Rattlesnake Island Story - August 24, 1907

Russtic · 08-24-2007, 07:54 PM

Our local paper in MA has a "Time Capsule" feature that reprints articles from long ago. This one describes an incident on Rattlesnake Island 100 years ago:
"Norman Bruorton was recovering in the Laconia, NH hospital after being accidentally shot in the leg. Bruorton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bruorton of Federal Street, had been attending the Boston YMCA camp at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
"Several days prior, Bruorton and several fellow campers had ventured to Rattlesnake Island, where they planned to hunt the island's namesake creatures.
"After the group killed one snake, which had nine rattlers on its tail, Bruorton moved to the front of the pack. Armed with a club, he led the way, and his companions followed with guns. Suddenly, one of the firearms behind Bruorton discharged of its own accord and struck him in the thigh with a bullet. No charges of foul play were made.
"Bruorton's injuries were not grave, and he was expected to leave the hospital within a few days. Though the community expected Bruorton to return home, the camp had requested that he come back to Lake Winnipesaukee."
The origin of the island's name has been speculated on many times. This story says rattlesnakes did exist there, but then again, maybe the boys were telling a tall tale!
Russtic

Rattlesnake Gal · 08-27-2007, 03:19 PM

Thanks for the article Rustic. Now it will be preserved here at Winnipesaukee.com!

I've been meaning to post this tid-bit that DCR and I both found from Lake Village Times Historical Notes.
There is lots of interesting information here. I just wish there were more to read about!

September 26, 1868
A rattlesnake was recently killed at Rattlesnake island, measuring 9 feet in length and had 19 rattles.

19 Rattles! Yikes! Hope I never see any rattlesnake out in the wild!!!

If anyone is interested in seeing rattlesnakes from the Lake Winnipesaukee area, I highly recommend stopping into The Libby Museum. I recall seeing one or two from Rattlesnake Island and another one from Moultonborough Neck. It is a small museum with only a nominal fee to enter. They have some very interesting stuff.

08-24-2007, 07:54 PM	#1
Russtic Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 35 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Rattlesnake Island Story - August 24, 1907 Our local paper in MA has a "Time Capsule" feature that reprints articles from long ago. This one describes an incident on Rattlesnake Island 100 years ago: "Norman Bruorton was recovering in the Laconia, NH hospital after being accidentally shot in the leg. Bruorton, son of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Bruorton of Federal Street, had been attending the Boston YMCA camp at Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. "Several days prior, Bruorton and several fellow campers had ventured to Rattlesnake Island, where they planned to hunt the island's namesake creatures. "After the group killed one snake, which had nine rattlers on its tail, Bruorton moved to the front of the pack. Armed with a club, he led the way, and his companions followed with guns. Suddenly, one of the firearms behind Bruorton discharged of its own accord and struck him in the thigh with a bullet. No charges of foul play were made. "Bruorton's injuries were not grave, and he was expected to leave the hospital within a few days. Though the community expected Bruorton to return home, the camp had requested that he come back to Lake Winnipesaukee." The origin of the island's name has been speculated on many times. This story says rattlesnakes did exist there, but then again, maybe the boys were telling a tall tale! Russtic

08-27-2007, 03:19 PM	#2
Rattlesnake Gal Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Central NH Posts: 5,252 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 1,451 Thanked 1,349 Times in 475 Posts	Crazy Accident! Thanks for the article Rustic. Now it will be preserved here at Winnipesaukee.com! I've been meaning to post this tid-bit that DCR and I both found from Lake Village Times Historical Notes. There is lots of interesting information here. I just wish there were more to read about! September 26, 1868 A rattlesnake was recently killed at Rattlesnake island, measuring 9 feet in length and had 19 rattles. 19 Rattles! Yikes! Hope I never see any rattlesnake out in the wild!!! If anyone is interested in seeing rattlesnakes from the Lake Winnipesaukee area, I highly recommend stopping into The Libby Museum. I recall seeing one or two from Rattlesnake Island and another one from Moultonborough Neck. It is a small museum with only a nominal fee to enter. They have some very interesting stuff.