May 18. ltft»». | 



FOREST AND STREAM 



429 



THE "KINGFISHERS" IN CANADA.-I. 



Big Basswood Lake. 



It will not be the purpose of this article to give a 

 detailed history of our camp in Canada last summer, with 

 all the happenings, "categories" and "episodes" that fell 

 to our lot; 1 am only going to tell where we went, how 

 we got there, and of the great bass fishing we found — all 

 this for the benefit of any of the brethren who may take 

 a notion to pay a visit to the best "bass pocket" we have 

 found in a good many years. 



We were put on the trail by a friend living in Traverse 

 City, Mich., who, with three others, had made a canoe 

 trip in the summer of 1890 along the shore of the North 

 Channel as far east as the mouth of the Missasauga River, 

 a matter of sixty or seventy miles from the "Soo," and 

 thence up this river fifty miles or more, making a detour 

 on the way up Mud River into Mud Lake, a portage of 

 half a mile or a little more across to Big Basswood Lake, 

 and from the foot of this lake another portage of a couple 

 of miles back to the Missasauga River, several miles above 

 where they haA left it. He gave a glowing account of the 

 bass fislung in Big Btusswood, and advised us to go there 

 and make our summer camp on its banks. We went. 



In order to go into the coimtry in good shape and with 

 our eyes open, I had some correspondence with Mr. Henry 

 Plummer, the Collector of Customs at Sault St. Marie, 

 Canada, relative to what would be required in the matter 

 of customs diities on supplies 

 taken across the border, camping 

 outfit, etc., and was informed 

 that I would be required to make 

 duplicate lists of the outfit— tents, 

 mess chests, canvas boats, etc., 

 together witli the guns, rods and W 

 tackle belonging to the party, I 

 with estimated values of all on , 

 the lists. This last item I lumped 

 together as "rods, tackle and I 

 other camping sundries." One of ! 

 the lists would be retained by the 

 ti-ain collector at the "Soo," the 

 other, receipted by him, would 

 be retained by the party. On aU 

 this a duty, or rather a deposit, of 

 30 per cent, would be required, 

 which, however, would be re- 

 funded to us if we returned and 

 crossed the border inside of sixty 

 days. On supphes, "side meat," 

 coffee, sugar "and sich," the duty 

 would average about the same, 

 which would not be refunded, 

 and this decided us to take along 

 but coffee, good coffee, for we 

 knew the average coffee to be had 

 all over upper Michigan and Can- 

 ada was not worth its weight in 

 blue beans. Everything else need- 

 ed we could buy over there as 

 cheap as at home, and save the 

 duty. 



A call brought the Kingfishers 

 from Kentucky, Old Sam, Charley 

 and his son Owen, a youngster on 

 his first trip, and on July 15, at 

 8:50 A. M., we left Cincinnati 

 over the Pan Handle & G-rand 

 Rapids and Indiana Railways for 

 Thessalon, Ontario, Canada, a 

 station on the Canada Pacific 

 R. R., forty-six miles east by 

 south of the Soo. 



The Colonel was there, and 

 Harry Foulds and Old Hickory, 

 and Ed Gooder had gone ahead 

 to Omena, Mich., to look after 

 the affairs of the Omena Hotel 

 Association, of which he is presi- 

 dent, but would join us in camp 

 in a few days. Our old cook, 

 Barney, could not get off to go 

 with us, which was a source of 



regret from the day we started till we broke camp. 

 At Petoskey next morning the old "Nessmuk" of 

 northern Michigan, "Kelpie," got on the train with his 



an invitation to join us on the trip, had insisted on bring- 

 ing along at the last minute as a donation. I asked if it 

 would be necessary to open oirt our mess boxes, tent bags, 

 trunks, grips, etc., for inspection — which is usually re- 

 quired — and he replied, "Oh, no; you're all right; Mr. 

 Pliimmer is satisfied that you are a party of square sports- 

 men, after sport only, and so am I. All I want to know 

 is that a party is not trying to sneak tilings through to 

 seR without paying the duty, and this deposit of 30 per 

 cent, on your outfit is required as a matter of protection 

 against this kind of smuggling. No, you won't have to 

 unlock or open a thing." And then he suggested that if 

 he found time he might run in on us some day. 



We thanked him for his coitrtesy and assured him the 

 latch string would be out for him at any and all times, 

 and everything wide open for a post-prandial tuspection 

 — even to old Sam's gripsack. We left the train when we 

 I'AiUed down to the station at the Canada Soo, and we saw 

 no more of the genial and gentlemanly train inspector 

 till we carae out on our way home. 



Just here I don't know but it would be the right thing 

 to thank him over again through Forest and Stream — 

 him and the collector of customs, Mr. Henry Plummer, 

 for the kindness and courtesies received at their hands, 

 not forgetting that prince of good fellows, conductor 

 George Cavanaugh and his baggage man, whose name I 

 cannot now recall. In fact we have never been treated 

 better anywhere in our wanderings after sport than by 

 the Canadians. They took oitr American money, silver. 



