Cornilia Thurza Crosby, or "Fly Rod", as she was popularly known,(1854-1946)[1] was the first Registered Maine Guide. In a field dominated by men, it is notable that the first Maine Guide was a woman.[2]
On March 19, 1897, The Maine legislature passed a bill requiring hunting guides to register with the state. Maine registered 1316 guides in that first year. In addition to being its first licensed guide, she promoted Maine's outdoor sports at shows in metropolitan areas, and wrote a popular column that appeared in many newspapers around the country. Her efforts helped to attract thousands of would-be outdoorsmen—and women—to the woods and streams of Maine.