Fly Fisher Thp M~Tserrtnof Arnt?Ric:~Rrfly Fishing Illar~C~L~Cslr*R.Vrl+Incmi 052548
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The American Fly Fisher Thp M~tserrtnof Arnt?ric:~rrFly Fishing illar~c~l~cslr*r.Vrl+incmI 052548 The Muscum is a non-profit institution, chartered under the laws of the State of Vermont, As an cctucational or- gnnizat ion it is directed to the prcscrvittion and keeping of tlic traditions that bond the past with tlie present, Tlic Museum offers a permanent pi~hlicrepository where the historic fly rod, reel, bock, art work and fly pattern may be expertly guarded against the destructiveness of time. Cnntributions are tax deductible as established by tllc U.S. Revcnue Service. A descriptive brochurc is available. The permanent cxhibits a1 thc Muqet~mdisplay the wortd'5 rinerl collcctio~isor Tly fishing tackle. OFFICERS AND-. TRUSTEES-- President Henry Bruns Raymond A. Kotrla Carroll C. Curtice Vice President R. Curator Donald DuBois Austin S. Hogan Charles A. FcHows Treasurer Benjamin A.G. Fuller Leigh H. Perkins Arnold Gingrich Secretary & Asst. Treasurer Willianl A. Glassford Mrs. Millie S. Dclaney Gardncr C. Grant Registrar Dr. Alvin Grove, j r. Kcnnetl~Cameron George W. Harvey Conservator Charles E. Jones Cliarles Olin Foul jorgensen Mark Kerridge David Ledtic Honorary Trustees Leon L. Martuch Sidney Neff . D. C. Corkran Mrs. Leigh Pcrkins Harry Darbee Steve Raymond Herman Kessler Rick Robhins Wesley j ordan Willard F. Rockwell, jr. Tlieodore Rogowski Sen Schtey MEMORIAL CITATION Berni Schoenfield Joseph W. Brooks, Jr Ernest G. Schwiebert t 901 -1972 Warren Sllepartl J.43 Milford K. Smith Alhert I. Alexander Louis Stoia Gene Andercllp: Prescotr A. Tolman Stuart C. Aptc Bennett 'Upson j oseph Spear Beck Archibald Walker Harold Blaisdcll Milton Weiler Stanley Bogden Ted Williams Miss Kay Hrodney Maxine Atherton Wy keff The American Ply Fisher Prlblished by The Museum of American Fly 'Fisliing for the pleast~reof the membership. SUMMER 1974 Vol. I., No. 3 ADVISORY BOARD Kenneth Cameron TABLE OF CONTENTS Rockport, Mass. I Arnold Gingrich New York, N .Y. Dr. Alvin Grove State College, Pa. ARTICLES William T. Porter, First of our Sporting Journalists Baird Hall David B. Ledlie p. 3 Manchester, Yt. Porterquotes P- 5 Raymond A. Kotrla Salmon Fishing in Gold River Nova Piscatar Washington, D.C. Scotia p. 6 The Encampment Genio C. Scott p* 1'1 Leigh H. Perkins Manchester, Vt. A Modest Fishcrman p. 15 Steve Raymond The Longest 13ston Record Henry P. Wells p. 17 Seattle, Wa. Four Halves of Trout Fisl~ing Dana Lamb p. 21 Mrs. Anne Secor Mystery Portrait p. 23 , Arlington, Vt. THE MARKET PLACE Donald Zahner Meisselbach Reels john T. Orrcllc p. 78 Manchester, Yt. MEMBERSHIP tNFORMATlON p. 24 I Azrstin 5. Hogan Cam bridge, Mass. Research IPI Liaison THE AMERICAN FLY FISHER, the magazine of THE MUSEUM OF AMERICAN FLY FISHING, is pub- lisl~edquarterly by the MUSEUM at Manchester, Vermont 0.5254. Subscript~io~lis free with payment of membeisliip ducs. All correspondence, luttcrs, mant~scsipts,photograptis and materials should be forwarded care of the Curator. The MUSEUM and MAGAZINE arc not responsible for