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"Reporting News Of The Past For Generations Of The Future"
"The adventure is learning the past to understand the present to improve the future."
The Legends Of ACHA
LESTER NANCE
(c) 2013
The Legends Of ACHA
By Don Nicely
P.O. Box 69 Gradyville, PA 19039
don@finleyriverchief.com
www.finleyriverchief.com
How many people know the complete story and history of George Washington? I would suspect most everyone knows his name because he is on the dollar bill and the quarter. Everyone that has been to school should know he was the first president of the United States Of America. Now I say that and I have actually met young people who didn't know who he was. Do most people know that he was called the indispensable man? In doing research on our country and it's founding a person will find out just how important George Washington was to the founding of our country. I believe it is important we know things about history that may be so far removed from us we might not consider it important. But I feel like it is important to know where we came from to understand where we should be going.
With our sport of coon hunting there has been many pioneers of our sport that helped create the sport and breeds that we find so captivating when we make the first mistake of getting bit by the coon hunting bug. Many whose names have long been forgotten. Hopefully with this column I may be able to mention some of these names so their contribution to our sport may be remembered. What got me to thinking along these lines was that I had just learned that on December 16, 2012 Lester Nance would have been 100 years old. When I talk to a young hunter that likes the Walker hounds and they look puzzled when the name NANCE or LESTER NANCE is brought up I think about all the contributions he made to our sport and to the Treeing Walker Breed.
As George Washington would have been one of the indispensable men in the founding of our country, Lester Nance would have been one of the indispensable men in the founding of the Treeing Walker Breed and our sport of coon hunting. Lester Nance owned the first World Champion Treeing Walker back when there was only One World Championship. The ACHA World Hunt. In 1949 Lester Nance won the world hunt with a dog named WHITE RIVER BOONE. That same year Mr. Nance also owned WHITE RIVER ROWDY who placed second in the ACHA World Championship so she would have been the World Champion Female that year.
Rowdy's sire was WHITE RIVER KING.
Back in that time if you will go through the old magazines you will see mostly Redones, Black & Tans, Blueticks and Ploltts. During this time about the only Walkers you'd see advertised were by Lester Nance, Floyd Reeder, Paul Forrester, K.B. or Dick Hershberger, J.H. Flessner, S.G. Hegarty, William Ralph, George Zenk, George Forney. Names that you will still see if you follow a dog's pedigree back far enough.
Lester Nance had a lot of involvement with the Treeing Walker Breed in numerous ways. Besides having the first Treeing Walker World Champion he was also the first president of the National Treeing Walker Association. The meeting to form that organization was held in July of 1946. From that meeting Lester Nance was elected President, Russell Baker Vice-President and George Zenk Secy-Treas. A committee was appointed to develop a constitution, by-laws, and standards of Treeing Walkers. That same committee met with Dr. E.G. Fuhrman of UKC for a meeting that lasted all night. Floyd Reeder had been responsible for the Treeing Walker Standards. At this meeting with Dr. Fuhrman the standards were debated for a considerable length of time before they were finalized.
Before this meeting in October of 1946 Lester Nance had been busy years before trying to find a place to start a new breed registry. He became interested in Walkers with the purchase of WHITE RIVER KING who was born in 1932. He bought him as a eight month old pup. By 1942 he began to look around for a place to start a new breed registry for his line of dogs.. He decided since they were from Walker Foxhound breeding and the Walker name was so respected among foxhound men he would call them Treeing Walkers. He first contacted AKC and they told him they weren't interested in starting a new breed registry. UKC told him they weren't interested in any new stud files. Mr. Nance kept the fires burning with Dr. Fuhrman but couldn't get anything positive started at that time. Lester Nance wrote to Ralph Walker of Full Cry Magazine. After corresponding for some time a Treeing Walker Registry was finally started with Full Cry Kennel Club and recorded as Treeing Walker.
In the July 1944 issue of Full Cry in an ad Mr. Nance was the first to advertise the new breed, TREEING WALKER. It was more then two years later before UKC first recorded English Coonhound (Walker Treeing) and was not until 1978 that UKC finally gave the Treeing Walker coonhounds back the original name Lester Nance gave them, TREEING WALKER. Lester Nance was involved in many of the different phrases of history in our sport of coon hunting and the competition parts of that sport. The NCA or National Coonhound Association played an important part in the early stages of our sport. They had Futurities in the early 50's and many of the hounds that make up some of the foundation stock of the Treeing Walker breed were Nite Champions. A fact you wouldn't know today by looking at a set of papers because they weren't UKC but NCA Nite Champions.
Mr. Nance's grandson Kip Gordon who was raised next door to his grand dad and still hunts and breeds these White River Hounds and is the keeper of much of the history of Lester Nance. His current project is named after one of the names you will see in this article. He calls him Mr. Baker named for Russell Baker. Kip sent me information taken from one of Mr. Nance's journal that he kept notes in that tells some of the story of these hounds that became the first registered Treeing Walkers and an important part of the foundation of the breed. Kip guesses that it was written around 1939.
The Words Of Lester Nance
By Don Nicely
P.O. Box 69 Gradyville, PA 19039
don@finleyriverchief.com
www.finleyriverchief.com
How many people know the complete story and history of George Washington? I would suspect most everyone knows his name because he is on the dollar bill and the quarter. Everyone that has been to school should know he was the first president of the United States Of America. Now I say that and I have actually met young people who didn't know who he was. Do most people know that he was called the indispensable man? In doing research on our country and it's founding a person will find out just how important George Washington was to the founding of our country. I believe it is important we know things about history that may be so far removed from us we might not consider it important. But I feel like it is important to know where we came from to understand where we should be going.
