The Pioneer Woodsman as He Is Related to Lumbering in the NorthwestWarren, George Henry
History
The Pioneer Woodsman as He Is Related to Lumbering in the Northwest
Warren, George Henry
Camping; Lumbering -- Northwestern States
Mr. and Mrs. Owens left their cabin to visit another settler, several
miles distant, leaving the key with the cook, and telling him that he
could use it if he had occasion to do so. Coming in one evening from a
cruise, the cook went to the cabin to make and bake some bread in Mrs.
Owen's stove. A small hole had been cut in the door, to admit the Owens'
cat. On entering, Easthagen saw a skunk sitting in the middle of the
floor. The animal retreated under the bed, while the cook kindled a fire
in the stove and began mixing the dough for the bread. He baked the
bread and cooked the evening meal for three persons, considerately
tossing some bits of bread and meat near to where the skunk was
concealed. Our party ate supper outside the door a short distance from
the cabin. The animal remained in the cabin that night and until after
breakfast, a portion of which latter the cook fed to it, when taking the
broom, he, by easy and gentle stages, pushed the skunk toward the door,
removing the animal without accident.
The state of Minnesota has some excellent laws to prevent the
destruction of game animals by the pothunter. Notwithstanding this fact,
a greater or less number of market hunters have been able to subsist by
killing unlawful game and selling the meat to the lumber camps at about
five cents per pound. Many men interested in the ownership of timber
lands, have been aware of this fact and have been desirous of preventing
the unlawful killing of moose and deer. Some lumbermen, also, have
refused to buy the meat from these market hunters. It has not been safe,
however, for such people to offer evidence against these hunters. There
have been two principal reasons that have deterred them from so doing.
One is, that the informant's personal safety would have become
endangered, and the other reason is, that his timber would have been in
danger of being set on fire. It rests, therefore, with the game wardens,
to ferret out and prosecute to the best of their ability, all offenders
against the game law.
In the latter part of the season of 1905, my son and I, accompanied by
James O'Neill, a frontiersman and trusty employee, made a canoe trip
from Winton down the chain of lakes on the boundary line between
Minnesota and Canada, as far as Lake La Croix. We camped at night and
traveled by day, being always in Minnesota. We saw racks in Minnesota
made by the Indians, on which to smoke the meat of the moose they had
killed. We counted twenty-one moose hides hung up to dry. The moose had
doubtless been killed as they came to the lakes to get away from flies
and mosquitoes. All these animals were unlawfully killed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account