, 1924-02-28
INTERESTING
@ OF OUR
EARLY DAYS

III reading me Republican John
+. H~eagney. born AMI raised in
Rawlins but for man years past a
resident of Casper. had brought to
his mind many early fishing and
hunting trips which he enjoyed as
a boy here.
Mr.. Heagney has written The Re
publican a very interesting letter in
connection with these trips and We
are pleased to publish same:
aawlins Republican.
Rawlins. Wyo.
Dear Editor:
In reading your most welcome
paper for the last several months
| note that Rawlins already has or
soon Will lave their water supply
from Sage Creek which suppCsc
is the Sage creek about thirty miles
south of Rawlins which | lnew so
well many years ago and which
also hear is very fine trout stream
now bat when | was a boy there
were no trout in any creeks running
to the east from the continental di-
vide mot even the Platte River)
for many miles either north or south
of Rawlins, but on the west slope
all streams We're natural trout
streams and the trout we're plenti-
ful.
My father with some hunter would
20 out from two to four times every
summer and spend a few days on
either the head of the Muddy or
Brown's Hill or else 20 on over
through Sage Creek Basin to the
head of Slavery and he always TOOK
me along and | think the reason he
OF me was to catch the grass
hoppers which were not very plenti-
tul in those days, especially in the
mountains and | know that | was
all in every night after catching
them all lay. But grasshoppers
We're the best bait.
When | was small and making
those trips l used to wonder why il
was that there were no trout in
Sage Creek when there was such
fine water. Especially the Big
Spring in the Basin at the head. We
would leave Rawlins in the morning
and eat Il lunch at Pine Grove
and in the afternoon drive up over
Browns Hin to the head of the
Muddy and camp and catch trout
for supper and breakfast in a very
few minutes and IL we were going
on to Slavery we wen almost due
south through SAGE Creek Basin and
then on over to the hcadwaters Of
Savery whore we would camp for
several days and have fish deer or
antelope meat or maybe all three at
each meal.
There was always fine fishing in
Slavery those days Choth trout and
EraNlingl n NOR. beaver and
beaver dams than | ever saw on any
other stream. II Is very interesting
10 see them work and | have several
times seen them on a nice moon
light night working as only beaver
can. and after | had spent an hour
or so sncakinE up to a place where
| could see them but they could not
see me or even hear me. II they did
1t was all Off for me that night.
There was also another kind OF a
dam In the creeks made by Indians
and consisted OF driving willow
stakes about an inch in diameter and
probably an inch apart clear across
the creek and then they We're inter
woven with small willows making n
hrickwork effect and 1t was par, nj
my work on those trips to tear them
all out, for the white man used
hooks.
always viii believe that the In
dams nut those "obstrucuons across
to catch The Gsh, You see thrg could
wade up or down the stream asa
when the fish were near the OBJ
struHtion they could drop q h'purot
or hide uf some animal aui throw
the hh out with their hands They
could not do this 90 tho main aeeak
hut II WAS in an the hlJiH side
streams
While lablug we used TO Gro "a th.
creek back aud forth on beaver
dams and sometimes some OF thCm
wore worry shaky and / remember on
my first trip TO Slyory | took a head,
err rff "a dam | was crossing Into
about ton feet OF water and when /
cam mp my father grabbed me and
pulled me out. He happened to be
GRO sing At the same time but he
uudrrstoo dthdamsndacOw up a 1
understood the dams and | did not.
But ! soon learned.
Saycry in the early days of Raw
lius was a paradise FOR either fish.
rrman or hunter and | only wish
could see n again as II was then OF
even a. u was mp To thirty Eve year.
ago. about the time | saw u last.
and | am going TO try to see some
Of those old haunts OF mine again
this year IL nothing happens and
know | viii sec many changes
which may be- all for the best but IN
my heart | would rather see
what tn" cnstcrncr use TO call ~
Wild and woolly west,
Yours very truly
JOHN r HEAGNEY