294 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[March 31, 1892, 



Inspector of Salmon Fisheries of England, the introduction of 

 the American shad in England. On April 1, 1S82, lie was elected 

 president of the American Fishcultural Association. 



The subject of our sketch has been in active business since he 

 was twenty years old, mainly dealing with the chemical products 

 of coal tar. His house has extensive chemical works in the 

 United States and in France, with important connections in Lon- 

 don. In this department of research he has invented several use- 

 ful articles, and has taken out some valuable patents. He intro- 

 duced into this country the method of creosoting for the preserva- 

 tion of wood. He is a member of tbo American Gas Light Associ- 

 ation, the American Chemical Society, and the American and the 

 New York Pharmaceutical Societies. 



Mr. Page has figured largely in Christian, philanthropical reform 

 and temperance associations. He is vice-president of the Howard 

 Mission and Home for Little Wanderers in this city, and was one 

 of the four original founders of the New Jersey State Temperance 

 Society, of which he was president for seven years— a staunch 

 cold-water fishculturist! Sunday school work has also claimed a 

 share of his attention, and he has been a superintendent and 

 teacher for twenty years, being a member of the Congregational 

 Church. When abroad he represented the Smithsonian Institu- 

 tion by appointment of Prof. Baird. 



Mr. Page is a great advocate of education. He believes that it 

 should he free, non-sectarian and compulsory. When he made 

 his home at Stanley, N. J., in 1>67, there were no schools within 

 two Imiles of the village. He immediately established one, em- 

 ployed teachers, and furnished books, furniture and other ap- 

 pliances. Later he built a fine school house and expended sev- 

 eral thousand dollars for the beueflt of the children of the poor 

 during ten years. In 1870 he delivered addresses at Manchester, 

 England, at the invitation of the National Education League, in 

 Free Trade Hall, and elsewhere, in which he described the free 

 school system of the United States, for which he received the 

 thanks of the League for his assistance in securing the enactment 

 of the present free, unsectarian and compulsory education law. 



We have dwelt largely upon his angling and;ftshcultural career, 

 but his sportsman's laurels are not solely those of an angler. 

 During a tramp of 200 miles in October and November, 1877, from 

 Rangeley Lakes, in Maine, to Lake St. Francis, in Canada, and re- 

 turn, he shot a magnificent caribou, which weighed 6001bs., and 

 stood nine feet from the ground to the tip of his antlers. The lat- 

 ter were three feet long and had twenty-seven prongs and 

 branches. The head is now a prominent decoration of his hall. 

 A graphic account of his hunt appeared in our columns and was 

 copied into many papers. It was on this trip that at the French 

 Canadian village of St. Vital du Lampton he met with Urban 

 Therriault, a lineal descendant of the Acadians, whose ancestor, 

 warned in season, escaped from Grand Pre in 1755, carrying an 

 infant son in his arms, fleeing through the forest from Nova 

 Scotia to the St. Lawrence. Mr. Page secured the autograph of 

 Mr. Therriault in the pocket copy of Longfellow which he always 

 carries on his angling and hunting tours. On his return he called 

 upon the poet at Cambridge and described the interesting dis- 

 covery, to the delight of Mr. Longfellow, who added his autograph 

 to that of the Acadian. 



THE APRIL TROUT. 



"jyrOUNTAIN lake and rushing stream, 

 -L*-*- Waking from a troubled dream, 

 Sighing pine and maple dumb, 

 Know that spring at last has come- 

 In the clear depths hidrlen now, 

 Fontinalis, where art thou ? 



Soaring osprey, screaming gull, 

 Alcyon's chatter, ocean's lull, 

 South wind gently blowing from 

 Sunny lands whence spring has come, 

 Ask thee, reckless rover, now 

 Fontinalis, where art thou ? 



Bluebird's carol, robin's song, 

 Gurgling notes from blackbird throng, 

 Bursting buds and bees' low hum 

 Swell the greeting, "Spring has come"— 

 'Neath the sbeltering alder bough, 

 Fontinalis, where art thou ? 



Come! I call thee once again. 

 Through the drops of summer rain 

 Wearily I Wendmy way 

 Where the torrents madly play, 

 Woo thee, tempt, implore thee now, 

 Fontinalis, where art thou ? 



T. H. B. 



CAMPING IN THE BELT MOUNTAINS. 



ALL things considered there is no better region for the 

 sportsman than the mountains of northern Montana, 

 consisting of the main range of the Rockies, the Big and 

 Little Belts, the Snoweys, the Judith, the Moccasins, the 

 Little Rockies and the Bear Paws. 



The natural entrance to this section is via the Great 

 Northern Railway, with Great Falls as the head center 

 and natural outfitting point, where everything in the line 

 of supplies, teams and guides may be had at reasonable 

 rates. 



