Hulbert Footner: A Research Update

     In this post I will offer an update about research relating to the author, Hulbert Footner. It should be of some use to Footner fans and those in Southern Maryland, particularly at the Calvert County Historical Society, where his works have been collected, and space dedicated to honour him. As well, those interested in the exploration of northwestern Canada during the early part of the last century, will find beneficial, a new book based on Footner's account of his travels on the "new rivers" in the area, in 1911. 

What's New?
  A few years ago, I published a book about Hulbert Footner, who wrote, New Rivers of the North: The Yarn About Two Amateur Explorers of the Headquarters of the Fraser, the Peace River, the Hay River, Alexandra Falls. He was also the author of many other works of non-fiction, but is best known for his detective novels. In my book, which is largely bibliographical, I gathered and annotated every reference I could find about Footner and his work. I will now add to those references, but will warn aficionados of his detective fiction, that most of what follows relates to Footner's travels in the Canadian north. To keep this short, I will resort to points and spare you my prose, of which there is always too much. 

The New Book: 
   The title is: New Rivers of the North Revisited, by Hulbert Footner.  It is pictured above, to the left of my book about Footner. The authors of it, both highly qualified, are David W. Leonard and Brock Silversides and it was produced with the assistance of a grant from the Alberta Ministry of Culture. 
A Condensed Version
   It is not a reprint of Footner's original New Rivers, all 340 pages which are freely accessible on the Internet Archive and elsewhere. The professionally produced Revisit consists of around 100 pp., the authors having decided to leave out some of the repetitive descriptive scenes.
Good Early Photos of the North and the Natives
   A large number of photographs are included, some of which appeared in the original, and they have been restored by Mr. Silversides and new ones added. Most of them are found in the University of Alberta Archives, having been donated by Geoffrey Footner, the son of Hulbert (see.p.xxvi, in Revisted and p.33 in my HF.) The photographs are of special interest to those studying the Indigenous and the authors note that, "For posterity, the most important accomplishment of the journey of Hulbert Footner and Auville Eager in 1911 was the photographs they took" (p.xxv).
Helpful Background About the Canadian Northwest
   The background information about the 1911 trip and several maps will be of interest to readers of the complete account and to those trying to sort out in which direction the 'new rivers' are flowing and where the explorers are heading.
   Two brief essays offer observations from descendants of the original inhabitants: "A Cree Perspective," by Joanne Gontar and "A Métis  Perspective," by Beverly Whalen.
Footner's Description of the Indigenous
   New Rivers Revisited  is also shorter because the new authors decided to leave out passages that portray the Indigenous in unflattering terms: "Footner's depiction of the Native people (both Aboriginal and Métis ) was far from accurate and, at times, excessively derogatory" (p.xxii). I disagree and think "excessively derogatory" is excessive. The issue of Footner's "racist" views in his outdoor novels has been raised before, and I also thought then that he was being unfairly judged by the standards existing in our more sensitive times (see pp. 51-54 in HF).
Any New Sources?
   The new New Rivers of the North Revisited, is presented by two authors who have written books about the area and they offer some good suggestions about other works related to Alberta in the early 1900s. 
   I found no references about Footner, however, that are not included in my Hulbert Footner. Unfortunately the authors were unaware of my book, which would have saved them a lot of research time. 
   For Footner, they chiefly rely on the Wikipedia entry for him, unaware that most of the information in it was provided by Geoffrey Footner, Hulbert's son:
"For an account of Footner's life and writings see, the submissions to Wikipedia, to be taken, of course, with a grain of salt. There is apparently a lengthier biography being written by one Jerry Mulcahy, but as of this writing, it is not available." (n.1, p.XV).

   Those interested in Footner and the remote areas of Alberta and British Columbia should read both this book and the original. Although I did not uncover any new sources about Footner, there is one quotation about Footner, of which I was unaware. It comes from the forward of the second printing of Footner's, Maryland, Main and the Eastern Shore. Written by Hamilton Owen, it proves, once again, that Footner is worth our consideration:

       
   Bill Footner was a sensitive man, as conscious of ugliness as of beauty. When what he saw was unpleasing, he commented on it, and always with a special kind of tolerance. But often, when others saw only the commonplace, he found under the surface as it were, a kind of beauty -- the kind of beauty untrained men of simple honesty usually bestow upon their makings. The pretentiousness of those whose chief desire was to attract attention, he found more humorous than irritating....There was not much self-righteousness in this man (p.XV).

There Is More: New Rivers Previewed in the Journal - Alberta History. 
   To announce the publication of New Rivers of the North Revisited, Leonard produced an extract in the journal, Alberta History, pictured above to the right of my book. The article contains some of the maps and photos and the proper citation is as follows: "The Euro-American Discovery of the Hay River," by David W. Leonard, Alberta History, Spring 2024, Vol. 72, No.2, pp. 2-12.

