A Follow up on V.E. Lynch

Today in The News - We're having a writing contest.  Nobody seems to care and that's okay by me.  You gotta start somewhere.  If your want to write something, send it to house.of.howes@hotmail.com .   If you want to vote on something you've read, send your vote to thesharpenedaxe@hotmail.com .  So far the only emails I've gotten at that address want me to loan them four million or sell me cheap viagra.



I did a book review on Trails to Successful Trapping by V.E. Lynch.  I didn't cover as much about the man as I hoped to in that article.  This was written by Kay Hively.

“A Wildcat of a Man” 

His grave in Sarcoxie, Missouri, is marked with only a simple stone, but there was nothing simple about Virgil Everett “Wildcat” Lynch.

Born in 1884, V.E. Lynch may well have been the last of the great American trappers, hunters and wilderness guides.  Lynch came on the scene just when many of the old-time mountain men were passing on, but he carried on the great tradition of such characters as Jim Bridger, Jeremiah Johnston, Hugh Glass and Jim Colter.

Although he was born and died in Missouri, Lynch spent most of his adult life in the state of Maine where he became a legend, known for his great trapping and hunting skills.  An unashamed self-promoter, Lynch understood that his fame could be spread not just around the campfires in the hunting camps, but through the written word.  With only a third grade education to his credit, he acquired a typewriter and began beating out the stories of his hunting and trapping adventures.  These tales were eagerly accepted by outdoor hunting magazines of the time, and V. E. Lynch became a modern legend. Though it was done the opposite side of  America, Lynch made his reputation in the woods and along the streams, much as Bridger, Johnston, Glass, and Colter had done. 

After long years of hunting and trapping in the cold winter snows of  New England, Lynch’s health became to fail. In 1944 he returned to Missouri to be near his family at Sarcoxie and inspite of health problems he continued hunting and trapping in the Ozarks until his death in1953. Now, almost a half-century after his death, Lynch’s life and exploits are being remembered once again with the republication of his biography, They Called Him “Wildcat” and with the establishment of a handsome display in his honor at the public library at Sarcoxie, Missouri. 

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In other news, I've put out local feelers for people looking to get rid of old axes and woods tools.  Believe it or not, I've gotten a few bites, including an old camp axe head today.  I went to the hardware store and looked for a 28 inch (ish) handle and came up dry.  Did find a 19" for it, though.  The head itself is interesting - has a redish color to it and a few numbers stamped into it.  Looks old to me, but I'm an idiot.  I'll post some pictures later on. 

Pax Domini Sit Semper Vobiscum,

Mike, Oscar, Hotel....out.