September 1992

About this Issue

Note from the Editors

Robert Koch tells us about George P. Decker, a Rochester lawyer, and Levi General "Chief Deskaheh", a Cayuga Indian farmer, who carried the defense of Indian rights to the League of Nations in 1923. Dr. Koch has presented many broadcasts on Indian history from WXXI-FM. You can hear his talks on history every Saturday morning at 9:30. He also presents two programs a week from WXXI on cultural events called "The Best is Yet." Listen Tuesday mornings at 7:45, and Thursday mornings at 7:15. He was professor and chair of Language and Literature at R. I. T. from 1950 to 1970.

Herbert A. Wisbey, Jr. tells the story of Guyanoga, the fabled Indian of the valley above Branchport. This article is a revision of a paper read at a meeting of the Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society on April 26, 1977. The Wisbeys spend time every summer at their cottage along Bluff Point. Dr. Wisbey is co-editor of the Mark Twain Society Bulletin, and was founding director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Quarry Farm. He is Professor Emeritus of American History and College Archivist at Elmira College. Prof. Wisbey was head of the Department of History and Political Science at Keuka College for ten years. He furnished the photograph of the monument to Guyanoga.

Canandaigua—A Stagecoach Town, a chapter from Old Line Mail, Stagecoach Days in Upstate New York, 1790 - 1840 is reprinted here by permission of its author Richard F. Palmer. Mr. Palmer lives in Tully, New York, and has written books and articles about early transportation. He is a reporter for the Cortland Standard. Mr. Palmer regards Canandaigua as the "Grand old lady of the Finger Lakes"—he was born there.

We present another week of September 1842, from the diary of Josephine deZeng when she was 19 years old in Geneva.

This month Ed Harris writes about his activities singing in a church choir and appearing as a chorus singer and dancer in a performance of Die Fledermaus at Highland Bowl in Rochester. He gave up his performing career when the strike-closed cement plants reopened and he went back to his regular work producing ready-mix concrete, but he did still sing in the choir and he took his family to music festivals.

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