In Addition: A Review of Hulbert Footner...Also Found in the Same Issue.

   Readers of that article  will likely find it curious that the issue begins with a piece  about Footner's book and ends with a review of my book about Footner. The curious part is that no connection is made, and there is no mention in the front of the journal about what comes at the back. The simple explanation for this is likely that this slim issue was produced during a time of editorial change and the connection went unnoticed, or that there was not time to make a comment about it before publication. In any case, readers should know that Leonard and I were like two canoes passing in the dark on the Hay River; the paddlers in them, unaware of one another. I am sorry to report that I never did have the opportunity to connect with Dr. Leonard, who recently passed away. 

The Review of Hulbert Footner....

  A picture of the page containing the review is provided and the entire review, written by Graham MacDonald, is included below.

 Hulbert Footner, Author of Adventure Novels, Detective Novels and Historical Nonfiction: A Bibliographic Account of His Life and Work

by Jerry Mulcahy

Amazon: Bolton, ON, 2021. 300 pp. $22.00

In 1912, the Outing Publishing Company of New York brought out New Rivers of the North: The Yarn of Two Amateur Explorers, by Hulbert Footner. This was a substantial book, richly illustrated with photographs, detailing an audacious canoe trip down the Peace River and almost to Great Slave Lake via the Hay River. Such adventure literature was popular with the reading public, now and then, producing classics of natural history such as those by Warburton Pike, David T. Hanbury, or Stewart Edward White. But just who was Hulbert Footner? Jerry Mulcahy retired Emeritus Librarian at the C.B. "Bud" Johnston Library, Western University, determined to find out. It was not his purpose to write a full biography, although the first third of his study provides a review of the main details of Footner's life and achievements. The remaining sections provide a thorough listing of his works, their various editions, and annotated commentaries on those works. As the author implies, his book is all spadework for anyone seeking to prepare a full biography. (51-74) His commentaries reveal the possibilities provided by the tools now available to researchers in our new age of the computer.

Born in Hamilton, Ontario, William Hulbert Footner (1879-1944) was a prolific and well-published writer of fiction, drama, and non-fiction, with his books numbering over 70 titles. More than 150 stories and reviews appeared in at least 36 reputable magazines. Today, he has become a rather obscure figure, although new editions of his works have been appearing in recent years. The family had significant connections in Montreal but moved to New York City around 1889. Footner attended school and gradually involved himself in theatre and journalism. In 1901 his first fiction appeared in Argosy. Memories of Canada lingered, however. He became adept at canoeing in the harbours of New York City. Seeking adventure in 1902, he and a friend paddled up the Hudson River and headed into Canada. An account of the trip was published in Forest and Stream in 1903. The year 1906 found him north again in the new province of Alberta, testing out journalism with the Albertan and Bob Edwards of the Calgary Eye-Opener. (27-30) From Edmonton, he made a canoe trip to the Peace River country but no record of it has been found. By 1908. Footner had relocated from New York to Maryland, taking up residence on Solomon's Island at the mouth of the Patuxent River. Auville Eager, a local friend, became his travelling companion on the 1911 trip into the Peace River Country, the event behind New Rivers of the North. Well received, in 1922, Federal Surveyors found the book useful as a source of landscape information. In the High Level area, they named Footner Lake, and years later, a large surrounding tract was established as Footner Lake Forest. (32-34)

The author had already made use of the trip in other directions, for it inspired the first of his adventure novels, Two on the Trail (1911). His early engagements with journalism and the theatre had, meanwhile, been giving way to the writing of short stories brought out by leading publishers. Over fifty pieces appeared in American magazines by 1912. (109-113) Several historical adventure novels were inspired by the northern trips, such as Jack Chanty (1914) and The Fur Bringers (1916), set in the Lake Athabasca country. His mounting popularity is reflected in the pre-1929 years of silent movies, with several of his novels made into films, including Jack Chanty. (98-106)

Encouraged by an editor to try detective fiction, The Fugitive Sleuth appeared in 1916 in All-Story Weekly, republished as a novel in 1918. Set in New York City, this tale marked his shift to the American scene as a setting. President Woodrow Wilson became one of his many readers. As favored by many fiction publishers today, Footner developed a series approach. The first, based around Madame Rosika Storey, was introduced in 1922, with the last, The Casual Murderer, appearing in 1937. The heroine of this series did not remain in New York City but went on tour to Japan, China, and other places visited by Footner and his wife. A second series, centred around a more Sherlockian figure, Amos Lee Mappin, commenced in 1930 with The Mystery of the Folded Paper. That series concluded with the posthumous Orchids to Murder (1945). Mappin, as a personality, reflected what Mulcahy calls Footner's 'clubbable' side, as revealed by the author's regular sociable restaurant meetings in Baltimore with writers such as H.L. Mencken. (51, 66-67)

