Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-01-23

! w liHu'uf inc nEnt IOd H'''' '''''-'' 'NN
busy, and quickly secured in' mess OF
sp"cklcd trout from som" p""'s "h"re
the water breaks away from the Dan IN
It's rush for Mcdonald. Then the d'hher'
fried trout and bacon, aud pancakes ana
tea. Could anything he better win appr
! tics, trained to the minute with on"
! forcnoon's work?
| Passing up tho long narrow nay ""
stopped at an interesting Old ihn,D@r
camp, a deserted iittl. village. 'he Tor
MGR hahi'atiou Of several hundred men.
| Tho buildings of logs included cabins.
ofhcR cook houses, mess pui'oinss'
blacksmith shops, stables and store
houses wholly abandoned several years
fEo apparently. and about everything
/ dropped, In TN" way Of tpo,s, Just as the
rn"h Quit work. ~ rounded the point
and Jared the broad lake We round
whtc"aps aplcnty, and ~ we're compelled
/ to go ashore, and we remained tied Wy on
that point two nights and II day. When
we finally got away early one morning,
the lake WAS still pretty rough, but we
made the other shore and the shelter hut
sunny side all right but 1t took some
careful padding to do 1t. Opeongo kicks
UP big sea when the wind blows and the
canoeist must beware
Years ago. when trapplnt was unre-
stricted in the Province of ontario, John
Dennison penetrated the wilderness in the
region OF the thousand lakes" and built
a log bin on neck Of land dividinS
portions OF Great Opeongo lake. COpeon-
go Is an Indian word meaning narrows
connecting two big lakeD. IIc set his
traps, cleared a little land. and as tho
years went by children and grandchildren
grow up around him When the buying
seasons came, Trapper Dcuuison followed
the blazci trails and water by-paths lead
ing to the edge Of civilization, we'll loaded
/ with the pcts Of the beaver. the otter
and the mink
With no nciGhbors within many miles.
except the wild animals Of the woods,
/ Dennison trapped on. growing old and
/ gray. one day, using n lugout canoe.
( he visited his numerous traps, fo- Opeon-
go is - miles long and Las many dccp
BAYS The old trAppcr had with him his
eiGht.Ncar-od grandson who often ac-
cunp1ntcd him ON his tripa. \ine uSlcS
from homo. up under dark shores ON
Black Creek. big bear was found in
one Of the traps and Dennlson undert ook
I to kill the animal with a club Just as
| he had done in many cases in years gOn"
| by. But that bear was unusually large
and fierce, and in an Iuguarded moment
! Ugly claws drew the old man int an
| embrace more vicious than the steel ia VS.
! of the trap that grippcd the hind leg of
the Infatuated beast Wen knowing that
he had tended his last trap, Dennison
! ordered his grandson to 90 home. and tn
! terrified little fellow, half dead with
fright, fed to the canoe with the fierce
grows ringing in his ears, and mana ged
to find his way back to the old log house
in a faraWaY section of the lake.
With the cight-vear-old guide to lead
them, the family made IA brave attempt
to find and aid the old man, but darkness
Of the forest night had blotted out head
lands and trails. and It was not until
the light of early morning had come that
the stricken members of the Dennison
family reached the scene. The bear was
| still in the trap, alive and fierce and in
his enbarce the lifeless form of the Old
trapper. With much labor they took him
tcnderly back to the clearing and laid
him to rest not far from the log house
hewing out Of pine a thick crude marker
with n peculiar-fashioned top and sur
rounding the mound with a fence OF
cedar
This is n true story of a wilderness
tragedy that has been told to the writer
many times by fire rangers met during
our annual trips to what is now known
as the Algonquin National park of Can
ada. During our stay at the log shelter
hut on Opeongo lake-our first visit ia
that locality by the wayne had a friend
~ can one afternoon from Richard owen
and William Arnott. fire rangers who
happened to be IN that vicinity. When
the conversation turned to the Dennison
tragedy. our visitors suggested that Va
visit the spot whore the old man was
buried and volunteered to guide us t.
the place a mile away. So we trampod
up the hillside over winding trail among
the evergreens and birches, an a 9 We
| wound down the slope on the other side
and nearel the clearing, several deer
broke for cover as III" watchful bluejnN
sounded notes Of warning.
In order that our cameras might hav'
fun play, tn" rangers removed some Of
| the rails surrounding the grave. am
standing about the little Enclosure, TIA.
story Of trapDcr D"nniSou was rctold sub
stantilly as We had heard it many
, times before. Thcr" is enc bit Of sen
! timcnt about the incident AS tire rams.
crs, strangers to the DcnnisOn faml!
: long since gone. as they pass and repas'
in that region, Seem to feel II duty Il
, care fol the old trappers burial place
kindly hands keeping the rustic fence
about the plot in repair The surround
ngs OF that lone grave are impressive
] and the suli;Dd" fairly cats into the Wis
small clearing which slopes gently 10 th'
east. mcctinI Beaver 1aN, frng"d thcll'
I with popular trees and falling ava &
. the West TO an overgrt n-linoi shore
n over the grave and marker a sclf-sowl
balsam spreads its friendly branches
e While the beaver builds It's home undis
. urncd and munchcs buds ana harkS OF
' the orcongo, John D,nn.son, the ole
: trappor sleeps peacefully on.
- TR \GEDnCS TOLD ~ HEADLINES
U'rom the Chi,agu iupuue)
New reporter. on his first assignment
meets hold-up man: IS writing his stur.
In hospital
affair brokcu off. mother of the Noun!
woman disllhrd the thinge that young MAJ
> smoked"
Angry Jauitor smalt.uS under com
plants turns ou too much heat. loss -
. tilult"l ~ tro
Living skeleton take dose of anti-fa
= by mistakc appealing, result