About Merchant Camps and Lodge

Back in the spring of 1992, Ralph Merchant and a business partner purchased an old trapper's lodge with two cabins on the Fish River. The camps were located 13 miles in the North Maine Woods coming from the Fish River gate, Portage Maine. 

With no running water and many repairs to do, Ralph and his good long time friend Bob Burroughs went straight to work! Among many laborious tasks, the two of them were able to supply water from the Fish River, in order to provide the camps with water for cooking and showers. An outhouse lived on the edge of the property.   

With the passion to start a bear and deer hunting business. Ralph hired a guide, Ivan Porter. With repairs completed and guide secured, they began guiding hunts that fall.  That first year, they harvested four bear and eight deer with their clients.  

Ivan porter was a retired game warden, that lived in Ashland, Maine. Ivan was a local legendary guide. He owned and operated the Machias Camps for many years. Which were known as the largest bear hunting outfit north of Patten, Maine.  Ivan became a good friend and mentor of Ralph's. He was full of knowledge, stories and experience that had anything to do with hunting, trapping or fishing in the great north woods of Maine. 

In 1995 Ralph sold his portion of the original camp on Fish River, to lease a camp on the Second Musquacook Lake (T11 R11 WELS). The new location suited better territory and means of a more "wild" experience.  Still working and mentoring under Ivan Porter. 

Ralph and his brother-in-law, Warren Muzzey and friend, Bob Burroughs, would drive up from New Hampshire nearly 7 hours away every weekend with their trailer full of bait for 4 weeks, or longer to prepare for the season. For 3 years Ralph ran his business from this leased camp.   

In 1996 Pearly Eastman and his wife built a lodge with 3 cabins by hand using only a power saw located on the Reality road just before the Six Mile Gate. A building Ralph would notice as he passed through to Second Musquacook each season. Ralph admired the structure and location. 

Then in 1998 Ralph approached Pearly and offered to buy that lodge and 3 cabins. Pearly agreed but there was a large problem. The structure was on leased land currently grandfathered to stay, however a transfer of ownership made it so the buildings would have to move. 

That didn't stop Ralph, he went on to purchase  4 acres of land at 99 hacker farm road in the Garfield Plantation along with Pearly's lodge and 3 cabins. The buildings had to be moved from the Reality Road location just outside the Six Mile Gate, to their new home in Garfield. 

The move took three days, a Tractor-trailer,  public service moving power lines, chainsaws, and an overnight stay at the local variety store parking lot. The final day the structures were jacked up on their trailers to fit over a bridge on its final journey and resting place.

In 1999 that lodge opened for hunting season and is now known  as Merchant Camps & Lodge.