A Tour of the Elizabeth Islands

June 27

June 27, 2016

P. M. — Went with R. and his boys in the Steamer Eagle’s Wing, with a crowd and band of music, to the northeast end of Naushon, “Woods Hole,” some fifteen miles from New Bedford; about two hours going. 

Talked with a Mr. Congdon, cashier of a bank and a vegetarian. 

Saw all the Elizabeth Isles, going and coming. They are mostly bare, except the east end of Naushon. This island is some seven miles long, by one to two wide. I had some two and a half hours there. 

I was surprised to find such a noble primitive wood, chiefly beech, such as the English poets celebrate, and oak (black oak, I think), large and spreading like pasture oaks with us, though in a wood. The ground under the beeches was covered with the withered leaves and peculiarly free from vegetation. 

On the edge of a swamp I saw great tupelos running up particularly tall, without lower branches, two or three feet in diameter, with a rough light-colored bark. Noticed a thorn, perhaps cockspur, with an undivided leaf, gooseberries, stag-horn sumach, not in bloom. Most of the passengers expected to find strawberries. 

Saw a common wild grape—vine running over a beech, which was apparently flattened out by it, which vine measured, at six feet from ground, twenty-three inches in circumference. It was large below, where it had already forked. At five feet from ground it divided into three great branches. It did not rise directly, but with a great half-spiral sweep or anguish. No sight could be more primeval. It was partly or chiefly dead. 

This was in the midst of the woods, by a path-side. Just beyond we started up two deer. 

I suppose the white gull I saw and heard (somewhat like the sound of the small mackerel gull of the Cape) at Naushon was the Sterna hirundo, or great tern, with long forked tail. 

A Mr. Wall, artist, at New Bedford, told me of a high pine wood or swamp some miles down Naushon with “storks’ nests” (!) in the pines. Were they blue herons?

Naushon is said to be part of the township of Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard, and to belong to Mr. Swain of New Bedford and Forbes of Boston; some say to Swain alone. 

Walton Ricketson went down in a schooner the next day again, and found the pond near Swain’s well stocked with pickerel, of which he caught many in a few hours. 

Returning, I caught sight of Gay Head and its light house with my glass, between Pasque and Nashawena. This lighthouse, according to Congdon, who says he measured it trigonometrically, is not more than one hundred and fifty feet above the sea.

The passages between the islands are called “holes.” Quick’s is one. 

Cuttyhunk was very plain. Congdon said that he was there about thirty years ago, but could see no traces of Gosnold there, and does not believe there are any. Captain Slocum (of the day before), who has relations there, never saw any. Mr. Wall said that there was one old gentleman still alive, a Mr. Howland, who went on there with Belknap, who could tell all about it. The island is cultivated.

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, June 27, 1856


Gosnold: a town that encompasses the Elizabeth Islands, including Nonamesset Island, Uncatena Island, Naushon Island, Pasque Island, Nashawena Island,Penikese Island, Cuttyhunk Island, and several smaller islands

The Eagle's Wing was  439 tons, 173 feet long, 27 feet beam. In October 1854 she made the trip from New York to New Bedford in 13 1-2 hours, and arrived at Nantucket for the first time on Saturday, October 21st, 1854, commencing her regular trips the following week. She was.kept on the Nantucket route two years, and then operated between New Bedford and Edgartown. On July 24 1861 she caught fire opposite Pawtuxet on the Providence River and was totally destroyed.

 Ricketson's account of this tour can be found here.

At the woodchuck’s hole

March 16.

Cloudy in the forenoon. Sun comes out and it is rather pleasant in the afternoon. 

P. M. — To Conantum End. 

At the woodchuck’s hole just beyond the cockspur thorn, I see several diverging and converging trails of undoubtedly a woodchuck, or several, which must have come out at least as early as the 13th. The track is about one and three quarters inches wide by two long, the five toes very distinct and much spread, and is somewhat hand-like. They had come out and run about directly from hole to hole, six in all, within a dozen rods or more. This appeared to have been all their travelling, as if they had run round a-visiting and waked each other up the first thing. None have travelled beyond these holes, except that one track leads into the swamp. But here are the tracks of foxes bound on longer journeys. 

March 16, 2022

As I stand here, some sixty rods from the river, at about 3.30 P. M., looking at the open river, toward which my shadow points at right angles with its current, that part which my shadow extended would strike is a pale dull slate-color, but that part a dozen rods southerly from this is a distinct blue, which goes on increasing in depth southerly, till, looking at an angle of forty-five degrees from the first line, it is of a glorious, deep indigo blue. For some reason I must look much further north to see it blue. 

Returning, scare up two large ducks just above the bridge. One very large; white beneath, breast and neck; black head and wings and aft. The other much smaller and dark. Apparently male and female. They alight more than a hundred rods south of the bridge, and I view them with glass. The larger sails about on the watch, while the smaller, dark one dives repeatedly.  I think it the goosander or sheldrake. 

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, March 16, 1855

At the woodchuck’s hole just beyond the cockspur thorn [Cockspur thorn (Crataegus crus-galli) is a species of hawthorn native to eastern North America.]z  See June 10, 1856 ("The Crataegus Crus-Galli is out of bloom”); September 25, 1856 ("the Crataegus Crus-Galli on the old fence line between Tarbell and T. Wheeler beyond brook are smaller, stale, and not good at all. “). 

The track is about one and three quarters inches wide by two long, the five toes very distinct and much spread, and is somewhat hand-like. See March 15, 1860 ("I see to-day in two places, in mud and in snow, what I have no doubt is the track of the woodchuck that has lately been out, with peculiarly spread toes like a little hand.");April 12, 1855 (“For a week past I have frequently seen the tracks of woodchucks in the sand. ”). See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, Signs of the Spring: The Woodchuck Ventures Out

At about 3.30 P. M . . . the open river . . . is a pale dull slate-color, but . . . southerly from this is a distinct blue, which goes on increasing in depth southerly, till. . . it is of a glorious, deep indigo blue. See  July 4, 1852 ("I looked down on the river behind Dodd's at 2.30 P. M., a slate-colored stream with a scarcely perceptible current"); May 27, 1859 ("The dark river, now that shades are increased, is like the dark eye of a maiden.”); August 31, 1852 ("That part of the sky just above the horizon seen reflected . . . is as light a blue as the actual, but it goes on deepening as your eye draws nearer to the boat, until, when you look directly down at the reflection of the zenith, it is lost in the blackness of the water.”); September 20, 1852 (“The reflected sky is a deeper blue.”) Compare January 14, 1852 ("I notice to-night, about sundown, that the clouds in the eastern horizon are the deepest indigo-blue of any I ever saw. Commencing with a pale blue or slate in the west, the color deepens toward the east."); and Walden ("Walden is blue at one time and green at another, even from the same point of view.")

Scare up two large ducks . . . I think it the goosander or sheldrake. See March 16, 1854 ("I see ducks afar, sailing on the meadow, leaving a long furrow in the water behind them."); March 16, 1860 ("Saw a flock of sheldrakes a hundred rods off, on the Great Meadows, mostly males with a few females, all intent on fishing”) See also A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, The Sheldrake (Merganser, Goosander) and A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, Signs of the Spring: Ducks Afar, Sailing on the Meadow

March 16. See  A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau, March 16

Tracks from hole to hole

as if they had run round and

waked each other up.

A Book of the Seasons, by Henry Thoreau,  At the woodchuck’s hole 

A Book of the Seasons,  by Henry Thoreau 

"A book, each page written in its own season,

out-of-doors, in its own locality.”

~edited, assembled and rewritten by zphx © 2009-2025

https://tinyurl.com/hdt18550316