i~nsolicitcdmanuscripts, photographs, drawings, materials or memorabilia. The Mt~seurncan not accept responsibiIity for statements and iiiterprctations wl~icliare wholly tlic author's. Unsolicited manuscripts call not be returned uirless postage is provided. Contributions to THE AMERICAN FLY FISI-IER are to be considered gratuitous ant1 hccomc the property of tlic Museum unlcss otherwise requested by the contributor. Publication dates are January, April, July and October. Application to mail at Second Class Postiwe Rates is pending at Man- chester, Vermont. O Copyright 1974, THE AMER [CAN FLY FISHER, Manchester, Vermont 05254. Original material appcar- in^ niay not be reprinted without prior permission. CREDITS: Museum photos hy Kenneth M. Cameron. Drawings by Austin 5. Hogan. Printing by Thompson, Inc., Manchester Center, Vermont. WILLIAM TROTTER PORTER (1809 - 18581 '!Set II~preparation ail thiryr fit, of mirth and song, and joyous cheer, to greet the near approach of York's tall son. " Sarah Porter, 7836 William T+ Poster, First of our Sporting Journalists F<)rqol/~t~for o~wro cnrfury, I'ortcr of~dhis SI'JKI r IllT 1.JI/-- / /#LS ~~?~tr/~/~~c~w~//Iwil, /~t~t?~or u17d017 ~/r/>utri/.v//\a/ rc*//ec ut7 it?{rt-~~tit I Atnericw7 sportjt?.qIik -50 it]v/<~(~r(iYit~q h~ brcumc rr t~ariot~nlcrriti i~~/r~t~nltotm/crlrhti~y. /IJ wus u/m /I?(>/in! OLW sporlinq ~idlors/o p!t/~/iri/t, 1/]t1 .c/r/<~ir churms 01 fly fiLs/?jt7.q. A rather unpretentious, Tour page, weekly porting paper William's sister and wife of Brinlcy, commcilts tt~at"'Drrring c~nergcdfrom a small, dingy, attic priut sliol~at 64 Fillton ilicsc years of unClagging industry, William tiiadc grcnt pro- Strcc~and appcarcd in the books~~llsof Ncw York on Dc- grcr3 in tiis st1rrlie.i; ancl Ilio~r~l~oftcti clct cctcd with a voltrmc cembcr 10, 1831. THE SPllilT OF TI-IE TIMES, (srtbfitled of Ilr: /-ilx, or Jllu Cotrr/~/r*tcAtir/lru/; witlii~l tfic ICJV~SWF "A Chronicle nf tl~c'fijrl', Agriculture, Field Sports, Litera- his Virgil Iic was co~isidcrctl'up to his work' in Greek ant1 tzlrc, and the State") was pi~hlislietlby James Howe and I-ntin . " I'hc lleavy hand of the school's Dotninic, onc crlited by William T. I'ortcr. Purtcr purchasecl the SPIli IT in Archcta~~s("OlclI'ur") I'irlnam, howcver, soon began to take 1835 and remained as ils editor for a periatl of twcniy onc its loll of William. This couplcd with Williani's firticti1 reacl- years. Gcaretl mainly to rllc gentle traditions of the wcliltfiyj ing of ttic lifc of Benjamin Fr;u~l<lin(an erstwtiile printer) rt~ralSouth and tl~eintcllccti~al ~rrl~ai>c attittrdcs of thc resutted in his emharking (somcwliat again51 liis mother's Eastcrn ilppcr E~LISI,it is 0111- n10s1 important at~dinfluential best wishes) on hit; owti -- reacty to achieve tnlc, wcaltlj, early Anicrican sporting periadical. The success of the and notoriety in the same field in whicll liis hero Dr. Frank+ SPI IE IT is dr~edirectly to Porter. 