With our sport of coon hunting there has been many pioneers of our sport that helped create the sport and breeds that we find so captivating when we make the first mistake of getting bit by the coon hunting bug. Many whose names have long been forgotten. Hopefully with this column I may be able to mention some of these names so their contribution to our sport may be remembered. What got me to thinking along these lines was that I had just learned that on December 16, 2012 Lester Nance would have been 100 years old. When I talk to a young hunter that likes the Walker hounds and they look puzzled when the name NANCE or LESTER NANCE is brought up I think about all the contributions he made to our sport and to the Treeing Walker Breed.
As George Washington would have been one of the indispensable men in the founding of our country, Lester Nance would have been one of the indispensable men in the founding of the Treeing Walker Breed and our sport of coon hunting. Lester Nance owned the first World Champion Treeing Walker back when there was only One World Championship. The ACHA World Hunt. In 1949 Lester Nance won the world hunt with a dog named WHITE RIVER BOONE. That same year Mr. Nance also owned WHITE RIVER ROWDY who placed second in the ACHA World Championship so she would have been the World Champion Female that year.
Rowdy's sire was WHITE RIVER KING.
Back in that time if you will go through the old magazines you will see mostly Redones, Black & Tans, Blueticks and Ploltts. During this time about the only Walkers you'd see advertised were by Lester Nance, Floyd Reeder, Paul Forrester, K.B. or Dick Hershberger, J.H. Flessner, S.G. Hegarty, William Ralph, George Zenk, George Forney. Names that you will still see if you follow a dog's pedigree back far enough.
Lester Nance had a lot of involvement with the Treeing Walker Breed in numerous ways. Besides having the first Treeing Walker World Champion he was also the first president of the National Treeing Walker Association. The meeting to form that organization was held in July of 1946. From that meeting Lester Nance was elected President, Russell Baker Vice-President and George Zenk Secy-Treas. A committee was appointed to develop a constitution, by-laws, and standards of Treeing Walkers. That same committee met with Dr. E.G. Fuhrman of UKC for a meeting that lasted all night. Floyd Reeder had been responsible for the Treeing Walker Standards. At this meeting with Dr. Fuhrman the standards were debated for a considerable length of time before they were finalized.
Before this meeting in October of 1946 Lester Nance had been busy years before trying to find a place to start a new breed registry. He became interested in Walkers with the purchase of WHITE RIVER KING who was born in 1932. He bought him as a eight month old pup. By 1942 he began to look around for a place to start a new breed registry for his line of dogs.. He decided since they were from Walker Foxhound breeding and the Walker name was so respected among foxhound men he would call them Treeing Walkers. He first contacted AKC and they told him they weren't interested in starting a new breed registry. UKC told him they weren't interested in any new stud files. Mr. Nance kept the fires burning with Dr. Fuhrman but couldn't get anything positive started at that time. Lester Nance wrote to Ralph Walker of Full Cry Magazine. After corresponding for some time a Treeing Walker Registry was finally started with Full Cry Kennel Club and recorded as Treeing Walker.
In the July 1944 issue of Full Cry in an ad Mr. Nance was the first to advertise the new breed, TREEING WALKER. It was more then two years later before UKC first recorded English Coonhound (Walker Treeing) and was not until 1978 that UKC finally gave the Treeing Walker coonhounds back the original name Lester Nance gave them, TREEING WALKER. Lester Nance was involved in many of the different phrases of history in our sport of coon hunting and the competition parts of that sport. The NCA or National Coonhound Association played an important part in the early stages of our sport. They had Futurities in the early 50's and many of the hounds that make up some of the foundation stock of the Treeing Walker breed were Nite Champions. A fact you wouldn't know today by looking at a set of papers because they weren't UKC but NCA Nite Champions.
Mr. Nance's grandson Kip Gordon who was raised next door to his grand dad and still hunts and breeds these White River Hounds and is the keeper of much of the history of Lester Nance. His current project is named after one of the names you will see in this article. He calls him Mr. Baker named for Russell Baker. Kip sent me information taken from one of Mr. Nance's journal that he kept notes in that tells some of the story of these hounds that became the first registered Treeing Walkers and an important part of the foundation of the breed. Kip guesses that it was written around 1939.
The Words Of Lester Nance
The
History of the Nance strain of Treeing Walker coonhounds has been a
rather vague and much talked about subject among coonhound men for the
past several years. Never before has the true origin of this popular
strain of tree dogs appeared in print.
I will start at the beginning of this breed as far back as I can relate the true ancestory.
About the year 1900, Duke Shell, from Perkinsville, Indiana, brought
back from southern Ohio a walker dog by the name of Ring. There was
quite a story connected to this deal, part of which I will relate.
Mr. Shell was a book salesman making trips through Indiana and
southern Ohio. Being a lover of hounds and especially coonhounds, he was
always taking hunts and talking with fellows about coon hunting. Mr.
Shell had made the acquaintance of a colored fellow, the porter at the
hotel in Ohio. This porter had been hunting several times with Ring and
his praises for this dog were exceptionally high. Mr. Shell enjoyed a
few nights hunting with Ring and the porter. When making inquiry as to
who owned Ring, Mr. Shell was informed that Ring had no owner. The dog
had just drifted into town and anyone that wanted to go hunting just
took old Ring. It seemed Ring just hunted the game you wanted to hunt.
Day hunting, rabbits and squirrels. Night, coon preferred, occasionally
an opossum .
Mr. Shell wanted to buy Ring and bring him back to Indiana. The
colored porter told Mr. Shell he would get old Ring for him if he would
pay him the sum of $3.00. The dog was delivered the next morning,
however the porter had substituted another black and white spotted
hound. The dog was not accepted and after two more dollars was giving,
Ring was on his way to Indiana. He was placed in the hands of Perry
Shell, brother of Duke.
Everett Benefield's old Frank, sired by Ring.
One
of the first coondogs I can remember was old Frank. This dog was 13
years old the only time I ever saw him work. He was a true walker type
trail dog. He cast out well on a loss and was very consistent on
finishing his tracks. Old Frank was one of the greatest, if not the
greatest river dog that ever hunted this territory. Benefield hunted
old Frank on the river all his life. A truly great tree dog. Frank was
the true Treeing Walker type, standing on the best of feet and legs.
