Mohican country

from Ohio Cooperative Living – March 2023 - Frontier

2023 CALENDAR

STORY AND PHOTOS BY W.H. “CHIP” GROSS

In 1896, a baby was born in Mansfield — a boy who would one day grow up to travel the world, become a writer, and win the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1927, at just 30 years of age. He would then return to his hometown, purchase three adjacent rundown farms, and transform them into the conservation showplace called Malabar Farm, today known as Malabar Farm State Park. His name was Louis Bromfield.

Fifty-five years later, another baby boy was born in Mansfield who also grew up to be a writer. This one didn’t travel the world, nor did he win the Pulitzer Prize — at least not yet. But what he would do, like Bromfield, is fall in love with the beauty of the natural world, and particularly that area surrounding Malabar. OK, I’m sure you guessed: That second boy is me.

In his 1945 book titled Pleasant Valley, Bromfield wrote of the area:

“It is a pleasant land all about you, valleys where the bottom land is rich, bordered by hills covered with wild and luxuriant forest, the whole filigreed with the silver of the streams called Switzer’s Run, Possum Run, and the Clear Fork; and far down lies the blue shield of Pleasant Hill Lake bordered by the deep red of sandstone bluffs and the blue black of hemlock trees.”

Today, the area is labeled Mohican country by the tourism folks. It still appears much as it did during

Bromfield’s time, and it’s my favorite part of the Buckeye State. It’s a fantastic place for a weekend getaway, relatively easy to access in southeast Richland County. Here are my suggestions for where to stay, where to dine, and what to do to experience a sense of why Bromfield so loved Malabar:

Where to stay: Other than a campground and single cabin — the Maple Syrup Cabin — Malabar Farm State Park has no overnight lodging facilities, so staying at nearby Mohican State Park is convenient. Mohican offers rooms and a restaurant at the lodge overlooking Pleasant Hill Lake, or cabins and campgrounds beside the Clear Fork of the Mohican River, a State Scenic River.

What to see: At Malabar, be sure to take the Big House tour to see Bromfield’s writing office, containing the custom-made desk he seldom used. He complained that the desk was too high for him, so instead he wrote at a small, folding card table. Bromfield was well connected with Hollywood, and you’ll hear the story of film legends Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall marrying at the farm and spending their honeymoon in the second-floor bedroom.

What to eat: Plan to have lunch or supper at Malabar Farm Restaurant just down the road from the entrance to the park. My wife and I consider it our favorite Ohio eatery. Gourmet meals are served on white tablecloths, but the atmosphere is casual, so blue jeans and hiking boots are more than acceptable. And no trip to Malabar is complete without making the short drive to the summit of Mount Jeez for a sweeping, panoramic view of the farm and Pleasant Valley. The scene is particularly stunning during the first blush of spring or the peak of autumn color.

What to do: Once back at Mohican, if you’d like to stretch your legs and do some hiking, park your vehicle at the covered bridge and take either of the two trails that parallel the Clear Fork River through the Clear Fork Gorge. Heavily forested, the sandstone gorge measures 1,000 feet across by 300 feet deep, and is recognized by the National Park Service as a Registered National Natural Landmark. Heading northwest, both trails eventually lead to the top of Pleasant Hill Lake Dam, providing spectacular views of the lake and spillway (as seen in the photo on the opposite page).

During summer, watersports are available on the lake, and several canoe liveries along the Black Fork of the Mohican River are located within a mile of Mohican’s main entrance. Think about scheduling your visit to coincide with Mohican Wildlife Weekend (www.mohicanwildlifeweekend.com), held annually in late April, which offers many free outdoor activities at a number of area venues.

Oh, and one last thing. If you happen to have any influence with anyone serving on this year’s Pulitzer Prize committee, would you mind putting in a good word for me? It seems I’m rapidly running out of time.

BY JODI BORGER

Butler Rural Electric Cooperative member Bill Pyles gave himself a valuable piece of advice after a oncein-a-lifetime opportunity: “Never say never.”

