Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1877-02-06
From S,ribssr's lfonthly for February.
TTOltfShilg in The RalgGlGy Lakes
m Z. sEruorR.

There car be no better text for paper
upon the big trout OF the Rsngeley Lakes
than the representation of one drawn
upon birch bark, an accurate engraving
OF which is given on the next page, The
fish here reproduced, be it understood, is
q agenuine specimen OF the speckled brook
trout, OF, 10 pat it scientifically, of the
Salnl0 J0HtiRGiiS, and weighed eight and
a baJ pounds when taken IRON the water
by It's captor. K. Il. Allerton, OF New
York City. II had all the recognized
peculia,ities OF brook irout.-,he square
tail, small hesd, mouth black inside (in-
stead of White, as is The case with lake
trout) and finally the bright vermiliou
spots which distinguish brook trout from
all other species. This particular fish
was captured June 5, 1869. in Lake
Mooselucmsgunlic. 1t was taken on a
trolling line sitter contest lasting forty
niue minutes. When landed it was en-
tirely uniOjured. and several days after
when killed il was laid upon piece OF
birc5 bark. and it outline traced, and
then filed in by an amateur artist. The
engraving has been made from this orig
iusl drawing, which is reduced nearly
fvC-siN,ls, or, in CtEer words. the figure
here given is 4 lI,uc over one-SiXth life
size Ia length this trout measured %
inches, and az the thickeSt part lis GRIT
was Il inches. There is nothing like
accuracy in fish story" and as this
trout is by no means the largest which
has been captured in the RAugeley Lakes.
and Is one OF thousands OF This species
ranging from half pound TO ter pounds
whiah have been taken in these waters, ii
ouly remains 20 add that the legend this
drawing bears-hic jGcet-reters entirely
to the fish whose obituary is here written,
aud net ~ all 10 the statements about his
ellow-dsnizsns OF the RAngeley Lakes.
some information about which i, is the
purpose OF this paper to present.
Interchangeable. Northumberland,
WelOkeueo oac Jok, Cupsup,uc, and Range
lev. are the names carried by the indi-
yidual members OF group OF lakes
which are Ye; destined 70 be rs familiar
in The literature Of The American sports
man as the salmon rivers OF Canada or
the trout streams OF the Adiroadacks.-
These lakes lie in the western part OF
Maine. near the New Hampshire bcua-
dairy line. The White Mountains are
some thirty miles distant, little 10 the
west OF south, aLd Moosehead Lake Is
about sixty or seventy miles 20 the north
east. Il may De absolute inc;cdu.ity as
10 the dsh stories which are told Of these
lakes,-!t is hard for one who has not
seen a specaied trout weighing ten, eight,
or even six pounds, 10 have taish in the
existence Of fish OF this size and species,
or it may be despair OF defining his
destination when the sportsman reads the
unpronounceable names which these
lakes bear; but what ever the cause, the
number OF visitors 10 this region has thus
fa- been comparatively small. Thoreau.
10 be sure, described i. in l general way
years ago, and so did Theodore Winthrop.
bat their accounts made il appear Ikea
terra iHcogHita, full Of difficulties when
il was once reached. Now, however,
the railroad excursion iiend has fixed bis
fangs upon the dis rict. Excursion tickets
from Boston to the RsDgeleY lakes and
return by various routes are sold By the
different railroads; photographers have
been through the Lakes taking views oi
the various camps and OF picturesque To-
calilies in general; at least one guide
book has been issued. and since the last
barrier 10 the eXclusiveness of the dis
iricl has thus been broken down, there
en- be no breach Of trust in giving to
The readers OF ScriJHer'S Monthly an SC
curate account OF one Of the most pic
turesqne and attractive regions east oI
the Rocky Mountains.
Maine is so profusely dotted over with
lakes as to suggest the thought that the
State has not yet been we'll drained OF
that sigh. tilting Of the continent might
depIess the general level OF this region
so as to submerge il in the Atlantic
But the fact is that the lakes which have
lust been named are between fourteen
and fifteen hundred feet above the sea-
level, and are embosomed in mountains,
some OF which reach a height of two,
three, and even four thousand feet. Ap-
proachir from the southeast by way oi
Pennington aud Phillips, you frs; strike
Rangeley Lake at its extreme eastern
end, and here the entire group Is gener'
sily spoken OF as the R4ngsley Lakes
| Coming from the other direction, bv way
of Andoyer, Welokenebaco * is hrs
reached. and in this region one hears the
group spoken Of as the Richardson Lakes
although this nsme is properly applicable
only 10 WelokenebacOok and Molechun'
kemunk. But the tourist and the fisher
man will appreciate the advantage OF e1'
plicit directions regarding the precise
routes which it is desirable 10 follow il