Body confirmation was well in purportion, a medium ear and a medium wide
head. A good square muzzle and large dark eye. Old Frank had a rather
heavy coat of hair, heavy tail but not a full flag. Old Frank was a
light color of black fading off into a light tan with some white in the
chest and on the feet. Several females were mated to old Frank. I can
recall 4 litters sired by Frank. I only recall one male sired by this
dog that showed the earmarks of making a top cooner. But every female I
ever saw was a whirlwind. His reputation as a sire followed him in that
manner too.
I
recall a Frank female, Twinkle, owned by Ted Hosier. She was running
and treeing coon at the unbelievable age of 14 months. At that time a
coon dog was a pup until they were 4or 5 years of age. They just didn't
even try to break a dog until they were 3 years old.
Old Frank was mated to Perry McKlintock's Spottie female.
This mating proved very successful. Four females from this litter made
quite a record but the one we are most interested in following was
Foland's Queen.
John Foland bought Queen as a pup. Queen was let to run on her own
until she was three years old. Mr. Foland was well up in his sixties and
was in the hospital ill when Herman Bray, an old hunting friend, went
to see him. Foland offered to sell Queen to any one interested. Bray
offered to hunt Queen for Foland rather than have him sell her so she
was off the market and sent home with Mr. Bray.
Foland's Queen was a typical old Frank female. She was of the same
type, confirmation and color as her sire. She had the same chop mouth
and if a difference in ability could be made, Queen possessed a little
more hunting spirit. Perhaps I have no right to make that statement
since I only saw Frank work as an old dog and saw Foland's Queen work
when she was at her best. In all the dogs I have ever seen work, there
isn't one I can recall that was a more tireless hunter and a better
strike and trail dog.
Mr. Bray had taken me, a 15 year old kid, under his wing as a hunting
partner. So I had the opportunity to see Queen work the two years Bray
hunted her. Inexperienced as I was in dog work, I can still remember
those two seasons hunting with Queen and old Speed. As the years role by
I can appreciate even more the dog power we had at that time. The
second season we hunted every coon track we hit was truly a treat. We
hit 27 coon tracks that season and finished 24 and killed 7coon. The
three trails we didn't get finished, two were lost in a down pour of
rain and we finally called them off the other track figuring it was just
to cold.
That was a record catch for this territory at that time. Coon tracks
were like finding gold and to catch a coon was the exhibit of the
community.
Mr. Foland had recovered from his illness enough by this season that he
hunted a few nights with us. Although I didn't own any dog, I was
hunting every night possible. I made Bray and Foland promise to raise a
litter of pups from this pair of dogs that spring.
Bray's Speed dog was the only direct Walker Fox bred dog that was
crossed into this line of Treeing Walkers. Speed was purchased from Mr.
Cummins, an auctioneer from Ladoga, In. Speed ran as a derby dog in
the Indiana fox hunters annual meet. Placing eighth. He was run on fox
for three years. A rather speedy built dog. Black and white in color
and heavy coat. He carried pretty close to a full flag tail. Stood a
good strong 24 inches and weighed 55 pounds. A medium to small ear and
good wide head. He had the appearance of an exceptionally long nosed
dog. Big V notches that had been taken in the ends of each ear
contributed to the long nose appearance. His breeder marked all his fox
dogs that way. His scarred up head didn't add much to his beauty
either. His first appearance wasn't very impressive yet one had to
admire a nearly perfect set of feet and legs plus a strong well arched
back. Old Speed was appreciated most in the timber. This was truly a
great tree dog even though he came direct from fox bred walkers.
I have seen old Speed stay to his tree for hours right through a cloud
burst of rain and the lightning cracking all around him. He had that
certain nack to just find the end of the tracks he run.
In the four years I hunted old Speed he never ran a fox. A straight
coon dog at that time was unheard of. However there wasn't any doubt
when old Speed was running Mr. Ringtail. He always bawled on a coon
trail and chopped on opossum and skunk. He had an exceptionally nice
tree bark. A long warbelling bawl followed by three or four deep chop
barks.
There were several anxious hunters awaiting the arrival of the
Queen and Speed litter born March 20th, 1932. We were blessed with
plenty of pups, 7 male and 5 females. I purchased 2 females at weaning
time. One of my females got killed by an auto at age of 3 months and the
other pup I later spoiled, finally giving her away. Bray kept 4 male
pups. My cousin, Bob Nance, was keeping three pups for Bray and as pay
was to receive 1 pup. In August Bob and I began to hunt these pups. We
would always get the ole Speed dog to take along. Bray was keeping his
choice of the litter at home, a pup he called King. In order to get old
Speed we always had to take this King pup along. That pup was the only
pup that went all the way every time. We hunted 5 and 6 pups with old
Speed two or three nights every week that fall. I remember old Speed
getting away from us on a coon track when those pups were about 6 months
of age. All of the pups came back but King. This was near 10 o'clock.
We could not find them by midnight and just came home. The next morning
my uncle drove down and told me that old Speed was treed across the
creek in front of his house. He had been there since 10:30 last night. We drove up and got old Speed at 8 o'clock.
The King pup was still there too but was not barking. They were treed
on an oak den. We had all of those pups running and barking treed by
opening night of the season. Old Speed was nearing his 12th birthday but
was as active as an 8 year old. We took 12 coon with the old dog and 3
of his pups that season. Foland's were hunting Queen and a pair of pups
with her. This King pup of Bray's seemed to be the outstanding pup of
the litter. We took two coons that season King had treed all alone. To
be sure I wanted him. I finally got him bought for 25 dollars and made
Bray promise not to tell anyone. That was big money for a dog and
unheard of money for an 8 month old pup.
I want to thank Kip Gordon for his effort in getting this information to me in Lester Nance's own words. If a person likes and hunts this breed of hounds called Treeing Walker they should know the name LESTER NANCE because he is the one that gave that breed their name.
