59

John (Jack) Mackay
1989
Bloomfield Ridge, New Brunswick, Canada

60

John (Jack) MacKay
1907-1988
Conservationist

Jack was born at Bloomfield Ridge, N.B. At the age of 10 he made his first run on the Miramichi River while accompanying his father Donald, who was guiding Lady Eaton of the famed T. Eaton Company.

After residing in Sussex, N.N. for some years, he returned to the Miramichi where he made his living by means of the river for the reminder of his life.

While guiding for Jack Russell, Eldred Bailey, Clayton Stewart and numerous other outfitters, he was found to be adept at many aspects of the "sport fishing" industry from the building and restoring of canoes to erecting sporting camps.

From his incredible memory he could recall the location of every pool from Half Moon to Doaktown while being exact in recalling each bend in the River and incidents surrounding them.

In 1956 he was hired by Dead River Company and for the next 31 years dedicated himself to his position as cook/caretaker and overall manager of Deepwood Lodge on the Cains River and Big Hole Brook Camp on the Miramichi.

One sportsman commented that Jack was the only man he ever met who could be taking bread from the oven, entertaining with a story and cooking supper for ten men at the same time.

1989