Fish Tale

The big buzz in our province is the opening of an enormous fishing and hunting supply store. Anglers throughout our region are itching to get inside to see the latest and greatest gear that they need to land the big one.

Now, as enthusiasts go, fishermen have some of the most amazing attire you will ever come across. A pass time that requires rubber pants, nets and hats completely studded with barbed fishing hooks suggests not only great passion….. but perhaps a wee bit of eccentricity. Fishing attire has not always looked this odd.

One hundred years ago it looked even more peculiar.

In this photo from our archives, a collection of intrepid explorers pose in front of Squirrel Cot, a fishing lodge on Dick’s Lake in Kings County. The group, in full Victorian attire, are ready for fishing adventure in the wilds of New Brunswick. In true Victorian fashion, no one sports a smile for the camera (it just wasn’t done – neither were ‘selfies’). 

Each steely gaze testifies to the serious nature of this rendezvous in the country but, more interestingly to the modern eye, is the clothing for this fishing adventure. The men are fully suited with jackets, vests and ties and sporting bowler hats and fedoras. On the porch in the front left corner one fisher holds an elegant leather bound booklet – slightly larger than a wallet – that contains his fishing lures. Another seated on the lawn holds a net on a pole so long that you just know it will be tangled and mangled in an alder bush within the first 100 yards to the river.

The ladies add their own unique element to the scene, wearing dresses with layers of petticoats and bustles and elaborate hats that would make a stroll in the woods pure delight. One has even brought along her pet parakeet in a wire cage to enjoy the wilderness – apparently Dick’s Lake had a scarcity of birds and you had to bring your own for a bit of atmosphere.

It is all so wonderfully strange to our modern view of relaxation and comfort and, at the same time, strangely wonderful.

The following article from the Kings County Record records Victoria Day celebrations at this same fishing lodge in 1908:

Kings County Record, May 29, 1908:

Victoria Day, which was observed on Monday, this year, proved an ideal holiday. The weather was all that could be desired and everybody took advantage of the opportunity to take a day’s outing. Saturday night trains brought in many visitors from outside points and numbers left town to spend two or three days with friends in other places. Altogether, railway traffic in and out of Sussex was unusually heavy and on Monday morning extra cars were brought to Sussex on the No 2 train.

Fishing parties were very numerous and large numbers of fish were brought back. At Squirrel Cot, Pleasant Lake, Walton Lake and Crawford Lake, the followers of Isaac Walton had good luck and brought back large fares. Some of the fish were good sized weight and the successful anglers were in particularly good humor as a result of their good luck. The riverbanks were lined with fisherman, young and old, and many trout were brought out during the day. Murrel Cole, a small boy, caught a trout measuring 16 inches, which weighed 2-1/4  pounds.

There were picnic parties in almost every direction and livery stable men did a rushing business and every available team was engaged by the pleasure-seekers, who arrived here in the early evening thoroughly satisfied with their day’s outing.

In the evening firework displays were made in different places and the youngsters, who took park in the fusillades, enjoyed themselves to the limit.

It's a wonderful image of a joyful bit of relaxation in summer, despite what the stiff pose of our picture might suggest. So, if you find yourself squeaking along river banks in hip waders with rod and reel, trying your luck in the many pools of Kings County, spare a moment for those that came before and relish your place in this long tradition.

Who says you can’t fish comfortably in rubber pants – or in a jacket, vest and tie?!

Identified in photo:

Top row: Mrs. Ed Hallett, Ed Hallett, Ed McIntyre (?), Mrs. Ida (Fairweather) White (2nd woman seated—wife of S.H. White), Samuel S. McLeod (?)

2nd row:  Ora P. King(?), Lottie Hallett (daughter of Ed), Walter Mills, Mrs. S.A. McLeod (?)

Bottom row:  Bill Fairweather, Fred Fairweather, Maggie Roach (?)

