![Tent Dwellers title](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Tent_Dwellers_title.png)
''The Tent Dwellers'' is a book by
Albert Bigelow Paine
Albert Bigelow Paine (July 10, 1861 – April 9, 1937) was an American author and biographer best known for his work with Mark Twain. Paine was a member of the Pulitzer Prize, Pulitzer Prize Committee and wrote in several genres, including fictio ...
, chronicling his travels through inland
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland".
Most of the population are native Eng ...
on a trout fishing trip with Dr. Edward "Eddie" Breck, and with guides Charles "the Strong" (Charlie Charlton of Milford, NS) and Del "the Stout" (Del Thomas of Milford, NS), one June in the early 1900s.
Originally published in 1908, The story starts at what is now known as the Legendary Milford House; Renowned author Albert Bigelow Paine, (Mark Twain’s biographer), chronicled his first impression of the Milford House Lodge in his famous book, in the following way … "Then at last came a church, a scattering string of houses, a neat white hotel and the edge of the wilderness had been reached." Those travelling today from Annapolis Royal will witness little change in the scenery or the impact from this turn of the century description. The book takes place in what is now
Kejimkujik National Park
Kejimkujik National Park () is a National Park of Canada, covering in the southwest of Nova Scotia peninsula. Located within three municipalities, Annapolis, Queens, Digby, it consists of two separate land areas: an inland part, which is coinc ...
(or "Kedgeemakoogee", as Paine spelled it) and the adjacent
Tobeatic Game Reserve
The Tobeatic Wilderness Area is the largest protected area in the Canadian Maritimes, located in southwestern Nova Scotia. It contains nearly 120,000 hectares of land and spans parts of five counties, Annapolis, Digby, Queens, Shelburne and ...
. The Reserve later became the Tobeatic Wildlife Management Area, and in 1998 was included within the newly created Tobeatic Wilderness Area.
Paine was well known in American literary circles at the time, chiefly as the biographer of
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...
. Breck held a PhD, spoke five languages, and was listed in ''Who's Who in America''.
Summary
The book chronicles a three-week fishing trip through central Nova Scotia, and is an excellent account of the unspoiled Nova Scotia wilderness that existed at the time, which has been largely diminished since. The group encounters
moose
The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult mal ...
(which Eddie tries to capture and bring back alive),
beaver
Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...
, and numerous
trout
Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salmoni ...
, the first of which is now very scarce in the region, and legions of
mosquitos,
moose flies,
black flies
A black fly or blackfly (sometimes called a buffalo gnat, turkey gnat, or white socks) is any member of the family Simuliidae of the Culicomorpha infraorder. It is related to the Ceratopogonidae, Chironomidae, and Thaumaleidae. Over 2,200 speci ...
,
noseeums, and
midges
A midge is any small fly, including species in several families of non-mosquito Nematoceran Diptera. Midges are found (seasonally or otherwise) on practically every land area outside permanently arid deserts and the frigid zones. Some midg ...
, all of which are regrettably abundant to this day.
Many of the areas described in the book, then virtually unexplored and uncharted, are now well known to back-country campers in Kejimkujik Park and the Tobeatic Wilderness Area. The descriptions of the central Nova Scotia woods contained in the book are beautifully written and uncannily accurate, and while the trout which brought Paine and Breck to Nova Scotia are less abundant, due in part to acid rain and increased fishing pressure, they still provide good sport for anglers.
Paine, a famous
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
novelist and biographer, initially had some difficulties with the lack of modern amenities in camp life, but soon came to love the rugged beauty and solitude of the woods. As advice to other potential campers, he has this to offer:
"...if you are willing to get wet and stay wet - to get cold and stay cold - to be bruised, and scuffed, and bitten - to be hungry and thirsty, and to have your muscles strained and sore from unusual taxation: if you will welcome all these things, not once, but many times, for the sake of moments of pure triumph and that larger luxury which comes with the comfort of the camp and the conquest of the wilderness, then go!
The wilderness will welcome you, and teach you, and take you to its heart. And you will find your own soul there; and the discovery will be worth while!"
Gear in ''The Tent Dwellers''
The gear described in the book would today be considered antique.
Birchbark
Birch bark or birchbark is the bark of several Eurasian and North American birch trees of the genus ''Betula''.
The strong and water-resistant cardboard-like bark can be easily cut, bent, and sewn, which has made it a valuable building, crafti ...
canoe
A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle.
In British English, the term ...
s are used throughout the book, as well as
canvas
Canvas is an extremely durable plain-woven fabric used for making sails, tents, marquees, backpacks, shelters, as a support for oil painting and for other items for which sturdiness is required, as well as in such fashion objects as handbags ...
tent
A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using gu ...
s. Large sections are devoted to the fishing gear used, specifically the
fishing rods and
flies.
Ecology in ''The Tent Dwellers''
In many places ''The Tent Dwellers'' draws attention to ecological impact on the forest. Paine derisively describes the 'fish hog' as one who catches and kills more fish than he has use for. He writes about the marks left on the land by logging, and about the necessity of always leaving part of the land wild and uninhabited. On the beaver, which was then being trapped nearly to extinction, he wrote:
"Long ago he taught men how to build their houses and dams, and to save up food and water for a dry time. Even if we no longer need him, he deserves our protection and our tender regard."
In advocating sustainable and responsible use of forest lands, Paine was ahead of his time. The regions through which Paine and Breck made their journey are now encompassed by Kejimkujik National Park and Tobeatic Wilderness Area.
Although fish, deer, beaver and porcupines still abound within this area, the moose referred to many times in this book (Alces americana) is endangered and rarely can be seen in this part of Nova Scotia.
Lake Rossignol and the surrounding lakes have changed considerably since this book was written. The outlet to the lake was dammed in 1929, so that Rossignol has expanded to encompass several smaller, formerly separate lakes.
References
![Tent Dwellers cover](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bb/Tent_Dwellers_cover.jpg)
*
External links
Official Parks Canada site for Kejimkujik National ParkNova Scotia Natural Resources - Mainland Moose
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tent Dwellers, The
1908 non-fiction books
American travel books
Books about Canada
Mass media in Nova Scotia
Novels set in Nova Scotia