Adirondack Characters And Campfire Yarns: Early Settlers And Their Traditions - Tapa dura

Brief: Venture into the wilderness with French Louie and Alvah Dunning and learn about lesser known characters such as Old Lobb of Piseco Lake and Moose River Plains guide Slim Murdock. Travel the trapline with Richard Woods, E. J. Dailey and Burt Conklin, "the greatest trapper." Explore the turbulent waters of the West Canada Creek in search of trout, learn about the tools of the spruce gum trade, and find out why "the liars club" of Forestport called their get-togethers "parting with the dog." Adirondack Characters and Campfire Yarns fills a void in the recorded history of a seldom written-about region and the people who settled it.---- Back Cover Matter: After his friends Harvey Dunham and Mortimer Norton passed away, Lloyd Blankman dreamed of organizing his newspaper and magazine articles, along with articles by his friends, into a book. Sadly, Lloyd died before getting very far into the project. Author William J. O’Hern has resurrected Blankman’s vision, by joining his original writing with the enduring works of Blankman and his contemporaries in Adirondack Characters and Campfire Yarns, a mosaic history of the lives and traditions of the settlers of the Southern Adirondacks. Venture into the wilderness with French Louie and Alvah Dunning and learn about lesser known characters such as Old Lobb of Piseco Lake and Moose River Plains guide Slim Murdock. Travel the trapline with Richard Woods, E. J. Dailey and Burt Conklin, “the greatest trapper.” Explore the turbulent waters of the West Canada Creek in search of trout, learn about the tools of the spruce gum trade, and find out why “the liars club” of Forestport called their get-togethers “parting with the dog.” Adirondack Characters and Campfire Yarns not only fulfills Blankman’s dream, it fills a void in the recorded history of a seldom written-about region and the people who settled it. Over 80 vintage photographs! ---- Catalog Description: A superb treasury of Adirondack history, folklore, and legend. In his later years, Lloyd Blankman lectured about the beautiful mountains, forests, streams, and the people who became part of the enchanting landscape of the Southern Adirondacks. French Louie, the Blueberry Girls, "Red Jack," "Pants" Lawrence, Old Lobb, and the Conklin Clan are a few of the colorful characters who appear in these pages. Adirondack Characters and Campfire Yarns joins Blankman's enduring newspaper columns with William J. O'Hern's original writing to provide us an engaging glimpse of Adirondack pioneer life.

A brief biography of William J. O'Hern Author of Adirondack Characters and Campfire Yarns William J. “Jay” O'Hern lives in rural Camden, New York, where he worked as an elementary school teacher for thirty-five years before retiring. He and his wife Bette have raised five children along with several horses, pigs, geese, dogs and cats. Today, in retirement they enjoy their many grandchildren. Jay is a graduate of SUNY Auburn and SUNY Oswego and did graduate work at SUNY Oswego and the College of St. Rose in Albany. Jay has also worked in the lumber, paper, chemical and metal fabricating industries. Carpentry, handicrafts, gardening, kayaking, backpacking, snowshoeing, mountain biking, and writing are his hobbies. Years of backpacking taught Jay the Adirondack Mountains' nooks and crags not only had natural beauty, but could be interesting historically. Jay became a 46er in the 1980s and has been a member of the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) since 1969. He lectured for Adirondack Discovery for 17 years, for Sagamore Lodge in Raquette Lake for 7 years and occasionally for the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mt. Lake. Jay's previously published books include: Life With Noah: Stories and Adventures of Richard Smith with Noah J. Rondeau (North Country Books); Anyplace Wild in the Adirondacks (a self-published book of postcards); and Adirondack Stories of the Black River Country (North Country Books). Articles written by Jay have appeared in the following magazines: Adirondack Life, Fur, Fish and Game, and Adirondac. For more information or to arrange book signings or speaking engagements please contact: Roy Reehil, 315-675-9704, or email:roy@theforagerpress.com