The Ohio River, Adena Indians, Bear Recipe!

The majority of my walks take place along the Ohio River. When Alex and Tony were small, our walks along the river were great adventures filled with alligators, tigers, and bears! A small child's imagination can make a log floating in the river to an alligator in a second. Dried, gnarled, grape vines hanging from trees become snakes slinking out of the tree towards the river. When they became a bit older and were studying the river's history our imaginations turned to pioneers and Indians.


My favorite translation for Ohio River is the Seneca name, Ohiyo, which means it is beautiful. The river's beauty begins wtih the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers at Point State Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania it then journeys south where it spills into the Mississippi river. The river had great significance in the history of the Native Americans, as numerous civilizations formed along its valleys. The Adena Indians left burial mounds that dot the Ohio Valley terrain. One of my parent's neighbors have a small mound in their backyard. The largest and most famous of the mounds is found in Moundsville, WV. The Delf Norona Museum is located next to the mound and offers many exhibits and displays of artifacts from the Mound. Please visit their site for more information: http://www.wvculture.org/museum/GraveCreekmod.html.

Books on Ohio River history was always a top request in my bookstore. The one book that I always had a waiting list for was Allan W. Eckert's "That Dark and Bloody River". This book traces the struggle for control of the great Ohio River valley from the first known people in about 700 a.d. to the birth of steamboats on the river in the 1800s. The majority of the book focuses on the Indian Wars that took place along the Ohio River in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Illinois.Mr. Eckert lived a large part of his life in Ohio. He was well known as being an accurate researcher. "That Dark and Bloody River" won a Spur Award in 1996. This book is a large narrative history filled with the valley's history. I enjoyed it and frequently revisit it's pages for information!

The Adena's hunted deer, elk, black bear, woodchuck, beaver, porcupine, turkey, trumpeter swan, ruffed grouse. I food this bear recipe on www.cooks.com. I noticed that all bear recipes seem to have a marinate or a rub that decreases the gamey taste. Bona petit!

SAVORY BEAR

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Ingredients:

1 pt. tarragon vinegar

2 peppercorns

3 bay leaves

1 stick cinnamon

2 onions, quartered

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1 c. minced celery

2 lb. bear meat, cut in cubes

1 c. minced shallots

Salt and pepper to taste

Flour

1 pt. water

1 stick butter

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 lg. can sliced mushrooms

Directions:

Combine the vinegar, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon, onions, thyme, basil, rosemary, and celery and pour over the bear meat in a bowl. Marinate in refrigerator for 24 hours. Drain bear meat; strain and reserve the marinade.

Cook bear meat in a Dutch oven in small amount of fat until browned. Sprinkle with shallots, salt, pepper, and small amount of flour and add water, reserved marinade, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and mushrooms. Simmer for 2 hours or until the bear meat is tender, adding water as needed. Yield 4 servings