10 
The Woods, the Blooms, the Birds, the Storms, 
HE question of the benefits to be 
derived from life in the open is 
agitating present-day opinion in no 
slight degree, but that recognition of the 
value of outdoor living is not as recent as 
many persons have been led to believe, 
is attested by the fact that more than 23 
years ago Col. William D. Sohier, son 
of one of the pioneer summer residents 
of the North Shore, and himself the pro- 
moter of several schemes for the preser- 
vation of the natural beauties of this pic- 
turesque locality, founded a camp on the 
borders of Gravelly lake, where he could 
spend week-ends the entire year round 
and seek rest and seclusion, far from the 
bustle of city life, and build up tired 
nerves by living in the open air. 
The spot chosen for the venture is 
ideal in every respect, situated as it is on 
the top of a hill, in the midst of wood- 
land stretches, with the waters of the 
lake shimmering below. It is easily ac- 
cessible to the railroad station, being but 
a mile inland, and is but 14 hours’ ride 
from Boston, where Mr. Sohier is in 
business. 
At the time of its erection the camp 
was the only one in the vicinity, and 
even now, when several other camps 
have been built in nearby districts, it is a. 
mile distant from its nearest neighbor, 
Col. Sohier having, since his original 
purchase of six acres, added to his_ hold- 
ings until he now owns 200 acres of land, 
and more than three-fourths of the front- 
age of Gravelly pond. The camp is 
reached by a private wood patch that 
branches off from the main highway 
about a mile to the right of the camp set- 
ting, and leads along the banks of the 
pond, winding in and out affording 
charming glimpses of stream and forest, 
until it suddenly ends at aclearing where 
the camp stands. On all sides of the 
immediate surroundings extend broad 
wooodland stretches, those on the north, 
south and west being two miles in width, 
while those on the east are fully 
eight miles in depth. All these were in- 
accessible untila few years ago, when 
the colonel started the movement that 
has resulted in the laying out of the many 
delightful wood roads with which the 
vicinity now abounds. 
At the time of his purchase Col. Sohier 
had in mind to build a little camp, inex- 
pensive in style and equipment, where he 
and some friends could come for week- 
ends to live the simple life, making the 
little house their headquarters for sleep- 
ing and eating, but spending the greater 
part of the time in the open air, enjoy- 
ing to the fullest extent the facilities for 
NO CLOSED SEASON AT THE SOHIER CAMP. 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
and Ice, 
All Join in the Contribution of Outdoor Pleasures Enjoyed at the 
Wilderness Lodge of North Shore Resident on the Shores of 
Gravelly Pond. 
the Waters, Snow 
pleasure the lake and woods afforded. 
With this view he built the small camp, 
which is now but one of a group of 
buildings on the premises, measuring 22 
feet in length, by 15 feet in width. It 
consisted of a living room, with a great 
open fire-place, where the owner and 
his guests could congregate for a chat 
before retiring to the refreshing slumber 
that a day spent in the woods or on the 
water made welcome, witha small kitch- 
en beyond, where meals could be cooked 
and served, and two chambers upstairs 
for sleeping accommodations. 
So benefical were the results obtained 
from these week-end outings that before 
the season was over Col. Sohier erected 
a barn nearby, wherein could be housed 
several horses to afford to the campers 
the additional pleasure of horseback rid- 
ing, permitting of longer excursions in- 
to the surrounding territory than could 
be taken on foot. 
The next year the camp was consider- 
ably enlarged, and several minor im- 
provements have been made each year. 
The main room, which is now some- 
what larger than at first, still boasts the 
same attractive fireplace, but the kitchen 
opening from it is considerably larger 
than it was originally, and beyond has 
been added an L for the storage of wood. 
Upstairs another chamber has been _ pro- 
vided, and around two sides of the camp 
a covered veranda has been built. The 
walls and ceilings of the entire interior 
show the heavy beams and rafters, and 
about the living room snowshoes, skees, 
lanterns, etc., are hung. No attempt 
has been made to produce a finished ef- 
fect, the picturesque rustic atmosphere 
having been rigorously retained. 
It was in 1903 that the most impor- 
tant addition was made. ‘This is the 
Octagonal house. It was built to ac- 
commodate the men folks, the original 
camp having been given over to the ladies 
of the family and their friends. 
This house is constructed of two-inch 
North Carolina matched plank, covered 
with redwood shingles. The interior 
shows a four-foot dado of North Carolina 
sheathing,, with rough finished walls 
above. It consists of a single room, the 
predominating feature of which is a huge 
fireplace of rough fieldstone. Extend- 
ing around the room, and ending at eith- 
er side of the fireplace, is a broad seat 
effect, softly cushioned, which in addi- 
tion to being decorative, serves as sleep- 
ing quarters for the men. ‘The broad 
windows arranged all around the house 
are so contrived that they can be lowered 
into a groove behind the sheathing, thus 
allowing the interior to be made _ practi- 
cally open whenever desired. A _built- 
in book case beside the fireplace serves 
as receptacle for the owner’s favorite 
volumes, and adds a ‘“‘homey’’ touch to 
an attraetive ensemble. Japanese lan- 
terns, hung here and there from the 
rough beams contribute a note of bright- 
ness, and many fine skins arranged about 
the walls and on the floor of the apart- 
ment attest to Col. Sohier’s love of the 
hunt. ‘The room is typically the abode 
of asportsman. ‘There is an atmosphere 
of unconventionality about it that is in 
perfect accord with the picturesque, un- 
cultivated surroundings. It is a spot 
where trouble and care receive no wel- 
come, but where laughter and good na- 
ture reignsupreme. All the house clean- 
ing, cooking, etc., is done by the camp- 
ers, no servants being brought down 
here, andone and all declare that the 
‘“‘housework’’ constitutes one of the 
camp’s chief charms. 
It would be difficult indeed to find a 
more ideal winter resort. The steep 
hills all about afford splendid opportuni- 
ties for tobogganing, coasting and skee- 
ing, and during seasons when the ice _ is 
good, the toboggans shoot down the 
slide, that has been built at one side. of 
the camp, clear across the pond.  Skat- 
ing and ice boating are also indulged in 
to a considerable extent, and many of 
the men of the party enjoy ice fishing. 
Perhaps the most popular form of win- 
ter amusement is snow-shoeing. The 
numberless wood paths leading through 
the forest in all directions afford wonder- 
ful opportunities for this exhilarating pas- 
time, and it is no unusual sight to see a 
group of campers start out on a day’s 
snow-shoeing trip, roaming wherever the 
notion takes them, scurrying hither and 
thither, and incidentally storing up an 
abundant amount of energy to offset 
weariness of tired bodies. 
Inthe summer months boating, fish- 
ing and bathing engage the camper’s at- 
tention. Canoeing is a favorite sport 
here, and in the little boathouse that has 
been built at the edge of the pond, sev- 
eral canoes are kept in constant readiness 
for use. Frequently the entire party will 
embark ona day’s trip, starting early in 
the morning, with lunch baskets filled 
with goodies, and paddling along until 
some new and especially pretty nook is 
discovered, where lunch can be eaten 
and the ramble enjoyed. 
The buildings on the premises were 
all planned by the owner, no architect 
being consulted as to their designing, and 
this fact has kept the expense consider- 
ably lower than it would otherwise have 
been. ‘The furnishings which are hand- 
some and substantial, were chosen with 
a view to comfort and wearing qualties, 
and their cost was small in proportion to 
their suitability. 
[Reprinted from the Boston Sunday Globe of Jan, 16, 1910,] 
