Movement and the Nipmuc Landscape

This chapter combines an archaeological perspective with a broader consideration of Nipmuc residence to explore the cultural landscapes of a Nipmuc family in the Blackstone River Valley through the last decades of the colonial period and into the nineteenth century. It traces the lineage and movements of Sarah Robins and her descendants, also named Sarah, who maintained a connection to the Robin’s parcel (at the present-day Hassanamesit Woods trust property) until its sale in 1854. Time and movement are explored in this chapter through travels across Nipmuc homelands and across the centuries, as the author shares her explorations of the landscape through working on the site and regular travel between Providence, R.I. and Grafton, Mass. This is the same route several generations of Nipmuc people travelled through this valley because of their connections to these two places.

Northern Range Extension of the Pygmy Shrew, Sorex hoyi, in the Yukon

A Pygmy Shrew, Sorex hoyi, was captured in a pitfall trap on the Blackstone River (65°04.6'N, 138°10.8'W) in central Yukon. This represents a northern range extension of about 110 km for S. hoyi in the Yukon.