Under a Wild Sky, page 41
124Audubon, sidestepping the whole truth Ibid.
124The garden they planted Ibid.
124Lucy even had with her DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 59.
124Audubon and Rozier, meanwhile, invested Towles, Henderson, page 31.
124Pope was a dubious asset Audubon, “Fishing in the Ohio,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 122–27.
124Not long after they got to Henderson Ford, John James Audubon, page 77.
124Her father, Captain James Speed Ibid.
124Though it was no grand estate John James Audubon State Park Museum, Henderson, Kentucky. The museum’s photograph of Meadow Brook shows that it was a dark and rather loose-looking frame house—though by frontier standards it must have seemed luxurious. It was symmetrical, with stone chimneys on either end. Originally, the central entrance was an open hallway that bisected the first floor from one side to the other, so that you could see daylight clear through. The passage was large enough to admit a horse, and this style of home was locally known as a “dog trot.” The Rankins eventually closed up the entrance and fitted it with a standard door and entryway.
124Elizabeth, who was impressed DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, pages 60–61.
125He wanted to move still farther Ibid., page 60.
125Audubon didn’t feel a similar impulse Ford, John James Audubon, page 77.
125In early December of 1810 Ibid., pages 77–78.
125They went in a keelboat Ibid., page 78.
125The travelers were repeatedly delayed Ibid., pages 78–79.
125Audubon conceded later Audubon, “Breaking Up of the Ice,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 408–10.
125His bird drawings entertained them Buchanan (ed.), The Life and Adventures of John James Audubon, page 30.
126Audubon was fascinated by Audubon, “Breaking Up of the Ice,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 408–10.
126Audubon accepted some cash Herrick, Audubon the Naturalist, vol. I, page 242.
126When he arrived back at Meadow Brook Ford, John James Audubon, page 81.
126St. Genevieve had more than Cramer, The Navigator, pages 170–71.
126Ferdinand Rozier stayed there Herrick, Audubon the Naturalist, pages 245–46.
126But he claimed that the only Audubon, “The Prairie,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 81–84.
126He was alone, taking his time Ibid. The record of Audubon’s travels between St. Genevieve and Henderson is muddled, and the events that inspired this account could have occurred on a different trip. Since the entire episode is of dubious authenticity, it is doubly hard to say exactly when any of this might have taken place.
128He located new space in town Delatte, Lucy Audubon, pages 62–63.
128The Audubons were invited to stay Ibid.
129Sometimes they would swim across the Ohio Ford, John James Audubon, page 82.
129Audubon bought the once-wild mustang Audubon, “A Wild Horse,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 270–74.
129Audubon rode him to Philadelphia Ibid.
129She asked Audubon to take her east DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 63.
129Audubon rigged a seat Lucy to Euphemia Gifford, January 5, 1812 (Princeton University Library).
129At Louisville, they stopped Ibid.
129It was November of 1811 Ibid.
129“I can scarcely believe” Ibid.
130Audubon stayed just long enough Ford, John James Audubon, page 84.
130It was on this ride Audubon, “A Wild Horse,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 270–74.
130Nolte remembered their introduction differently Ford, John James Audubon, page 85. Ford, clearly, preferred Nolte’s version of events, which he recorded in his memoirs. Whichever account is correct, Vincent Nolte was to eventually play a pivotal role in Audubon’s life.
130But when Audubon reached Henderson DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 68.
131For some reason he went by boat Audubon, “A Wild Horse,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 270–74.
131In April, the Audubons learned Ford, John James Audubon, page 86.
131In a moment of rare candor Dallett, “Citizen Audubon: A Documentary Discovery,” Princeton University Library Chronicle, vol. XXI, nos. 1 and 2 (Autumn 1959 and Winter 1960): 89–93. Audubon’s naturalization in 1812 was actually a finalization of an application begun six years earlier, following his return from a visit to France. Audubon had accurately stated his birthplace in that first declaration back in 1806.
