New-York tribune., 1903-02-15
In PRIMEVAL FORESTS.
Getting Near to Natures Heart m
the Temagamie ReserUe IN Canada.
Hv w. NJ. Fuller. Clerk of the Nev-hork
Court of Special Sessions

dumped over the SIDE of q PUFFY little steamer
ecne fftv miles or from our starting point
Lake Tera1scamins
First went the canoe. a large. oirch oafh
affair and then Duncan. who carefully balanced
himself. paddle hand ready to receive the tent
blankets provisions and general 'dufhe" incident
70 a five weeks canoeing trip into the heart OF
the great TernaEamie Forest Reserve.
Dick and followed in Que course. and soon we
found ourselves casting about among the tan TIM
ber for & place 10 pitch tent for the night.
II you will follow the course OF the Ottawa
River hundred and fifty miles oevono uie
Canadian capitsl YOU VIII find its source Lake
Terniscarnins which is really part OF the river
itself North OF this lake series of other lakes
and rapids connects II with Hudson Bay some TWO
hundred and fifty miles distant
Lake Ter1iscarnins the dividing line between
the Provinces Of Ontario and Quebec II occu-
pies somewhat fnconspicuous place on the map
and yet IL IS ninety-ive miles long ana from one
70 ten miles in width
From contiguous Forests each side come the
millions OF logs which foated down the Ottawa
River TO the greaI Canadian lumber mills.
Stretching out the northwest is a vast area OF
lake aad forest in the centre of which peerless
among her many beautiful sisters. lies Temaean-
fns Lake. This region is known as the TelnasaInie
Forest Reserve
ran across Duncan in Mattswa. e little town on
She lire Of the Canadian Pacific Railroad. where
q purchased my camping outfit, and where en-
Rared his services guide.
A mighty hunter and hackvoodsnan is Duncan.
sss1s From him 1 learned how to make drinking
srJps and various utensils from strips or oirch
ss-lz how 10 find the leaks in the canoe and stop
sbsrn By the use Of pitch and rosin, how 10 make
md set traps for mink and marten: TO Initiate the
.~au Of the moose; 10 handle canoe IN the rap
A.. and MANY other secrets peculiar to wooocraIt
Nv objective point was Lake Te1nasar1ns. OF
-reuazarne as IL is known TO the trappers, Lnoians
.-s -be few sportsnen who ever visit there Thls-
100 occupies but comparatively inconspicuons
,,asce on the map but picLure q lake whose shore
ssne is eight hundred miles n shape ike starnsn
containing twelve hundred lSandS OF wary
4ne sizes and whose hmpid waters clear as crystal
.re fairly alive with game fish Of almost every
5.r~-ies- around whose shores Is a vast, silent
forest Of giant pine undesecrated as yet by WOODS
mans axe: whose depths lurk the wo1' lynx
Pear beaver and all the fauna peculiar 10 the
canadian wilderness Here is the real home of the
snoose and here viii be the last refuge OF that no.
.sle animal before the species becomes finally ex-
ginct-
Here as well -nyrads of water fowl rear their
young preparatory their migrations to south
x-u waters in the late fall
And Dick-dear old Dick. my constant COM
esriop-a little fox terrier-whose unhinching
nerve and pugnacious disposition kept US all In
constant hot water, and yet whose presence largely
sdded TO the enjoyment of ny trip.
We were ca1nped for the night in a wild region.
where rushing torrent known as the Montreal
River came tumbling and roaring over the rocks
Through a canyon in the nearby hills.
Suppose you and that there pup take a look
around while L fix the tent and get some supper
Cor YOU" observed Duncan. So away went DICK
snd myself. scramblng over the rocks TO where the
river plunges into the lake growl from DICK
caused me 10 look up and there scarcely fifty feet
au-ay saw a bear 1t did not seem TO be a very
large bear looked savage enough, and was
evidently astonished that insignificant a Great
,1ro should presume attack it. Dick evidently
thought dog, and as Dicks pet aversion
happened 10 b. st. Bernards i presume Dick
thought that Bruin was ore Of that species
,,I~, 1a5 =
rate stood STA and watched the performance.
-'Ci-r-r-T--." growled Dick as he rushed upon the
enemy The bear raised upon its launches. Whack,
came down Z heavy paw on Dicks side The dog
landed about away, in the water. That he
was not killed seemed little short OF miracle As
St was he crawled painfully up the bank and
looked if 10 say. THAT is the rummiest
kind Of dog ever tackled yet. But for once
Dick had the fight completely taken out Of him.
The bear then took to the underbrush and hur-
ried back Duncan
You ought 10 have brought an axe along" he
said: always pays in the woods. you know Dun
eau told me he had killed several bears with an
axe, and ! had TO take his word for it
II may be well 10 mention that the TemagaIne
Forest Reserve comprises some several thousand
square miles of virgin forest. which the Canadian
Government wiser, apparently, than ours in this
regard is reserving for the of future genera
lions These painless wilds policed by sturdy
tackwoodsmen, known as fire rangers, whose duty
4, lis TO keep sharp lookout for fires. with par
.
sneu They are also the game wardens Of the
region They travel mostly by canoe. A pair OF
blankets Il small tent, some tea, bacon and flour
and trolling inc comprise their outfit They send
An regular weekly monthly reports. which are
preserved in the archives Ottawa Often one Of
them will remain in the forest a month, during
which time he VII perhaps not see a human being
Some OF these men are halfbreeds. others lumber
men who have quit the lumber camps for the free
dom of the forests. ! met one Of then-a young
fellow of tHenty-one thereabouts-seated under
"a tree reading 'Xenophon." We had gone some
sshss fact and had commented on finding a man
reading Greek in such place. he laughed as he
ssepHed: ~Enteuthen exelaunei deka parasangas
This mighty region is vast network of lakes
ard rapids. Most Of the lakes ten miles
,xnore IN length They rarely more than half
q mile apart and where of these huge bodies
of water ernpties into the other through q defle
scarcely hundred yards in width. the result is
r. lesping, surging deluge OF water whose roar may
sometimes be heard for several miles.
have seen the Indians shoot os these
yspids in light canoes. II was as If their canoes
were loaded into great gun at end and they
were shot through the mist and foam to the other
Duncan. who had handled q canoe since boyhood.
thought nothing Of going through these rapids in
his canoe. never expected 10 see him alive AT
rhe other end each time he tried it
To reach Temagamie must climb precipi-
.oue hill some four hundred feet in height With
q large canoe and months provisions 10 carry
.bjs IS no easy task I initiated into the mys
,eries Of 4 .turnp line" This is q broad band of
heather which is htted the forehead, and
rseh end is leather thong some tTelva feet
-, length which secures the load it rests upon
.be hack have seen Hudson Bay Indian carry
1re hundred pounds in this
There arc several lakes and many rapids 10
traverse before reaches Temag annie. 1t was
at the end Of hard struggle against long rapid