"THE BEGINNING OF THE SALMON FALLS RIVER BEAGLE CLUB"

In the year 1950 some area hunters from both the State of Maine, as well as the State of New Hampshire gathered at the court house in the city of Rochester N. H. to organize a Beagle Club. The Club was incorporated in 1952 and the first officers of the club were Lewis Joy, President; Walter Cheney, Vice President; Dan Barber,treasurer; Valena Cheney, Secretary; with Directors, Frank McDonald,Carroll Joy, Robert Cheney, and Emmet Duffy.
     At the time both registered as well as non registered beagles were allowed. The running area was situated in the town of Lebanon Me. on a parcel of land leased for a sum of money equivalent to the property taxes of that day, a value of fifty four dollars. The first name of the club was The New Hampshire and Maine Beagle Club but was later changed to The SALMON FALLS RIVER BEAGLE CLUB, taking the name of the Salmon Falls river that separated the two states, as being more suitable. Regular club meetings were held at various locations in the area and in 1956 the land that had been leased as its training area was purchased along with a small dwelling that existed on the property. The building was then used as its clubhouse and in later years was expanded to its present configuration. The funds that were used to purchase the property were raised by loans given the Club by its membership at the time, and later each member was paid back from the club treasury.
The first licensed trial was held in 1955 and the results of that trial can be seen below. Note that some of the breeding of the placing hounds were of show breeding, that being THORNRIDGE WRINKLES perhaps the most famous show beagle of all time and brace bred hounds such as WOODLAND, WARFIELD, WATATIC, RAHWAY.
80 AT SALMON FALLS RIVER October 22-23 1955
     The first annual licensed hare trial of the Salmon Falls River Beagle Club was held October 22-23, 1955 in Lebanon Maine. With ideal weather both days, good grounds and plentiful hare the trial was judged a success.
    V. Munsy's, Billy's Dolly placed second in her class and acquired enough points to complete her championship. She is the third Maine-owned hound to hold this coveted title.
    Judges were Richard Fennessey, Francis White, Edgar Raab, and George Colby. Marshalls were Ed Lavasseur, Harry keay, Willis Cole, Frank McDonalald, Emmett Duffy, and Dan Barber. Joseph Murphy was Field Trial Chairman and F.S. Brown the Field Trial Secretary.
RESULTS 13 Inch Bitches  21 Starters
PLACE DOGS NAME SIRE & DAM OWNER & HANDLER
1ST Claywood Mischief Smokey Joe IV  X  Pastime Pastel R.Grenier
2ND Billy's Dolly Jackson's Challenge  X  Wilkey's Rose II V. Munsey
3RD Woodland Melway Tweedie Woodland Supernose Sam  X  Melway Tweedie Smith & Tibbetts
4TH Dotal's Midge Rambling Rob's Choice  X  Rambling Rob's Midge D.A. Whitehead
NBQ Shore Drive Trix Shore Drive Fire Raider  X  Shore Drive Bonnie Bird R. Paul
RESULTS 13 Inch Dogs  16 Starters
PLACE DOGS NAME SIRE & DAM OWNER & HANDLER
1ST Watatic King Bill's Spot  X  Watatic Cindy Watatic Beagles
2ND Dennis' Tommy Birchmere Dispatch  X  Lizzy Tish's Beauty R. Greenleaf
3RD Hyatt's High Smoke Warfield Red  X  Whirlwind Trixie R. E. Hyatt
4TH Claywood Lots-of-Fun Woodland Supernose Sam  X  Rahway Way Valley Lonnie Smith & Tibbetts
NBQ Watatic Scot Watatic Joey  X  Watatic Gracie Watatic Beagles
RESULTS 15 Inch Bitches  18 Starters
PLACE DOGS NAME SIRE & DAM OWNER & HANDLER
1ST Bell-Aine Spot Mt. Bugler's Pride  X  Cobble Mt. Tiny Elaine M. Hall
2ND Sampson's Bessie Oakmars Niger Boy  X  True Betty A. J. Sampson
3RD Eastern River Silver Belle Dry Creek Lineson  X  Billy's Dolly V. Munsey
4TH Hi-Cry Sheba Broad Hill Tommy  X  Breezy Hill Pennie G. Bowse
NBQ Petersons Sall Assinippi Jerry  X  Bate's Princess A. Peterson
RESULTS 15 Inch Dogs  25 Starters
PLACE DOGS NAME SIRE & DAM OWNER & HANDLER
1ST Thornridge Masterpiece Thornridge wrinkles  X  Scarlett of Dorm Lake H. Denning
2ND Mt. Buglers Pride Mt. Bugler  X  true Girl V W. Hall/Elaine Hall
3RD Higgins Delicate Duke Van's Big Joe  X  Sammy Midget F. Brissette/ J. Vanadestine
4TH Eight Lots robin Hood Eight Lots Chips  X  Eight Lots Peggy Clayton Smith
NBQ Claywood Musket Warfield Red  X  David's Daisy L.Malin
   In the year 1963 the club decided to fence it's running area and a very popular member at that time Jim Tyler, headed up the project. A portion of the original parcel was subdivided and turned into what we call a puppy area with a land mass of approximately forty acres. Later another running grounds was leased for training and it too was completely fenced. Later (1999 or so) this leased property was purchased by the club making it the Club's third training area, completely fenced.

In 2004 the Club held its 50th licensed trial and currently holds a spring time SPO trial on hare and a summer Large Pack trial on hare.

The first Field Champion made by a club member was in 1957, a hound named FOUR TEN CANDY owned by William Jordan. The last one is Fd. Ch. BABBITTS BROWN FACE owned by Butch and Sandy Babbitt on May 22, 2005.

     Over the years the club has held a number of upgrading projects from tree plantings, parking lot expansions, fence repairing, raising hare project, habitat improvements and various fund raising endeavors. Last summer (2004) a new fund raiser was tried, A YARD SALE and it proved to be very successful.