Letter to the Editor of Forest and Stream, 24 August 1892
Utah Territory, .
EDITOR FOREST AND STREAM:
I peruse "Forest and Stream" with much interest: it cer-
contains a great amount of valuable information.
I was born on the 1st day of March 1807, at Avon, Hartford County, Conn.,
on the banks of a trout brook which had turned the wheels of a flour mill
and a saw mill, owned by my grandfather and father, for many years. As
soon as I was old enough to carry a fish-rod I commenced catching trout,
which I have continued to do, from time to time, for nearly 80 years.
Several years of my life were spent in Ashland, Oswego Co., New York, on
the east border of Lake Ontario. While there I assisted, one morning in
catching 500 salmon, very few of which were under 20 pounds, while a few
weighed 40 pounds. My first experience in fishing with fly for trout and
salmon was in England and Scotland in 1845; but I met with little success ^there.^
At the time of the early settlement of Utah Territory, the mountains
and canyons were thickly inhabited with the elk, deer, antelope, panther,
mountain lion, wild cat, and grizzly, cinnamon and brown bear; some of which
were of immense size. These animals are still found in our mountains, and
are frequently killed. I never shot a bear, although I have seen quite a
number of grizzly and cinnamon bears after they were killed. In one in-
stance a very large grizzly, with two large cubs, passed within 30 yards of
me while I was concealed in the brush. I was, at the time, holding in my
hands, a muzzle-loading gun, and the manner she treated her cubs, while ap-
parently trying to wean them, plainly indicated the wisdom of my letting
her pass unmolested, and assured me if I should fail to kill her the first
