| A Pioneer Raccoon Hunt |
| The winter of 1880 being a very cold, snowy one, kept the raccoon tribe closed up in their tree dens. But along in February there came a warm night and next morning T.M. Draper, known as quite a coon hunter, remarked: “Coons were out running last night so I’m going out to find one.” He was back by two o’clock and said he had found where Mr. Coon had left a big elm tree, wandered around a mile or two and then came back to the same tree. So we got Washington Honnen, Andrew Ely, Andrew Thomson and George Hinks, all great axe men, and felled the giant tree. We also had four dogs along. When the tree crashed down, the top branches burst all to pieces, and out ran that coon. And, believe it or not, five of his brothers, all full grown , came out with him. Boy were we busy! Just imagine … six men, six coons, and four dogs, all in a tangle! No guns, just axes, clubs and dogs! Off through the timber we rushed, down onto the smooth river ice. And noise!! Say you never saw just such a mess! Finally we collected at the tree base and each and every man had a coon. All of which goes to show that in the old days we got what we went after. ( An original hunting story of raccoon hunting in the winter of 1880 near Dawson, Nebraska…they are saying that a coon hide this winter will be worth some money. Story did not say what they did with the coons they caught in 1880! Knowing that some snow and cold weather will soon be upon us and many a young man loves to go hunting…thought you would enjoy hearing of the history in this story. This account is taken from the “Historical and Business Review Edition of the 1936 Dawson Herald, recently reprinted in 2007 by the Pennsylvania Colony Historical Society of Dawson.) |