With the D.O.C.
THE ADVENT of the fall semester brings to the fore a project that has become a D.O.C. tradition. A new Bull Moose cabin is going up under the expert direction of Ross McKenney. Begun a little over a year ago, the cabin is well along as far as the external heavy work is concerned, with the main cabin supports, floor, walls, ridge and roof logs up, and work on the roof under way. The goal for this fall is the completion of the roof so work on the interior can proceed during the winter. Consequently, nearly every noon sees at least one group headed east along the Etna road to the foot of Moose Mountain.
Located on the site of the old Bull Moose Cabin, familiar to some as New Moose, the cabin now under construction is the fourth building to go up on the 40acre plot of land given by Dr. John Gile 'B7 and later added to by President Tucker's gift of one hundred acres. Originally, the only structure standing on the plot was a small lumber shanty. A group of students found it abandoned, and repaired it. Deeded to the Club in 1913 by Dr. Gile, it was in reality the first Outing Club cabin. However, that same spring saw the construction of Cabin No. 1, known later as Cow Moose. With bunks for 30 men, as well as being of good size, it soon became a rendezvous for many a Dartmouth student. The smaller cabin, then known as Calf Moose, was improved by the addition of a fireplace, and later the walls were panelled. It has stood the test of time the best of all.
The old Bull Moose Cabin, the third cabin to be constructed in that general area, was provided by the College Board of Trustees in 1920 as a memorial to the D.O.C. men who died in World War I. Thus during the Twenties there were three cabins in the immediate group known as the "Moose Cabins."
This set-up remained for nearly two decades until roughly 1938. Then because of the war and the expansion of the D.O.C. chain of cabins and shelters, they sat idle for several years. Because of the fact that Cow Moose had suffered considerably through disuse and age, it was finally dismantled. The heavy snows of 1947 and 1948 finally collapsed the roof of Bull Moose and the only cabin which has remained standing to the present date is Calf Moose.
NEW CABIN ENTIRELY OF LOGS
A year or two ago, it was decided that another cabin ought to be built on the site and preparations were started. By last spring cement supports had been sunk, and the floor laid. It was decided also that it would be constructed entirely of logs as far as the main part of the building was concerned. The Freshman Trip this fall included one day at Moose not only for the purpose of aiding in the work there, but to give the '54's a chance to see "how it's done." Needless to say, great progress was made and the possibility of completing the roof before the first snow is now practically assured.
It is felt by many, as must have been the case in years gone by, that such a cabin is almost a "must." The Oak Hill Cabin has been abandoned, for all practical purposes, and a spot where the Club can get together outside of Hanover, yet not too far away, for a feed, beer bust, or just a bull-session is badly needed. The Moose Mountain site seems to fill the bill with its mountain brook nearby and its accessibility to three trails and the Moose Mountain ski run.
BULL MOOSE CABIN, a name familiar to thousands of alumni who participated in Outing Club activities, goes up in a new form. At the left rear is "Calf Moose," the original cabin on the Moose Mountain site.