I want to thank Kip Gordon for his effort in getting this information to me in Lester Nance's own words. If a person likes and hunts this breed of hounds called Treeing Walker they should know the name LESTER NANCE because he is the one that gave that breed their name.
THE LEGENDS OF ACHA The Early Years
(c) 2012
By Don Nicely
P.O. Box 69 Gradyville, PA 19039
don@finleyriverchief.com
www.finleyriverchief.com
I have enjoyed history most of my life. Especially American History. A few years ago I discovered a wonderful place for anyone who loves American History especially the early years of the forming of our great nation. Colonial Williamsburg is a great place to visit and learn and experience the way life was back them.
On my first visit I learned a little about Patrick Henry. The Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death guy. Most everyone may know that but in my first visit to Colonial Willamsburg I found out there was more about him for me to start asking questions. Why didn't we know more about him then the one speech? Why didn't he play a more important role in the founding of the country?
After much research and reading on him I discovered just how important he was to the founding of this country. But without doing this digging into what part he played into history he might well just be thought of as the man who gave the speech.
As I get ready to prepare a column for Legends Of ACHA it is near the 4th of July. I thought maybe it would be a good idea to mention some of the people who were responsible either directly or indirectly for the success of ACHA. People whose names may have long been forgotten but whose contribution was important to a very important part of the history of our sport. The ACHA. American Coon Hunters Association.
It would be very different today trying to start a new organization to try and compare people's hounds in ability and looks. There are many registries that register hounds and license hunts and shows. Back in the 40's that wasn't the case. Field Trails and Water Races were the big things people used to compete. There was some showing going on at some of the larger Trails such as Leafy Oak but for the most part if you wanted to compete or compare it was Field Trails and Water Races.
In the mid 1940's a group of dedicated hunters who loved the sport of coon hunting but wanted to find a way to compare the hounds and their ability in the woods met in Tupelo, Mississippi and formed the American Coon Hunters Association. Many know of the impact that Association had on our sport with its World Championship but even that had to start somewhere. Imagine if you knew nothing about the hunt system of today but you wanted to create a system. You had nothing to go by and what you created would have to come from ideas that hadn't been tried yet. How hard would that have been?
Robert Graves, Gene Kemp, Brroks Magill, R.W. Nichols and Bus Thompson.
No communication as we have today. No pagers, computers, emails, cell phone or anything to help make communicating as easy as it it today. Back in that time there were phones but no every one had a phone and some people lived in areas where there was no phone service. Remember a few years ago when you would get into an area where you couldn't get cell service? That has become less of a problem but still today there is areas where maybe another cell tower would help.
So how did people communicate? They wrote letters. Maybe the ones that had phones would talk some and they might meet at some of the field trials. For sure communicating back then wasn't anything like it is today. The roads weren't as good as today are as plentiful. The vehicles weren't as fast as todays models and guess what, if it was hot you rolled your window down.
If we love this sport we owe a big thank you to the people who worked long and hard to come up with a game we could play with our hounds. What they did wasn't an easy job but their hard work gave us something we have shared with a lot of good and not so good friends made. The ACHA had a big part of this and it is just another part of its rich history.
For many years on the front of American Coner was "Official Publication of the American Coonhunter's Association" or "Official Organ of The American Coon Hunters' Association". The American Cooner also played an important part in the creation of the sport many of us love and sometimes hate so much. Kidding aside both the Cooner and ACHA has played such a big part in our sport.
One of the original members of the group who met to form ACHA was Brooks Magill who lived in Blue Springs, Mississippi. He was also one of the first presidents of the American Coon Hunters Association.
Brooks Magill
He wrote a Redbone column in American Cooner for many years. He was one of the guys in our sport who had the respect of most anyone who knew him or of him. You Redbone people if you go back far enough in your hounds pedigree there is a good chance you will see one of Magill's dogs name. Magill's Jungle Jim. He was one of the famous dogs of his day and whether you liked Redbones or not you knew the name Jungle Jim.
Brooks Magill and Jungle Jim
I am putting one picture in this article that was taken at the 1954 ACHA World Hunt. These were familiar faces around the American Coon Hunters Association Annual World Championship Hunt. They are from left to right. Robert Graves, Gene Kemp, Brroks Magill, R.W. Nichols and Bus Thompson.
If you will look at the winner of the 2nd Grand American you will see a picture of Red Rover a Redbone owned by Robert Graves.
Robert Graves and Red Rover 2nd Grand American Champion
Gene Kemp liked Black and Tans and we are enclosing a picture of him and his hound Mighty Mo.
Gene Kemp and Kemp's Mighty Mo
Of course Brooks Magill was a Redbone man and we are putting two pictures of him with Jungle Jim.
Magill's Jungle Jim and his owner
R.W. Nichols was a Plott man who had a couple of Plotts you may have heard about if you like the Plott hounds. There is a picture of R.W. Nichols and Stormy and a picture of Cherokee Joe.
R.W. Nichols and Stormy
Cherokee Joe
Bus Thompson was a Bluetick man. I haven't been able to find a good picture of Bus and one of his hounds yet but will try before the column is finished.
These were all men who worked hard for our sport and if you will notice they didn't all hunt the same breed of hounds. Their names deserve to be mentioned and thanked for what they helped give us. Another man who was involved with ACHA was Manford Craver. He was another Redbone man and if you took the Cooner in the 60's you will remember him writing Rules Corner in the Cooner. He also served as one of ACHA's early Presidents. I could go on more and more about these guys and others like them but hopefully I have in some small way said Thank You for their efforts that we still enjoy today.
Oh by the way Patrick Henry was a member of the First Continential Congress. He was Governor of Virginia. He was appointed Secretary Of State by President Washington but declined it. His fight against the Constitution and for the Bill of Rights, brought that issue to public notice throughout the colonies, contributing to the early adoption of the Bill Of Rights amendments.
