The Owl Brook Trapper’s Cabin

In years gone by many trappers utilized remote cabins along a trapline traversed on foot. This would allow the trapper an overnight site where supplies had been stockpiled in the off-season and firewood was bucked up for winter use. In some cases a chain of cabins would allow the trapper to run a long line in remote country or a single cabin might be utilized on a line that was one day out and the next day back too home.

Many cabins were destinations at the center of a remote trapping territory and provided the only comforts and utility for the trapper while trapping in that area. Largely built by single individuals without benefit of modern power equipment the cabins are mostly gone through neglect or lost in wilderness. They served their purpose for a number of years and have returned to the earth, as have most of the trappers who built them.

One such cabin resides at the NH Fish & Game Owl Brook Educational Center in Holderness, New Hampshire; built by passionate volunteers from the NH Trapper’s Association.

The cabin was built entirely with volunteer help and donated materials. As time progresses, the cabin will continue to be an educational tool, equiped with donated traps, animal furs, and other teaching equipment to complete the display.

The NH Fish and Game Department's Owl Brook Hunter Education Center is a dedicated space for educating people in the knowledge, skills and behaviors needed to become safe and responsible hunters, trappers and stewards of the state's natural resources. The location is managed by Fish and Game's Hunter Education Program and is located on 500 pristine forested acres of land. Owl Brook hosts workshops, group programs and special events conducted by Fish and Game staff; most notably, the locale is utilized for both Hunter Education and Trapper Education certification classes. As NH Fish & Game states, the activities taught at Owl Brook “allow individuals and families to start the lifelong journey of becoming safe and responsible hunters and trappers. As much as possible, the "hands-on" and "learn by participation" approach is used at the center.” A downloadable brochure on Owl Brook can be viewed by clicking here.

Sean Williamson of NH Fish & Game kept track of the volunteer labor expended on the trapper’s cabin project, as it represents a considerable sum in matching funds to the NH Fish & Game Department from the US Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund. Dwight Pennell, a Carroll County Director of NHTA who lives in Tuftonboro, has served as the Construction Foreman to schedule and direct the many volunteers and coordinate the construction and delivery of donated materials. The project got started in the month of June, with several work dates on the calendar, and was finished in the fall of that year, just in time for the annual NHTA Rendezvous and the Owl Brook Education Center dedication ceremony.

Besides the critical position he has played, Dwight Pennell also contributed with the use of his John Deere tractor to skid out the logs from the Owl Brook property that were utilized to make the cabin.

Should you wonder upon an old trapper’s cabin while searching the forested wilds, contemplate your find for just a bit, as it represents much; and may hold many secrets yet unknown by you. What stands before you now is a vision of the past and the platform from which you may see the future. Let us set on the porch of the old trapper’s cabin and visit for a spell, for it is here in the tranquility of nature and the presence of our heritage that we ponder the traditions so dear to our trapping community and collect our thoughts. It is from here as we walk down the trail to the future that we put our best foot forword.

When you have an opportunity to visit the NH Fish & Game Owl Brook Education Center in Holderness, remember to visit the authentic trapper’s cabin - which was built by hand on site and donated by NH Trappers Association.

Other major contributors to this important project were Steve Bennett and Karola Owen, both NHTA Directors from Epsom, who brought their portable saw mill and considerable experience to the Owl Brook site to mill the timber for this project. Craig Williams of R.P. Williams and Sons from Bristol donated a significant amount of materials for the project. There were many NHTA Directors, members, and friends of regulated trapping who have pitched in at one or more of the work dates or contributed in other ways to make this project a success. The reward for all this effort will be realized over time, and continues today, as the public passes along the interpretive trails at the Owl Brook facility, and the Trappers Cabin becomes one of the significant points of interest to be seen by the countless visitors.