Brown’s Tract
Guides’ Association - 1898-1920
"A Story of Love for
the Woods and Water"
|
The Town of Webb Historical Association’s Museum Committee opened a NEW exhibition at the Goodsell Museum, on December 6, 2009. Early research has already revealed an interesting story of a group of Adirondack men, keen to protect game in order to ensure the availability of animals to hunt for food and sport. Their association was officially formed in 1898 and formally dissolved in 1920. During these years the association sought to provide reliable guides for sportsmen, launched initiatives to ensure respect of existing game laws, and supported state legislation to control hunting, trapping, hounding, jacking and fish trolling, as well as limits on the taking of certain species. The association’s members also worked to reintroduce beaver, moose, elk, and also trout. Their efforts provided long-lasting benefits for the Adirondack guide and for the sport hunter. Many of Webb’s founding fathers and others from nearby towns can be found on the lists of the Brown’s Tract Guides’ Association or were connected with guiding. Surnames such as Ainsworth, Ball, Burdick, Burke, Church, Christy, Covey, Crego, Delmarsh, Goodsell, Grant, Rivette, Sperry, Weedmark, Wells and Wood, to name a few, can be found in newspaper articles, association minutes and other ephemera. The Museum Committee invites anyone with information regarding the Brown’s Tract Guides’ Association to share their family stories or artifacts for this exhibit. Plans include a display of maps and photos; of firearms, knives and traps; of fishing rods, creels, and lures; of badges and association cards; and of pack baskets and a guide-boat. Please contact Gail Murray, the Historical Association’s Director at 315-369-3838 or at director@webbhistory.org to share information or items for use in this exhibit that will be in place through October of 2010. |
The Brown's Tract Guides lived in four upstate counties including Herkimer, Oneida, Lewis, and Hamilton. Among the towns and hamlets they represented were: Beaver River, Big Moose, Boonville, Clearwater (Carter Station), Eagle Bay, Forestport, Fulton Chain (Thendara), Glenfield, Hawkinsville, Honnedaga, Inlet, Little Moose, Lowville, McKeever, Minnehaha, Moose River, Old Forge, Otter Lake, Petrie Corners, Point Rock, Raquette Lake, Stillwater, Talcottville, Turin, Utica, and White Lake.
Associate members included some of the most influential early 20th Century politicians, writers, and captains of industry from across the country. The Association's stories, struggles, and successes illustrate a compelling chapter in the history of the Adirondacks and the conservation measures the men initiated to save New York State's wildlife and wilderness.
Link to a list of the Brown's Tract Guides' Membership Roster in 1907 and minutes from their 1898 meeting to elect officers.
Field and Stream author Harry V. Radford's 1904 article on the Brown's Tract Guides Meeting held in Old Forge - over 400 people attended! (PDF format)
Interesting Story of the Sportsman's Camp on display at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis - the camp was designed and built by Brown Tract Guides Frank Sperry and his brother Dwight Bacon Sperry (PDF format)
Check back often for additional updates & many more photos!
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Last Updated: April 12, 2010