Trap Lines North

by Stephen W. Meader

Winter was near, and with Big Lindsay laid up, it looked as if the Vanderbecks were in for a hard time. Winter way up north in the Thunder Bay District of Ontario is a serious matter. It is long and bitter and there is much work to be done that requires experience and woods wisdom and courage. This winter it was up to eighteen-year-old Jim Vanderbeck and his younger brother Lindsay to take their father's place on the trap-lines. Upon their efforts, pitted against real dangers and hardships, depended the annual catch of fur and the income of the family. Jim felt the responsibility but he also felt the adventure of being all on his own. Trap-Lines North is the story of that winter. So realistically does Stephen Meader retell it that the reader is virtually taken into the woods with Jim in the fall. He tramps from line camp to line camp, followed by the staunch old sled dogs, Bruno and Pat. He sleeps in rough pole lean-tos, eats moose meat, catches fish through the ice, and from time to time feels a chill along his spine when he comes upon the tracks of the lone gray killer---the biggest wolf in Canada. Jim Vanderbeck is a real person. Based on actual diaries kept by this young woodsman, written by a master storyteller, the book presents a true picture of life in the northern wilderness that will thrill the heart of any boy who has heard the call of the great woods.

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1936

About the author

Stephen W. Meader (May 2, 1892 – July 18, 1977) was the author of over forty novels for young readers. His optimistic stories generally tended to either concern young men developing independent businesses in the face of adversity, or else young men caught up in adventures during different periods in American history.

Meader graduated from Haverford College in Philadelphia in 1913, and initially worked in Newark, New Jersey as a cruelty officer with the Essex County Children's Aid Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and by 1915 was working for the Big Brother Movement. After working for a Chicago publishing house in 1916, he took a position with the Circulation Department of the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia, eventually reaching the position of Editor of the Sales Division publications. His first novel, The Black Buccaneer, was the first juvenile publication of the newly founded Harcourt, Brace and Howe.

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the story provides great insight to 1930s life as a woodsman (incredible amount of work to survive) that's not the main reason I loved the story.
It was my Dad's favorite book. He talked about it our whole lives. I finally read it, trying to read it through his eyes. It felt like I got a glimpse into his imagination and it definitely made him feel close. ( He's been gone since 1996). It's a special story because it's a special book loved by a special man ❤️

[Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read a 'Boy Adventure' story. It's a genre that I think both I and society have aged out of.

My dad would fondly tell me how he read this book over and over when he was bedridden with rheumatic fever as a child. Being stuck in bed in 1947, I can see that a story like this would provide hours of entertainment.

You have brothers running trap lines in the north. Living alone in the wild, collecting the furs needed to provide for their family-- there is a lot here to spark a kid's imagination.

I also found this book an interesting historic document of a time long gone, when people ran trap lines and lived based on the pelts they collected in the winter. It reminds me there is a large swath of Canadiania that I am ignorant of.

[Eyes of the Owl BQQKS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another terrific book by Stephen W. Meader, a New Hampshire author known for his historic novels and ability to connect with boy readers. I haven't read this in a while, but it is fast paced and excellent. Unlike most of his books, this book is based on true events.

[Cole B · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great story of an early 20th century family living much like the pioneers of a previous generation in the far northern reaches of Canada during the Great Depression.

[Dwayne B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many years since I read this but it's a great tale of the Canadian wilderness.

[Matt Kendall · Rating 4 out of 5]

My kinna book

[Jeff Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book a couple of times in high school and loved it. Just read it again and still love it. If you like outdoors stories, this would be great for you ... it has snow, cold, snow, wolves, dogs, and all kinds of critters.

[Raymond Bial · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable classic about the struggles of young James Vanderbeck and his family to not only survive, but thrive in the harsh winter in the northern woods of Canada. This is an amazing story about an exceptional family, especially hardy, resourceful, and courageous Jim and his younger brother.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brings out the child and adventure in all of us. Easy to get lost in reading this book.

[Tim Bower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Total classic!