Foxglove in the forest

A ray of sun catches a foxglove within the evergreen shadows. It is at times like this I see the limits of using a cellphone to take photos. Taken near the Pig Lot, July 4, 2011.

Wildcat Creek

Near the Pig Lot, July, 4, 2011

Bear nest at the Pig Lot

July 4, 2011. This was a spot where a bear had obviously spent the previous night, which is a good argument for not hanging around the Pig Lot after dark.

The Pig Lot

July 4, 2011

This body of water behind the Simpson Plant has been known as the "Pig Lot" for decades. The water itself is created by a dam and for years some locals used the large pond as a fishing hole. Today the area has a "No Trespassing" sign.

The name "Pig Lot" originated back in the 1920s when John Wesley Porter, the operator of the Porter Hotel, used the area for keeping his pigs before the animals were converted to bacon and ham for the guests. The Porter Hotel stood in the the little strip mall across from City Hall, where the pizza place recently closed. The hotel, which was intended for working people, grew so big it expanded into an annex across 3rd street. When the annex was demolished in the 1950s, much of the recycled lumber went into building the present VFW Hall.

Porter's son, Norman, later became the editor of The McCleary Stimulator in the 1950s and one of the people who started the tradition of serving bear meat on an annual basis since 1959 in McCleary.