Annals of the Beaver River

A new and unwelcome sight confronted local outdoor guides and their clients at the east end of the Stillwater Reservoir in the summer of 1891. At the foot of Little Rapids the long-established carry trail was blocked off and all along the river there were placards that read: TRESPASS NOTICE All persons are strictly forbidden to trespass upon these grounds. Any violation of the above will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The waters of Smith’s Lake are also included in this notice.    CAUTION The hotels on Smith’s Lake and Munsey’s are closed. No one will be permitted under any circumstances to camp on Smith’s or Albany Lake, or in that vicinity.   These No Trespassing signs were posted at the direction of Dr. William Seward Webb, who had just purchased about 120,000 acres of mostly undeveloped forest including all the lands surrounding the upper reaches of the Beaver River. The purchase included dozens of picturesque lakes and ponds historically favored by sportsmen such

Leander M. Shaw and John P. Rapalje were the principal founders of Rap-Shaw Club. Details of the story of how the club came into existence can be found in my book , The History of the Rap-Shaw Club  (2019) and more briefly on this blog in a post on 5/16/21. In order to form a better idea of the personalities of the men who founded the club, I’ve written brief biographical sketches of them. I previously posted my biography of John P. Rapalje on October 14, 2021.  Leander Meade Shaw was born on June 1, 1837. His father, Edward Shaw, established the Shaw Funeral Home in Fairport, NY, a short distance east of Rochester along the Erie Canal. His mother, Melissa Shaw, was directly descended from the original founders of Fairport. Leander married Josephine B. Pearse of Columbus, PA on Oct. 14, 1867. At the time of their marriage Ms. Pearse was the principal of the Fairport High School, the first woman to ever hold that post. They had no children.   Leander took over the funeral business on hi

John P. Rapalje and Leander M. Shaw were the principal founders of Rap-Shaw Club. Details of how the club came into existence can be found in my book , The History of the Rap-Shaw Club  (2019 ) , and more briefly on this blog in a post from 5/16/21. In order to form a better idea of the personalities of the men who founded the club, I’ve written brief biographical sketches of them. My biography of Leander M. Shaw will be posted in the near future. John Proctor Rapalje was born April 27, 1848, in the town of Farmington, Ontario Co., NY. His father, William S. Rapalje was a farmer. His mother was  Helen Elizabeth Spencer. When John was in his early teens the family moved to  Durham, Town of Port Hope, Ontario, Canada where his father worked selling seed to farmers. His father’s older brother owned a successful seed store in Rochester at the same time, of which the Ontario store may have been a branch. In the mid-1860’s the family returned to the family farm in western New York where his