VTT Series: #1. Broadaxe, the Big White Moose Traditional Cache
VTT Series: #1. Broadaxe, the Big White Moose
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
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This series of caches highlight a few of the tall tales of Big Joe Mufferaw and the lumbering days on the Ottawa and Madawaska Rivers. The caches are relatively easy P & Gs along rural roads in Renfrew County. Cell phone reception is not always reliable. Please bring your own pen.
Valley Tall Tales Series #1 -Big Joe Mufferaw's faithful companion Broadaxe, the Big White Moose. One day young Joe Mufferaw was fishing near Diamond Springs on the Madawaska River at Arnprior when he spotted an exhausted young white moose clinging to the bank. He helped the moose up on land, built it a safe den and cared for it until it regained its strength. Now the springs were known to have magical, healing powers and in no time at all, the moose grew to an enormous size. He watched Big Joe as he skillfully swung his broadaxe squaring the mighty white timbers and quickly mastered the art of using the broadaxe himself. It is said that old moose could swing a broadaxe clenched in his teeth and square timbers faster than any shantyman. Thus he became known as Broadaxe the Big White Moose and Joe Mufferaw's faithful companion. "The Big Joe Mufferaw Tall Tales" are based on the life of Joseph Montferrand (1802-1864), a French Canadian of outstanding strength and athletic prowess. He was well respected as a skilled foreman bringing squared timber rafts and booms down the Ottawa River to Quebec City. Details of his exploits are recorded in Joan Finnigan's book "Giants of the Ottawa Valley". The tall tales in this series are based on the story telling gifts of the shantymen who worked alongside this giant and anglicized his name to "Joe Mufferaw". Arnprior storyteller, Bernie Bedore grew up hearing these tall tales and published many tall tales of Big Joe's adventures such as "Mythical Mufferaw", "Tall Tales of Joe Mufferaw", and "The Shanty". Musician Stompin' Tom Connors has also helped to immortalize these tales in his recording of Big Joe Mufferaw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gy3knGGzZr8
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