Strong, a Mussul Unsquit village

Text By: Strong School 7th and 8th Graders, 2011-2012

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Hunting, fishing, and trapping have been a big part of Maine’s history since people first settled here. There used to be a lot of big game, with deer in the 300-pound range. That changed with no rules and regulations and a lot of poachers. Many people lived off the game for food.

There used to be a fine of $1,000 for illegally killing a moose. That was a lot of money when most people earned a $1 an hour at work. Bear hunting was really popular, and sometimes each town would shoot close to 200 bear each hunting season. The fisherman would go out and sometimes catch 8-10 fish a day. These days, people will catch one or two fish a day.

There were many guys here from Strong that shot huge deer. The deer were a lot bigger back then because the big ones got away; they were smart. There were many more hunters then, and now hunters are a dying breed. Most men would go through a lot of cold weather to shoot a good size buck. Deer hunting has always been a big part of Maine. Hunting and fishing were done a lot for recreation, but other people liked to trap and to boat. When settlers first came to Strong there were mostly Indians. Pierpole was an Indian that first discovered Strong. Pierpole fished a lot too.

Trapping has always been popular in our area. Trapping was really quite time consuming and expensive compared to hunting animals. The early metal traps, hand-made by local blacksmiths, were quite expensive. They cost about eight dollars apiece! That was a lot of money in the 1800s. The traps were an investment made by the trappers who found a great market for the beaver pelts. Beaver hats were in fashion! Trappers also trapped mink, martin, rabbits, fishers, bears, and coyotes.

Fishing has also been very popular in Strong. Many people fish in the local brooks, the Sandy River, and in Porter Lake. Fly fisherman, starting in the 1800s, used some of the flies that originated in Maine like the Grey Ghost, the Parmachenee Bell, and the Big Brother. Fishermen and women would use bamboo for the material to make fishing poles back then. The bamboo was really weak so it kept breaking, and people had to buy another pole. Some people made their own simple poles out of an alder branch. They would notch the branch, and add a string with a hook. Worms were also used for bait a lot. Outside of Strong during this time period, the most popular places in Maine to fish were the Rangeley and Moosehead Lakes. Before motors were made the Maine guides had to row wooden boats and canoes a lot around the local ponds and lakes. The biggest trout caught during this time period was caught in Rangeley, and it weighted 16 pounds. Can you imagine?

Many people used to rely on hunting, fishing, and trapping for their food. Many people would just walk out back and shoot their dinner. Not many people had money to go buy groceries, so they would hunt. People would use the pelts for gloves and other things. Once so many people were relying on animals the wildlife population went down a lot. The deer herd in Western Maine had suffered greatly by the 1890s. In the late 1800s game laws were put into place that regulated how many deer you could tag. Moose hunting and caribou hunting were outlawed.

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