The Legends Of ACHA
By Don Nicely
P.O. Box 69 Gradyville, PA 19039
don@finleyriverchief.com
www.finleyriverchief.com
(c) 2012
The Legends Of ACHA Lonnie Mears and Finley River Dan.
In it's own way the ACHA World Hunt was similar to American Idol. It gave a huge platform for dogs and their owners to be introduced to the American hunting public. An unknown could become famous overnight by winning this hunt. Also just by placing in the hunt could give you the attention to prove to the public what you were.
In thinking back on the ACHA World Championship in it's day when it was the one. And then the current happenings of today I think of American Idol. A show where people are introduced to America. Sometimes the winners become famous and very successful and sometimes they don't. Sometimes the people who don't win become more successful and famous then the ones that do win.
In it's own way the ACHA World Hunt was similar to American Idol. It gave a huge platform for dogs and their owners to be introduced to the American hunting public. An unknown could become famous overnight by winning this hunt. Also just by placing in the hunt could give you the attention to prove to the public what you were.
Once you got the attention it was up to the dog or breeder to take advantage of that exposure. Winning or placing in the World Hunt wasn't a guarantee of success but it was a guarantee people would pay attention to you for a while and if you had something to offer and benefit the sport, you could find success.
One of those times was in 1970. By placing 6th in the 1970 ACHA World Championship our sport was introduced to Lonnie Mears and Mears' Finley River Dan. Lonnie had advertised Dan a little but not much. He was just another son of many of Finley River Chief and not a lot of attention had been paid to him. In the fall of 1970 that was going to change.
Another son of Finley River Chief was the World Champion the second one since 1965 but also the 6th place dog was a son of Chief. By placing so high in what was at the time THE hunt everyone wanted to win focus was placed on Grand Nite Champion Mears' Finley River Dan. The interest in this hound Lonnie Mears owned had increased very much after the ACHA World Hunt.
Grand Nite Ch. Mears' Finley River Dan and Lonnie Mears
As Lonnie told me you probably wouldn't even know who he was if he hadn't placed with Dan in the ACHA World Championship. With the success Lonnie had that begun with Dan I don't know if that would have played out that way or not but for sure placing in the ACHA World Hunt gave Lonnie and Dan a chance to prove to the world that there was something special going on with this hound.
With the interest in Dan growing more females were being bred and with that more pups on the ground from Dan to prove his worth in the stud pen. Most people that know anything about the history of the Finley River Strain and the hounds in it believe Mears' Finley River Dan is one of the best reproducing sons of Finely River Chief. Many think he is the best reproducing son of Chief.
With the platform that the ACHA World Hunt gave Dan to show his worth Lonnie started a breeding program that was based on Finley River Dan as the foundation and today 42 years after that hunt the program is still intact on the basis of its foundation.
From Dan came Mears' Finley River Dan III. A Dual Grand Champion plus a World Show Champion. Dan III didn't get the chance to breed as many good females as maybe he deserved because he was standing at stud along with his sire until he was past 8 years of age.
World Show Ch. Dual Grand Ch. Mears' Finley River Dan III
Another stud dog Lonnie offered was out of Dan III. His name was Jackson's Finley River Tom. Tom was a Grand Champion Nite Champion that needed only one more win to be a Dual Grand Champion but met an untimely death in a dog box.
Grand Ch. Nite Ch. Jackson's Finley River Tom
Also another dog Lonnie offered at stud was Dual Grand Champion Mears' Finley River Jeff who was also a son of Dan III.
Dual Grand Ch. ACHA Night Ch. Mears' Finley River Jeff
From the mating of Finley River Jeff to a grand daughter of Finley River Tom came a dog named Grand Ch. Nite Ch. Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie. A hound that would again put Lonnie Mears in the picture of the ACHA World Championship. But first lets visit the impact Finley River Dan had on the ACHA World Hunt and the Treeing Walker breed.
In 1975 Grand Nite Ch. Finley River Dan Jr. placed 9th at the ACHA World Hunt. You will find Dan Jr. in many pedigrees but two places are Nite Ch. Kalal's Minnesota Cookie who produced some very good hounds when crossed with Dual Grand Ch. McCallister's Finley River Banjo who was a grandson of Dan. Also the 1998 UKC World Champion Daniel's Duke was a grandson and a great grandson of Finley River Dan Jr.
Grand Nite Ch. Finley River Dan Jr.
In 1978 Grand Nite Ch. Finley River Horse another son of Dan placed 2nd at the UKC World Hunt.
Grand Nite Ch. Finley River Horse
in 1980 Grand Nite Ch. Easy Goin' Eileen a daughter of Finley River Dan placed 1st at the ACHA World Championship. At that same hunt a son of Dan, Hern's Red Eagle Dick placed 2nd.
Grand Nite Ch. Easy Goin' Eileen
In the 1981 ACHA World Hunt Grand Nite Ch. Hern's Red Eagle Dick came back to win the hunt.
World Ch. Dual Grand Ch. Hern's Red Eagle Dick
Grand Nite Ch. Mears' Finley River Dan was bred to Grand Nite Ch. Magill's Lone Pine Jill. From that cross came Grand Nite Ch. Logan's Wild Julie. Julie is the grandmother of 1990 UKC World Champion Tony's Wild Joey.
UKC World Ch. Grand Nite Ch. Tony's Wild Joey
That same year 1990 Lonnie Mears would enter the picture again with the ACHA World Championship with Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie a hound that was line bred back to Finley River Dan. The year before in 1989 Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie placed 27th in the ACHA World Hunt just barely missing the Top 20 because of call that was made at the end of the cast. But in 1990 the two Lonnie's placed 3rd. Again in 1991 they were in the top twenty by placing 13th. One last time Mears' took Lonnie back to the ACHA World Championship in 1992 and placed 5th.
