Mattie Mitchell: Newfoundland's Greatest Frontiersman

Mattie Mitchell: Newfoundland's Greatest Frontiersman by Gary Collins. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781926881010.

"There is a feeling that comes to one who goes unafraid into the wilderness. For the very few who experience it comes a sense of belonging; of being a fragile part of the mysterious whole; of profound peace; of wanting never to leave," says Gary Collins in describing the inspiration that overtook him when he penned the final pages in this, the biography of Mattie Mitchell, a hunter, trapper, and guide of Mikmaq descent whose daring feats became known worldwide, but which history books somehow forgot. In researching the life and times of Mattie Mitchell, critically acclaimed author Gary Collins (author of the award-winning What Colour is the Ocean?) gleaned much insight on his subject from the diary and other personal papers of Marie Sparkes, granddaughter to the remarkable Mikmaq woodsman. Now, for the first time, Mattie Mitchells legendary deeds are revealed in full, comprehensive detail. In 1998, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador recognized Mattie Mitchells contribution to the growth and prosperity of the province by opening its Mattie Mitchell Prospectors Resource Room. In 2001, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada recognized Mattie Mitchell as a person of national historic significance. In 2005, a plaque in Mattie Mitchells honour was placed in Gros Morne National Park.