The Mountain Ear was founded by Jane Golden Reilly and Steve Eastman in May 1976. The award-winning news weekly and lifestyle journal of Mount Washington Valley was sold by Eastman to Salmon Press in March 2005. Its last issue was in December 2014. Eastman — who died at age 58 from a brain tumor in April 2008 — always wanted to publish an annual book, hoping to call it "White Mountain Chronicles." In collaboration with Eastman's wife, Sarah W. Eastman, brother Tom Eastman (who worked at The Ear from 1979 before coming to The Sun in 2007) and former staff writer Karen Cummings, The Conway Daily Sun on occasional Saturdays is publishing some of those stories relating to local history. This story originally appeared in the Oct. 14, 1983, edition of The Mountain Ear.
ALBANY — Jack Allen, the colorful 19th century trapper, mountain guide and teller of tall tales was a born gamesman, as he was quick to boast to anyone who would listen.
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