Grand Ch. Nite Ch. Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie and Lonnie Mears
To place 3 years in a row at a World Hunt is a task that is hard to do and there is more then just luck working for you for that to happen. To place so consistently 20 years later with a hound that is line bred back to the hound you started with shows what type of breeding program Lonnie Mears had with Finley River Dan as his foundation.
There is so many more hounds I could go into that go back to Mears' Finley River Dan but the few I mentioned will give you a number of threads to the different lines of hounds to give you an idea of the impact he had on the Treeing Walker Breed. One of the best crosses on Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie was with Grand Ch. Mears' Finley River Trap.
Grand Champion Mears' Finley River Trap
This cross produced numerous good hounds including Grand Ch. Nite Ch. Mears' Finley River Zoom.
Dual Grand Ch. Mears' Finley River Zoom
Now
20 years after those hunts Lonnie Mears is still active in the sport
and the Treeing Walker breed. He is not able to competition hunt
these days because of health reasons but he is still very active in
showing the hounds and breeding these spotted dogs. He has gotten a
bad rap of just being a show guy but if you are newer to the sport you
may have only known him as that but that isn't a fair description.
True he has World Class show hounds but he also had numerous World
Class Coon Hounds before the health issues that were Grand Nite
Champions and would compete in such hunts as the ACHA World
Championship.
Right now Lonnie is campaigning GRAND CHAMPION MEARS' FINLEY RIVER THUNDER a son of his GRAND CHAMPION MEARS' FINLEY RIVER RISKIE. Yes he does go back to Finley River Dan numerous times.
Grand Champion Mears' Finley River Thunder
Lonnie Mears and Finley River Dan just some of the legends introduced to the coon hunting world by the ACHA World Hunt.
(c) 2012
LONE PINE STRAIN and FINLEY RIVER CHIEF
GRAND NITE CHAMPION FINLEY RIVER PETE
and JOHN J. MONROE
Grand Nite Champion Finley River Pete and Grand Nite Champion Finley River Spike were litter mate brothers out of Nite Ch. Finley River Chief and Nite Ch. Finley River Bell.
Finley River Pete and his brother Finley River Spike were both bred to Duvall's Lone Pine Lady. From these two crosses came a number of dogs that I think were important to the foundation of the Lone Pine Hounds.
Spike and Lady produced Lone Pine Satan, Lone Pine Eagle and Wolfe's Tree Picking Bill.
Pete and Lady produced Tall Oakes Spot, Finley River Sport and Magill's Lone Pine Jill.
Lone Pine Jill was bred to Mears' Finley River Dan to produce Logan's Wild Julie. Dan was a son of Finley River Chief.
Lone Pine Jill was also bred to River Bend Flag to produce Logan's Wild Jeanie. Flag has Finley River Chief in his 4th generation.
Logan's Wild Julie was bred to Owen's Hardwood Bozo to produce Logan's Wild Clover. Bozo goes back to Finley River Chief a couple of times plus a litter mate sister to Chief.
Logan's Wild Clover was bred to Logan's Wild Jeanie to produce Wessel's Wild Casey, Tony's Wild Clover, 1990 UKC World Ch. Tony's Wild Joey.
The Legends Of ACHA
By Don Nicely
P.O. Box 69 Gradyville, PA 19039
don@finleyriverchief.com
www.finleyriverchief.com
(C)
Roger Wilson had asked me if I would write some articles on the History of the ACHA World Championship and it's impact on our sport. I had intended on writing a different article then this one but after hearing of the passing of Joe House, it just felt like the first article should be about him.
In 1962 I think it would be safe to say that the general public didn't have the slightest idea who the farmer that coon hunted named Joe House was. Even though in that year the Hounds Of Joe House would start making noises in a hunt called the ACHA World Championship.
I have said that the ACHA World Hunt was the hunt that made people and dogs famous. There was the time it was the World Championship. If a dog was a World Champion he was the ACHA World Champion. No matter what registry you might hunt in or preferred if there was only one hunt you could win on your wish list it was the ACHA World Hunt.
I think Joe House is a great example of how much impact the ACHA World Championship had on the coon hound world and how doing well in it could change the face of history at times.
Joe House and Queen
Anyone that knows anything about the Treeing Walker Breed knows the name of Joe House and the term the House Strain of treeing walkers. They have both had a great impact on the Treeing Walker breed and the sport of coon hunting. But what was the force that introduced them to the general public?
The force was the ACHA World Hunt. The story begins in 1962. A dog called Spot Lite Sport owned by J.C. Ellis placed 2nd. that year in the world championship. A single registered treeing walker that was out of two grade dogs named House's Elmer and House's Queen. Sport missed winning the hunt by 25 points. He was also shown in the bench show and placed 2nd in it.
Ellis's Spotlite Sport owned by J.C. Ellis
Little did anyone expect a litter mate to Sport to come back the next year and win not only the World Hunt but also win the World Championship Show. But that is what happened and the Treeing Walker Breed would be changed forever.
In 1963 Joe House was new to the competition hunts but what a way to make an appearance in them. To win the most sought after title of the day World Champion. To create even more interest and buzz House's Bawlie also won the title of World Show Champion. Not only proving himself in the woods but also on the bench.
People might have gotten excited anyway because a new strain of treeing walkers was being introduced to the public. But to see the title in the magazines of Dual World Champion created even more interest and excitement.
Even though Bawlie wouldn't be considered to be the best colored up hound by most people he still had a look that would turn almost anyone's head. Bawlie was a beautiful hound. With this win Joe House started advertising House's Bawlie at stud and the world was not only introduced to Joe House but the House Strain of Treeing Walkers.
1963 ACHA DUAL WORLD CHAMPION
HOUSE'S BAWLIE
After Joe had studded him for a while there was more buzz created when Dr. Jimmy Jackson bought Bawlie for $5000.00. That was a huge amount of money back then. But Joe House wasn't finished with the ACHA World Hunts. One of the reasons he decided to sell Bawlie was because of a young dog he had and the greatness he saw in that hound. His name was House's Chief.
