1900 – 1956
Inducted 1998
“Ride a conservation hobby of your own choice, but keep an open mind about the other fellow.” — Gordon MacQuarrie
America has developed a rich tradition of outdoor writing. It wasn’t always that way, though. Gordon MacQuarrie was among the first of a new breed of outdoor writers who came onto the scene in the early decades of the 20th century. He had a way with words, all right, but there was more to this wiry redhead born in Superior.
Zack Taylor compiled MacQuarrie’s popular tales of the Old Duck Hunters Association, a MacQuarrie literary invention, into a trilogy of books. “He entered the field of outdoor writing when it was at a low point; most stories were poorly written, with little or no imagination,” Taylor wrote. “With his light humor, careful character delineation, story sense, and descriptive ability he helped raise the level of the entire field.” Yes, MacQuarrie was a master storyteller. “Stories of the Old Duck Hunters” showed his keen understanding of nature and of humans’ place in the bigger picture. The stories are always entertaining, and seem new each time they’re read.
More importantly, MacQuarrie went beyond the “me and Joe went fishing” style of writing to delve deeper into the exhilaration of the outdoors experience. In one of his essays, he noted that the the pursuit of outdoor experiences was more like a lifestyle than a hobby for its adherents.
Entertaining though his essays were, MacQuarrie also wrote hundreds of articles about series conservation topics. The Milwaukee Journal had a proud tradition of paying attention to these important conservation topics. MacQuarrie and other reporters watched carefully and wrote about the actions of the Wisconsin Conservation Commission, the forerunner of today’s Natural Resources Board.
But MacQuarrie was a storyteller first and foremost. He used stories to dig for meaning, as when he wrote a story about a mallard duck dying from lead poisoning. He put into understandable words something that scientists had trouble explaining. MacQuarrie had a knack for that. Sometimes his readers didn’t even know they were being educated.
Resources
Gordon MacQuarrie Legislative Citation
A Day in the Life of Gordon “Silas” MacQuarrie Trout Fishing on the Brule River, Induction Speech by Tony D. Jelich, 1998
Here come the Biologists, article by Gordon MacQuarrie for Wisconsin Academy Review, 1959
MacQuarrie and old duck hunters gone, not forgotten, article by Lynn Burkhead for the Herald Democrat, 2021
Eleven of the Greatest Quotes from Gordon MacQuarrie, article from Sporting Classics Daily, 2016
MacQuarrie: Wisconsin’s greatest outdoors writer, article by Jim Evrard for Wisconsin Outdoor News, 2003
Gordon MacQuarrie, from Barnes Area Historical Association
Gordon MacQuarrie Stories of the Old Duck Hunters, YouTube reading Part 1, 2020
Gordon MacQuarrie Stories of the Old Duck Hunters, YouTube reading Part 2, 2020
Gordon MacQuarrie Stories of the Old Duck Hunters, 2YouTube reading Part 3, 2020
An Evening with Gordon MacQuarrie – Stage Reading, YouTube video, 2018