After the first of July one can be assured of good roade, 

 freedom from storms and intense heat, an abundance of 

 fish of the finest quality, game in season, both feathered 

 and fur bearing, and immunity from the herds of winged 

 pests, that are so vexatious in all the lower levels at this 

 season of the year. The climate is such that one can 

 safely count on six months, in which life in a tent will 

 be entirely comfortable. 



Would more definite information be desirable? if so 

 brief references to a recent September trip will be made. 

 Throughout these mountain ranges, and at intervals of 

 from one to three miles apart, are rapid flowing brooks, 

 having their source in the springs fed by melting snow. 

 These brooks adjoining each other, form larger streams 

 or rivers ; such are the Smith, Teton, Sun, Belt, Judith 

 and Marias rivers. The headwaters of these streams are 

 all noted trout streams, and in making our selection 

 Smith River was chosen as being the most accessible, and 

 the region it penetrates being famous for its grand and 

 rugged scenery. 



Smith River rises in Meagher county, Montana, is a 

 very rapid flowing stream, having a fall of perhps 6,000 

 feet from its source to where it empties into the Missouri 



River, a distance of about 100 miles, the principal part of 

 the fall however being in its cafion^ which is 20 miles in 

 length. The width of the stream will average 100ft. and 

 the depth 2ft., this being varied by long still pools that 

 have been cut ages ago in the living rock into holes from 

 4 to 10ft. in depth, thus affording superb cover for trout 

 and grayling of mammoth proportions. 



Our party was small, consisting of the wife and son, a 

 lad of 14 years, and the writer, our conveyance a Stude- 

 baker mountain wagon, was drawn by a span of Montana 

 horses, the best roadsters in the world. In our outfit was 

 a camp stove and furniture, a wagon sheet, a side saddle, 

 guns, tackle, and an abundance of bedding and provi- 

 sions. Smith River lies due south of Great Falls, 20 miles, 

 and 9 hours out, we came to one of its principal tributa- 

 ries, Hound Creek, up which stream our route lay for 

 three miles. 



Soon after striking this creek a pair of young mallards 

 was flushed, and as they were going our way it was de- 

 cided to secure their company if possible. On reaching 

 a point above where their flight seemed to have taken 

 them, I took the Colt 10-bore to look theoi up, and as an 

 attractive pool was convenient, the kid setup his jointed 

 rod to try the stream during my absence. In the first 

 bend below the ducks were flushed and were dropped 

 into the stream in one, two order. The creek had cut its 

 way through a minature canon some 12ft. deep, and being 

 unable to get to the water's edge, and the current being 

 very strong I was compelled to travel nearly a mile be- 

 fore the game was secured. Concealing them in my 

 pocket I returned. The kid was still patiently fishing, 

 and to his inquirv if "I had killed the ducks?" I made an- 

 swer "they had flown down stream." I then asked him 

 whatluck? "There are plenty of whitefish in this hole; 

 shall I get a mess for supper?" was his reply. To which 

 I said. "We haven't come up here to catch whitefish." 

 By this time I had reached the wagon where the better 

 half was patiently waiting. To my query as to whether 

 we had not better move on and make camp she replied, 

 "Rene wants to fish a little longer." The reply excited 

 my suspicions, and observing a gunny bag in the bottom 

 of the wagon I lifted it, and was dumbfounded at what 

 it concealed. While I had been on what was almost a 

 wild goose chase, R?ne had landed two mountain trout, 

 the largest I had ever seen, and fearing my return before 

 he had them safely cached, and his sport thus lessened, 

 he had not taken time to cleanse them from the sand and 

 grime incident to landing them. I washed them in the 

 brook and laid them side by side on a newspaper, and 

 feasted my eyes upon their beautiful proportions. 



Twenty years' experience with the trout of Minnesota 

 and Wisconsin had in no wise prepared me to expect such 

 fish. The larger of the two weighed 3i pounds and the 

 smaller a pound les3. Their style and general appear- 

 ance is altogether different from the trout of the Missis- 

 sippi Valley. The swiftly flowing streams, in many 

 places exceeding that of a milltail, has caused a muscu- 

 lar development that makes them much heavier and 

 stronger, while the pure cold waters, clear as crystal, 

 has gilded the gold of their markings and made of them 

 creatureB so gorgeous as to be indescribable in brilliancy. 

 The mouth of the mountain trout is much larger than 

 the eastern trout, and they are vigorous and hard fight- 

 ers. 



