Letter to the Editor: Christmas past, present and future

To the Editor:

Pike County, Pa., was officially created from parts of Wayne County on March 26, 1814, by an Act of the Pennsylvania legislature, and was named for the explorer General Zebulon Montgomery Pike. Its boundaries were defined then, with a portion later separated to form part of Monroe County in 1836, but the original formation date remains March 26, 1814, with Milford as the county seat.

Fifty years later on July 15, 1864, one of the worst train accidents of the era occurred near Shohola. A train carrying Confederate prisoners of war collided with a coal train on the Erie Railroad. Many lives were lost, and a historical marker now commemorates this event, highlighting the war’s impact on the local area.

One hundred years after we were created in 1914, Pike was a rural area whose lumber industry had become exhausted, leading to population stagnation after earlier growth. The county was known for its natural beauty, and the county seat, Milford, was developing as a popular summer vacation destination.

The year 1964 in Pike was a period of planning and transition, marked by local government initiatives and specific historical events. The second printing of a book titled When President Kennedy visited Pike County, edited by Norman B. Lehde, was published in Milford, Pa., by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce in 1964.

On Sept. 12, 2014, Corporal Bryon Dickson II was assassinated and Trooper Alex Douglass was injured in an evil ambush at the Blooming Grove barracks. This incident triggered the 48-day manhunt for the perpetrator, Eric Matthew Frein, across the Pocono Mountains. The event had a lasting impact, leading to the local Children’s Advocacy Center being named “Dickson House” in Corporal Dickson’s honor. Ironically, 2014 marked the 200th year of Pike County’s formation, which was observed with celebrations and historical reflections.

By 2064, our world is projected to see global population peak around 9.7 billion, with shifts towards older demographics, significant advancements in AI, biotechnology, renewable fusion like energy, and widespread tech integration (contact lenses, brain-net), alongside driverless transport and dramatic altered commercial space activity. Arguments will continue over controlling immigration, climate, and of course inequality. How can we prepare, be ready, and equally be part of our Pike Future?

Kevin Holian

Dingman Township