Corey Ford's "The Road to Tinkhamtown"
 

This twelve minute video has been put on YouTube so I guess it is public now.

It is narrated (read) by our friend Des Young of "Hunting With Hank" fame and produced by Laurie Morrow who has been given exclusive 'curatorship' by Dartmouth College, where Corey Ford was a professor, of all of Corey Ford's writings, letters, and private property.

"Cider", the blue belton English Setter in the video in reality is "Earl's Coronation" and is of the Earl Twombly line (from which came Ford's "Cider" and "Tober") and is the sire of the pup "Olga's Grace" that Kathy and I will be picking up in the first week of August. Coronation Kennels in Lowell Vt. is owned and operated by Legh and Jenn Higgins. Legh makes an appearance in the video, second from left, in the clip of the four hunting companions.

Please enjoy the Timkhmtown video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_PN6ZL0fMA

Many will probably recognize the gentleman featured in the video as 'Big John' Wiles, husband of Laurie Morrow and managing partner of B&W Sporting The Best in Wingshooting.

Wow,very well done.

Thanks Greg for that note.

Notice he has a Parker. They did not miss any details

No matter how many times I have read "The Road To Tinkhamtown", which has been many, I never tire of it. I consider it one of the best pieces of bird hunting literature ever produced, albeit sad.

This video does the story justice and I want to thank Dean for sharing it.

Dean, good luck with the setter pup. They hold a special place in my heart and I am sure will yours as well.

It was no. 1 in a Sporting Classics contest for best outdoor story ever written. That is how I first learned of it. Great stuff for sure.

Hmmm. Won't load up for me

Open a search function on the www and type in the road to tinkhamtown and click on the link that shows a guy sitting on the ground leaning against a tree.

No videos on youtube or facebook seem to be loading for me at this point

Rebooted the computer and all is well. A friend just picked up a new setter that apparently came from Hank's kennel.

It is a great story, and thanks for posting the link.
I do have a question. I've read this story many times over the years and there are slight variations in different books. For example this is the first time I have seen hunting buddies mentioned, he is home in bed and not in a hospital, his wife is at his side (not his sister), ect..
Who makes these changes ?
Thanks, Dave

Thank You Dean It was a joy to watch and listen. It is the best hunting story, with out a doubt, that I like to reread every few months just to remind me why I love the outdoors so much. Thomas

"Editorial license" I suppose. It is my guess that Laurie Morrow, having full control over the Ford archives, must be allowed the latitude to do what she deems as necessary or fitting in the way she makes use of Corey Ford's stories and writings.

Thank you ,thank you Dean !!!

Corey Ford's Best!!
 

I believe the shotgun Frank is carrying a is a 12 Trojan, possibly with a rubber recoil pad. Only I man who lived to fly fish and hunt grouse as a gentleman should hunt them like the late Corey Ford did could create such a masterpiece. I have this story in my book "The Best of Corey Ford", which also contains his equally great "Letter To A grandson"-- I did not notice any mention of what make and gauge shotgun Frank had in the original story, nor any mention about 4 hunting partners. My impression of Frank was that he was a bachelor, like Uncle Perk Perkins in the "Lower Forty" series, who lived with his possibly unmarried sister, and his Setter was his whole life- that and grouse come October--

The Parker in the video is a 12 gauge GH and it belongs to Legh Higgins who also owns the setter, "Coronation's Duke of Earl" and the Filson jacket that "Frank" is wearing.

Dean, can't wait to see your pup:):):)

Steve, I'm sure Dean wouldn't mind me sharing this with you all. It just priceless.

Great Pic Dave, thanks:):):) Oh boy, that pup won't be spoiled!!!!!

Steve, you might be wrong... I may spoil her a little bit.

This picture was taken today - our first 'get acquainted' day. She stays with her Mum for two more weeks, then we bring her home. I named her Grace after my mother and coincidentally, today is my mother's birthday... she would have been 92 and she would have loved little Gracie.

Thanks Dave... if you hadn't, I would have.

Dean, spoil her away:bowdown::bowdown:

Did I mention she's a tri-color? White with black and orange ticking.

wonderful video...


there is a tinkham mountain in the town of alexandria, nh. it is a small mountain in the shadow of one of new hampshires larger peaks, cardigan mountain. my gunsmith, ed lander was born close to there. he was taken to massachusetts as a boy, but returned to his roots in the early seventies and is there now, still practicing his trade at 88 years of age.

the abandoned road to tinkham mountain is off washburn road which is a mostly passible dirt road on the way to old ed's shop. I pass it often when up that way. I walked it part way once, but having read the story, decided that I was not yet ready to go all the way to the end, so to speak...anyway, it is remarkable how the area in the video is so like the real place. wonder if it is?

I too had an english setter, who is now gone. his name was princie. he was my friend and I was his.

Check this out. This will take you to the supposedly original, unedited version.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/...y-ever-written

Dean, Did you have your shots? , Hate to see pup catch something !! :rotf: nice pic and pup, maybe we could do a hunt together some time?? , Dean you can go too, scott

Sure Scott.... are there any grouse in New Hampcha?

I have seen only 2 in the last 10 years , but Bill Janelle said there are some. Up north there are. Maybe Bill, you and I can make a day of it up north this fall?? :)

If we can do it on a weekday I'm in.

Scott, you get north of Rochester, and you will be lost:rotf:

The Northeast side of Lake St. Francis ain't too shabby for good grouse numbers. Take a canoe... two hunters and a dog fit a canoe just right. That will get you into the untrammeled places.

What a beautiful story! Thanks for posting.

My favorite Corey Ford story is "Seat of Justice" because it includes a Parker .410 in skeet configuration, field chokes, boats, bad wives, marksmanship, and "law and order". Would anyone be willing to particiapate in a U Tube video reenacting "Seat of Justice"?

When do it leave Dean ,is there room for a big Newfoundlander? were born quite good on the water you know :whistle:

When we last spoke I thought you had sworn off getting another dog...I think you made a wise choice ,beautiful head on that pup I can't wait to hear reports of her Grouse adventures .

Chris, I think that was back before I was able to convince Kathy that a true bird dog was absolutely necessary to my continued sanity or at least would bring me closer to such a state. It took some tactical persuasion by not only myself but a few well-meaning hunting friends.

Wondered about that myself

Looking forward to seeing this pup (and her litter mate another friend is getting) grow up. My wife loves the dogs but adding a third might get a bit crowded in the house.

Rick, I have seen and held John's pup. She is a wonderfully active and competitive girl and may just turn out to be the best hunter of them all. She is eager and is "The Boss" of the litter. She's the one they call "Bandit" because of her black face mask with the white stripe up from her freckled snout to behind her ears where everything else is mostly white. She's a very striking looking pup. I'm certain John will be very happy with her.

Legh and Jenn have six adults and nine pups in the house and I don't hear any complaints from them. Their vacuum cleaner sure gets a workout though.

This has always been one of my favorite Ford pieces.

Over the years I have always envisioned that Corey's "Tinkhamtown" came from the Tinkhamtown Brook area which is Southeast of the Dartmouth Skiway, the Dartmouth-owned ski resort just outside of Lyme. In this day and age, using tools like Google Earth, it's fun to zoom in on that area and think about what it would show if we had good aerial photos from "back in the day". It always made sense to me that Ford would have picked either an area close to Freedom or an area near Darmouth as the basis for this piece. Tinkhamtown Brook is less than 2.5 miles southeast of the small mountain that is Dartmouth Skiway.

That theory makes perfect sense to me Tony. I know he hunted and fished those areas with his friends whom he based his "Lower Forty" characters on - Jim Hall, Perk Perkins, Judge Parker, Cousin Sid and the rest... they all had real names and were Corey's real friends and some were favorite students at Dartmouth.