Lake Mohonk House, 1860s, John F. Stokes, Proprietor
Currier & Ives print, courtesey of the Library of Congress,
LC-USZC2-2740

An Unforgiving Land
Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps, a Vanished Shawangunk Mountain Hamlet

From the back cover:

"The Shawangunk Mountains of New York's Ulster County are a protected region of stunning natural beauty, with hundreds of acres under the stewardship of the Mohonk Preserve and the Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The range is "one of Earth's last great places" and a hikers' and rock climbers' paradise, but it was not always this way. Read more ...

Talk & Slide Show:

While tensions brew between North and South during the 1850s, an idea brews in the mind of an Ulster County farmer. His idea is simple yet grand: establish a must-see destination at a remarkable lake high atop the Shawangunk Mountains. Read more...

Quotes and Reviews:

“She was great; a real pro.”  Resident at The Fountains, a retirement community in Millbrook, NY, after attending Robi’s Lake Mohonk program on July 15, 2015.

"Thanks so much for the very lively, entertaining and informative presentation...It made for a day that was one of the highlights of our year, as was your talk last year on the Trapps."  Maureen Krueger, Board of Trustees, Ulster County Historical Society, after attending Robi’s Lake Mohonk program presented at the Society’s Bevier House, Route 209, Kingston, NY, on July 12, 2015.

Excerpt, John Conway’s review, Sullivan County Democrat (NY), 10/23/2015:  “…the Trapps became a place of legend and folklore. Few outsiders knew of its existence, and fewer still ever visited. Some of the incredible stories that became part of the Trapps legend were true; most were not, but for decades it was almost impossible to know which were which.  That all changed in 2013 when Black Dome Press published the book, “An Unforgiving Land: Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps, a Vanished Shawangunk Mountain Hamlet” by Robi Josephson and Bob Larsen, which is undeniably the definitive work on the history of the community.” Posted with permission, John Conway.

Past Programs 2016
Bookings were from April to November.

Past Programs ~ 2015

MAY
Friday, May 8, 2015 10 am
Mount Saint Mary College
Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment
6 Albany Post Road, Newburgh, NY 12550
845-565-2076

APRIL
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Minisink Chapter, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution
Goshen, NY. Private Luncheon

JUNE
Monday, June 15, 2015
Historical Club of Middletown
Middletown, NY.
Private meeting

 

JULY
Sunday, July 12, 2015 at 3:00 pm
Free for UCHS members / $7 for the general public
Ulster County Historical Society
2682 US Route 209, Kingston,NY 12401
845-338-5614 for directions to the Bevier House, Society Headquarters, between Stone Ridge and Hurley, NY

Wednesday, July 15, 2015 at 2 pm
The Fountains at Millbrook
79 Flint Road, Millbrook, NY, 12545
845-905-8000 Programs at this retirement community are offered free to the public.

OCTOBER
Sunday, October 25, 2015, 2 pm
Time and the Valleys Museum
at the Daniel Pierce Library community room
328 Main St., Grahamsville, NY 12740
845-985-7233

SEPTEMBER
Wednesday, September 30, 2015, 7 pm
Rosendale Library
264 Main Street, Rosendale, NY 12472
845-658-9013

NOVEMBER
Sunday, November 2, 7:30 pm
Town of Lloyd Historical
Preservation Society
Vineyard Commons, 300 Vineyard Ave.
Highland, NY 12528, 845-610-3662
Program held at the Theater

 

 

 

Please check back often for programming updates.

APRIL
Wednesday, April 9, 2014, 7 pm
Rosendale Library
264 Main Street, Rosendale, NY 12472
845-658-9013


MAY
Saturday, May 31, 2014, 4 pm
Cragsmoor Historical Society
349 Cragsmoor Road, Cragsmoor, NY 12420
845-647-6487 Read More...