10. KENTUCKY HOME
132Back down the Ohio Audubon, “The Ohio,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 29–32.
133After a couple of days, Audubon opened the trunk Audubon, Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages xiii–xiv.
134He’d begun to set his birds Blaugrund and Stebbins (eds.), John James Audubon, pages 9–10.
134Tom Bakewell had arrived Ford, John James Audubon, page 88. Alice Ford reports that when Bakewell walked in on him, Audubon was busy with a watercolor depicting an otter with its foot caught in a trap. The original was lost, but Audubon repainted the gruesome scene many times in oil while he was in England.
134In November, Lucy gave birth Ibid.
134Audubon, determined at last DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 71.
134Audubon bought several adjacent lots Ibid., page 74.
134The state of Kentucky named the town Towles, Henderson, page 54.
134Audubon found domestic goods DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 74.
134Early in 1814, Audubon and Tom Bakewell opened a second store Ibid., page 75.
135Audubon tried his hand at Ibid., page 74.
135In a six-year period Ibid.
135They evidently acquired Ibid., page 76.
135She sent for her pianoforte Ibid.
135Fencing wasn’t a popular diversion Ford, John James Audubon, page 96.
135Another time, the whole town Herrick, Audubon the Naturalist, vol. I, page 253.
135One of Henderson’s leading lights DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 83. There’s some conjecture here, but I think DeLatte makes a persuasive case that Lucy’s status was defined by Audubon’s wealth and physical courage, which made him quite a heroic figure in the community. Audubon could be rough and coarse, but on the frontier these attributes were to his advantage, and he was looked up to in the small town. Lucy’s well-appointed house, her friendship with the Rankins, and her husband’s appealing blend of artistic sensitivity and pioneer derring-do undoubtedly distanced Lucy from many neighbors not nearly so well off or well-married.
135When Audubon found a very young turkey Audubon, “The Wild Turkey,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 1–17.
136Audubon was not fond of swan meat Audubon, “Trumpeter Swan,” Ornithological Biography, vol. IV, pages 536–42.
136Knowing the huge white bird Ibid.
136When Audubon lived in Kentucky Personal communication, Nate Rice, Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, April 17, 2002.
136But the brown-headed cowbird Ibid.
136There were no house sparrows Ibid. See also the species accounts in Sibley, The Sibley Guide to Birds, and also in Bull and Farrand, The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Eastern Region.
136Audubon never saw a Ibid.
137He sees advancing from afar Audubon, “The Green-Winged Teal,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 219–25.
138Once, while watching mallards Audubon, “The Mallard,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, page 164–72.
139Audubon liked to stand on the bank Audubon, “The American Woodcock,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 474–82.
139One of his favorite pursuits Audubon, “Fishing in the Ohio,” Ornithological Biography, vol. III, pages 122–27.
140The form in all the varieties Ibid.
141Audubon was especially interested in Audubon, “A Flood,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 155–59.
141One day as Audubon walked along Audubon, “The Eccentric Naturalist,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 455–60.
143If you picture to yourself Ibid.
145Rafinesque eventually became a professor Kastner, A Species of Eternity, pages 246–48. Upperclassmen advised younger students not to miss Rafinesque’s humorous and wildly entertaining lecture on ants, in which he attributed to the insects many traits of human society.
11. LEGIONS OF THE AIR
146The cedar bird—now called the cedar waxwing Audubon, “The Cedar Bird,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 227–31.
146Audubon thought goldfinches and purple finches Audubon, “The American Goldfinch,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 172–76.
147Everything about the great horned owl Audubon, “The Great Horned Owl,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 313–18.
147He discovered that he could get quite close Ibid.
147He thought it ironic that Audubon, “The Night-Hawk,” Ornithological Biography, vol. II, pages 273–78.
148American white pelicans were numerous Audubon, “American White Pelican,” Ornithological Biography, vol. IV, pages 88–102.
150The last time anyone saw a Carolina parakeet Sibley, The Sibley Guide to Birds, page 14.
150The passenger pigeon had disappeared Ibid.