Supplied as we were so abundantly with fish and fowl, 

 we prosecuted the sport no further for that day, but made 

 our way to a beautiful camping grove, where we enjoyed 

 a dinner fit for a king, after which the preparations for 

 night being completed, we were lulled to sweet sleep by 

 the rhythm of the swiftly flowing waters, well pleased 

 with our introductory to a mountain stream and its oc- 

 cupants. 



An easy drive the next day brought us to Two Creek 

 Canon, through which our way to Smith River Cafion led. 

 The length of this cafion is between one and two miles, 

 and the fall from the beach land, at the head of Two 

 Creek, to the foot on Smith River is about 600 ft. Re- 

 membering this, you can draw your own inference as to 

 the kind of a road we found in the bed of this stream. 

 The further we went the more difficult the going, until 

 toward the last I was compelled to stand on the axle on 

 the upward side of the road to prevent upsets ; but the 

 descent was made in safety, and at the foot we found 

 three important things essential to the campers — good 

 water, plenty of fuel, and the balsam fir, from which we 

 cut boughs to make our beds. 



It is well worth getting weary to have a prime ever- 

 green bed ; nor is it every one that knows just how they 

 ought to be constructed. The large boughs (those from 

 from 4 to 6ft. in length, the main limb being an inch or 

 so in diameter,) should bespread on the ground, the butts 

 to the head of the tent, and the bough side up, all one 

 way. Another course should be spread over these, shin- 

 gle fashion, the butts of the second course being tucked 

 in out of the way and under the first course. These two 

 layers when piled sufficiently thick and close furnish the 

 necessary spring to the bed, and on these may be piled 

 (remembering to have the boughs all the same way) 

 smaller boughs, and over all the finest limbs, or rather 

 the feathery ends of the boughs, may be cut and strewn. 

 With a heavy pair of blankets spread over this and a pair 

 to use as covering, he who occupies such a couch needs 

 not the sympathy of any one. With the fragrant bal- 

 samic odors of the evergreens, and the pure open air, 

 health and life are drawn in with every inspiration of 

 the lungs. 



The mountain parks or open spaces are covered with a 

 splendid growth rich, nutritious grasses, and the Mon- 

 tana horse that has been trained to feed on a picket rope 

 (namely, to graze when tied by a 40ft. rope), will not 

 thank you for grain, provided he is picketed where grass 

 is abundant. Our horses had no grain while in the moun- 

 tains, and gained flesh each day while out. 



Our objective point when leaving Great Falls was the 

 mouth of Tenderfoot Creek, the main tributary of Smith 

 River. This is four miles above the mouth of Two Creek 

 cafion, and this distance was passed early the next A. M. 

 On reaching Tenderfoot we met a rancher who was ac- 

 quainted with the country, and had been up the stream 

 fishing and hunting stray horses. He recommended that 

 we make our way up stream as far as we could, as the 

 fishing grew better the further up we went. When asked 

 how the road was, he replied that there wasn't any road 

 to speak of ; a man had gone up in the spring with the 

 front wheels of a lumber wagon, and he reckoned we 

 could go with our light rig where any one else could. 



1 attempted to get him to particularize as to the worst 



places, and he said if we could get down on to the creek 

 level from the beach on which we then were he was con- 

 fident we could go on up from five to six miles. We in- 

 spected the road down and decided that if we once 

 were headed down the hill no power on earth could pre- 

 vent our going, as the distance was about 100ft. and 

 almost a sheer descent. By rough locking the wagon 

 we reached the bottom safely, and started on our pic- 

 turesque way. Inside the next three hours we could 

 have cured the worst case of dyspepsia on earth if the 

 patient had remained in the wagon. It and everything 

 else would have been completely jolted out of him. We 

 made more than thirty fords, the stream averaging 30ft. 

 in width and 30in. deep, and finally at the last ford, in 

 pulling up an extra steep pitch out of the stream, the dou- 

 ble-tree and three tugs broke at one and the same time. 

 There probably never was another so speedy an unhitch- 

 ing as then occurred. 



Camp was pitched, and early the next morning we 

 made up a light outfit for packing, and putting the side 

 saddle on to one of the horses and the wife in the saddle, 

 and bedding and cooking utensils, provisions, etc., on the 

 other horse, Rene and I being equipped with rubber boots, 

 we moved on up stream some three miles to our perma- 

 nent camp ground. 



We were soon at home and ready to receive company, 

 and so far as comfort was concerned we were as well 

 fixed as if we had a car load of impedimenta to use. 



We were exceedingly fortunate in the selection of a 

 camping ground. It was a natural meadow, scattered 

 over which were clumps of trees, both deciduous and 

 evergreens. The feed for the horses was excellent. The 

 fishing was superb ; and the only difficulty was not wan- 

 tonly to waste them; we were much relieved to find that 

 the pointer dog would eat fish when fried brown and 

 crisp. 