Going in search of Hulbert Footner, Mulcahy did not, as mentioned, set out to write a full biography. It was the character of the author as much as his achievements that fed his curiosity. In early 1911, a New York journalist asked Footner why he was going back to the Peace River country. Footner stated that he was not going to Alberta for a long time but 'for a good time' (243). In the pleasing sketch of his life provided, Mulcahy finds this to be an important key to his personality. Mulcahy gives us glimpses of not just a compulsive and successful writer, but of one who saw life as a dare and a gift to be enjoyed. These traits are well revealed in his fiction and the later non-fiction works which detail the rivers of Maryland and the history of his colonial home on Solomon's Island, Charles' Gift: Salute to a Maryland House of 1650. Mulcahy's study will be a fundamental reference for any prospective biographer of Footner or for anyone who wants to explore the works of this many-sided writer.

Graham A. MacDonald has worked as a teacher, librarian, historian for the Ontario Parks Branch and Parks Canada, and as a heritage consultant. His books include: Where the Mountains Meet the Prairies: A History of Waterton Country (2000) and The Beaver Hills Country: A History of Land and Life (2009). ---------------------------------------- Notes:

New Rivers of the North Revisited was launched at the Grand Prairie Museum in late September, 2024. Information about the launch is available on the Facebook Page of the Museum. There are some related articles, for example: "New Book to Showcase Unseen Photos of the Peace Region Before Large Number of Settlers Arrived," CTV News Edmonton, Sept. 20, 2024. "Local historian David W. Leonard is releasing a book that gives a glimpse of the Peace Country through many unpublished photos just before a large scale of settlers arrived in the area. New Rivers of the North Revisited includes excerpts from the original 1912 book New Rivers of the North by Hulbert Footner, who documented his journey through the region in 1911. “As a historian, I'm very interested in this period of time in the Peace River country, right when large-scale settlement was about to take place but hadn't yet occurred, and how the natives lived right on the eve of large-scale settlement, and no one had any idea that there'd be such widespread settlement over the next few years, and so capturing these people right on at that point in time was especially meaningful for me,” said Leonard. “The reason we wanted to reprint it is that we have discovered in the University of Alberta (U of A) archives the entirety of Footner’s photos that he took on his trip of 1911 throughout the Peace Country and up to all the way to Fort Vermillion, Hay River and Alexandra Falls,” said Leonard." The book is available for purchasing online and here is one description from a vendor:

New Rivers of the North Revisited

David Leonard, Brock Silversides

Oct 16, 2024

$29.95

Online pricing. Prices and offers may vary in store.

Paperback

$29.95

   In the summer of 1911, two young adventurers named Hulbert Footner and Auville Eager undertook a precarious and sometimes dangerous excursion in a collapsible canvas canoe from Tete Jaune Cache BC through the Peace River Country and on to the Hay River and its Alexandra Falls. Along the way, the men took over 120 photographs of people and places they encountered which offer rare insight into what living was like in the region at the time, especially in Native communities. Footner recounted his journey in a book called New Rivers of the North, and included some of his photographs. In this book, New Rivers of the North Revisited, some of these and other Footner photos, along with maps, other images, and historical commentary, are combined with excerpts from Footner’s text to offer an even more detailed perspective of northeastern British Columbia and northwestern Alberta at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Publisher: Peace Heritage Press

Shipping dimensions: 10" H x 7" W x 1" L

ISBN: 9781999055332

The Author: Dr. David William Leonard (R.I.P.)

  An obituary is found on the website of the Edmonton Crematorium & Funeral Home Ltd. An obituary is also found in The Edmonton Journal, July 9, 2025.

The Bonus: Watch the "Hulbert Footner Slideshow" on the website of the Calvert County Historical Society (7:48)

Other Footner-Related Posts in Mulcahy's Miscellany
"Kathleen "Kit" Coleman" July 5, 2023 
(The famous Canadian journalist. It was announced that Footner was to marry her daughter, but it never happened.)
"Surely You Joust"  July 11, 2023
(An account of the "Ring Tournaments" held in southern Maryland, drawn from Footner's, Maryland Main and the Eastern Shore.)

"Footner Down Under" July 17, 2023
(Footner was very popular in Australia and New Zealand.)
"Canoeing on the Hudson" June 23, 2024
(The complete account of Footner's canoe trip up the Hudson to Canada, based on his article in Forest and Stream in 1903.)
"Armed Services Editions  July 11, 2024
(One of Footner's books was included among the "Books For The Troops".)

