Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-05-05
Ehrntttg Uf1at

Soi' henry M. shoemaker, or the
Governors staff. editor and author,
Dig game dover and historian, has
just issued in pamphlet form another
OF MS contributions to the historical
lore OF Pennsylvania. Col. Shoemaker
mas compiled more data concerning
the early days of this State and has
written more interesting articles,
stories and books on topics pertain
ing thereto than possibly any other
! lVlng man. He collects his informa-
toh' IN many cases, first hand from
very old people and well-known local
a., a. tnoflIles In the various districtS
II ~ Whlcn ne travels during his leisurA
tlme. His latest booklet is entitled
Inc SLACK Moose in Pennsylvania"
IN which he clearly proves that as
| ldte as the early part of the eight
eenth century that gigantic animal
ranged the forests of the keystone
state coming down from the North
during cold weather and goingsprob-
aply as far South as the MARYLAND
iihe, put confning itself largely to
the upper reaches of the Juniata and
Susquehanna rivers and along the
Northern Tier"
Col. Shoemaker has evidently spent
|
or information he has digested in so
interesting a manner and the book
let ought to be on the shelf of every
hunter and naturalist in the State.
The writer does not believe that, ex-
cept possibly in isolated instances,
the BLACK Moose" ever bred in
Iennsyivania, testimony going to
snow that it followed the SHOWS
northWard as they retreated in
spring, the young appearing in the
AdlrondackS and other northern
mountain and forest regions in April.
Inc following extract, relating to the
kllllng of the last moose in this State.
Is an interesting chapter from the
publications:
Who killed the last moose in
pennsylvania is a mooted point. ia
COD Illegal, q Clearfield county pio-
neer, is said to have killed the moose
whose antlers adorned Captain Lo-
gan's cabin near Chickalacamoose
one or the Buchanans killed moose
south OF the Juniata, near McVey-
town; Indians killed moose on
Moose Run, Centre county( giving
tne stream its name); and Landlord
HellerS neighbors' dogs caused the
death of the moose, the antlers of
Wnicn hunS over the main entrance
OF the old stone tavern in the Wind
. | "A
moose were killed during the decade
, between 1880 and 1890; there is no
record of any having been seen since
1 lhen. In other words, they were ex-
, terminated in Pennsylvania about
5 the same time as the bison. 1t has
been stated that Colonel John
> Kelly killed the last bison in Penn
sylvania in 1890 or 1900" AS to def
mite dates, probably the moose
killed by the Buchanans on the Juni-
; alta comes as near to being known
E as any. The old tavern which this
famlly kept for many years was
opened in about 1890. The moose was
Killed either that same year or the
year following. For many years this
tavern was known as The Bounding
Elk, being named for q black elk
or moose, which some years before
the erection of the building, swan
the Juniata nearby, but was killed
before he could take harbor in the
southerly forests. Dorcas Holt Bu-
chanan, wife of THE Bounding
Elk's" first landlord, was herself an
intrepid Nimrod. 1t is recorded that
on one occasion when big deer was
chased out of Matawanna Gap into
the river by dogs the young woman
plunged into the stream, and catch
ing 1t by the horns, drowned it in q
pool. Several of the habitues of the
tavern cheered the plucky girl fsbm
the bench at the front door, shout
ing: 60 it Dorkey,'" as she Crap
pied with the terrified Monarch of
the Glen" 1t is related that the
trick could not have been performed
, more neatly by Shaney John, an In
dian hunter, who drowned many
deer in this way, or by his white
disciple, Josh" Roush, 1.-THE Ter
rible Hunter" of the Seven Noun
| tDinC In
sewing by an open window one sum-
mer evening, Dorcas noticed a wolf
looking in at her. Picking up the rifle
which she always kept by her side,
she rammed the barrel down the
frightened animals throat. In this
connection 1T may be well to quote
Roush further on the moose in Penn
sylvania, as related to him by pupils
of Shaney John. The old Indian said
that he had as a boy feasted on
moose nose," great delicacy, and
once had seen a young moose broken
to draw a sledge one particularly
severe winter at a camp near the
headwaters of the Moshannon river
in Blair county. The beast hauled a
s nest in Centre county. An Indian
hunted named Harthegig was the
trainer, while two warriors named
The Big Cat and Killbuck, accompan-
ed the consignment to the nest.
1t is probable that in a short time
the State Game Commission will es-
tablish some game preserves in west
ern counties Offers of land have
been made from time to time but II
has been found that in many cases
the lands were covered by leases OF
the coal or oil. The western end OF
the State has been pretty we'll looked
up and while there are many tracts
suitable for game the coal men have
been busy, too.