150Bill white. Iris hazel Audubon, “The Carolina Parrot,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 135–40. Parrot or parakeet? Audubon and Wilson casually switched between both names for this parakeet, which was a member of the parrot family. I’ve elected to use the currently accepted term—parakeet—except where quoting from another source.
150Carolina parakeets, he wrote Ibid.
152In the fall of 1813 Audubon, “The Passenger Pigeon,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 319–27.
153Some years after seeing Ibid.
154Once, near the Green River Ibid.
155Passenger pigeons in flight, high and untouchable Ibid.
156On a chilly winter day in 1814 Audubon, “The Bird of Washington,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 58–65.
157It happened again near the Green River Ibid.
158Then, while walking from Henderson Ibid.
158Audubon saw this eagle Ibid., and Corning (ed.), Journal of John James Audubon, 1820–1821, page 28.
159That’s about 50 percent larger Sibley, The Sibley Guide to Birds, page 127. Sibley gives eighty inches for the wingspan of a bald eagle, a weight of 9½ pounds, and a length of thirty-one inches.
159Not even the California condor Ibid., page 106.
159“All circumstances duly considered” Audubon, “The Bird of Washington,” Ornithological Biography, vol. I, pages 58–65.
159On closer examination Ord to Charles Waterton, April 23, 1832. American Philosophical Society. George Ord, always foremost among Audubon’s detractors, was obsessed with trying to discredit Audubon’s account of the Bird of Washington. This ten-page letter, in Ord’s minute, precise handwriting, offers perhaps his most detailed analysis, containing extensive tables, measurements, and extrapolations intended to show that the bird simply could not have been as big as Audubon claimed it was. Ord never gave up. Three years later, he was still corresponding with Waterton on the subject. In a letter dated April 15, 1835 (American Philosophical Society), Ord informed Waterton that Titian Peale, the artist who had completed a number of drawings for later editions of the Wilson/Bonaparte American Ornithology, was certain the bird was an immature bald eagle.
160Canada geese, for example Personal observation and Sibley, The Sibley Guide to Birds, page 74. The size variability of the Canada goose is not typical of most bird species. Sibley notes that the species includes our “largest and nearly our smallest geese,” and he gives a weight range of 3½ pounds to over 9 pounds.
160A comparison of the three images Personal observation. To my knowledge, no one has ever bothered to measure Audubon’s drawing of the Bird of Washington to see if it corresponds to his statements about its size, or for the purpose of comparing it to his drawings of the adult and juvenile bald eagle. I did exactly that on September 25, 2003, using three drawings that are part of the original double-elephant folio in the library of the James Ford Bell Museum of Natural History at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Laying down sheets of clear acetate to protect the prints, I measured the birds with a yardstick laid directly atop the images. The results are, I believe, convincing evidence that Audubon’s Bird of Washington really was as big as he claimed. Although Audubon was often untrustworthy in what he said or wrote, he never varied his basic drafting technique, in which matching grids on his mounting board and drawing paper were used to produce an image that was exactly life-size. And I can think of no reason why, when making his drawing of this bird many years before it even occurred to him to publish a written description of it, he would have decided to scale up its dimensions. I think instead that Audubon unwittingly provided proof of what he later said about the enormity of the specimen. All of which leaves the major question unanswered. What kind of bird was it? Of the several ornithologists I asked about this, none could conceive that it was a distinct species of native eagle no longer in existence. Nate Rice, of the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia (personal communication, June 16, 2003), told me it would be unlikely that such an animal existed without having been observed and reported by other naturalists working at the time, and that, lacking a specimen, no evaluation of Audubon’s claim is possible. Rice did say that there are occasional sightings of a “melanistic” variant of a species of Pacific sea eagle that is larger than the bald eagle. Rice said a colleague had recently examined a specimen of a “giant black eagle” in Russia that turned out to be a melanistic sea eagle. However, Rice stressed that the species is only thinly distributed in Alaska and is rarely seen in the lower forty-eight states. Finding a doubly rare melanistic variant in the central United States would have thus been mind-bogglingly improbable.
