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For over 20 years I've been collecting stories, photographs, interviews, out of print books and researching various aspects of the human history of Algonquin Park in Ontario Canada. In other words, capturing voices from the past. In the fall of 2020, I launched my podcast 'Algonquin Defining Moments' to both complement my published books but also to continue my mission of sharing stories, recollections, traditions, landmarks and other fun Algonquin Park human heritage curiosities. In this way that those who share my passion for everything Algonquin Park can listen to snippets of the park and its people while commuting, walking, cooking, working around the house or even just meditating on the back deck. Enjoy! Gaye Clemson
Episodes
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Episode 7: A late 19th Century Bear Hunt
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Friday Jan 29, 2021
Episode 7: A late 19th Century Bear Hunt
Just outside the park boundary on the east side, on Victoria Lake, is a large hunting lodge owned for over 50 years by a former Governor of Vermont, Edward Curtis Smith and his family. Whilst researching the history of the lodge and its connection to the town of Madawaska, (to be published Feb 2021) I came across a short story about a family bear hunting expedition. Though the author, Nancy Bailey, is not known, it seems that many of the protagonists were actual people and if the ages are generally correct, the story likely took place in 1898 or 1899. Though not directly an Algonquin Defining Moment, the story did seem to be a suitable conclusion to the poaching and trapping in the park series. As best as I have been able to discern it pretty accurately reflects an idealized vision of manhood that was taking hold at the time of primitive, frontier manliness and athleticism.
It also provides a marvelous introduction to ‘life in the wilderness’ or at least a certain style of ‘life in the wilderness’, which will be the subject of Episode 8. There, I will share the history of three great lodges long gone namely The Highland Inn on Cache Lake, Nominigan on Smoke Lake and Minnesing on Burnt Island Lake.
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Episode 6: Algonquin Park Poaching Stories
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Tuesday Jan 05, 2021
Episode 6: Algonquin Park Poaching Stories
As shared in Episode 5, one of the downsides to the creation of Algonquin Park in 1893 was the fact that a significant number of folks in the local communities around Algonquin Park were now considered outlaws because they were running trap lines in what was now a protected area. They went overnight from being fine outstanding citizens trapping to supplement farming and logging livelihoods to unenlightened, disreputable and heartless bandits. This second of two episodes is focused on sharing a broad collection of stories and tall tales; adventures and lifestyles recollected by both poachers and the park rangers who tried to track them down.
Contributions come from many well known trapping and poaching personalities including Ralph Bice, Joe LaVally, Emmett Chartrand, Matt Lavally, Stewart Eady, Jack Gervais and Bill Mooney amongst many others. A special shout out to my friend and colleague Roderick (Rory) MacKay whose sentinel book Algonquin Park, A Place Like no Other is a key reference for this narrative. His book is a ‘must-have’ reference for everyone who has a passion for Algonquin Park.