THE HAUNT OF THE PICKEREL, 



Forest and Stream Amateur Photography Competition. 



Photo by Mr. Henry Allender, 



gold or paper at its face value wherever presented, and 

 the Canada Pacific Railway carries all kinds of sportsman's 

 , , _ _ outfits free; guns, dogs, tackle, etc., and even boats and 



"calamities," his usual deliberation and a through ticket canoes not exceeding 20 feet in length, 



to the Soo, shook hands all around with hearty vigor and 

 deliberation, and our cup of happiness was f uU, for every 

 one of us keeps a comer in his heart warm for "Kelpie." 



At Mackinaw City we swapped trains for one on the 

 Duluth & South Shore R. R. , svhich is ferried across the 

 Straits on a big ferryboat to St. Ignace. 



We had bought round trip tickets for the Soo at Mack- 

 inaw, via Trout Lake Junction, a station where tlie Min- 

 neapolis, St. Paul & Sault St. Marie road crosses tiie 

 Dultith & South Shore, but "Kelpie's" ticket took him 

 several miles further up the road, to "Soo Junction." 

 However, our train on the Minn. , St. P. & Soo road was a 

 coujjle of hom-s late, and we arrived at the Soo only a few 

 minutes behind him. All's well that ends well. 



Trout Lake is the better pla.ce to make the change, as 

 the baggage car of the Minn., St. P. & Soo ti-ain goes on 

 into Canada, saving the work and annoyance of a transfer 

 at the Soo. The coaches are replaced by Canada coaches 

 on the American side of the river, and the train goes on 

 it tway across the big iron bridge at the head of the 

 rapids under the control of a Canadian crew of trainmen. 



The train going in from Soo Junction stops on the 

 American side, making a ti-ansfer of baggage necessary; 

 this for the information of any one going into Canada 

 from the south, via the Soo. 



While crossing the bridge, the train collector, Mr. W. 

 H. Hill, came in the baggage car where some of us were 

 looking out the door at the rapids, and when he got his 

 eye on the word "Kingfisher," painted on the box in 

 which the "ironclad" was packed, remarked as he turned 

 to us, "Gentlemen, this must be the Kingfisher iwtyfrom 

 the States; Mr. Plummer told me you would be along to- 

 day and to look out for you." I handed him the Usts I 

 had made out and he soon had the number of pieces 

 checked off, the duty figm-ed out, which was paid him, 

 a nd a receipted list handed back. We also paid $2. 14 on 

 iBlbs, of cofi'e and a case of soups — cliicken, oxtail, mock 

 tm-tle, "bullington" (as om- cook afterward called it), etc. 

 —which case of soups our friend Snider, who had received 



What more coidd "the Joneses" ask? 

 We arrived at Thessalon station (the town is about a 

 mile and a half from the railroad) still a couple of hours ^ 

 late, 6 P. M. standard time, or 7 Eastern time, by which 

 the C. P. runs its trains, but some previous correspond- 

 ence with Mr. James B. Dabie, postmaster at Thessalon, 

 had resulted in three teams being in waiting at the station 

 to haul us and the- calamities out to Big Basswood Lake, 

 where the camp was to be made, and there was some tall 

 hustling to load the wagons, as we had fourteen miles to 

 drive, and not a great deal of daylight left. 



Mr. Dobie keeps a good general store, too, and we had 

 sent him an order for some suj)plies, which were in one 

 of the wagons in the shaj)e of a sack of flour, a couple of 

 big hams, salt pork, beans, canned fruit, ship biscuit, etc., 

 and some rough pine boards for a tnhie, all of which are 

 mighty handy to have aboiit a camp. He had also secured 

 us an alleged cook, an exceedingly fresh young fellow, 

 who had graduated in a lumber camp and knew just 

 enough about cooking to remind us every day and meal 

 of the absence of our old cook Barney; but Barney could 

 not afford to leave a good job to go with us, and we were 

 treated to a style of cookery that "the Joneses wasn't 

 used to," albeit the Joneses never %vus used to the very 

 best. 



Brother Dobie is, in addition to merchant and post- 

 master, an enthusiastic old angler, and he had written us 

 much valuable information about Big Basswood Lake and 

 the region round about, with which he is thoroughly ac- 

 quainted. 



We had also corresponded with Mr. Geo. F. Dyer, liv- 

 ing on the banks of big Basswood near the outlet, and 

 from him had received all kinds of information about the 

 five lakes lying within a radius of 12 or 15 miles ; big 

 and httle Basswood lakes, Clear Lake, Loon Lake and 

 Mud Lake, and among other items, he had selected a 

 camping place for us right near his house — which savored 

 somewhat of an axe to grind. 



We followed the road leading to town a half mile or 



so and turned off to the left, taking another road that our 

 driver said was a better and shorter one, and less hilly 

 than the one leading through the town. 



A few miles out we crossed a very beautiful little stream 

 which the driver informed us was an excellent trout 

 stream — "a little further up"— and here we got out for a 

 drink out of a very cold spring coming out of the hill 

 side near the road. 



