RANGELEY — “We Took to the Woods” remains a classic account of life in the backwoods of Maine on the Rapid River during the 1940s. Published during the dark days of World War II it was an instant national best-seller. It remains in print today. At one time it was required reading for Maine school children.
Author Louise Dickinson Rich and her writings will be featured in a new exhibit in the Rangeley Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum through September.
On display is the original typewriter that she used to type “We Took to the Woods,” a number of photos of family life at Forest Lodge, personal items, books and articles, according to a news release.
Rich’s story is about her isolated life with her husband, Ralph, and their two small children in the deep woods near Middle Dam, on a lumber road between two of Rangeley’s lakes.
On Saturday, the current owner of Forest Lodge, Aldro French, will visit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Outdoor Sporting Heritage Museum. At 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., he will discuss what it is like to live in the former home of a renowned author.
The museum in Oquossoc is at the corner of Route 17 and Route 4. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday in July and August. For more information, visit www.rangeleyoutdoormu seum.org.
Done in her spare time, “We to the Woods” is a well-written humorous account of their day-to-day doings, the birth of their oldest child, Rufus, attended only by her husband, the reaction of native Mainers to the outsiders, and the long stretches of being cut off from the outside world. In a sense it is an escape work; at the same time it shows how with imagination, ingenuity, and humor people can adapt and survive in almost any lifestyle. It is in sharp contrast to today’s technology driven “connected lifestyle.”
He will share some insights into Louise and her life in the Maine woods and discuss his efforts to preserve this historic site. Aldro has, over four decades, become a colorful part of the history of Forest Lodge, not by writing stories, but living them. Looking forward, he is hoping to find someone interested in preserving Forest Lodge and the memory of Louise Dickinson Rich.
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