In their own words #1 - W. W. Hill

My next six posts are my transcriptions of articles written by enthusiastic sportsmen who visited the Beaver River country between 1874 and 1891. Four of the articles were published in the popular national sporting magazine, Forest and Stream. One is from a local newspaper and one is an excerpt from a private letter. They are but a small sample of the very large number of articles in this vein published at the end of the nineteenth century that stoked interest in outdoor recreation. Each paints a vivid picture of what it was like to take a vacation along the upper Beaver River in those days.

William W. Hill owned a business in Albany, NY that manufactured carriage and harness hardware. By the time of his trip in 1874 his business was quite successful and he had just been elected a member of the Albany Institute, an organization composed of Albany’s leading citizens dedicated to advancing citizen scientific research. He was a Civil War veteran, a Mason, and a devoted fly-fisherman. Hill was also a devoted collector of Adirondack butterflies. For more on that hobby, see my article “Butterfly Effect” in the May/June 2020 edition of Adirondack Life. A biographical sketch of Hill appears in Chapter 6 of my forthcoming book, Beaver River Country.

William W. Hill, “The Beaver River Country, N.Y.” 

Forest and Stream, August 13, 1874, Vol. 3, #1, pp. 2 – 3.

Last summer, from the 9th of July to the 20^th of August, I made, with my family, my headquarters at Fenton & Hillman’s, Number 4, Lewis County. This angler’s home accommodates fifty people. It is pleasantly situated on a plateau surrounded at first by valleys, and beyond by long ranges of mountains, which are seen stretching their outlines in the distance, at from twelve to twenty miles to the north, east, and south. Half a mile to the north is Beaver Lake, which is a mile and a quarter long, about one-third of a mile wide and forty feet deep in its deepest part; and through which the Beaver River flows. Sunday Creek, Slough Brook and Alder Creek, all good trout streams, empty their pure waters into the lake or river near by. Eagle falls (twenty feet perpendicular), two and a half miles below the lakes and the intermediate falls and rapids are as picturesque and beautiful spots as the wilderness affords.

 

Up the river to the Stillwater, twelve miles by the windings of the stream; there are nineteen distinct falls and rapids; some of the larger falls being from thirty to forty feet in height. This part of the river can be descended in a boat, with a skillful guide, by carrying around the heavy falls and lower rapids about 4 miles. One and a half miles to the south of Fenton’s by road and trail is Francis' Lake, a pleasant sheet of water one and a half miles long, more noted for deer than for trout.

 

The house is eighteen miles from the Utica and Black River Railroad. The road is good for thirteen miles, and the whole distance is usually travelled over by teams, with passengers and baggage, in five hours. 

 

Our party, consisting of myself, wife and three children, and two young men on their college vacation, reached its destination at 1 P. M., on the 9th of July, last year. After getting our dinner I walked half a mile west to Beaver Meadow Brook, where I caught thirteen small speckled trout with worm, as there was no room for the fly. The previous season, on the 10th of July, with higher water and a drizzling rain, I took at the same spot 135 trout, weighing nine and a quarter pounds. 

 

The day subsequently to our arrival, July 10th, a party of us went to Burnt Creek, three miles south by trail through the woods. The writer killed thirty small trout on small flies, principally the Abbey and ibis; Mrs. Hill took with the worm, on a nine ounce rod, thirty-five. 

 

Saturday, the 12th, my daughter of thirteen and myself, with Chauncey Sylvester Edwards as guide, fished Sunday Creek with bait; she talking sixty-two trout, and I eighty-eight.   

 

Monday, the 14th, went with guide up Alder Creek. About five miles up the stream we built a shanty and proceeded to fly fish. The day was dark and showery, and favorable for both trout and black flies, rendering frequent applications of oil of pennyroyal and sweet almonds quite indispensable. Smudges were also necessary to keep off the midgets [sic]. Forty speckled trout were killed during the afternoon, well nigh seven and a quarter pounds, largest three-fourths of a pound. 

 

After breakfast the next morning we fly-fished down stream, taking by the time we reached the house at night, eighty-eight trout, eight and a quarter pounds. In about this manner we employed most of our time. Occasionally we made a more extended trip. 

