Adirondack French Louie: Early Life in the North Woods

by Harvey L. Dunham

Harvey Dunham's Adirondack French Louie has become an Adirondack classic. Louie Seymour was the prototype of all the Adirondack woodsmen-a hunter-trapper-fisherman-umberman-and on some few days a year when he brought his furs into Newton's Corners (now Speculator), a happy, roaring drunk, but a rugged individualist above all else. Dunham captures the spirit of the wild, virgin Adirondacks as few other contemporary writers have. Adirondack French Louie belongs on everyone's Americana bookshelf.

Genres: Biography, History, Nature, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1987

Reviews

[Paul Jakobovic]

Nice story. Makes me want to go back to the Dax and see every place they talked about.

[Aditya Shetty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Louie Seymour, a Canadian boy who after working a series of odd jobs, eventually finds himself in what is today the Adirondack national park. He realizes that he is more at home when out in the wilderness than in the company of other people.

Even this exaggerated account of Louie's life fell short of my (rather romantic) pre-conceived notions of what a life in the woods would be like. This is not to take anything away from the story or the person, but a reality check on what it takes to live the life of a hermit.

The book goes into way too much detail about the local geography of the West Canada Lake wilderness (also part of the ADK) and the towns that surround it. This would go unappreciated by those not familiar with the area but makes it am must read for those planning to hike or camp in these places.

[Jenny Dohner · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is slow moving, which is why I only gave it 3 stars, but if you like the outdoors and in particular, the Adirondaks, it's intriguing. After reading this, I was excited to learn more about Louie and visit the Adirondak Museum, his gravesite, and the remains of his last, unfinshed camp.

[Tim Wilder]

Read this to research family history, as some relatives show up in it.

[Justin K. Rivers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colorful and entertaining biography of Louis Seymour, a famous hermit and guide in the Adirondack Mountains at the turn of the previous century. This book is a New York regional classic, and deserves its reputation.

Louie is a strange and fascinating character, emblematic of a unique breed of woodsmen who settled the north woods. The narrative of the book is somewhat episodic, and it suffers from a lack of empirical data. Dunham writes with an authoritative insight into Louie's life that he did not actually have - Louie having died in 1915, and no primary sources documenting his early life having survived. But, facts be damned, it's full of great stories in the true fashion of Adirondack tales. It's romantic and funny and historically accurate, if not specifically so. Dunham cites no sources, and I get the sense that he took more than a few liberties with his subject matter. But, since this is basically the only book on Louie, it remains an unresolved issue. In any case, French Louie was real, and his life was full of adventure. If you hike into the West Canadas, you can still see the stone fireplace from his cabin, standing against the weather as his memorial.