I came upon a cool old story about hunting trip that took place in Idaho almost 100 years ago. The story starts out near Jackson, Wyoming where a guy hears a story about Chamberlain Basin that is suppose to be loaded with huge amounts of game animals. Three gentlemen planned this hunting trip to Idaho once they found a guide that could get them to this hunting hot spot.
Being that this “true hunting story” takes place in the early 1900’s the 3 gentlemen are limited as to how to get to Chamberlain Basin. They start off on a train and spend the night in Pocatello and finally depart the train in Weiser, Idaho. Then it’s horseback and wagon through western and central Idaho.
Along the way they hire some men that will help them get to this deer, bighorn sheep filled valley in the Sawtooth Mountains. The story explains the trials and tribulations of having to deals with their guides and helpers as well as descriptions of what Idaho looked like through the eyes of a 1900’s hunter.
While I was reading the story I explored their trip through Google Earth and other links I found on the Internet. Of course, in the last 100 years, place names might have changed or town may have disappeared. Below is a link to a map I made that follows their journey to Chamberlain Basin. If you click on the map points you will find snippets from the story how they made their way into the Sawtooth’s.
Click the map above to see their route
To read this entire post and read the book from right here, you’ll need to CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STORY
Read the Entire Story
Below you will find the entire 29 page page story. You can read it directly from this website or you can download the entire book in PDF format and read it at your leisure.
Story Killer – Ending Revealed
DO NOT READ BEYOND THIS POINT “If you don’t want to know what happens in the story”
I urge you to read the whole story first…last warning!
I have talked with some avid hunters in the Mountain Home and Boise area. I also get out into the mountains and deserts of Idaho on occasion. It is my impression that to enter an area in this day as remote as the Chamberlain Basin and not see an abundance of deer would be grounds for concern. While the reader has no idea why these three hunters encountered so little big game in 1910, I’d say Idahoans are extremely fortunate to live during the current time.
Maybe F, H and the author of the story arrived at a bad time when big game animal were foraging in other areas? Maybe the weather was a contributing factor? Maybe our three adventurous hunters just didn’t give it enough time or explore enough to find their Idaho deer and bighorn sheep nirvana? Maybe way back in 1910, wildlife wasn’t as abundant in Idaho as it is today? What ever the reason these hunters returned without so much as a pound of venison, I’m sure they considered this trip a great adventure worth trying again in the future. If not, why take the time to publish this story in a book?
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