George Washington Sears

Born in 1821, George Washington Sears is renowned for his writing for Forest and Stream magazine, as well as publishing the classic camping guide Woodcraft in 1884 and his poetry collection Forest Runes in 1887. Writing under the pen name “Nessmuk,” he helped popularize canoeing, camping, and wilderness conservation, notably in the Adirondacks. He worked with pioneering boat builder J. Henry Rushton to create one of the first lightweight and affordable canoes, succeeding to such a degree that his boat Sairy Gamp was a featured exhibition at the Smithsonian. Upon his death, both a lake and a mountain in Pennsylvania were named in his honor.