Sunday, January 29, 2012

Yetto, Rivet, Mylott Picnic at Saratoga Lake, circa 1950 and Under Age Drinking!

There once was a time when a camp at the lake was really a camp.  It was rough living, no soft chairs and picnics weren't set up on patios. Food was simple and beer was cheap. After WWII, Americans wanted to have a little fun with their friends and family. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the effects of alcohol on toddlers, wasn't given much thought and you see what I mean when you watch this clip! In this home movie, Rivet, Yetto, Mylott, and LaMarche families and more gather together at Saratoga Lake where someone was renting a camp.  Don't be shocked when you see adults giving beer to toddlers - it was a totally different state of mind back then.

By the way, all four families -Rivet, Yetto, Mylott and LaMarche were French-Canadian family names with Anglicized spellings and/or pronunciations

Many of the children in the video are alive so I won't be naming young folks.  There are many older folks who have passed and I do recognize - Al Rivet, Art Mylott, Doris LaMarche, Walker Yetto.  You can catch a glimpse of a very young Margaret Yetto sitting on the picnic bench near the end of the clip. There's several other adults who I don't know....I would love help from any Yetto or LaMarche who might be able to name some of the adults!


Saturday, January 28, 2012

In 1912 Canoe Upset; Boy Drowned

Spring flooding in the Mettowee River can be especially dangerous.  Almost one hundred years ago, in June 1912, Willard Mylott son of George L. and Mary E. Wilson Mylott, drowned in the raging waters.  Willard was a twin but his twin brother, Willis, died in infancy.  Willard's brother, Richard, survived the ordeal in the river.






The Mettowee River, Washington County, NY in Early Springtime