Footner Down Under

 

   This will be the third post in a row relating to the author, Hulbert Footner. I quietly introduced him when I told you about “Where I Went on My Spring Vacation." I went to Maryland and part of the reason for doing so was to visit Footner’s granddaughter and the Calvert County Historical Society where a room is dedicated to him. More recently, you learned that he became engaged to the daughter of the Canadian journalist, “Kit" Coleman, whose visage is now found on some Canadian coins.  And you just found out that jousting is the official state sport in Maryland and read Footner’s account of a tournament held in the 1940s in southern Maryland.

    This is likely Footner’s Last Post in this blog, so before leaving him I should explain why he has shown up in MM. Before that is done, you would probably like to be reminded of who he is and for that I will just direct you to the Wikipedia entry. That was the only source about him that I could find. After reading his non-fiction works, I couldn’t understand why more was not known about him. Additional catalysts were the facts that he was born close by in Hamilton and died in Maryland, the state in which I was born, and where they had declared March 14 as “Hulbert Footner Day.”

   Considerable research was done. I have often undertaken massive amounts of research related to a wide variety of subjects, as well as a number of people, and the paucity of finished output is truly astonishing. In this case, I thought the references gathered should not be wasted. The Footner family would find them useful, plus he is worthy of examination as a novelist and historian. They ended up in book form and to prove that this post is not a plug for that publication, I am only including the title here in the concluding sentence of this paragraph and will not note that it can be easily and cheaply purchased in print, or as an e-book from Amazon: Hulbert Footner: Author of Adventure Novels, Detective Novels and Historical Nonfiction: A Bibliographic Account of His Life and Work.

                              Additional Evidence From The Antipodes

   

   For that book, I searched throughout North America and the United Kingdom for references to Hulbert Footner  and for indications that he was, in fact, a popular author. There was little to be found about him, but there was considerable proof that he was relatively well-known. More data to support that were not needed and to plough through even more references would have been a chore for even the most dedicated Footner fan. But, there are now a few who are interested in Footner who are reading this blog and that is the reason he has shown up. They will be pleased to know that his stories, books and movies were popular with the Aussies and I now know that he was even liked by the Kiwis.

Even if you are not interested in Footner, but are in Australia, then you should visit TROVE, an immense digital treasure. You can search thousands of newspapers and sort the results in a variety of ways. (They have also figured out a way to placate ‘sensitive’ readers who might stumble across a one hundred year old word that is now offensive.) I found Footner information in it a few years ago, but did not include the Australian material in the book. The references to Footner  found in Trove have increased as new publications and years are added.  Apart from the ads for his books there are often reviews of them and apparently the Aussies frequently found them to be ‘rattling good.’ Here, for example, are some sentences from a review of The Fugitive Sleuth which appeared in The World’s News (Sydney) on Saturday, May 3, 1919:
“The Fugitive Sleuth is a rattling good detective story, breathless, pauseless, full of life and go. In Hulbert Footner the public has found the adventure story writer par excellence. The instant success of his brilliant romance, The Sealed Valley, will always ensure a wide welcome for a new book by the same masterly hand.”

You can now also do the same for publications in New Zealand in “Papers Past.” They are both free! Footner samples from both are provided below. 

When I searched for “Hulbert Footner” on TROVE a few years ago there were over 500 “hits.” Now there are 887. The results can be restricted in a variety of ways: you can look in particular papers or cities and separate the ads from the articles. Here are some of my notes from the earlier searches: [NB - note that these are from old 'notes'. They should be checked on TROVE and verified.]

"The Shanty Sled is described in similar fashion as “a rattling fine yarn of the frozen north.” Readers in Brisbane are told that Footner “is endowed with a sense of humour and the dramatic ease of a born story teller.” (The Queenslander, Saturday, Nov.14, 1925).

Advertisements and reviews for his films are also found. For example: Even in Tasmania - a review of “Ramshackle House,” The Mercury, (Hobart), Thursday, Dec. 20, 1925. As well in the West (Perth), The Mirror, Saturday, Jan. 9, 1926: “Similes fail in finding a fitting word for Betty Compson, star of The Ramshackle House, the picturisation of the Hulbert Footner novel of the same name now screening at the Palladium.” The earliest mention of Hulbert Footner found was in an ad for The Sealed Valley in 1915 (The Advertiser, (Adelaide), August 28, 1915. The latest is a mention of his name in a review in 1951.”

   I recently did a bit of searching again and here are some examples. One learns that the University of Sydney Library has a copy of De dubbelganger, which is apparently a Dutch version of Two on the Trail. The earliest mention of Footner is now found in 1908 when it is reported that an article of his is appearing in Century Magazine. In 1943, The Northern Advertiser (Western Australia) excerpted a piece from his New York: City of Cities: “One of the World’s Great Avenues” [Park], Feb. 27.