1-lis t~~~flaggiilgcncrgy, de- lin had begun liis apprenticeship. Thuq in 1823 thc academic votion, creativity, Brilliance, and vitdity as wsitcr antl cditor sliackles were at lrlst rcrnovetl and William took a job with marlc the paper one of the most popular publications of its tlic pri~lti~igestablishment ownccl and opera tcct by Messcrs dny. Portcr kcpt liis reatlerd~ipwell informed as to thc latest Flag ant1 Gould in Andovcr, Massachi~setts.I'otlcr rc~ii,~incd dcvclopment5 on nlattcrs of turf, Ficld antl stream, as wcll in Andover until 18211. I-le Ihcn returncd to liis i~ativcstatc ,IS supplying li~tlnorin the forni of ttic tall talc for which the as cditor of TI4E FARMER'S HEIIALD puhlishud in St. St'l R IT becamc famous. We arc indced, ~rcatly indebted to Jahnsbury. Hc rrrnnincd llicre for about n ycar hcfore tnov- Will ia~nl'ortes for fie indelibly recortled t tic burgcot~ingsof ing to Norwich, Vermont, wherc Iic wasa~sociatcdwith tl~c carly Amcrican fly fishing. puldicatbn TI-IF. ENQUIRER. As Brinley tclls Irs "Hc re- William T. Portrw, 'Tork's tall son", was born of Bcn- niaincd (there) but ti shurt time, and tl~enwith a light !)cart jamin and Martha Porter on Christmas Eve, 1809, in Ncw- anrl a lighter purse, fic aavc a lingering look at thr hills of bury, Vcrmont - a snlall village quietly nestled in tllc hills liis nativc state and started for New York City, as ttic rtiost and ovcrtooking tllc Connecticut River, some thirty milcs promisiiig ficlcl for !he support of SLIC~Ja jokcr~~alas tic fiopctl south of St. jolinsbury. I'ortcr's fall~crwas a successful law- to cstablisls". Thus, at twcnty-one, Willian~'1-roller I'orter yer in Newbi~rywith extensive land I~oSdiii~sin the sur- dcsccncls upon Ncw York. Norris W. Yatcq, in liis study of rounding country side. Francis Rrinley (Porter's Isrother-in- tlie bi~be;lr schnol of 11~1nlnr(WilEic/tn I. I'orlc'r tmrl Ilro law), in his biugrapliy of Porter tells 11s tliat "amidst mag- Spirit of ihc Iitncs) conimcnts tliat Portcr braught witli him niliccnt sccnery, grcw up a well trained anti inldlectl~al "thc ope11 handcd ways and liking for fine hor~pwElich f,~rnily, wl~osehomc was tlic Bvorirc resort of 111e cultivatcct one oftcn associates witfl country gcntlcmcn, a love of com- and refined (Daniel Wrbstcr was a frcyuent visitor) . so panionship, 11 dislike of academic routine and Calvinislic cloxcly wcrc they unitcd by tlic tcndcresl of ties, both mark- morality, a fondness for sport ant1 [he litcr~tul-cof sporting ed by t37c same unaffected lone of polite Eifc, enlargccl ftos- and possibly an inturcst in tliings 'Soutllroli' ", Porter's fint pitality, love of aut of door exisfcncc, and a sti~dyof the ~rnployrnc~~tin Ncw York was as a compositcl- at john T. bcsi aulhurs," All of the I'orter chilclrcn ht~dprivate trl tors West's printing officc tocaterl at 8.5 Chatham Street. It was until thcy were old cnougti to attend sclwol; liowcver, hcre that Porter gave Horacc Greetcy liis first iah. Some WiSliar~l was ~itltat all Iakcn with thr rigors of academic time beiwecn August and Decernbcr of 183 1 I'orter left routine, and witli the assistance of his rcmarkablc old tiurse, Wcst'.; print liha!, to cstahlish THE SI'IRIT a miscellany Sally Ki~~~~icum,lie oftcn cscapcd the clutchcs of Master pattcrncd aftcr "8cl11s Lifc in Lonclon", wliicf~as no~crl Clark, tlie lutor, to wet a lint in n ricarl~ybrook.