There is a sign at the Beaverkill State Campgrounds located by the tiny hamlet of Beaverkill, New York. The sign reads "Covered Bridge Pool This stretch of the Beaverkill was a favorite of Theodore Gordon (1854-1915) Fly-Fisher, Fly-Tier and creator of the Quill Gordon, one of the first purely American dry flies". Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to a family with roots in upstate New York, Gordon spent his childhood and early teenage years fishing the limestone creeks in and around Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The coming years would contain several changes of addresses including Savannah, Georgia and New Jersey before health issues would have him settle down in Haverstraw, New York with some of his father's relatives. In the ensuing years he would make his home in various boarding homes around the Neversink and Beaverkill Rivers. The sport of fly fishing was entering new heights since it's revival in the 1860's. The dry fly was being preached in England, overtaking the Wet Fly as it was being championed by the likes of men such as Pulman, Stewart and it's greatest advocate the notable Frederick M. Halford. The dry flies in use however, were developed in England for their quieter, more gentle flowing chalk stream trout fisheries. British dry flies were not suited for fishing in American mountian streams where the faster currents would pull under the softer hackled English dry flies. Also of concern were the patterns themselves, which did not properly imitate the American insect species native to the waters that Gordon and other Americans fished. Gordon wrote to Halford inquiring about the use of the dry fly, and in early 1890 Gordon recieved a letter from the English dry fly enthusiast along with a full set of approximately 50 dry flies. (see letter above, click on the letter thumbnail)

The course of American fly fishing would now be forever changed.....

Gordon immediately adapted these patterns so that they would be suitable for American waters. He used stiffer hackle, divided upright wings and color changes were made to make the flies a proper immitation of the local entomology. The desired results were successfully achieved and American dry fly fishing was given life. It was also about this time that Gordon began his correspondance with R.B. Marston, the distinguished editor of the British publication "Fishing Gazette". Gordon refered to this correspondence as his "Little Talks". Marston began publishing Gordon's words in early 1890. In 1903 Gordon began a writing career as a columnist for "Forest and Stream". Theordore Gordon wrote many of his "Little Talks" and other fishing articles, but he never authored a book. John McDonald compiled and edited a book of Gordon's notes and letters entitled "The Complete Fly Fisherman: The Notes and Letters of Theodore Gordon", which was published in 1947 by Charles Scribner's sons. Without this volume of notes and letters, Gordon and his work may have faded and slipped away into obscurity.