Grandpa Garlock and the Bear Trap
( Benjamin Garlock, 1877-1971) When I awoke this morning, my first thought was about Grandpa and the many pleasant times we spent together. I was sure that today was the day to write the story about finding the bear trap. The only trouble was that the man’s name who we bought it from slipped from my memory. Older people will tell you that failing to remember something can be depressing. Often the memory will re-appear. That is, happily, what has happened in this case. So I can continue with the story. I do not know when Grandpa started to call himself “Buckskin Ben”. It came about when he started to purchase deer skins from local hunters and have them tanned and made into gloves. It was done at Johnstown and Gloversville, New York, that were then the leather capital of the country if not the world. All of the hunters for many miles around me knew and liked Buckskin Ben. I was often asked to go with him as he purchased the deer skins in the foothills of the Adirondacks. The day th...