 

Monday, the 21st, Mrs. H. and myself, with a team, and Danforth Knowlton for a guide, started for Wardwell's, which is the next house east of Fenton's, eleven miles by road, up the Beaver River, on the Stillwater, and the last house in the wilderness in that direction for about fifty miles. We arrived at the Stillwater at 2 P. M., and after satisfying to the fullest extent the cravings of our appetites, we went after some speckled beauties for supper. Our confidence was rewarded by the capture of twenty-two, four and a half pounds, on the fly.

 

Next day, after a good night's rest at William Wardwell's, which, by the way, is in very comfortable shape for a place so far back in the forest, and is kept neat and tidy by Mrs. W. and her daughter, Rosa, which little lady can fish and row a boat as well as she can talk— we put our baggage and camp equipage into our boat of seventy-five pounds, and rowed down Twitchell Creek one third of a mile, to its confluence with Beaver River. Thence we pulled up stream six miles, where we pitched our tent. On the way we passed Tuttle Lake outlet, coming in on the right bank three quartets of a mile above Twitchell Creek; Wolf Creek, the outlet of Wolf Ponds, on the same side, three miles further up, and the Slough Spring Hole, on the opposite side, three and a quarter mile below our camping place. [note: Hill must have been sitting in the bow of the boat facing the stern as his right and left are reversed] The result of the day's fishing was nineteen trout, four and a half pounds, on the fly. 

Wednesday, the 23rd we rowed twenty-two miles up the river, taking seven trout. From our camp of last night to Dutch Trap (a noted trout resort in high water) the distance is one quarter of a mile; to month of the Red House Chain of Lakes, right bank, three and a half miles; to Burnt Lake Carry, right bank, one half mile; to mouth of South Branch, left bank, ten miles; to Little Rapids, five miles; carry around rapids, right bank, one third of a mile; Still Reach to foot of Albany Rapids, where we camped, two miles.

 

Thursday, 24th, we took on small flies before breakfast, in the spring holes on the two-mile level, at the head of which our camp was located, twenty trout, three pounds. After breakfast we crossed the Albany Carry, left bank, three quarters of a mile to Albany Lake; thence rowed our boat three and a half miles to the south side of the main part of the lake, where we pitched our tent near a cold stream which would afford us pure water for drinking, and also good fishing. In the evening we took ten trout.

 

Friday, 25th we spent on Smith's Lake, which is three miles long, very wide, deep and beautifully situated, and is a good place to go to fish. Returned in the evening to camp on Albany Lake. The carry from Albany to Smith Lake is around the right bank of the stream, and is three quarters of a mile long.

 

Saturday, the 26th, we returned to Stillwater, killing en route, on the fly, sixty speckled trout, weighing eleven and one half pounds, being the best day's fishing so far. The next day we went by team to Fenton's. Distance from the head of Smith's Lake to Fenton's is fifty miles.

 

Some days after the completion of this trip, two of us, with a guide, Boyd Sylvester Edwards, made an excursion to the Red Horse Chain, and visited in order as follows, viz.: Big Burnt Lake, Salmon Lake, Witchhopple Lake, Clear Lake, Clear Pond and Crooked Lake, the latter being the head of the Oswagachie River; killing just enough for our culinary wants. We remained on Clear Lake a good part of three days, attracted by the large speckled trout and pleasing natural surroundings. A trip was also made up the right bank of Beaver River, by land, from Fenton's to Wardwell's, and back on the other side, a distance of thirty miles, consuming five days, and affording us good sport with the fly. 

 

The next day, eleven trout, weighing four and three quarter pounds, were taken, all on very large flies and in still water. The day after, in the rapids or rifts of Twitchell Creek, fifty-six, six and a half pounds, were taken, all on small flies, and the last fishing day, Saturday, forty-one trout, eleven and five-eighths pounds, were killed in the heavy rapids of Beaver River on small flies.

 

In conclusion, I have to say that upon the completion of our sojourn in the wilderness we found ourselves so much improved physically that we feel much better able to again assume the duties and responsibilities of a more civilized life.

 

Yours, respectfully, W. W. Hill.  Albany, August, 1874