This is the title of an article in The World News Sydney, Sep. 6, 1919 “Have You Read?” Thieves' Wit (Hulbert Footner). "Those who read and enjoyed, as each reader surely did, this author's "Fugitive Sleuth" will welcome this latest story from his pen. It is a new type of detective story, and quite a good one at that. It is fashioned on new and fascinating lines, and it is quite difficult to forecast the end until the author chooses to take the reader into his confidence.” “Backwoods Breezes” The Herald (Melbourne, Vic.) May 23, 1917 “Canadian novels never lack In vigor and freshness of scene. The Fur Bringers, by Hulbert Footner, is conspicuous in that respect. The breezes of the pine forests blow through it, and make up a peculiar attraction for readers who nave tired of the old haunts and devices of the story tellers….Mr Footner has made a study of his subject, he is full of the spirit of the region, knows its moods and intrigues, and has fashioned a romance at once rugged and beautiful.” "The Folded Paper Mystery" , Sunday Times, Perth, Sep.28, 1930 “A good story can always be expected from Hulbert Footner. And "The Folded Paper Mystery" is one of his best productions.” Even Footner's book about his house in Maryland gets reviewed: The Australasian, (Melbourne), July 13, 1940

"Charles Gift " “Many readers will like to think of "CHARLES' GIFT," by HULBERT FOOTNER (Faber and Faber), as a delightful writer's gift to a reading public. The world is so unsteady, the present so uncertain, and the future to many unthinkable. In these days it is often hard to feel relaxed even when reading, but '•Charles* Gift" is a joy to read. Its tempo is one of leisure and of peace; one is lulled by the soothing prose. “

From New Zealand

A search in 2023 for "Hulbert Footner" in the newspapers digitized on Papers Past yields 950 "hits." The first (oldest) is his story "Melodrama in Fulton Street," in the Lyttleton Times, April 4, 1908. Soon after, "The Simple Adventures of 2112," appears in the Dunstan Times, Sept. 6, 1909. Reviews of Footner's works are easily found. For example: There is a short review of "The Nation's Missing Guest" in the New Zealand Herald, May 27, 1939, under the title, "Sultan Disappears", where it is described as "a diverting story." In the same newspaper on Sept. 22, 1934, Dangerous Cargo is reviewed. See: "Two Mystery Novels." "Always to be relied upon for an exciting and entertaining story, Hulbert Footner has thrills a plenty in his latest mystery novel, "Dangerous Cargo," a Crime Club book. Advertisements can be searched separately and many are found for the film, "Ramshackle House (e.g. Evening Post (Wellington), Sept. 14, 1926. Twenty years later Footner's book, Unneutral Murder is advertised by Hyndman's bookstore in the Otago Daily Times, Nov. 21, 1946.

There are many more for Footner aficionados to use and study. Although the global popularity of his writings may not be a proxy for the quality of them, one can still surely argue that Hulbert Footner deserves more attention and I am glad to see that he is getting some from the Calvert County Historical Society.

Kathleen "Kit" Coleman

    If you do not know much about this famous Canadian journalist, you soon will. This year the Canadian Mint honoured "Kit" Coleman by producing coins celebrating the 125th anniversary of her "becoming North America's first accredited woman war correspondent." If you know of a young woman who is interested in journalism, "Kit" would be a good role model.
   In the first part of this post, I will present the numismatic announcements along with some of the biographical information provided in them. In the second I will offer some information about her daughter and the apparently very brief relationship she had with the author Hulbert Footner. 

The Coins and the Announcements

 
   The silver coin shows her holding an open notebook and pen. "Within that silhouette are various elements that represent her life and career (from top to bottom): The Mail and Empire building in Toronto, Ont.; SS Circassian, the passenger ship that brought the Irish-born writer to Canada in 1884; a partial map of the Atlantic Ocean, to represent Coleman’s travels and dispatches; a view of Coleman writing at her desk; and a vintage typewriter that symbolizes her legacy and impact on Canadian journalism." 
   The gold one shows her "penning her weekly column. The map in the background traces the trailblazing reporter’s incredible journey—from her birthplace in Ireland to her life and career in Canada, and her travels as North America’s first accredited woman war correspondent."

   

   Early in 2023 one finds this news release about the newly minted coins:

"Royal Canadian Mint Introduces Transitional Effigy on 2023 Proof Silver Dollar Celebrating Pioneering Woman Journalist Kathleen "Kit" Coleman," PR Newswire, Jan. 10, 2023.

