A Tour to the River Saguenay, in Lower Canada

In Short

This 1847 travel memoir records a journey from the Hudson Valley through the Adirondacks, Green Mountains, and White Mountains, extending north to Quebec and the wild Saguenay River before turning back through Maine and coastal Connecticut. Part field journal and part outdoor essays, the narrative blends trout fishing adventures, rustic encounters, and nature philosophy. Charles Lanman observes a landscape on the brink of industrial change, capturing the sights of virgin forests, remote lakes, and early American communities. The work endures as a vivid portrait of North American wilderness before full-scale development, written with quiet reverence for the natural world.

The Story

The journey begins in May, when Charles Lanman yields to a sudden urge to abandon his editorial desk for a summer of angling. Departing New York, he travels up the Hudson River valley to explore the Catskill Mountains. Here he fishes mountain streams like the Roaring Kill, enjoys simple farm hospitality, and reflects on the quiet beauty of rural life. Moving northward, he enters the region around Lake Horicon and Scaroon Lake, taking time to wander near historic battle sites like Fort William Henry and reflect on the tragic displacement of Native American tribes.

Continuing into the rugged Adirondack wilderness, Lanman reaches the upper reaches of the Hudson and the interior mountains around Mount Tahawus and the Indian Pass. He visits remote iron works near Lake Henderson and spends time with wilderness woodsmen, recording the rough life of mountain outposts. Crossing Lake Champlain into Vermont and New Hampshire, he travels by stagecoach through the Green and White Mountains. He pauses at natural landmarks like the Flume, the Basin, and Franconia Notch, taking long solitary walks, sketching foliage, and listening to the mountain echoes before heading toward the Canadian border.

Upon entering Canada, Lanman visits the bustling historical centers of Montreal and Quebec. He boards a vessel for a sail down the St. Lawrence River, taking in the dramatic rocky promontories of Trinity Point and Eternity Cape as he ventures up the dark, icy depths of the Saguenay River. Along these northern waters, he explores Hudson's Bay Company posts, observes local Habitans and indigenous communities, and learns the hazardous routines of seal and porpoise hunters.

Turning south again toward Maine, Lanman penetrates the deep woods around Moosehead Lake and the Kennebec and Aroostook rivers. He fishes for salmon, hunts moose by canoe under cloudless skies, and spends a night in the cabin of a hermit living deep in the forest. Finally, after reaching the Atlantic coast, he boards a vessel for a voyage along the eastern seaboard back toward New London and Norwich. Standing alone on deck under the stars, watching the waves and listening to the ocean, Lanman brings his long summer pilgrimage to a close, returning home humbled and spiritually renewed by his communion with nature.

How It Unfolds

The voyage begins Lanman leaves his desk behind in May and travels up the Hudson Valley into the Catskill Mountains. He spends his early days sketching trees, whipping trout streams with red hackles, and sharing hearty meals with local farming families.

Into the northern wilderness Advancing toward Lake Horicon and the Scaroon region, Lanman fishes by torchlight and spectates a spirited ball game between local farmers. He muses over ruined wartime forts and laments the historical injustices forced upon Native American nations.

Deep in the Adirondacks Reaching the iron works at McIntyre, Lanman penetrates the high peaks of Mount Tahawus and Indian Pass. He embeds himself with legendary local hunters to learn the rhythms of survival in the dense forest.

Over the New England peaks Lanman journeys by stagecoach through Vermont and the White Mountains of New Hampshire. He walks through Franconia Notch, sketch-book in hand, marveling at deep crystal pools and listening to mountain birds.

Down the St. Lawrence and Saguenay Crossing into Lower Canada, Lanman sails past Quebec and into the sheer rock fjords of the Saguenay River. He studies northern trading posts, learns local legends, and witnesses the harsh lives of seal hunters and river guides.

Maine woods and homeward sail In the Maine backcountry, Lanman hunts moose by canoe on silent rivers and lodges with a forest hermit. He finishes his trek aboard a coastal ship, contemplating life and destiny under the night sky before anchoring near home.

The People

• Charles Lanman, the narrator and author, is a gentle, reflective city editor and painter-angler. Seeking relief from urban routine, he sets out to immerse himself in nature, driven by a deep love for angling, sketching, and philosophical solitude. Through his travels, his appreciation for the delicate balance of the natural world and human fellowship grows deeper.

• John Cheney, the famed Adirondack hunter living in the wild village of McIntyre, is a modest, small-stature woodsman. Contrary to Lanman's expectations of a rough, giant Nimrod, Cheney resembles a quiet student while possessing unmatched skill and knowledge regarding woodland survival.

• Professor Joseph Torrey, a scholar of Moral and Intellectual Philosophy at the University of Vermont, is an amiable, deeply respected teacher and art lover. He serves as an intellectual anchor in Lanman's journey, inspiring students and offering refined insights on metaphysics and fine arts.

• Robert Egger, the "Hermit of Aroostook," is a tall, gentlemanly recluse living above a waterfall in the Maine wilderness. A former reader of theatrical classics and news, he seeks a blameless life far from human misery, entertaining Lanman with theatrical poses and dry humor.

In Its Own Voice

"In the very first hole of the stream into which I accidentally peered, I discovered a large trout, lying near the bottom, just above a little bed of sand, whence rose the bubbles of a spring."

Lanman pauses during a walk along Schoharie Creek to watch a fish before resuming his angling.

"He was taken home, the circulation of his blood restored, and he is now an inmate of the Quebec Lunatic Asylum."

Lanman recounts the local tale of a deranged clerk who miraculously crossed the treacherous, ice-choked Saguenay River on foot.

"In a thoughtful mood I fixed my eyes upon the stars, and my spirits were saddened by the continual murmur of the sea."

Standing on deck at the end of his journey, Lanman considers the brief nature of human life while looking out over the ocean.

What It's Really About

Beneath its surface as a practical outdoor travelog, the book explores the deep spiritual relationship between human identity and untamed nature. Lanman investigates how solitary immersion in the wilderness restores the human spirit, contrasting the peaceful simplicity of rural streams with the artificial pressures of urban work. The narrative constantly weighs the progress of American industry—represented by new iron works and timber operations—against the tragic loss of wild lands and indigenous heritage. It raises questions about historical guilt, human mortality, and whether true happiness is found in societal achievement or in quiet, observant harmony with the natural world.

Why Read It Today

This travel memoir appeals to outdoor enthusiasts, history buffs, and lovers of classic nature writing like Henry David Thoreau or Izaak Walton. Reading it feels like stepping into an early nineteenth-century landscape painter's journal, rich with quiet observations, rustic humor, and vivid regional atmosphere.

Modern readers must navigate periodic stylistic challenges, including formal Victorian prose, lengthy poetic citations from Wordsworth and Dana, and nineteenth-century racial terminology when discussing Native American and indigenous populations. However, Lanman’s open-hearted curiosity and genuine empathy keep the text engaging. What stays with you is the book's timeless sense of wonder—the simple joy of sitting beside a cold trout stream, the eerie beauty of a northern fjord, and the quiet contentment that comes from stepping away from a busy life to wander the open road.

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