The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-04-02
OLD.TlME CLAM ROASTS.
The Savory Feast the Squnws Used to
Spread ON Poquahaug Island.

The savory Feast the squaws Used to
Spread ON Poquahaug Island.
Milford Comm. Cor. N. Y. sun.l
Poquahaug or Charles's Island, which
the American Yacht Club is fitting up for
its uses, was once the summer home of the
old Ansantawae, who was the sachem of
all the Shore Indians between the Hudson
and Connecticut Rivers. 1t is a beautiful
little island in Milford Bay, and about
three months every summer it used TO be
dotted with the white birch bark wigwams
OF tAnsantawae. Old Uncle Peleg Abercrom-
bic, who is ninety.two years old, and
whose ancestors were among the first set
tiers in Milford, is full of "reminiscences of
the clans and Indians Of early days.
"My great grandfather" he says, "came
here bout 1850, and his son, Elnathan told
me about the Indians when / Want knee
highto a grasshopper. The kentry 'round
here used to be great haunt for the In.
dians in the summer. In July they'd
thicken up, and jest before Ansantawae
got here you'd see lot of his braves and
squaws working on his summer wigwam
on Charles's Island. That was the royal
island. He used TO spend three months
about the bay every year, and eat and
sleep on the island. It's great place for
clans, you know, and its name, Poqua.
haug, means the land Of the clam.
"They used to git of to the island Jest
about the same time Of the year the city
white people go to the shore now to eat
baked clans. Jest at the time when the
green corn wds in the milk, Pve heerd ny
old grand'ther say, was the Indians time
for opening the Poquahaug clam feasts.
Then the clans were in prime order, bein'
fat and tender and salt. Huckleberries,
too, were beginning TO turn, and there was
no eend to the swamp apples TO be had.
OF on the big fats 'twixt the island and
the shore the men used TO wade
with their bare feet, and tread or feel out
the skulking hard clans. Meanwhile the
squaws on the island would be fixing up
the clam.pit to roast the clans in, and
which is the only proper thing that ever
was got up to cook clans. That's where
the white men got their notion of
clam balles.
swell, as l was a sayin', the squaws
made the pit by laying out Of a circle OF
big cobble stones. On these was built
smart fire OF dry wood. .Arter they had
het the rocks red hot they used to brush of
the cinders and ashes with boughs, and
spread on the clans and the green corn,
the fresh fish and the Holsters. Then, xiv.
ering the whole pile up with a sweet smell.
I'M blanket Of rockweed and green kelp,
they used TO let the mess simmer till 1t was
done. An when twas done IL made a
feast that was fit for old Ansantawae or
Jay Gould himself. II don't look well, I
know, for q man at my time Of life, but
Pm takin' tew cents agin one every time
that these New Yorkers never'll have no
sech good dinner of there as Ansantawae
used TO have, and even as I've eat there in
my time. Juicy clamsi The best you ever
saw. A fragrant moss OF iti Well, I
dunno Of notbin' tew beat IL.
"An' that amt all the Indians used TO do
there. Long In the hottest part Of the
summer they used 10 string up tho clans
raw on cat-tail reeds and hang them on the
brush all about the island TO cure in the
August sun. My gran'ther said they dried
thousands Of pounds Of 'em in this way,
am in the fall, when they went back into the
country TO their hunting grounds, their
boats and their squaws would be loaded
down with dried clans for winter use.
The old island, small rs II Is. was q mine o.
wealth 10 the Indians"