Before we were half over the road darkness had come 

 on, and soon after, and for near an hour, we were treated 

 to the most magnificent and wonderful display of north- 

 ern lights, quivering and shootiog in broad belts across 

 the sky, that it has ever been our good fortune to witness. 



It had turned so cold, too, that wo were chilled to the 

 bone, and most of us got out and walked, and ran, and 

 cut up shines and antics along the road to keep warm. 

 We got a view of a part of Little Bass-wood Lake at one 

 point, lying down below us to the right, shimmei ing in 

 the dim light of the stars, and shortly after turned a 

 square corner in the road near which was a big frame 

 house which our mine of information — the driver — an- 

 nounced as the post ofl&ce and town of Sowerby, with 

 the additional iaformation that we were about three 

 miles from our camping place. 



This was welcome news, for we w^ere tired, and cold, 

 and hungry, but the chances for anything to eat before 

 morning were exceedingly slim. 



Our pace was slow, as the wagons ahead were well 

 loaded , and we in the rear had to gang their gait, but at 

 last we rattled down a ' 'long slim 

 hill and across a bridge spanning 

 a noisy little stream," which "our 

 mine" said was the outlet of Big 

 Basswood Lake. Here was a little 

 hamlet of five or six houses called 

 Day Mills, but there was no sign 

 of life about except for the vocif- 

 erous barking of two or three dogs 

 that were aroused by the rattle of 

 the wagons at this unseemly hour 

 of the night. 



We followed the leading wagon 

 along the road for eighty rods or 

 so, when it turned sharply to the 

 left up a steep, rocky hill, along 

 which the main road led, and we 

 got out to help our tii-ed horses to 

 the top by a united push from the 

 rear. 



At the summit, after a hard 

 scrabble, a drive of a few rods 

 took Its out of the woods into an 

 open, level common of twenty or 

 twenty-five acres — we guessed it 

 that in the dark— surrounded on 

 all sides by woods as near as we 

 could make out in the gloom, 

 which we afterward learned had 

 been laid out for a town site in 

 anticipation of the C. P. R. R. 

 coming that way, but it didn't. 

 We followed an old dim road 

 straiglit across the open, going 

 nearly due north, as indicated by 

 the pointers of the big dipper, tiU 

 we came to the M^oods on the 

 further side, when we got out 

 to determine our next move. 

 Through an opening in the woods 

 to the left of the wagons we could 

 see the dim outlines of a house 

 against the sky, and following a 

 path four or five rods were soon 

 pounding at the front door and a 

 side window to rouse the old bear, 

 or (John) Biill, rather, out of his 

 lair. 



At last after we had nearly- 

 rattled the house down over his 

 - head he gave signs of fife with, 

 "Hey there! what's wanted?" fol-" 

 lowed by some growls and grunts 

 and mutteriags in a "deep sot 

 granulated voice," as old Sam 

 made it out, and soon a light appeared inside and the 

 door fronting the lake was unlocked and opened with, 

 "Ah, good evening, gentlemen, the Kingfisher party, I 

 suppose, walk in; I looked for you earlier in the evening, 

 but gave you up at last and went to bed; walk in, walk 

 in and make yourselves at home." All this in that "deej) 

 sot, granulated voice" that had impressed old Sam. But 

 there was no time to waste in %valking in, as it was after 

 11 o'clock and the wagons to unload and a place fixed in 

 which to get a few winks of sleep before rnorning. After 

 a very brief introduction he came out with a light and 

 piloted the teams over an old wagon road, arotind through 

 a little strip of woods, dark as a pocket except for the 

 feeble flicker of the light, and into an open level space at 

 the east side of the house, -where he said the camp was to 

 be made. 



While unloading the wagons Dyer suggested that in- 

 stead of spending time in putting up the tents in the dark 

 we get out our blankets and bedding and make shake- 

 downs on the floor in his house, and the vote on it being 

 itnanimous, we were soon scattered around in three rooms 

 on the uncarpeted floors, and it was not long till a vigor- 

 ous snoring match was going on, with the Colonel slightly 

 iu the lead. Kingfisher. 



Ne-w Hampshire Trout^ 



Our cnrresijondent Von W. tells us that he was misled 

 by erroneous information respecting the New Hampshire 

 trout season. No change was made by the last Legisla- 

 ture, the opening date being still April 15. A Lebanon 

 correspondent, C. D. S., writes: "If the genial Colonel 

 had said that there was a la-w (this year at least) of God 

 that no trout could be caught before May 1 (or even then 

 for that matter) I should fuUy agree with him. I think 

 that Von W. wiU back me in saying that I can catch 

 trout if there are any, but I have been out twice and 

 caught only three trout. In my humble belief, the small 

 brooks are ruined for this year at least. A great many 

 of them froze solid and killed about every trout. Two 

 yeara ago I caught over 2,000 trout and made happy lots 

 of my friends who could not get away from business by 

 giving away some 1,400 of them: but from the outlook 

 now I shaU be happy if 1 catch 500. 