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - The Royal Canadian Mint has dedicated its 2023 Proof Silver Dollar to celebrating the inspiring life of Canada's first woman journalist, Kathleen "Kit" Coleman. Born in County Galway, Ireland and emigrating to Canada in 1884, Kit Coleman first joined the Toronto Daily Mail as a Women' Editor and later became North America's first accredited woman war correspondent, gaining international fame for her coverage of the aftermath of the Spanish-American War. She also helped establish the Canadian Women's Press Club, and served as its first President. Her fascinating journey is told through the artistry of Pandora Young, who used Kit's silhouette as the canvas upon which the main chapters of her life are richly illustrated on the reverse of the coin.

Pandora Young has fashioned another portrait of the pioneering journalist on the 2023 $100 Pure Gold Coin. The reverse features Kit Coleman writing at her desk. Behind her is a map showing North America and Europe, with dotted lines retracing her epic travels across both continents.

   Soon after, the Canadian Mint offered this information:

"“Fine Silver Proof Dollar– Kathleen “Kit” Coleman: Pioneer Journalist,”

SILVER 2023 MINTAGE 35,000

"Pencil to Paper to Metal: The Journey of Journalism Pioneer Kit Coleman is Honoured on the 2023 Proof Dollar."

"Who was “Kit”? That’s what readers of the Toronto Daily Mail (later The Mail and Empire) were asking, as they pored over the writings of Kathleen Blake Coleman. An intrepid reporter with a lively journalistic voice, “Kit” Coleman rose above the fray in the male-dominated newspaper industry, tackling a wide range of issues as well as the topics typically covered in women’s columns. She made history 125 years ago by becoming North America’s first accredited woman war correspondent. Coleman also helped establish the Canadian Women’s Press Club in 1904 and served as its first president, and later became Canada’s first syndicated woman columnist.

In a time when women journalists were limited to writing about the female perspective and women’s issues, Kathleen Blake Coleman paved the way for better representation in newsrooms and a more equal standing for Canadian women in other aspects of life."

    On January 12, the Mint published a blog post with this title: “Kathleen “Kit” Coleman: How Canada’s Early Presswoman Led the Way for Journalists Today."

The link has been provided and I hope it lasts. You should have a look at it. The picture at the very top was taken from the blog post where much more information  about Coleman is found. As, well there is a link to a video by Dr. Barbara Freeman, the author of Kit's Kingdom: The Journalism of Kathleen Blake Coleman. The link to the video is also available here: https://youtu.be/euH7MiSU2I0. As Dr. Freeman indicates, "Kit" was a fascinating woman and you will enjoy the video.

                                  Hulbert Footner

  It is more likely that you knew about “Kit” than Hulbert Footner. He was born in Hamilton (where “Kit” lived as the wife of Dr. Theobald Coleman), but left at a very young age for the United States. He was a successful writer and is best known for his detective stories 

  He returned briefly to Canada and had some adventures in, and wrote about, the Northwest. That is where I discovered him and after reading New Rivers of the North, I went searching for more information.  There wasn’t much, except for the Wikipedia entry for Hulbert Footner which was constructed mostly by his son, Geoffrey.

  I ended up with a considerable amount of information about Footner and decided to present it in a book.  Unfortunately Footner’s son died before I could give it to him, but I have since met his granddaughter, Karen, and some “Footner Fans.” In Calvert County, Maryland the Historical Society has created a  room dedicated to Hulbert Footner where one can find Footner’s books and assorted memorabilia. I had the pleasure of meeting Karen and some of the “Footner Fans” at the CCHS, which is where the picture above comes from. 

   During my search for information about Footner, I ran across a piece that reported that “Kit” Coleman’s daughter Patsy had become engaged to Hulbert Footner. A later article indicated they were married. The former is probably true, while the latter is surely not. The relationship is not mentioned in Dr. Freeman’s book, or elsewhere. There was no awareness on the Footner side that Hulbert possibly had such a tryst, somewhere and  at some time, in Canada. (He was, by the way, known as "Bill" among friends and it is somewhat easier to believe that a "Bill", rather than a "Hulbert" would have had such a fling.)

  I am pleased that the commemorative coins honouring "Kit" Coleman were produced by the Canadian Mint. At least now the Footner family and his fans will know that I was not exaggerating when I told them that "Kit" was famous in Canada and that Footner had proposed to Patsy, her daughter. 

   Those of you who now wish to know more about Footner should look at the website of the Calvert County Historical Society (or visit the actual site at Linden.) On the website, you will find the "Hulbert Footner Sideshow", from which the picture above was borrowed. Created by Diane Harrison, it is also available via YouTube. 

  
   If you are interested only in the relationship between Patsy Coleman and Bill Footner, all that is known about it is found below. It comes from the book I published and before you rush to purchase it, you should know that this is the only, mildly prurient part within it. Here is the excerpt, from which you will learn about Footner's travels in Canada early in the last century and more about "Kit" and her daughter.