My own, unscientific, feeling is that Audubon lived in Kentucky at a time when a number of species once common in the area—bison, wolves, grizzly bears—were disappearing—so who knows? It seems clear that Audubon shot and drew an unusually large eagle. It seems equally clear that we’ll never know for sure what it was.
161It was mildly astonishing to the Audubons Ford, John James Audubon, pages 90–92.
161Meanwhile, Audubon and Tom Bakewell Ibid., page 90.
162When the Audubons’ first daughter was born Ibid., page 91.
162Sick at first, as infants sometimes are Ibid., pages 91–93.
162By the time little Lucy died Ibid., page 92.
12. EVER SINCE A BOY
163Almost from the time construction began Ford, John James Audubon, page 92. It seems that almost from the moment the mill was under construction, Audubon was having second thoughts, and Bakewell—apparently for the first time—realized that demand for lumber in the area was exceedingly small, as was the local wheat crop. They built anyway, in the vain hope that business would come. It never did.
163When it was done, the mill was gargantuan Personal inspection of several photographs of the mill in later years, notably published in Towles, Henderson, and Herrick, Audubon the Naturalist, vol. 1.
163Crumbling remains of its stone footings Personal observation. I visited the city park in Henderson in August 2002 and walked among the ruins.
164The years following the successful conclusion Harrison and Klotter, A New History of Kentucky, pages 96–97.
164The war’s interruption of trade Ibid.
164The Kentucky Insurance Company Ibid., pages 143–44.
164In 1818, the Kentucky Insurance Company failed Ibid.
164In the Panic of 1819 Ibid., page 97.
164When the banks and then the state Ibid.
165Then, in 1818, his father died Ford, John James Audubon, page 97.
165After protracted litigation Ibid., pages 97–98.
165At the same time, Tom Bakewell Ibid., pages 103–4.
165In a convoluted exchange of credits Ibid.
165Audubon, rashly it would seem Herrick, Audubon the Naturalist, vol. I, pages 257–59.
166Even if he managed to catch up Ford, John James Audubon, pages 105–6. The eventual sale of all their assets for $21,000 not long after this episode left the Audubons still deep in debt.
166Because of either a lack of funds Herrick, Audubon the Naturalist, page 259.
166It was shortly after his return Ford, John James Audubon, pages 104–5.
166A local judge, in dismissing an assault charge Ibid.
166By summer, Bowen was back on his feet Ibid., page 105.
166An old friend in Shippingport bought Ibid., pages 105–6. The buyout was divided thus: $14,000 for the Audubon interest in the mill and $7,000 for his house, landholdings, and personal property. A note of indenture, dated October 13, 1819, includes a list of the items of personal property that is both heartbreaking and mysterious. Among the items the Audubons sold were Lucy’s piano, 150 books—possibly including Wilson’s American Ornithology—and, shockingly, “all my drawings, crayons, Paints, pencils, drawing paper, silver compasses, rules,” etc. Clearly, Audubon retained his essential portfolios of work; any drawings that actually changed hands were quite a bargain.
166Adding to this crushing burden DeLatte, Lucy Audubon, page 100.
167In Louisville he was arrested Ford, John James Audubon, page 106.
167When he asked his hosts to recommend him Ibid., pages 106–7.
167One of his specialties was Audubon, Maria R., Audubon and His Journals, vol. 1, page 36.
167After a few weeks of painting Ford, John James Audubon, page 107.
167But before they could move Ibid.
168Watching his new daughter nursing Corning (ed.), Journal of John James Audubon, 1820–1821, pages 47–48. Only 225 copies of this remarkable document were published in 1929 by the Club of Odd Volumes in Boston. The original is in the Houghton Library at Harvard University.
168Audubon applied and was hired Ford, John James Audubon, page 109.
168More significantly, his portfolio of bird drawings Adams, John James Audubon, pages 194–95.
