“The Ketchecum Hunt Club: One Hundred Years on Catchacoma Lake” offers a remarkably detailed record of the enduring passion for autumnal deer hunting and fishing in the Kawartha Lakes region.

Long-awaited as the club’s centennial project, the book is co-authored by Peterborough’s Catherine Dibben and her longtime friend Barbara LaPerriere (née Turner). Those interested in the early social development of the area and the membership of the hunt club (both founding and current) will find much to savour in this pictorial rendering of the Ketchecum Hunt Club’s evolution.

The book offers a wide-ranging account of one of the most important ways men in Peterborough chose to spend their time, energy and money. The record begins in the mid-19th century and runs to the year 2000, when the club opted to move to its new property and better hunting territory north of the town of Apsley.

I must admit that I have little interest in deer slaying or recreational fishing for that matter. But I do know many local fellows who, every October, eagerly drop everything to take part in “the hunt.”

Down in Nova Scotia, my closest neighbour bags a buck on his own property every autumn season. We share our lands with a lively herd of whitetail deer who enjoy our unmown grasses and fruitful apple trees all summer long. Though my wife finds their propensity to chew up her gardens annoying, I have many occasions to admire their statuesque beauty and graceful movements.

Nevertheless, this book stirred many of my historical interests and provided plenty of fascinating social detail. Initially, it helped me realize that back in the 1860s, young men had limited outlets for their energies. Organized sports were non-existent and would remain so for decades. Horse raising and horse racing were available, but were expensive preoccupations, while curling, golf and tennis were still in their infancy. But hunting and fishing were top of mind for many men and were activities available to those with some leisure time, a little money and an attraction to the outdoors.

As it developed, the autumn hunt had a wide social appeal. In fact, fishing and hunting were useful ways to supplement a family’s food supply.

Not surprisingly, many men viewed the hunt as a special opportunity for male bonding, camaraderie and developing backwoods skills. Hence, the co-authors begin by considering this early context before offering their record of the club’s first 100 years.

I found their descriptions of the club’s early leaders especially fascinating. Among them were Henry Winch, a rugged Peterborough butcher; William English of the William English Canoe Company, whose canoes were used in the hunt; R.A. Morrow, a George Street merchant who raised horses and built a majestic local home named Clonsilla; Felix Brownscombe; and Roland Strickland of Lakefield, who was Sam Strickland’s most successful son and businessperson.

It was the much-admired Henry Winch who, after years of autumn hunting with like-minded friends, set out in 1900 to find a permanent site for the club on Catchacoma Lake. In earlier years, deer had been relatively plentiful closer to town and hunters made use of nearby cottages to conduct their hunt. But greater remoteness was a necessity as Peterborough expanded its boundaries.

“Being familiar with all the lakes, (Henry Winch) scouted out the location for the camp and served as both the architect and supervisor of its construction,” the book notes.

Many photos in this volume commemorate his impressive skills as a hunter and a canoeist. The club purchased what was Crown land on Catchacoma for $180 and built the lodge for less than $200. Quite a bargain!

Once it was operational, the club kept detailed records of its annual deer hunt and fishing expeditions (the latter until 1945). However, because logbooks for the years 1927 through 1943 are missing, the co-editors were somewhat hampered in their goal of providing full coverage. Nevertheless, they have ably assembled plenty of detail about the club’s yearly operations and the keen involvement of its members over the century.

As you might expect, there are numerous photos of the yearly take. While the image of 10 or more dead deer hanging from their hind legs with the proud hunters and their dogs assembled beneath them might not be very heartening fare for the casual viewer, they do record what was the climactic moment for the men at the camp in any given year.

The book describes the property at Catchacoma, the layout of the lodge and its outbuildings, the club’s governance and management, the means of getting there (transportation over the decades evolved from wagon to steamboat to rail to automobile), the rules for conducting the hunt, leadership roles at the camp and a section on “Life in Camp.” Readers will find special interest in studying the profiles of the club’s prominent members and the process by which new chaps were brought into the inner circle.

One learns much about how club members interacted and selected new individuals to join them. A passion for hunting was the key, of course, but personal friendships and family connections were crucial. To become a member was to join a kind of specialized fraternity of notable and successful individuals, mostly anchored in Peterborough.

As the authors point out, Protestant religious affiliation was a shared code and there was a strong leaning toward Scottish cultural traditions. Guides and cooks were a necessary requirement of camp life and, while that suggests a two-tier social situation, there were numerous crossovers, with popular guides and kitchen staff becoming club members over time.

The roster of members provides insight into the ways in which Peterborough’s society evolved over the decades. Leading businessmen, lawyers, doctors, local politicians and independently wealthy individuals stand out on the roster.

In Henry Winch’s time, names like R. G. Kingan, Harry LeBrun, R.A. Morrow, T.D.H. Denne, Arthur Stevenson, R.M. Dennistoun, Fred Roy (the photographer), Dr. H.W. Gentles, Evie Bradburn and Manson Comstock stand out.

From 1930 on, prominent figures like Dr. Les Calvert, Hugh Waddell, Jim Turner, Jack Dewart, Gordon Dobbin, Gordon Monkman, Don Earle, Bill Mortlock, Dr. John Stewart, Don Ebbs and Ray Taillon are celebrated in both photos and accounts of hunting activities.

From the time of Robert Stuart of Chicago, who joined the club in 1902, employees at the Quaker Oats Company have played important roles in the club’s development. I became aware that a number of Peterborough’s most influential mayors over the years were annual participants in the hunt. Many club members served Canada with distinction during the two World Wars. Their stories are documented in these pages.

The two club members most involved in the production of this book are John Martin and George Gillespie, both of whom joined the club in 1981. I met John Martin much earlier in the bookmaking process. Its completion was his dying wish. I also commend George Gillespie for his efforts in seeing the book through its long and difficult development. The co-authors, Catherine Dibben and Barbara LaPerriere, have worked through masses of records and newspaper reports to produce a readable and engaging account of the club’s first 100 years. Additional credit is due to the dynamic team of Louis and Karen Taylor of Cover to Cover Publications for producing such a handsome book for Peterborough readers.

By now, the Ketchecum Hunt Club is well into its second century at its new home north of Apsley. I’m no keener on the idea of the hunt, but I have been impressed to learn of its long-standing significance for many of its members.

© Peterborough Examiner