Christopher Columbus COBURN, the diary began January 1, 1871, in Crystal, Maine, part four Contributed by wagga719@idt.net (Sally Ruscio) Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm This is part four of my ggrandfather's transcribed diary begun in 1871. The area is Aroostook and Penboscot Counties. Diary of Christopher Columbus COBURN, compiled by Ferdinand R. COBURN The spring of 1889 he spent trapping with John FRANCIS, a full blood Indian of the reservation on Olemon Island in the Penobscot River near OldTown. From this Indian he learned much about trapping, and with him he caught many muskrat, beaver, bear, and other wild animals including fisher (or black cat), otter, lynx, etc. May 23, took a Yearling bear from a trap at BAKER's camp on the way from Grand lake to Hay Lake on the Sebois where he went to "histe dam" meaning to open a sluice in the dam to let out water for driving. April 30the he purchased a birch bark canoe from John FRANCIS. This summer again was partly farming, working out and interspersed with cruising for lumbermen. Oct. 8 he was taking care of his mother who went to the hospital the next day. The most of Nov. he worked at MITCHELL & LESLIE's Bowlin Falls lumber camp. November 28 he took his family to mother-in-law MCDONALD's at Mt. Chase. (I, the compiler, distinctly remember that Thanksgiving dinner of turkey with all the trimmings and ending with rice pudding full of raisins. That was over 60 years ago at this writing. Feb. 1951.) The fall and winter 1889 and 1890, beside working in the woods for MITCHELL & LESLIE he did some trapping for himself. After the MITCHELL & LESLIE camp was vacated he set a bear trap there and on May 8 found a bear in it. (The bounty at that time was $5 paid by the state.) He caught several bears that spring, taking up his traps July 7, as the fur then began to shed and was not salable. Sept. 11, 1890 he again started for the woods, getting home once or twice before Oct. 1. After four weeks working for neighbors he started again for East Branch. Up to Feb. 23 he was only occaisionally home. Feb. 23, 1891 he and Elmer MOORE began to make snowshoes for sale, small sizes at $2.25 and man size for $3.50, finishing this operation Mar. 13. Sunday, Mar. 15 his father, Silas (COBURN), died sitting in his chair in front of the fireplace fire, at 9 o'clock P. M. Buried on the 18th. On the 25th he is getting ready for the spring hunt (bear trapping). June 28, after taking up his bear traps, having caught several bears, he started down river in canoe. Getting to the mouth of the Mattawamkeag Stream, he went up that stream and on home, arriving July 3rd. The farming this summer consisted of raising a few potatoes and getting in the hay. Late in Dec. he went in to East Branch and stopped at the old MITCHELL & LESLIE camp, where on the 30th he shot a deer and a caribou. The next day he got another caribou and a moose, and went up to his camp at Stair Falls. He then returned home. Jan. 13, 1892 brother-in-law of Mrs. Coburn, WILLIAM SCRIBNER, moved his family in. They all lived and worked together and Mar. 2 when another brother-in- law, Elmer MOORE joined and they began to make snowshoes beside working out by the day. The first week in April Mr. Coburn started his bear trapping on the East Branch. The traps were 8 and 10 steel spring traps with a lever. Before steel traps he set "dead-falls" made so that when sprung a heavy log fell across the bear's neck. He made occasional trips home, working a day or two and back into the woods, until July when he took up his traps, and gathered in his hay. This was the summer that the right of way was surveyed and cut by the Bangor & Aroostook railroad from Mattawamkeag to northern Aroostook County, and several trips to that section were made. In Sep. he was making a sporting camp at Katahdin Lake, where he guided parties hunting. FRANK CRAM of Bangor was among the sportsmen. In October, 1892, a log house for SCRIBNER was begun and finished in Dec. In Nov. a member of one of his sporting parties was accidentally shot in the leg. He reports good wheeling up to Jan. 10, when it snowed all day.