Wolf Days in Pennsylvania

Originally published in 1914 by the Tribune Press, Wolf Days in Pennsylvania preserves the fascinating history of Pennsylvania’s lost wolves and their hunters, which was already becoming the stuff of folklore and myth during Shoemaker’s lifetime at the turn of the twentieth century. With his characteristic penchant for juicy narrative and a naturalist’s enthusiasm and respect for the animal, Shoemaker details the decline of the wolf in Pennsylvania during the westward progress of the state’s settlement by whites, as its population dwindled over the course of the nineteenth century. He narrates stories of memorable chases and narrow escapes, and the hunters’ bravery in their attempts to protect themselves and their communities. The book contains testimony gathered by the author, accompanied by interviews with some of the state’s great wolf hunters and rare period photographs of the hunters and their prey.

Henry W. Shoemaker (1880–1958) was the author of more than twenty volumes of popular Pennsylvania literary folklore and numerous narratives about Pennsylvania’s disappearing wildlife during the first half of the twentieth century. He also served as Pennsylvania’s first state folklorist from 1948 to 1956.