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Trapping the Boundary Waters: A Tenderfoot in the Border Country, 1919-1920
On May 4, 1919, Charlie Cook set off for a year of adventure in the Minnesota-Ontario Boundary Waters. Soon abandoned by his comfort-loving companion, the restless World War I veteran spent an enlightening year learning—often the hard way—how to paddle and sail on windy lakes, hunt and fish for food, bake "rough delicacies" in a reflector oven, and build winter-proof shelters. His how-to descriptions of trapping beaver, mink, and other game are unsurpassed in their detail.
Cook also found his way into the border community of Ojibwe and mixed-blood families and a motley assortment of mysterious travelers, game wardens, and loners, including trapper Bill Berglund (who "adopted" Cook until the tenderfoot's eagerness to harvest pelts came between them).
Cook's adventure climaxed in a 700-mile expedition by dogsled north into Canada, where he reached the limits of his endurance—and just barely lived to tell the tale.
For anyone who loves the Boundary Waters or wonders what this rugged region was like not so long ago, Cook's story reveals a world still ruled by nature but on the brink of change.
Cook also found his way into the border community of Ojibwe and mixed-blood families and a motley assortment of mysterious travelers, game wardens, and loners, including trapper Bill Berglund (who "adopted" Cook until the tenderfoot's eagerness to harvest pelts came between them).
Cook's adventure climaxed in a 700-mile expedition by dogsled north into Canada, where he reached the limits of his endurance—and just barely lived to tell the tale.
For anyone who loves the Boundary Waters or wonders what this rugged region was like not so long ago, Cook's story reveals a world still ruled by nature but on the brink of change.
204 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 17, 2025
Great story of what the BWCA really was like a 100 years ago!
June 24, 2013
I've read many books about the Boundary Waters and Quetico Park, my favorites being by Sigurd Olson. I often wish I'd been born a century earlier so I could have seen it before development and tourists over-ran it. According to the epilogue in this book, it's the most-visited park in North America.
Charles Cook, the author, was a restless young man, having just returned from WWI. He tried working at his father's grocery business, but chafed at the yoke of responsibility. He took off during 1919 with his best friend, intent on living in the wilderness and making his living while trapping.
His friend soon got homesick and left him, but Cook remained for a year. He built a cabin, ran a large trap line, and reveled in the beauty of the lakes and forests. Some might be offended by the descriptions of trapping and the author's dealings with the local native population, but his book tells of life the way it was lived in those days.
His book is written as the memoir of an old man looking back, so there are several stories that obviously couldn't have been true. His son wrote the forward to the book, and reminisces about stories his father told when he was a boy. Overall, this is a very enjoyable read and one that every fan of outdoor books will like.
Charles Cook, the author, was a restless young man, having just returned from WWI. He tried working at his father's grocery business, but chafed at the yoke of responsibility. He took off during 1919 with his best friend, intent on living in the wilderness and making his living while trapping.
His friend soon got homesick and left him, but Cook remained for a year. He built a cabin, ran a large trap line, and reveled in the beauty of the lakes and forests. Some might be offended by the descriptions of trapping and the author's dealings with the local native population, but his book tells of life the way it was lived in those days.
His book is written as the memoir of an old man looking back, so there are several stories that obviously couldn't have been true. His son wrote the forward to the book, and reminisces about stories his father told when he was a boy. Overall, this is a very enjoyable read and one that every fan of outdoor books will like.
January 16, 2008
This book chronicles a year spent by the author in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Quetico long before these areas were federaly protected.
He harvests animals of all kinds legally and illegally without remorse, some for survival and many for profit. He ends up bringing his harvested fur into town under the cloak of darkness to avoid paying the mandatory $3.00 per pelt to the state and has them smuggled to Chicago.
His story telling at times resembles tall tales more than reality but a vivd picture is painted of the area and the people who called it home circa 1919-1920.
His actions will infuriate many readers I'm sure but it was a different time, before land ethics were widley established.
He harvests animals of all kinds legally and illegally without remorse, some for survival and many for profit. He ends up bringing his harvested fur into town under the cloak of darkness to avoid paying the mandatory $3.00 per pelt to the state and has them smuggled to Chicago.
His story telling at times resembles tall tales more than reality but a vivd picture is painted of the area and the people who called it home circa 1919-1920.
His actions will infuriate many readers I'm sure but it was a different time, before land ethics were widley established.
September 8, 2012
Very good. Was cool to hear familiar names of lakes and trails. I had camped a short distance from one of Cook's cabin site this summer
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews