Reprinted from the July 2012 issue of the Northwoods Sporting Journal.
The Maine woods have always lured adventure seekers from throughout the Northeast, especially in the early days. The country was still wild and untamed back then, and outdoorsmen longed to explore the north woods while seeking nature’s bounty of moose, deer, bear, caribou, trout and more. Though few were skilled writers, many wrote stories of their trips, which were published in the numerous sporting periodicals of the day.
I’ve written about a few of the old time Maine woods stories in the past, but there are literally thousands of them, scattered throughout the archives of a few libraries and even fewer personal collections. Most of the stories are over a hundred years old, and though the majority can be circulated freely (they’re no longer protected by copyright law), no one has undergone the task of sifting through the best stories and making them widely available….until now.
In “Old Tales of the Maine Woods”, Steve Pinkham has put together the most comprehensive collection of early Maine outdoor stories that I’ve ever seen. The 300 page book, released this spring, contains reprints of dozens of Maine woods stories originally published between 1849 and 1913. These include tales of hunting, fishing, canoeing and hiking throughout Maine. Each tale was hand-picked by Steve from his extensive collection of over 22,000 articles and stories. The stories come from magazines like “Forest and Stream”, “Shooting and Fishing” and “American Sportsman”. Others are excerpted from entire books written about experiences in Maine.
The stories in “Old Tales of the Maine Woods” cover adventures throughout the state. Since most people who visit the Maine woods are familiar with a specific area, Steve felt it was logical to group stories by region. The book is split into seven chapters, each covering a specific geographic region in Maine. The regions are as follows: 1)Androscoggin and Magalloway rivers, 2)Rangeley Lakes, 3)Dead River, upper Kennebec and Moose River, 4)Moosehead Lake and Piscataquis region, 5)Penobscot River, 6)North Maine Woods and 7)Down East. At the beginning of each chapter, Steve gives a general description of each region and its importance in the early sporting history of Maine. The individual stories then follow.
Pinkham reprints stories from numerous authors in the book. Some are fairly well known, like Thomas Sedgewick Steele and Fanny Hardy Eckstorm. Others are more obscure, and some of the stories are from anonymous authors, or those who wrote under untraceable pen names. For the known authors, Pinkham provides a brief description of the author’s background and gives some context to the story. In my opinion, this is one of the most valuable aspects of the book. It provides perspective, and also helps those who are interested in learning more about particular writers. An index of the stories and authors would be useful, but isn’t provided in the book.
Steve picked some really interesting stories for this book. Among my favorite are the tales of hunting woodland caribou in Maine. Caribou became extinct from the state in the early 1900’s, but at one time they were very plentiful and were the subject of many hunts. Other stories highlighting fishing experiences and run-ins with predators were fun to read. And of course, the book wouldn’t be complete without a few tall tales, including the famous “Tame Trout” story.
I’m glad to see a book of old Maine outdoor stories being published. While the old writers may have been rough around the edges and certainly fibbed a bit, they sure provide interesting historical perspective for readers a century later. Steve Pinkham pulled together some good stories, and if you’re into Maine outdoor history, I think you’ll enjoy reading them in “Old Tales of the Maine Woods”. To learn more, visit www.oldtalesofthemainewoods.com.
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