Back in 2016, Bill found himself lying on the couch, recovering from surgery to repair two collapsed vertebrae in his neck, which he believes resulted from years of demolition derbies and bull-riding, plus a few wrecked vehicles in his younger years.

Doing the only thing he could at the time, he surfed TV channels in search of something interesting to keep himself occupied. That’s when he stumbled upon a marathon of the History Channel series Forged in Fire. In each episode of the competition, four bladesmiths compete in a three-round elimination contest to forge bladed weapons.

“After three days of (watching them make blades), I thought, ‘I bet I can do that,’” says Bill, a self-proclaimed tech geek who works for a company in California.

As it turned out, he was right.

Bill has a wife, Judy (who now refers to herself as a forge widow), four kids, four dogs, and two cats. He’s been a volunteer firefighter for Milford Township for 23 years and is also a part-time beekeeper. He seems to excel at anything he sets his mind to.

After he talked to his wife, he purchased his first small forge for $150. He already had everything else he needed.

“I started out using lawn mower blades,” Bill says. “I took any scrap steel I could get my hands on to determine whether or not forging was a hobby that would stick.”

As it turns out, it did. In 2020, Bill named his forging enterprise Overkill Knife Works, a reference to his road name with the Fire & Iron Motorcycle Club, a group of firefighters, first responders, and EMS workers.

Forging quickly became his stress relief. After a long day of work, he’d head out to his workshop, turn the music up loud, and create unique blades out of scrap steel. He eventually began creating blades from high-carbon, Damascus steel, which is easily recognizable by its wavy patterned design. “I usually start with 8 to 12 layers, stacked up and welded together on the corners,” says Bill. “I heat it to 2,000 degrees, then slowly squish it down into one solid mass. Then I draw it out and chop it all up, and repeat the process — heat, beat, and repeat.”

I’ve learned it’s that I’ll never use the term ‘never’ when it comes to anything,” Bill laughs. “Because somehow, some way, I always end up doing whatever it is.”

When Forged in Fire put out a casting call in August 2021, “I asked myself, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’”

He began talking with producers in late October that year. “It was a long process to get to the competition, but in late November they called and said, ‘Can you be here on Dec. 3 for filming?’” Bill says.

Bill flew to Stamford, Connecticut, where he competed against three other contestants in three different challenges, the first of which involved a knife brought from home, the second being the creation of a push dagger, and lastly, creating a replica blade from a past Forged in Fire champion.

Most of Bill’s projects use 128 to 256 layers of steel. “My favorite part is taking a tiny stack of steel and turning it into something everyone calls absolutely beautiful,” Bill says. “Dipping the piece in the oil (quenching), pulling it out, and seeing what the final product looks like, that’s my joy.”

Bill used to do woodworking before he started forging. “It was great because I could use a blank piece of wood and turn it into scroll saw art,” Bill says. “It gives me the capability to be quite creative, and I’m able to do that now with forging.”

Bill never thought he would forge Damascus steel. He never thought he’d make a sword. And he certainly never thought he’d compete on Forged in Fire. But now, he works almost exclusively with Damascus steel. He has a sword that hangs in his workshop, and he not only managed to make it onto Forged in Fire, but he won. “If there’s anything

Bill’s episode — season 9, episode 7 — aired on May 25, 2022. He took home $10,000 as the episode’s champion and was the winner of Forged in Fire’s first-ever Knife Fight.

“I had a blast, even though it was one of the most stressful things I’ve ever done,” he says. “I have made some lifelong friendships with the smiths that I competed against.”

The gloves he wore during the competition included encouraging messages from his family. They were highlighted during a segment of the show and signed by the judges and hosts.

“Immediately after Forged in Fire, I had orders coming in,” says Bill. “Anything from letter openers to skinning and kitchen knives.”

Bill continues to stay connected with those he met during his Forged in Fire experience. However, when Forged in Fire asked if he’d come back, Bill said he chose his words wisely and responded with “maybe.”

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