                                              The Coleman “Affair"

   "After exploring the “New Rivers” Footner and his travelling companion, Auville Eager, returned to the Edmonton area. During the fall of 1911 there are a few accounts of their activities found in Canadian papers and in one of them they were seen at a concert in Edmonton. It is likely that Footner was promoting Two On The Trail, which was based on his journey in 1906 and giving talks about  the one just completed in 1911.

That trip "to the Land of the Silences, our great Lone Land to the North -- so much of which is as yet unexploited by railway or tourist….” was the subject of a piece by Kit Coleman, who wrote those words. They are found in “Kit’s Column,” in the section “Woman & Her Interests'' in the Brandon Daily Sun on Saturday, Nov. 18, 1911, p.5. She clearly enjoyed the account of the trip presented by Footner and the “quaintness and humor with which it was told.” It is unclear where Coleman met Footner and heard the story. Her column was widely syndicated and she travelled a lot, but they may have met in Hamilton, where he was born and where she lived. 

   Where Footner may have met Kit’s daughter is also unclear and it is she who is the subject of what I have labelled, “The Coleman Affair.” It is based on an announcement that was made in the following spring, on May 25, 1912: “Dr. and Mrs. Theo. Coleman (Kit) of Hamilton, Ont. announce the engagement of their daughter, Miss Patricia to Hulbert Footner of New York.” Their daughter “Patsy”  is marrying a “clever young fiancé, who is by the way, a successful author and well-known newspaper man…” Over a dozen years later in an article about expatriate authors one learns that “He [Footner] married Miss Coleman, daughter of “Kit,” whom, everyone knows, was one of the first and ablest writers in Canada.”

  Those are the only two references to the relationship between Hulbert Footner and Patsy Coleman that even the most diligent researcher will find.Their engagement was announced, their marriage never was. I think the “affair” likely ended fairly quickly, perhaps after Footner returned to the United States. I think the author who assumed they were married, is incorrect. I have found no mention of Patsy Coleman in any other material about Footner, nor have I encountered any suggestion that Footner became engaged to a Canadian woman, or any other woman, prior to his marriage to Gladys Marsh in 1916.

Kit Coleman was a well-known Canadian journalist. She was “the first syndicated newspaper columnist in Canada,” the first President of the Canadian Women’s Press Club,” “Canada’s first advice-to-the-lovelorn columnist,” and the “world’s first accredited woman war correspondent,” who reported on the Spanish-American War. That information is from Ted Ferguson’s, Kit Coleman: Queen of Hearts, an early biography which has more information about her career than her family and very little about Kathleen “Patsy” Coleman. As one reviewer noted: ”If there is anything disappointing about Kit Coleman, Queen of Hearts, it is only that it contains so little biographical detail about its subject.” The same can be said for Barbara M. Freeman’s, Kit’s Kingdom: The Journalism of Kathleen Blake Coleman and many other more recent accounts that focus on her as a journalist and not a mother.

   About Kit Coleman, a lot is known. Those who wish to learn more and attempt to find information about Footner’s fiancé can start with the Wikipedia entry for Kit Coleman or see Freeman’s profile of, “Ferguson, Catherine, Kit Coleman,” in  the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. See also this work, where a profile of Bob Edwards can also be found: Patrick Watson, ed. “Kit Coleman: Kit of the Mail,” Pt. Nine, p. 191 in The Canadians: Biographies of a Nation, Vol. II. There are many more sources which have been checked. An obituary is found in The Globe and Mail, on May 17, 1915 - “Kit Has Passed Away; Famous Woman Writer: Notable Pioneer in Journalism, Ill Only Two Days.”

   About Kathleen “Patsy Coleman” not much is known. Kit indicated, in one of her columns, that Patsy was born on Oct. 4,1887 and she was often referred to in the articles written by Kit and sometimes travelled with her. A picture of her as a young child is found in the Freeman biography where it is mentioned that she attended Quaker College in Pickering, Ontario. There is little information about her as a young woman and Freeman notes that “Patsy” was, as an adult, quite reticent about the family's private life, even with her own children.” The engagement to Footner is not discussed in any of the sources consulted and the obituary for Kit in 1915 indicates that Patsy was married and now Mrs. John Gartshore."

The section above is found on pp.36-38 of the print edition of: Hulbert Footner: Author of Adventure Novels, Detective Novels and Historical Nonfiction: A Bibliographic Account of His Life and Work. 

Where I Went on My Spring Vacation

The Trip to Maryland (continued).  

   You were undoubtedly excited by my last post which seemed to suggest I might tell you more about our first post-pandemic trip across the border, but I did not. The weather was too nice, as were the surroundings, and I find it difficult to jot down things along the way, let alone write about them. Now that I am back home and the weather again is bad, I will offer a brief summary for you loyal readers and for myself so that next year I will know what I did last year. 

