Lochsa Story

by Bud Moore

Book Overview

The Lochsa Story explores the lessons drawn from two centuries of human interaction with northern Idaho's Lochsa country and how those lessons can affect management philosophies of similar regions... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0878423338
• ISBN13: 9780878423330
• Release Date: June 1996
• Publisher: Mountain Press
• Length: 480 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The smoke of ancient fires

They say you are getting old when you can remember things that happened fifty years ago but you can't remember where you put your glasses. By that measure I'm old now (Oh, there they are! On my head!). The Lochsa Story was ancient when Bud told it to my oldest friend, his son Bill, and me. But I remember it perfectly-yes, fifty years later. It fairly leaps out of the recesses of my memory as I read this well researched book. First hand, I know Bud lived it even better than he told it. Too young and soft at first to join Bud and Bill on their pack trips into the Lochsa, I hardened myself up enough to be included in many of their hunts and camps. Bud could kindle a campfire in a hailstorm (I've watched him do it). Just as surely he set Bill and me afire with tales and adventures he himself experienced on his first hike up over that divide. By the time Bill and I became teenagers our snowshoes traced our own traplines on the very rim of the Lochsa not far from where Bud first laid eyes on it. The fires he set in our hearts burn to this day. The Lochsa Story is a precious gift that I will cherish until my spirit joins those of all those who ever walked the Lochsa and loved it. I'm privileged to have known all along that Bud would become a legend in his own right, and to have watched him do it. There is no other person on earth more suited to tell The Lochsa Story. My only regret: with this book Bud may have set too many adventurers afire, and the eternal Lochsa will have no peace.

A moving story of a man's love for the Idaho wilderness

In 1930, thirteen-year-old Bud Moore climbed over the high ridge above his parent's western Montana homestead, carrying "a battered .30-.30 Winchester, light tarp, one blanket, fish line and hooks, and salt, bacon flour and oatmeal to supplement berries and game." He wanted to explore the wilderness of Idaho's Lochsa River country -- then one of the largest wild regions left in the country. As it turned out, his journey lasted a lifetime, returning as a young man to trap furs in winter, and later as a U.S. Forest Service ranger. His book recounts the history of this region, beginning with the Nez Perce Indians and early Anglo explorers, through his own days as the man responsible for overseeing the first logging and roadbuilding on the forest. As a witness to man's sometimes destructive effects on the forest and its wildlife, Moore has spent a lifetime trying to understand how we can cultivate a better relationship to the land. He shares his wise reflections with us in a deeply personal narrative. Anyone who is concerned with the future of this beautiful region will learn much from "walking the trail" with Bud Moore. The Lochsa Story is an eloquent plea for understanding the land and treating it with respect.

"Must Read" for hunters, hikers and outdoor folks

I found the book hard to put down. Bud Moore writes of first hand travels through the mountains of Idaho and Montana and has some great tales of encounters with wildlife and nauture as he grew to become a Mountain Man. I had the please of meeting Bud while visiting Condon MT several years ago and he shared first hand many of the stories on this book..Purchase this one and you won't be sorry!Russell

Excellent history of one of the prettiest areas in the U.S.

Outstanding history, which is very easy to read, of a wonderful part of the West. Also, is a great wake up as to how changes in the environment affects the wildlife that lives there. I recommend highly.

An informative work on the development of land management

This book is a must for anyone wishing to know the story of land management in our national forests. Moore begins his story with land management as practiced by the native americans, and early settlers, then goes on to discuss the development of the Forest Services current methods of land management and the problems with it. The entire narrative is a kind of autobiography, as Moore grew up in the the region of the Bitterroot Mountains, and became an important steward of the land with the Forest Service. Moore relates his story in a highly enjoyable, and understandable format. Don't let the title mislead you into believing that its' topic is boring, and littered with scientific mumbo jumbo. For anyone concerned with the direction the national forests are taking, be you hunter, logger, or just enjoy the splendor of the outdoors this book is a must!