Ferry Magic

One of the great pleasures of life in Kings County is the network of cable ferries that are a regular part of travel in this area. Ferry boats, in particular cable ferries, are Kings County’s answer to connecting communities separated by a myriad of rivers and their tributaries. The ferries are modern constructions with powerful engines but something about them hearkens to the past. As you drive on board and pull away from shore the pace of life – no matter how frantic – has no choice but to slow down for the duration of the crossing.

Gondola Point Ferry (image courtesy Tourism New Brunswick)

The earliest settlers in this area operated private ferries, offering crossings at various high traffic points for a fee. In fact, the town of Hampton (in particular the area by the iron bridge) was once known as Hampton Ferry in recognition of the ferry crossing there operated by the Loyalist Nicholas Pickle. These ferries were as various in size, shape and function as the waters they crossed and the communities they served. Some were simple rowboats to ferry people, others scows that could hold horse and wagons and all manner of passengers and beasts. 

The Minutes of the Kings County Municipal Council, 1861 note the rules and fees for various crossings within the county, including those below for a ferry that used to run at the lower end of The Mistake (an apt name for a notorious bit of water on the St. John River), and also for the Gondola Point Ferry on the Kennebecasis. The fee structure for passengers and the expectations of the ferry operator are clearly spelled out:

One wonders how often these ferries would have traversed the river each day – and what sort of adventures would be had on board these small craft with hogs, sheep and horned cattle as passengers!

Within our collection, we also hold a ticket book for passage on the Belleisle Ferry. There is no date on the booklet but it would have been used prior to 1944 as the Department of Highways did not charge a fare after January 1944. The rates include fees for cars, trucks, and teams of horses, which gives a bit of an idea of its age, but nothing exact. A modern Belleisle Ferry still runs today – free of charge whether you are driving a car or on horseback (we're not sure about any possible fees if you are driving your flock of sheep to market).

The Belleisle Ferry is one of seven cable ferries highlighted in a new brochure by the St. John River Society, showing travelers the way through the Lower River Passage on board these wonderful gems. Visit their site for a look at the Cable Ferry Route map – and maybe plan your own adventure for a bit of ferry magic!

All washed up

Mother’s Day has come and gone and, being bad kids, we failed to mark the occasion with a fitting tribute artifact. Today we hope to remedy that with an object near and dear to every mother’s heart, the Washing Stick.

A washing stick was necessary in the not-so-long-ago past to agitate clothes in a wash tub and to scoot those same wet clothes out of the wash tub without soaking yourself to the armpits. Now all the mothers reading this probably just gave a collective groan at our choice: a washing stick is the 1800s equivalent of giving mom a clothes iron to honour her on her special day. But this is no ordinary washing stick! This one is made with love.

Some enterprising husband or child created this washing stick for Mom from just three pieces of wood, carved and turned to create a handmade treasure. The prong and shaft of the washing stick are the functional bits you would expect but the handle is where the magic happens. The loving maker of this washing stick has gone to the effort to decorate the handle with several tiny treasures.

On one side, hearts and diamonds are carved in raised relief on the handle and beneath is engraved the word ‘Mother’ in a delicate script. Even the hole at the top of the handle to secure the rope strap has been carved in the shape of a heart.

Awwwww! We bet you moms are feeling a bit guilty now about dismissing such an obviously thoughtful choice of artefact!

The carving on the opposite side is a bit more puzzling: this side of the handle is carved with a tiny pair of snowshoes, which begs a lot of questions. 

Was mom an avid snowshoe enthusiast? 

Did the maker know that she dreamed of taking to the trails when the washing duties came a-calling?

Or was the handle made from a broken pair of snowshoes and this was the carver’s way of fessing up to his destruction of said snowshoes?

The truth is lost to time but, without a doubt, this is a beautiful tribute to mom – wrapped in a not-so-subtle plea for her to wash the gifter’s dirty clothes.

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day

from the rotten kids at the Kings County Museum!