2004-12-03 12:18:10
I got pics of the brick and the track. Road workers were giving me the evileye. A huge front loader thought about smashing my lil truck. A man walking by asked me if the rubble broke my tires. Nobody messed too much with me as I had a reflective vest, a red hardhat, a "PRESS" placard in the truck window, and a stony outlook on life.* * * * * * * * * * * * yd - 2004-12-03 12:20:38
Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean people aren't out to get you.* * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 12:23:02
yd, I'll check out those condos on the way home from emu today; I don't recall them offhand. Raymond: I'm glad you took pictures. I have to start toting my lil camera around too, that is a good idea. * * * * * * * * * * * * Laura - 2004-12-03 13:24:49
YHF site report: Upon checking out the link Brett posted, I find some junky search-results page, not the actual museum page that I've seen before, which contains cool stuff like images. Maybe they took the site down? or forgot to pay the web hosting bill? or something--at any rate, the address reverts to that default junk-search-engine page. Hm.
Compare this to the Pittsfield Township Historical Society page--the best one of any township society, including Ypsi and AA. You can tell Pittsfield Twp really cares about its history--not just the big rich families, either--they do lots of ordinary people oral histories. Kudos to them.
At any rate, I'm guessing that the lesson Brett wished the grasshopper to learn was that the YHS has a lackadaisical/outdated attitute to publicizing history via the web (?). � * * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-03 16:42:30
As i understood the arrangement (explained to me by the president there, Joan CARPENTER), ypsi historical society had 'someone' who did the programming for them, and they simply gave their info on events to him and he would put it up on the site. Now, I'm speculating here, but i'm slowly approaching 'domain registration' myself and it seems common for domains to be purchased/registered on a yearly basis. I do not believe that they neccessarily let their site go down, but rather through miscommunication (possibly at the yhs offices), someone didn't realize what was happening, didn't renew, and so the domain reverted back to being 'available'. Their site with all its pages and content might still be 'out there' in the ether, but is inaccessible because, as of right now, they don't have their domain rights.
That having been said, my point is this: In the near future, someone affiliated with the society or the site will catch the error, and all they will have to do is pay $15 or so and the site will be up and running again.
BUT if a particularly sinister group, say a "Group X", who wished to gain control of local history interests, were to step up RIGHT NOW and pay the same $15, they would not only have a very snappy url but would have also dealt a moderately damaging blow to the existing status quo.
As I said, I'm busy now getting my own things back up and running online, so I myself do not have a personal interest in such devilishness. But I thought someone else may.....* * * * * * * * * * * *
Laura, angelic - 2004-12-03 16:47:03I wouldn't dream of doing anything so anarchic and troublesome.
(surreptitiously peeks into wallet)....* * * * * * * * * * * * nobody - 2004-12-03 18:48:14
(slides out credit card, whistling nonchalantly)* * * * * * * * * * * * brett - 2004-12-03 20:10:30
(quickly re-checks own wallet, several moths fly out)* * * * * * * * * * * * not a soul - 2004-12-03 20:48:24
(silently Googles "'domain name' register 'how to'"...)* * * * * * * * * * * * add your comment: