Mountain Masculinity
Mountain Masculinity
The Life and Writing of Nello “Tex” Vernon-Wood in the Canadian Rockies, 1906-1938
Wood, Banff hunting guide and writer of "yarns of the wilderness
by a competent outdoorsman." His homespun stories of a vanishing
world, in such periodicals as The Sportsman, Hunting and Fishing, and
the Canadian Alpine Journal, have much to tell us about the west as
envisioned by those who wanted to leave the early 20th century behind
– or at least read about others who had done so. In the writings
of his persona "Tex," Vernon-Wood created an image of the
frontier that blended the West of his guiding experiences with the West
as a literary object. Editors Gow and Rak guide the reader with a
framing introduction to the work, as well as to each article.
We are lucky to have these snapshots of life on the trail before the trail became a highway.
Foreword by Ted Bishop
Introduction by Andrew Gow and Julie Rak
1. Fifth Avenue Pilgrims Amid the Goats. The Sportsman, February1930, 63 and 102
2. This Guiding Game. The Sportsman, April 1930, 58-59 and 78.
3. The Last Great Buffalo Drive. The Sportsman, June 1930, 75, 86and 88.
4. William, Prepare My Barth. The Sportsman, July 1930, 55 and78.
5. Us Winter Sports. The Sportsman, January 1931, 44-45.
6. Rams. The Sportsman, April 1931, 67-68.
7. Tepee Tales. The Sportsman, September 1931, 52-54 and 58.
8. An Early Ski Attempt on Mt. Ptarmigan. Canadian Alpine Journal,vol. 21 (1932), 135-137.
9. Pipestone Letters No. 1. Hunting and Fishing, September 1932,16.
10. An’ All We Do Is Hunt. The National Sportsman, March 1933,10-11.
11. The Latest From Pipestone. A Pipestone Letter. Hunting andFishing, February 1934, 11.
12. Dried Spinach or Moose Steak? A Pipestone Letter. Hunting andFishing, June 1935, 11.
13. Tex Reads His Permit. A Pipestone Letter. Hunting and Fishing,August 1935, 13.
14. The Guide Knows Everything. The National Sportsman, June 1936,14-15.
15. Tex: Gentleman’s Gentleman. A Pipestone Letter. Huntingand Fishing, August 1936, 14.
16. It’s Good to Be Alive. The National Sportsman, September1936, 16-17.
17. Tex Takes A Trophy. A Pipestone Letter. Hunting and Fishing,October 1936, 7.
18. Sawback Cleans a Laker. Another Pipestone Letter. Hunting andFishing, December 1936, 12.
19. Sawback Changes His Mind. Another Pipestone Letter. Hunting andFishing, April 1937, 9.
20. Tex Tangles With Horribilis. Another Pipestone Letter. Huntingand Fishing, May 1937, 15 and 46.
21. Navigatin’ for Namaycush. The National Sportsman, May1937, 14-15.
22. What’s in a Name? The National Sportsman, February 1938,6-7 and 21.
23. Sawbuck and the Sporting Proposition. The National Sportsman,May 1938, 14 and 26.
24. The Wild Goose Chase. Hank the Viking Puts Out to Sea in Pursuitof a Wounded Gander, by ‘Ramon Chesson’. The NationalSportsman, October 1938, 10-11.
25. It’s a Woman’s World. The National Sportsman,October 1938, 13 and 26.
Appendix A: Tex Vernon-Wood., Recollections by his grandson, John R.Gow
Appendix B: A Gift from Grand-Dad Vernon-Wood. Recounted by hisgrandson Harry W. Gow
