If you’re like me, you probably can’t get enough of the history behind the places where you grew up and love to hunt and fish in. And as is often the case, recorded history of these areas can often be limited, if available at all. In my case, the history of fishing and hunting in northern Maine has always been intriguing. Such stories have been recorded in a number of publications over time, but many are difficult or near impossible to find. Still other stories are only available through word of mouth.

So imagine my surprise when I found a very old list of about 50 publications relating to the history of Maine, compiled by the late Lee W. Richards Jr., M.D. of Augusta, ME. I had the pleasure of working with a biologist who had often visited Dr. Richards at his camp in northern Maine, and had been given the list by Mr. Richards, who was an expert on the history of Maine.

I ran across the volume after searching through a number of papers while in the process of packing and moving for the third time in as many years. I read through the titles and decided that over the next few years, I’ll make it a personal goal of mine to find as many of those titles as possible.

One of the first publications I was able to track down actually came quite easily. It appears that some dedicated person or persons have taken the time to scan a number of old pubs and make them available online. The first, and possibly the most interesting of these, is a periodical titled “In The Maine Woods”.

“In The Maine Woods” was a publication produced by the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad from the late 1890’s to 1942. Back in those days, the railroad made a lot of money transporting passengers into the wilderness of northern Maine to pursue the bountiful fish and wildlife. Sports would come from all over the New England, particularly from Boston and other parts of Massachusetts, to get away from it all and experience real wilderness. This being the case, the B&A Railroad used “In The Maine Woods” to appeal to these types and convince them to explore the vast frontier, and try their luck pursuing trophy fish and game.

I’m currently reading through the 1904 publication of “In The Maine Woods”, and I’m really enjoying it. The issue, along with some others, is available at Google Books by following this link, or by conducting a google search of the book title.

Here are some things I’ve learned so far:

- A number of railroad stations, which no longer exist, were thought to have the potential to develop into important towns.

- Fish and game were extremely plentiful (although B&A may have exaggerated in some cases to lure more people to the north woods).

- Fish species composition has changed significantly in some waters, which have succumbed to human impacts. (Still, many northern Maine lakes are very similar now to what they once were)

- Landlocked salmon and rainbow smelt introductions have had significant impacts on native fish, particularly whitefish populations (The 1904 publication was printed just a few years after these fish were first introduced to many northern Maine waters).

- Apparently, a few northern lakes were reported to have three species of whitefish. Today, only two species are officially recognized. One of the species mentioned in 1904, the Stanley’s whitefish (Coregonus stanleyi) was believed to be endemic to the area. (I’d like to dig a bit deeper into this one)

- There is an incredible wealth of fishing and hunting history available in these publications, and I can’t wait to read more!