Chimney Pond Tales

by Clayton Hall, Jane Thomas (Editor), Elizabeth Harmon (Editor)

During the first half of the Twentieth Century, Leroy Dudley, ranger, guide and spinner of tales at Chimney Pond on Maine’s Mount Katahdin, enchanted countless outdoor enthusiasts with his yarns about Pamola, the Penobscot Indian god of thunder who protected the mountain.

Roy’s stories were recorded on wax cylinder by Clayton Hall in the 1930’s. They were ultimately brought to print in 1991. This self-published book has enjoyed amazing success with sales exceeding 10,000 copies.

In celebration of its more than twenty years in print, we offer this new edition, including early photographs of Roy Dudley, Katahdin, and Chimney Pond, a brief history of the book itself, as well as an additional, incomplete Dudley tale.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 1991

Reviews

[Tommy Carbone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book to have at camp. It was interesting to learn more about Roy Dudley, his time at Chimney Pond, and the tall tales he told.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone who has been to Mt Katahdin will love this book. So grateful that these stories told by Roy Dudley were recorded for posterity!

[Darcy Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Chimney Pond Tales" by Beth Harmon and Jane Thomas (illustrator), is a posthumous collection of the stories of Leroy Dudley—early 20th century mountain guide to celebrities, artists, scientists and lovers of the out-of-doors—who lived his life in the shadow of Maine’s Mount Katahdin. A popular spinner of out-sized tales (most centering on his hard-won friendship with the mythic Pamola, the Penobscot Indian god of thunder tasked with protecting the mountain), Roy came to be sought out as much for his humor and Will Rogers-like delivery as his skill as a guide.

Dudley’s many yarns, re-crafted by Harmon with wry and obvious affection and graced with Thomas’s whimsical illustrations, speak to a life that was rich and successful in the ways that truly matter—in the lives he touched with his stories and his deeply-felt connection to the natural world. Harmon’s narrative sings with the sights and sounds of Mount Katahdin, imbuing Roy’s stories with an authorial voice rich with Down East vernacular and subtle social commentary. This is storytelling at its very best.

[Eric]

Ayuh, that wer' a good'un.