   If I was more efficient and it was my intention to offer a blogging travelogue, I would begin with the things observed along the way, such as the "Adult Stores" mentioned in my earlier post. I first thought about the richness of travelling, for subjects to blog about, a few years ago when we left London,Ontario for Phoenix. Our first stop in Indiana was in the interestingly named "Terre Haute", which is the home of the "Clabber Girl." I am sure most people would be interested in learning more, but I never got around to writing anything about them, until now, but won't since they are from an earlier trip. On this one, I noted on the way down, such places as Fort Couch which is not too far from Intercourse and on the way back there were Panic and Punxsutawney and the Indiana University which is in Pennsylvania. In Ocean City we looked east over the Atlantic and in the afternoon saw the sunset on Assawoman Bay which is sometimes referred to as "Big Assawoman Bay". Obviously one could continue on about such geographical tidbits, but I said I would be brief and will say only that "Big Assawoman" is likely on someone's list to be erased. 

   Briefly, we stayed on the beach for week and used it as a base from which to visit a cousin, who lives near Princess Anne, Maryland. We went to lunch in Pocomoke and had it along the Pocomoke River which, according to local lore, is supposed to be the deepest river in the world for its width.

  From there we travelled to Easton, after a brief stop in Cambridge (birthplace of John Barth) for another river lunch. Easton is a less expensive base than St. Michaels, where we had yet another lunch. We were joined by the granddaughter of a fellow I wrote a book about back in 2021. She has just assisted in the production of the second edition of one of her grandfather's books and you should buy it if you want to learn more about the Pocomoke River just mentioned (Rivers of the Eastern Shore: Seventeen Maryland Rivers, Hulbert Footner. The first edition was published originally in the fine "Rivers of America Book Series.")

   A short geographical note: The water on the right below is the Atlantic and the Chesapeake is on the left. The peninsula between is known as the "Delmarva Peninsula," or the Eastern Shore.

   

  A crow would fly about thirty-five miles to get from Easton to our next stop in Solomons which is on the mainland in southern Maryland, but almost one hundred miles by car. Solomons Island is a quaint community at the mouth of the Patuxent River and it is near the place where the Canadian-born author Hulbert Footner chose to settle down and write. He is the subject of my book and at the Calvert County Historical Society in nearby Prince Frederick, a room has been dedicated to him. So in addition to meeting his granddaughter, Karen Footner, we were able to meet with some Footner fans who helped Ms. Footner and the Director of the CCHS, John Johnson, provide a space in honour of the author. To learn more, watch this video by Diane Harrison which was produced for the Grand Opening Ceremony back in September, 2022: "A Commemoration of the Life and Works of Calvert County Author William Hulbert Footner.

   If you made it this far you deserve a reward, as did my wife. On the way home we took a bit of a detour to Confluence, PA which is near Frank Lloyd Wright's FALLINGWATER.  Have a look at Fallingwater. 

The Bonus:
     The MD. legislators were hard at work and I am pleased to announce that RYE is the state spirit (MILK remains the state drink.) This from the Baltimore Banner: "Legislators Work to Make Maryland Rye Official State Spirit," Kara Thompson, Capital News Service, March 31, 2023. 
    The Maryland State Team Sport is the same as the national summer sport of Canada - Lacrosse. Maryland's State Sport is JOUSTING, about which Footner wrote in one of his books.
    While I am at it, you will be able to figure out what the state bird is (hint, it is not the Blue Jay) and the state dog, but you may not know that the Maryland State Cat is the Calico. 
    The state song used to be, "Maryland, My Maryland," the tune of which is from "O, Tannenbaum", but it has been cancelled. I wrote about this in another very long post and to save you from having to read all of it, here is the bit about the song controversies, both in Maryland and Canada:

Be Careful What You Sing
     It is interesting, and an indicator of our troubled times, that politicians, both in my adopted country and the ones back in Maryland where I grew up, had to be mustered to re-consider the lyrics of their respective anthems. In Canada, "Oh Canada," I am pleased to report, has been rendered gender neutral (from "true patriot love, in all thy sons command"  was changed to "in all of us command,"). The spectacle was rather a sad one since the MP who introduced Bill C-210 was wheeled into the House although suffering from ALS. 
     In Maryland, many more lyrics were involved and the excision needed to be much more extensive; some want the entire song to be abandoned. The issue in this case was about race not gender. You would recognize the tune of “Maryland, My Maryland”("O Tannenbaum,"), but the lyrics which include such phrases as “Northern Scum” may be unfamiliar to you. They are based a poem by James Ryder Randall and you can look them up. I am not sure if this dispute has been completely resolved, but it is clear that the words of the anthem which were adopted in 1939 are not appropriate now.
[As of July, 2021, the MD. state song ceased to exist.]