With the onset of the Thanksgiving holiday I began to think about what aspects of life I’m thankful for, and which ones might be fun to share with you, my readers.
One of the first things that came to mind was the way my father shared his love of the great outdoors with our family. On Sundays he would take the children in the neighborhood for a hike. Often, we would go to the 300-acre Rionda estate, in Cresskill and Alpine, New Jersey. Or sometimes we would visit the historic Rio Vista Tower/ Devil’s Tower and Chapel, where my dad would relate lore about the famed Spanish-born “Sugar Baron” Rionda’s monument.
Manuel Rionda (1854–1943) called his estate “Rio Vista” (c. 1904) since it sat perched above the Hudson River (Rio) and offered views of Yonkers and New York City. The Palisades was once called Millionaire’s Row, but when we visited, it was primarily woods and some ruins from the estate.
Today the Alpine is once again a millionaire’s row of sorts, with more tightly placed mansions and primarily two-acre estates. It is said to be the “most affluent zip code in the United States (Forbes 2012 median home value of $4.2 million, this is far lower than the homes surrounding the tower have sold for).” In my adolescent years it was all wooded and just a mile away, as the crow flies, from our modest Cape Cod-style home. But our approach was circuitous and we likely walked three to four miles round-trip, which with my short stride seemed like twice the distance.
As we wandered, we observed and identified trees, shrubs, insects, birds, tadpoles, frogs, crystals, fossils, an occasional Native American point, and lots more. Each of the hikers took turns carrying a forked stick above his head for removing cobwebs crossing the trail. But the highlight as a child was reaching the hundred-foot tower and hearing about Mrs. Harriet Rionda’s ghost, who reportedly haunted it.
Not every child will adopt an interest simply from perusing a nature guide but many will, and for those who do, a lifetime of enjoyment awaits. Photos: S. Godfrey
I doubt my father knew much about the Riondas, but he had fun creating some tall tales to get us properly motivated and spooked, which in my case takes very little provocation on either score.
Current lore refers to the stone structure as “Devil’s Tower,” and has Harriet jumping to her death from its heights, distraught over the discovery of her husband’s infidelities. Then, as any good jilted dead wife would do, she haunts the tower to this day. I honestly don’t remember what my dad said; I was so in awe of reaching the ornate tower and too frightened to listen. Furthermore, I knew on some level that he was embellishing any story he wove.
In truth, the tower simply housed an elevator to Rionda’s office at the top, which he could access from his home via an underground tunnel. It also served as a water tower, supplying the estate’s surrounding buildings. The structure was designed by one of Rionda’s neighbors, the architect Charles Rollinson Lamb, and our walks often began by travelling Lamb’s Lane eastward.
As for Harriet’s death, the Palisades Parks Conservancy reports it as being “an entirely natural demise from the after-effects of a stroke, in a New York hospital in 1922.”
Now that I have set the stage, allow me to share my purpose. On birthdays and special occasions my father would purchase A Golden Nature Guide on any number of topics. Often we would load a backpack with a few guides, fruit, and some sandwiches, while he would carry his old army canteen.
If we knew we were going to be around a stony area we would pack a book on rocks or fossils. Possibly because I was close to the ground my interest was often insects and their identification; the pages of my old insect guide are worn thin and its binding is secured with packing tape. And when watching the birdfeeder, Birds was the go-to resource for learning about species. I still use the guides to this day; I’m sure nostalgia is a factor.
The reward of identifying something you see in the field still holds the same allure for me, and the natural history facts build a greater appreciation for each natural object or species. Looking at a bird’s range map and imagining the places it has seen and travelled is fascinating. Seeing the differences between a male’s and female’s plumage and learning the logical explanations behind their colorations should ever hold us in wonder.
Rionda’s 100-foot Stone Tower was designed by Lamb and erected in 1910. Alpine Historical Society marker reads: Alpine Stone Clock Tower Formerly Rio Vista Observation and memorial tower. Original owner Manuel Rionda, Erected in 1910. Plaque dated 1998. Photo: Palisades Parks Conservancy RIGHT: Rionda’s Stone Chapel still stands, having been integrated into the two-acre property’s grounds at 8 Esplanade, Alpine, NJ. It too was designed by Charles Rollinson Lamb and was built to house Harriet Clarke Rionda’s ashes after her death.
Studying an acorn to decipher what species of oak it fell from should never lose the splendor associated with new life. Surely long before the 1300s, when Geoffrey Chaucer wrote “Mighty oaks from little acorns grow,” people have marvelled at life bursting forth from a tiny seed. Nor should we lose the metaphorical significance of the proverb itself—as it might relate to first readers. I am sure that many a great biologist has been inspired by the pages of those tiny 160-page guides, with many of them going on to embrace science and to write theses and volumes on these same topics.
It is not until we identify something that we can share our experience with others. It is through identification that we make the first step toward appreciating the existence of a plant or animal or rock. In fact, it is in part why we are named at birth— to give us an identity.
The Golden Nature Guides (later titled Golden Guides) were first introduced in 1949, although most of mine are copyrighted in the 1960s. The first was Birds while the last one issued was Snakes, in 2002. Originally, Western Publishing distributed the volumes under their children’s department, but in the early 2000s St. Martin’s Press took over the series with revised and updated versions. In all, 84 different titles were published.
The guides had a 160-page formula, intended to fit in a pocket. While the books were edited by Herbert S. Zim and Vera Webster, each was written by an expert on its topical title.
I have purchased a number of the same titles that I had in my youth for my niece and nephew. And I added Peterson’s First Guides, another series with a simpler format, that was introduced in the 1980s. I know of 13 titles in this collection.
The cost of Peterson First Guides varies from $65 to $123 for used and new copies. Used copies of Golden Guides are available for $8 or less.
Curious to investigate, I called a number of well-known local naturalists to find out if they had used Golden Guides as children. Many said they loved them, still enjoy them, and especially enjoyed the illustrations. Some named specific titles they liked such as Pond Life, Stars, Sky Observers, and Mammals. Later I asked 20 recent participants in a birding walk if they had used these guides as youngsters and at least a third said they had. In that group, a number of teachers told me they still make the Golden Guides available to their students.
The most basic guides are a good place to start when you seek to identify something, because the most common species are covered. When something is new to you it helps to begin with an elementary understanding before you delve into complexities. Although they are dated, the Golden Guides are still a good starting point. With technology there are more sophisticated tools that I use on a regular basis, but honestly for me and also for many children there is nothing like a book to capture your fancy.
The ghost of “Devil’s Tower” is apparently as much of a fabrication as were my father’s tales, but every good story needs a hook and so too might every good hike. For me, the little Golden Guides were one component that got me fascinated by nature. But primarily it was the mentoring of my father and his interest in the world around us that has given me a lifelong enjoyment for visiting natural, historic, and cultural areas. I am grateful for the role he played in my life.
I would like to encourage parents and grandparents to take a child outdoors. And by all means consider giving them some introductory nature guides this holiday season in the hopes that they can foster, in the next generation, a lifetime of enjoyment in the natural world.
Sources
Devil in the Details, Palisades Parks Conservancy, Palisades Interstate Park Commission, September 2023. NJpalisades.org
The Devil’s Tower of Alpine, New Jersey Magazine, New Jersey.com.
Golden Guide, List of Guides, Wikipedia.
Historical Marker Database, hmdb.org.
