From The
Editor:
| Seventeen
years ago, I embarked on a fascinating historical quest which
I’d now like to share with my fellow sportsmen: my research into
the life and angling accomplishments of the late Cal Johnson,
the famous outdoor writer, lecturer, radio personality, and the
holder of the world record muskellunge in 1949.
After finally
locating, Phil Johnson, Cal’s only son, to see if he had any
memorabilia and information regarding his father’s outdoor
career, I was quite overwhelmed by what he was about to share
with me. |
Mrs. Jeanne Johnson (Phil's wife) and John Dettloff,
pictured in front of some of the Johnson family's
mementos. |
This picture of Cal Johnson, Circa 1924,
gives you a perspective of the tackle in use. |
I soon discovered
that Cal had kept impeccable records of his works,
photos, and angling materials throughout his entire
career… a career which spanned four decades, involved
every aspect of the outdoors, and included every medium
(from articles & books, to radio, and even into
television). After Cal Johnson passed away in 1953, all
of his personal memorabilia was then stored away for
some forty years. After I had contacted him in 1993,
Phil granted me the opportunity to sort through and
organize these materials for the purpose of sharing this
wealth of outdoor lore with the sportsmen of today.
The materials included
in the Cal Johnson library consist of literally hundreds
of negatives (some of which are glass negatives) and
photographs; hundreds of pieces of correspondence going
back to the early 1920s from notables from practically
every walk of life; scores of articles that Cal had
written himself, some of which have never been
published; radio scripts from the early 1930s; a half
dozen aged scrapbooks from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s that
include of wealth of information on Cal’s life and
writing career; much additional documentation regarding
his 1949 world record musky, including original
affidavits, a never before published photo of the fish,
and original letters of correspondence from not only
Field & Stream Magazine but many others; and perhaps
a hundred other books, pamphlets, and various reference
materials that Cal had used himself during his broad
research of the outdoors. |
So, on
behalf of the Johnson family, and the late Phil Johnson, I am
proud to share with you, the outdoor public, an ever changing
sampling of the life and times and writings and lore of Cal
Johnson.
It is the
Johnson family’s hope that by getting to know of the many
contributions that Cal had made to outdoor sport, in the name of
both education and the preservation of our resources so that
future generations will forever enjoy the great gifts that
nature offers, that it may serve as an inspiration to others to
continue to carry the torch of conservation and sportsmanship
well into the future. Furthermore, it is this writer’s hope
that the skillful way in which Cal Johnson had put pen to paper
in order to kindle the passion and love of sport by the telling
of his lore and adventures be not forgotten with time, but be
preserved and shared with tomorrows legions of coming
outdoorsmen.
Enjoy,
John Dettloff
|
