W. Hamilton Gibson (1850–1896) was an illustrator, author, and naturalist who illustrated for Harper's Monthly and for around a dozen books, most of them his own, including Pastoral Days, Highways and Byways, and Happy Hunting Grounds.
This is a reprint of an excellent 1881 book that gives real insight into 19th Century woods living and trapping.The book is written for the trapper intending to stay in the woods through trapping season. The construction of the trapper's base camp cabin and line cabins is covered as is how to make a birch bark canoe, dugout canoe, a scow, and a wooden boat as well as more mundane items like snowshoes and the Indian sledge for traversing the snow... We have come a long way since 1881 and it is worth knowing how they did things back then and how much they could do with very little and the things that nature provides. This is information worth knowing that has largely been forgotten to the detriment of today's outdoorsman. Knowing how these men went into the woods and stayed for a trapping season can be vital for the backwoodsman intent on staying deep in the woods. I can highly recommend this book.