Ch. Grand Nite Ch. House's Chief
1966 Grand American Champion
At a young age he placed 10th in his first ACHA World Hunt then 6th place the next year. In 1966 another hound carrying the House name, House's Hawk placed 5th in the 1966 ACHA World Championship.
Not bad for a man named Joe House and a female called House's Queen who was the foundation of a strain to become known as the House Strain. From 1962 to 1966 Queen had a pup place in the top ten of the world hunt every year.
In the 1968 ACHA World Championship 5 of the Top 20 were House Bred hounds. Two pups sired by House's Chief placed 4th and 9th. A litter mate to Chief named Spicer's Rambler Rose was World Champion Female placing 10th. Two pups out of House's Hawk, another litter mate to Chief placed 15th and 19th. And in the Bench Show Bawlene owned by Jim Stratton and sired by House's Bawlie was the ACHA World Show Champion.
In the 1971 ACHA World Hunt 4 of the top 20 hounds were related to House's Chief. House's Chiefer a son of Chief placed 5th. Tom Tom a grand son placed in the Top 20 and another male and female placed in the Top 20. That was the 10th year in a row that a House Bred hound had placed in the Top 20 of the ACHA World Hunt.
In 1976 another hound carrying the House name was again the ACHA World Champion. House's Tom Tom. From Tom Tom came House's Clint and from Clint came House's Lipper and from Lipper came House's Lawyer. In 1979 Clint placed 15th in the ACHA World Championship. That same year he placed 2nd at the UKC World Hunt.
Grand Nite Ch. House's Clint with
JOE HOUSE
Then in 1985 another world champion was crowned that carried the House name. 1985 ACHA World Champion House's Snipe, a grand son of House's Tom Tom. As impressive as this all is there is so much more I could write but it really would take up too much space. Hopefully this will give people an idea though how important Joe House and the ACHA World Championship was to the Treeing Walker Breed.
1976 ACHA WORLD CHAMPION
HOUSE'S TOM TOM
Joe House made many friends in this great sport called coon hunting and he was blessed with having some people who felt so strong about the House Strain of hounds that they put the House name on their hounds. These people are still strong supporters of the House Strain and have helped keep it going through the years.
On reflecting back on this the one question that comes to mind is this. What if in the fall of 1963 the farmer from Clinton, Kentucky had decided not to make the trip to West Point, Mississippi? How would the future have been different if Joe House had decided not to hunt in the 1963 ACHA World Championship?
JOE HOUSE
1929 - 2012
Joe House, just one of the legends introduced to the coon hunting world by the ACHA World Hunt.
WHAT IS BEHIND A WORLD CHAMPION?
By Don Nicely
(c) 2010
When Mike Miller was getting his pup ready for the Super Stakes the thought that this pup was going to become the youngest World Champion ever didn't cross his mind. You could say Mike has been hunting all his life. Starting at about 6 or 7 years old he would hit the woods with his father. Like a lot of us who got our start following behind our dad, he was lucky in that his father always tried to have a coon dog around to hunt. His father also handled some of the famous hounds of the day including the Redbone Famous Amos.
Mike was lucky like a few of us who had a father that not only coon hunted but also had a coon dog in their pen. He grew up not being a stranger to what it took for a dog to be what I like to call a real coon dog. He always liked the Walker hounds and has tried to always keep a good one around.
When Mike Miller went hunting with a puppy named (Gainsvill Creek) Tank he saw something he liked out of that puppy. He had the chance to buy him after hunting with him and bought the pup that would soon make history. Tank did things quick and young and right. He was entered in some PKC events at an age most people would just be thinking about starting their pup. The pup, Tank, started bringing the money home. He made a PKC Champion at a very young age.
Before the ACHA World Championship Mike's focus was getting Tank ready for the Super Stakes. Little did he realize when he decided to enter him in the ACHA World Hunt that things were going to change quickly. Kind of like Tank's rise in the Coon Hound world of competition hunting.
The ACHA World Championship has a history that no other registry can lay claim too. The competition hunts started with the American Coon Hunters Association (ACHA). If you study the history a little the impact the ACHA World Championship had on the coon hound was unmatched in its day. ACHA was the first World Championship and for the longest time the only World Championship.
Even today when there are numerous World Titles by different kennel clubs, ACHA stands out. ACHA could be called the true World Championship. How can you truly have a World Champion when some dogs aren't allowed to enter? With the ACHA World Hunt any hound can enter. They don't have to be registered with the ACHA offices. It is a true world championship open to all coon hounds to enter and compete in.
Many say that the ACHA World Hunt is one of the hardest to win. You can't reenter. You have to tree a coon to be able to advance and you have to recast some nights. It takes its toll on hound and handler. Gainsville Creek Tank didn't make a minus point until the last cast of the finals. In the 5 previous casts he didn't receive a minus point. Here is a 20 month old hound hunting in 5 casts some of them two casts in a night, treeing coon and making very few mistakes. Doing this at an age a lot of people would still call them a pup.
The emotions that were running through Mike Miller had to be many at the time because more things were happening then just the hunt. How does it feel to own a world champion and to sell a world champion at the same time? I can only imagine the feelings that would be going through someone. Before the hunt was over Mike Miller had agreed to sale Tank to Albert Clay.
Everyone that competes much has had the thought of wanting to own a world champion or win a world hunt. Here was the case of a person going to achieve that dream that so many of us have and at the same time stick to your word and sell that dog to another man.
As Mike now knows when anyone wins a world championship they will start getting phone calls from people they have never heard of. People calling to congratule you or to ask questions about your World Champion.
People want to know what the dog is out of etc. When you ask about the breeding of Gainsville Creek Tank a whole article could be written on his breeding and bloodlines. Tank is a very well bred hound but let me fast forward to the part the ACHA World Championship had on the bloodlines of Gainsvill Creek Tank.
