Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-02-26
THE LAND OF CARIBOU AND TROUT.
a scheme in which Lovers of Field
sports will be Interested

ing, has leased, from the Canadian gov
eminent for period of years, a chain of
| lakes over II hundred in number, situated
about one hundred miles north of Mon
treal, in the very heart of the Canadian
wilderness. These lakes TEEN with
| speckled trout and have never been tished
over by sportsmen, and, in fact, many of
! them have never been explored and are
not on the government maps The sur
sounding forests contain caribou, bear,
and the smaller wild animals, aud the
streams and lakes are the home of many
fur-bearing animals, such as beaver, otter,
mink and marten.
Mr. Parker, who has hunted and fshed
III this vicinity, more or less, for the past
twenty years, proposes to form Il club to
he called "The Laurentian Fish and
Game Club" limited with a capital stock
of SD ,OOO divided into 1000 shares of $25
each. The club, when formed will elect
proper officers for its government. Mr..
Parker has already laid out convenient
roads and pOrtages, secured the services of
II number of good guides, built n substan-
| tial log house on the shores of Lac La
| Peche and has another nearly completed
on the shores of Lac Fou These houses
will he supplied with all necessary cook
ing utensils and there will be suitable
boats placed on all Of the principal lakes.
The man club house has not yet been
built.
The members of the club residing in
this city are Mcssrs. g. w. BpckWlth, a.
! H. BarrOWs and j. Van Sicklen. Mcssrs.
Barrows and Van SickIen have just re
turned from a four days trip to the
"Laurentiau club grounds, bringing
with them Il caribou and about 400
speckled trout, weighing from quarter
of a pound to two pounds; Trout fishing
is not ut its best, With the thermometer
ranging from 30 to 30 below zero, hut 100
trout, the result of three days hshinG.
show what might be done under more
favorable circumstances. The caribou
was shot by Mr.. BarroWs after "A 2O-lnile
| tramp on SnGWShOcs. The caribou are
quite plenty in the immediate vicinity of
the club house. There were five in the
herd from which this one was shot, hat
just now, owing to their being but little
snow to impede their progress, it is very
difficult to get near enough for Il shot.
MI Parker and his good wife. a daugh
ter OF lgnatius Tyler, pioneer in the lum-
Der trade in Burlington, reside at It. Ellie,
Il small Canadian village about il miles
below the club house and Messrs. Bar
rows and Van Sicklcn are full of praise of
the treatment received at their hands.
Mrs. Parker has explored many of these
lakes IN company with her husband and
the guides, and can tell some trout stories
which would put some of our Burlington
anglers to shame. The guides by lame,
| IheODald and Filarume Guiueau. We're
gentlemanlY, willing and capable
OF enduring almost any hardship
and would carry Il load on
snow shoes which would trouble
Il good many men to even lift Unlike the
guides of the Adirondacks, who have been
corrupted 10y the fees of civilization,
these fellows are willing to do all OF the
| hard work for very small compensation
The grounds of the Lurentian club are
adjacent To those leased by the club OF
winch our toWnsman, Gen. w. II. Henry,
is Il member. They are very easy OF &C
cess by Il branch of the Canadian Pacific
| railroad, running from Three Rivers to
| Grand Pies village, small lumber camp
supply town, situated on the st. Maurice
river Leaving here on the afternoon
train one car reach the club house III time
to get the evening fly fishing the next day
The country in this vicinity is very
sparsely settled though the manner
in which the government laid out the
land, brings the houses nearer together
than on our Vermont roads. \ section
is four acres wide and twenty-five acres
deep and all distances there, are meas
ured by acres not rods or miles, as with
us. Very few OF the inhabitants speak
English but they are extremely hOspita-
bic and anxious to do all III their power
10 assist the visiting Americans to enjoy
themselves.
These hundred acre sections are obtain
ed from the government by Il four years
residence and cultivation of the land and
the payment of So per year for the four
years ole leull Vi All Vi the pIOuuCe Ol
the farm has TO be given to the church
each year for its support. They are Il
very pious, easily governed people and
seldom quarrel among themselves All
disputes which do arise, are settled by the
decision of the priest-nO Burlington law
yers needed there. Churches are quite
plenty and at short intervals, on the roads,
there are, in small lots neatly fenced,
symbols of the cruciliX-a large cross,
with hammer spike and blacksmiths
nall puller tackled on the face and i'll some
cases surmOunted by a large rooster. The
houses are built of logs and many of the
barns are matched with straw instead of
singled. Outside of each house is 4
large oven made mostly from clay In
these the bread is baked. The wood is
put into the oven and Il strong fire kept
until the walls are thoroughly heated,
The fire is then drawn out and the bread
put in, the heat Of the walls baking il.
The bread is baked in large pans the
loaves weighing from six to eight pounds
when baked. Butter is an unknown lux
ury maple sugar, molasses and syrup
taking its place. Potatoes have to be buried
in the ground to keep them from freezing
these pits are not opened until spring.
Children are plenty, the families ranging
IN number from seven to nineteen.
y visitor to this country il well repaid
by the study of the habits and conditions of
the inhabitants. The scenery is most pic
turesque and in the grounds of the
"Laurentian Club there is hardly val
ley among the numerous hills which does
not contain IA little lake, and a. Yet there
Is but one lake discovered ON the lease,
which does not contain trout in endless
number. This is to he stocked the COM
ing season,
by the terms of the lease the govern
ment as well as the club are obliged to
keep guardians on the grounds at all
times, to prevent poaching, and Mr.. Par
ker expects soon to complete arrange
ments by which all trappers OF FL. bear
ing animals will be forbidden the right TO
trap on the lands leased by the club. \
couple of trappers now camped on one of
the lakes belonging to the club have trap
ped this season ninety odd beaver, eleven
otter and numerous fur-bearing animals
such as mink and marten. This country
is sure to draw from the Adirondacks
the beauty of which is fast becoming
spoiled by the advance OF civilization and
leases, become the popular fish and game
clubs of the country.