In Tenderfoot and Smith rivers are found trout, white 

 fish and grayling. Our preference was decidedly for the 

 grayling. He is a gentleman among his kind, it requires 

 no coaxing to induce him to bite, does not take the sulks, 

 and has no quarrel with you which prompts him to lie 

 sullenly in the deep pools, and evade your best attempts 

 to interest him in the new selection of flies. He rises 

 beautifully, and eagerly takes the fly, and is game to the 

 last. Has it ever been your good fortune to capture a 

 two-pound grayling from a swiftly flowing mountain 

 stream where all your skill is called into play to lift from 

 the ^boulderstrewn stream your prey with a i ragile fly , 

 line and pole as means to our end? If not, there is much 

 of joy and satisfaction ahead of you. 



The grayling is a much more finely built fish and fash - 

 ioned on more slender lines than the trout, the moxith is 

 not as large, and in place of the black and golden spots 

 as on the trout, the marking or spots are not nearly eo 

 numerous, and are a deep slate green on silvery green 

 sides. These spots run up and down the sides in three 

 lines, shading off at the head and tail, and are heavier in 

 the middle of the body. The dorsal fin is much more pro- 

 minent, and it is this fin which is his crowning glory. It 

 is covered with the most beautiful and iridiscent of spots, 

 which are as gorgeous as the eyes in the feathers ot the 

 peacock's tail. Such is the grayling as found in Mon- 

 tana streams; and he will bear with credit a closer test 

 by acquaintance of the fry pan. The flesh cooks up crisp 

 and dry in flakes, and is the extreme opposite of the 

 sogery, watery fish of warmer latitudes and waters. Tbe 

 settlers along the streams say that tbe grayling are rap- 

 idly increasing, 



For grandeur of scenery Tenderfoot Canon is incompar- 

 able. The valley or canon is very narrow, rarely exceed- 

 ing two hundred yards, and frequently narrowing to as 

 many feet. The stream is fringed with willows and Cot- 

 tonwood, these in turn being bordered by pine and fir. 

 As a rule the wall of the canon is washed by the stream 

 first on one side then by the other, and from tbe water's 

 edge the precipices rise hundreds of feet into the air, and 

 are carved into every conceivable shape. Here a sudden 

 turn in the cafion brings you face to face with lofty 

 heights, in which the imagination easily traces resem- 

 blances to majestic cathedrals, with lofty pinnacles, 

 columns and towers. Freqently at some sharp angle the 

 walls are pierced by openings through which the blue 

 sky may be seen, adding to the wonderful scene the effect 

 of arched windows. These stupendous walls of rock are 

 of every form and color, the soft grays variegated with 

 browns and chocolate, relieved by bright bits of coloring, 

 resulting from copper and iron stains, these with the soft 

 green of the lichens all constitute effects that are calcu- 

 lated to run an artist wild in the vain attempt so transfer 

 to the canvas the vivid hues so harmonious in results. 



When wearied with hunting and fishing we made ex- 

 plorations which always resulted in interesting finds of 

 petrifactions, curiosities in the way of shells, and speci- 

 mens of various kinds. 



One bit of wonderland in this vicinity is the sheer face 

 of a precipice some 300ft. high, composed almost entirely 

 of crystallized quartz; and when seen with the rays of 

 the setting sun shining upon it, bringing into effect the 

 wonderful play of the light upon the facets of the quartz 

 rock the effect is dazzling. 



Not far from the head of Smith River Canon is the 

 location of the recent remarkable find of the expedition 

 from Princeton College tbe past season. They unearthed 

 and secured very perfect specimens of camels, tbe tbree- 

 toed horse, the rhinoceros, and other prehistoric quadru- 

 peds, all in a petrified state. 



Our trip was destitute of anything especially thrilling. 

 We were out 19 days and nights, our Only covering for 

 this period being a wagon sheet drawn tightly over a 

 center pole, and securely fastened down at the sides, 

 open at each end. During this time an occasional sprinkle 

 threatened us, but we were entirely comfortable in an 

 improvised tent. 



Each morning fresh signs were to be seen along the 

 stream, where elk, deer and bear had passed. A black 

 bear was killed in the meadow in which we were camped 

 while we were on the stream. 



Our wants outside of fish were satisfied with ducks, 

 partridges and sharp tail grouse; our party was too small 

 and the season too early to kill larger game. 



By the lovers of the grandly beautiful, by the enthusi- 

 astic sportsman, by the man or woman who maybe worn 

 out with the cares and worries of businers life, by all 

 such nothing is to be lost and everything to be gained by 

 a tour of inspection in the Belt Mountains by way of the 

 Smith River Canon, S. M. E. 



GheAt FAiLg, Mont. 