I believe the ACHA World Championship may have had more of an impact on the Treeing Walker Breed then any of the other 5 breeds. The ACHA World Hunt was the Only World Championship for a long time. When a dog won the World Hunt interest was created in that dog. Through the early years when most of the registered dogs were single registered hounds a lot of crosses were made because of the ACHA World Hunt.
Let me deal with one thread that goes back to Tank numerous times. At least 15 times (but I haven't carried his pedigree out all the way yet). The first World Champion Treeing Walker was White River Boone who won it in 1949. He had a big impact on the breed and considering his early accidental death it could have been even greater.
The second Treeing Walker World Champion was The Incredible Rock who won the world title two years in a row, 1951 and 1952. A daughter of White River Boone, Nance's Jane, was bred to The Incredible Rock to produce Bunker Hill Queen. Queen produced some very nice hounds in her day. She was bred to Shetler's Sonny Boy to produce Carolina Kate.
The first world champion of a world champion was Merchant's Fanny who won the ACHA World Hunt in 1959. She was out of The Incredible Rock. Today it is hard maybe impossible (unless the dog is single registered) to find a World Champion that doesn't go back to past ACHA World Champions.
The first and only hound to win three ACHA World Champion titles was Merchant's Bawlie in 1955, 1956, and 1958. Merchant's Bawlie was bred to Merchant's Fanny a world champion out of a world champion to produce Bawlie's Rock.
Bawlie's Rock was bred to Carolina Kate to produce Tut's Tillie. Tillie was bred to 1963 ACHA World Champion House's Bawlie to produce Wright's Sue. Sue is considered to be the fountainhead of the Yadkin River strain of Treeing Walkers. Sue also had an important part in a dog called House's Lipper. Back in his day there was a lot of excitement and buzz about House's Lipper, not so much because of the winning he was doing ( he was doing a lot) but because of the pups he was producing.
Wright's Sue was bred to 1964 ACHA World Champion Stan's Sailor Jr. who was out of 1961 ACHA World Champion Stan's Sailor Boy. This cross produced 3 hounds that had a geat impact on the treeing walker breed. Shive's Goldhill Lou, Wright's Pistol Pete and Brack's Blaze.
When Blaze was bred to a Finley River Chief female that cross produced Yadkin River Tom who produced Kyles Rozell who produced Yadkin River Jeff when she was bred to Wright's Pistol Pete.
Shive's Goldhill Lou produced House's Queen Lou the mother of House's Lipper. If you will take the threads I just mentioned you will find what an impact they had on the walker breed. The fact is this wouldn't have gotten where it did if not for the ACHA World Championship. There is no doubt some of these crosses were made at the time because a dog had won the ACHA World Championship.
Tank's mother is Nite Champion Cypress Lake Stylish Maggie.
Owned by Flynn Welch and Wayne Albury, Maggie is still being hunted doing what she loves, treeing coon. Flynn owned her mother Grand Nite Champion Cypress Lake Stylish Bitty along with Joe Patterson. They bred Bitty to Grand Nite Champion Lipper's Stylish Cade to get Maggie. Flynn says that Maggie shines in the winter time when the leaves are off the tree. She is very accurate when she trees. Most of the time if she passes by a tree that another dog is treed on it will be slick. She also has a big male dog mouth and all of her pups have over powering mouths. Flynn and Wayne are proud of the type of pups that Maggie throws. As Mr. Welch said: "You can bet one thing for sure, Maggie will do her part."
Flynn Welch can be contacted at:
cypresslakekennels@yahoo.com
Tank's father is Grand Nite Champion Coma's Stylish Pride.
Pride is owned by Justin Bowden and Branden Dement. Actually when Pride was bred to Maggie to produce Tank Flynn Welch owned him.
Pride just turned 10 years of age but is still in good shape and still treeing a lot of coon. Justin says Tank is a good hunter but hunts with you and doesn't leave you and the country. Once he trees there is no leaving the tree. He has a big bawl mouth on track and bawls and chops on tree, mostly chop. Justin and Branden are very proud of the pups Pride is producing and are planning on studding him out and collecting him also.
Justin Bowden can be contacted at:
bowdenstorm@yahoo.com
Albert Clay like many of us started following these hounds behind his daddy. Albert was 5 years old when he started going hunting with his father. From that start he has been hunting all of his life. Mr. Clay has always tried to have a good coon hound at his place and most of the time has had one.
Being a fan of the Finley River hounds, Albert liked the type of hound that most of us that has been in the sport for a while would call a real coon hound. He has hunted with a lot of the name dogs of the past and still today hunts a dog that can compete. Just last year he placed two hounds in the Top Twenty of the World Hunt.
He had been hearing about a young dog from a number of people. This dog was young but would tree coon, was accurate and had so many of the things we look for in a young hound. During the World Hunt negotiations began on the purchase of Gainsville Creek Tank.
On the final night of the World Championship Albert Clay did something most of us wouldn't have had the guts to do. Two hours before the final cast Albert closed the deal on Tank by giving a World Championship price for a hound that wasn't a World Champion yet. True he had a 1 in 3 chance of winning it, but there was still that last cast that had to be hunted.
Albert showed his faith in what he had been told about the young hound called Tank and in his handler Mike Miller. He paid the price one would expect to have to pay for a World Champion.
Albert's plans for 2010 ACHA WORLD CHAMPION GAINSVILLE CREEK TANK are first and foremost he wants to hunt and enjoy his World Champion. Albert doesn't want to breed a lot of females to Tank because of his young age, but he would like to breed a few of the better females. He believes Tank will do his part in producing good hounds so he wants to get a few on the ground out of good females.
Albert plans on hunting Tank in some of the larger hunts and may even get Mike Miller to handle Tank in some of those hunts. He hasn't ruled out the possibility of trying to win another World Title. After all as I write this Tank hasn't even turned two years old yet.
Albert Clay can be contacted at:
abclay49@yahoo.com
423-994-4061
660-933-4711
865-992-9097
The author can be contacted at:
mysticmoondog@gmail.com
http://www.finleyriverchief.com
