Category Archives: Past Times

The Lady’s Not for Turning: The Extraordinary Story of Mina Hubbard

The Lady’s Not for Turning

The Extraordinary Story of Mina Hubbard

There were woodswomen long before “Woodswoman,” and one in particular stands out. In 1903, Mina Hubbard’s husband starved to death in Labrador. Two years later, his widow was leading an expedition along the same route, determined to finish the job her husband had left undone.
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by Tamia Nelson | November 12, 2002

Mina Hubbard on the Trail - 1905 - A Tamia Nelson Article on Backinthesameboat.com

Some of my happiest hours have been spent in library basements. Dark, dank, and neglected, they often house unexpected treasures: government reports describing the natural history of remote regions, bound volumes of nineteenth-century magazines, old books slated for “weeding” (librarians prefer to call this “de-accessioning”) … . What with one thing and another, trips into these dusty catacombs are always fascinating. Many turn into voyages of exploration among forgotten literary landscapes, with every shelf promising something new — and often delivering.

On one such expedition a few years back, I spotted bound volumes of Harper’s Monthly Magazine. Here was a find, indeed! Though not known as a sporting periodical — today’s Harper’s takes its job as a guardian of high culture very seriously — its turn-of-the-(last)-century counterpart occasionally printed articles about canoeing and kayaking. Ever hopeful, I lost no time … Read more »