Fifth Week - Thursday's "Medfield Historical Minute"

A Medfield Historical Minute...

This "Medfield Historical Minute" is brought to you by town historian Richard DeSorgher.
A little something to read and learn to give you a little break during this time of boredom during isolation due to the Coronavirus Crisis. A different "Medfield Historical Minute" will appear each day during the Crisis.

"In the years after its founding, Medfield was infested with wolves, bears, and wildcats, as well as moose, foxes and small predatory animals. The last bear in Medfield was killed about 1730 and at that time the town was granting bounties to encourage the killing of wildcats. But wolves were the most destructive to the young cattle and sheep and their howl was frequently heard. Wolf hunts took place on foot, where large numbers were surrounded in swamps and killed or captured amid great excitement by the townspeople. Rattlesnakes were numerous in Medfield, especially in the Rocky Woods area.. Fur-bearing animals were very common in Medfield and great quantities of beaver and raccoon skins were sent to market and were a considerable source of income to those in Medfield. The last moose seen here was in 1745. Fish were abundant. As the Charles River was unobstructed to the ocean then, shad and alewives swam up to their breeding grounds in area ponds, with the fish being caught by the barrow full."