Letter to Jack Ofield from Lawrence Older
May 12, 1976
Lake Hamilton, Florida
Dear Jack,
Your letter received and we find everything agreeable so, we will see you on the evening of July 3. Some names and addresses as best I can.
Hugh “Pat” Morrison, Middle Grove, N.Y. 12850. - Knows something about the origin of The Rackets around Blue Mt. Lake.
John Bills, Middle Grove, N.Y. - An interesting character and has some good stories. Weighed 112 lbs. at his best and knew no peer as an axe-man.
Steve Wadsworth - Lives a few miles north of Northville, N.Y., across the river from the Northville-Wells road. The winter Steve was eighteen he worked in camp with a lumberjack who was also a first-rate boatman. They became chums and X promised to take Steve as a partner the next spring on the drive. I used X above as I have forgotten the alias the man used. Anyway, the event that took place on the drive was the same as in the wild Mustard river except it was three weeks instead of an “hour and a quarter” before the body was found by the fisherman. A terrible happening and Steve never got over it. The man is buried at Minerva, N.Y.
Claude Gallagher, Newcomb, N.Y. - When I knew Gallagher by sight he was a super for the old New York Power and Light Company, Albany, N.Y. As a young man Claude worked in the lumber woods and was also a first-rate river driver. In later years when he became a boss for the power company he brought in the best men from his old “woods” days to work for him. That is how I came to work under “whiskey” Jack McCullough as chauffer-timekeeper. Claude and Jack had worked the heart of the Adirondacks as lumberjacks – Long Lake, West, Cedar River Flow, Squaw Brook, etc. Last I knew Claude was still enjoying his hobby, mountain climbing though an old man now.
John Collins, Blue Mt. Lake. - A good man to talk to.
Jim and Myra McGee, Thurman, N.Y. - Jim went from the woods and ended up as a museum curator before retiring. Five miles north of North Creek at North River is a daughter of Jack Donahue. I think she would be a good subject.
In closing, elated over the whole thing!
L.E.O.