JULY
Saturday, July 19, 2014, 2 pm
Plattekill Historical Society
Program to be held at the Clintondale Fire Department
1063 US Route 44/55 Clintondale, NY 12515
845-883-6118

AUGUST
Friday, August 22, 2014, 7 pm
D & H Canal Museum
23 Mohonk Road, High Falls, NY 12440
845-687-9311

OCTOBER
Wednesday, October 15, 7 pm
Historical Society of Walden
and the Wallkill Valley
Jacob T. Walden House,
34 North Montgomery Street, Walden , NY 12586

~ Program Review ~
"Our October [2014] guest speaker, Robi Josephson, presented an absolutely enthralling talk…” ~ The Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley

NOVEMBER
Sunday, November 9, 3 pm
Ulster County Historical Society
2682 US Route 209, Kingston, NY 12401
845-338-5614 for directions to the Bevier House, Society HeadquartersFree for UCHS members / $7 for the general public

JULY
Wednesday, July 30, 2014, 10 am
Adriance Library
93 Market Street, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
845-485-3445

~ Program Review ~
"I just want to say how thoroughly enjoyable your presentation was today! I always learn something new about Mohonk and the history of how it came about. Your slides were enjoyable!" ~ Gayle Turowski

 

 

 

 

 

OCTOBER
Friday, October 10, 2014, 10 am
Mount Saint Mary College
Desmond Campus for Adult Enrichment
6 Albany Post Road, Newburgh, NY 12550
845-565-2076

Sunday, December 8th, 4 pm
An Unforgiving Land:
Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps,
A Vanished Shawangunk
Mountain Hamlet

Inquiring Minds bookstore
6 Church St., New Paltz, NY 12561
845-255-8300
Book launch, illustrated talk and book signing.

 

Bob Larsen, Mohonk Preserve Cultural Historian, and Robi Josephson, author and Preserve volunteer, presented their new long-awaited book, An Unforgiving Land: Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps, A Vanished Shawangunk Mountain Hamlet, published by Black Dome Press, Delmar, New York. Learn how a pioneer settlement grew during the 19th century into a bustling mountain community and how the Trapps people forged a living from a harsh and unforgiving landscape.

This new book is based on Bob’s groundbreaking research and their combined 50-year odyssey, including extensive oral histories from the last generation born and raised in the Trapps. Many of the book’s illustrations and everyday items of the period will be on display. Robi and Bob will sign copies of their book, An Unforgiving Land.

Featured books:
Mohonk Mountain House and Preserve by Robi Josephson; and An Unforgiving Land: Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps, A Vanished Shawangunk Mountain Hamlet by Robi Josephson and Bob Larsen.

 

Saturday, November 23, 2013, 3-5 pm
Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center
3197 Route 44/55, Gardiner, New York. Premiere of their new book & book signing at the Mohonk Preserve Visitor Center.

An Unforgiving Land:
Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps,
A Vanished Shawangunk
Mountain Hamlet

Sponsored by Ulster Savings and Marshall & Sterling Enterprises, Inc. Bob Larsen, Mohonk Preserve Cultural Historian, and Robi Josephson, author and Preserve volunteer, celebrated the premiere of their long-awaited book, An Unforgiving Land: Hardscrabble Life in the Trapps, A Vanished Shawangunk Mountain Hamlet, published by Black Dome Press, Delmar, New York. Learn how a pioneer settlement grew during the 19th century into a bustling mountain community and how the Trapps people forged a living from a harsh and unforgiving landscape. This new book is based on Bob’s groundbreaking research and their combined 50-year odyssey, including extensive oral histories from the last generation born and raised in the Trapps. Many of the book’s illustrations and everyday items of the period will be on display. Robi and Bob signed copies of An Unforgiving Land, with sales from their book signing donated to the Mohonk Preserve.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013, 7 pm
Historical Society of Walden
and the Wallkill Valley
at the Jacob T. Walden House, Walden, NY

See more photos--Slide shows are now also viewable on mobile devices.

Enterprise and Courage:
The Civil War Years at Lake Mohonk

Robi presented her talk and slide show, Enterprise and Courage: The Civil War Years at Lake Mohonk at the Jacob T. Walden House on Wednesday, October 16th at 7:30PM. The Jacob T. Walden House is located at 34 North Montgomery Street, Walden, New York, for the Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley.

"While tensions build between North and South during the 1850s, an idea brews in the mind of an Ulster County farmer. His idea is simple yet grand: establish a must-see destination at a remarkable lake high atop the Shawangunk Mountains. ...Some of the Civil war soldiers came from now-vanished villages near Mohonk. When the war ended in 1865, survivors returned to the mountain, and Americans--1,400 that year--celebrated with a visit to the Lake Mohonk House of John F. Stokes."