Indians built weirs to catch fi sh at tide shift
Back in July of 1915 while installing
REPRINTED FROM 7-15-2010
The Ash Roads were an extension of Throgs Neck Boulevard and began
at Miles Avenue extending northward. They were later covered by dirt
receiving the alternate name of the Dirt Roads. Actually most were
simply paths through the swamps which the locals occasionally used as
shortcuts. Construction began circa 1915 and they remained in use until
the late 1950s.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, A BTR PRIL 5-11, 2019 59
sewers and constructing
the ash road beneath which
the sewers were being laid, loud
cries from some children were
heard coming from nearby
Weir Creek. David McCowen,
an inspector, and A. L. Hartman,
an engineer for the Bronx
Bureau of Sewers rushed to the
scene with several Italian laborers
as they thought a child
had fallen in and was drowning.
All they could see was a
whole lot of frantic trashing.
Upon arrival they found
that it was a shark that got
stranded on the outgoing tide
in a six inch deep mud hole.
The workers were about to
rush in thinking it was a child
when they realized that it was
a 200-pound shark so they and
the laborers went to work putting
it out of its misery. It took
a good half hour with crow
bars to accomplish the job and
when they laid the shark on the
shore people started gathering
about at the odd sight of a shark
in Weir Creek.
Had they known a little bit
of Indian history, they would
have been aware that this was
a common fi shing technique
among the Lenape Indians.
They built weirs along the
mouth of that creek from about
the end of Ellsworth Avenue to
Edgewater Park. As the tide
came in, the fi sh came in with
the tide. When the tide went
out, only the swift and knowing
swimmers exited Weir Creek
while the rest were caught in
the weir, supplying that evening’s
meal for the Indians.
The rear of Wilma Turnbull’s
home is on Palmer Cove
and she once showed me the
stone weir that enclosed that
inlet for the same purpose as
Weir Creek.
That day she was also allowing
some Boy Scouts to plant
swamp reeds to soak up any
pollution. I believe Guy Velella
was the donor and a few scientists
were on hand to make sure
that the job was done correctly
and to explain the benefi ts to
the ecosystem. They, too, were
shown the Palmer Cove weir
where the Native Americans
once found their meals.
The Ash Roads, by the way,
began at Miles Avenue and continued
north toward Lafayette
Avenue. Many of the sewer
caps had to be accessed with
a ladder as some were about
eight feet above the ground
surface. The roads were not
necessarily very even and one
serious dip occurred south of
Schley Avenue which posed a
great hazard for bikers. Most
simply got off their bicycles and
either carried them or gingerly
guided them down and up this
very steep hill. The ashes were
later covered by dirt causing it
to be occasionally referred to
as the Dirt Road even though
most of it was simply a path.
Vinny Gallato was fond of
telling me how his step-father
sent him down to the ash road
every morning with a bucket to
collect any partially burnt coal.
It would then be used for both
heating and cooking during
the Great Depression. He was
not alone in his search as others
had the same idea. The ash
roads, for those who may have
forgotten, were an extension of
Throgs Neck Boulevard.
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