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  2. Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims
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This is the story of the canoe, that singular American artifact so little changed over time. Featured here are canoes old and new, from birch bark to dugout to carbon fiber; the people who made them; and the adventures they shared. With features of technology, industry, art, and survival, the canoe carries us deep into the natural and cultural history of North America.

Follow author Mark Neuzil on Twitter: @mrneuzil

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Published: 2016
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
ISBN(s)
  • 9780816681174 (hardcover)
Subject
  • History
  • Cultural Studies
  • Literature
  • Native American Studies
  • Regional Studies

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  • Introduction1
  • Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes8
  • Chapter 5: Wood-and-Canvas Canoes2
  • Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes4
  • Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement3
  • Sidebar: Canoe Packs2
  • Chapter 8: Canoe Tripping7
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  • Beck, Jared1
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Sigurd Olson’s Border Lakes Outfitting Company supplied paddlers with the necessary gear during the 1940s. Here a canoe is retrieved from the company warehouse, April 4, 1940.

Border Lakes Outfitting Company

From Introduction

Sigurd Olson’s Border Lakes Outfitting Company, April 4, 1940.

A black-and-white portrait of George Washington Sears.

George Washington Sears

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

George Washington Sears wrote under the pen name “Nessmuk” in Forest and Stream magazine about his canoe trips in the Adirondacks. It was said that he taught America how to camp.

Dr. Arpad Gerster, a prominent New York surgeon, vacationed with his family in the Adirondacks during the 1890s. Here, Gerster portages a Rushton pack canoe at Camp Oteetiwi, Big Island, Raquette Lake.

Dr. Arpad Gerster

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Dr. Arpad Gerster, a prominent New York surgeon, vacationed with his family in the Adirondacks during the 1890s. Here, Gerster portages a Rushton pack canoe at Camp Oteetiwi, Big Island, Raquette Lake.

A painting of several figures cooking a meal next to a lean-to camp.

A Good Time Coming, 1862

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, A Good Time Coming, 1862. Oil on canvas, 50.8 x 76.2 cm.

A black-and-white photograph of the Hotel Ampersand, looming over Lower Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks ca. 1890.

Hotel Ampersand

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Hotel Ampersand looms over Lower Saranac Lake in the Adirondacks ca. 1890.

The Sairy Gamp on display at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.

Sairy Gamp

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

The Sairy Gamp on display at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.

This Rushton pack canoe, displayed at the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum, was one of many lightweight small boats he made for hunters and sportsmen.

Rushton Pack Canoe

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

This Rushton pack canoe, displayed at the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum, was one of many lightweight small boats he made for hunters and sportsmen.

The St. Lawrence Canoe Club tent at the ACA meeting on Grindstone Island in 1886. J. H. Rushton is the short, bearded man standing in the center; his wife Leah is seated next to him.

St. Lawrence Canoe Club

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

The St. Lawrence Canoe Club tent at the ACA meeting on Grindstone Island in 1886. J. H. Rushton is the short, bearded man standing in the center; his wife Leah is seated next to him.

An 1881 gathering of canoeists on Canoe Island in Lake George, New York.

Canoe Island

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

An 1881 gathering of canoeists on Canoe Island in Lake George, New York.

Railroad advertising, such as this 1920 poster by Walter L. Greene, attracted tourists to Lake Placid. An overnight train from New York City brought visitors, rested and fed, to the edge of the Adirondacks.

Lake Placid Poster

From Chapter 5: Wood-and-Canvas Canoes

Railroad advertising, such as this 1920 poster by Walter L. Greene, attracted tourists to Lake Placid. An overnight train from New York City brought visitors, rested and fed, to the edge of the Adirondacks.

An illustrated cover of Forest and Stream magazine.

Forest and Stream

From Chapter 5: Wood-and-Canvas Canoes

George Washington Sears was an early staff writer at Forest and Stream, one of the most popular outdoor periodicals of its day.

A photograph of a canoe being transported by car. The canoe is strapped horizontally on the side of the automobile, covering the doors.

Side-Saddle Transport

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

Prior to the development of hard-topped automobiles, it was a bit of a problem to travel with a canoe on a soft-top car. One solution, which limited the use of all of the car doors, was to strap the boat on side-saddle, such as this wood-and-canvas model.

A photograph of a canoe strapped to the top of a car.

Car-Top Carriers

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

After World War II, Americans enjoyed an increase in leisure time (and more spending money) as the economy started to hum.

A color photograph of Bill Mason and his family paddling an aluminum canoe through rapids.

Bill Mason

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

The Canadian artist and author Bill Mason did as much to popularize recreational canoeing as anyone.

A color advertisement for Aluminum Limited featuring several children playing in aluminum canoes.

Aluminum Limited

From Chapter 6: Synthetic Canoes

With Grumman’s success, other companies involved in aluminum production saw an opening in a new market.

A color photograph of an aerial view of the Nahanni River.

Nahanni River

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

The Nahanni River in Canada became famous—and a popular destination for whitewater canoe adventurers—after the 1950s publication of the book The Dangerous River by R. M. Patterson, a hair-raising account of a trip into the wilderness region earlier in the century.

A color postcard depicting the Canoe Country Outfitters shop.

Canoe Country Outfitters

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

The business of canoe liveries and outfitters in the lakes and rivers region of North America, including Ely, Minnesota, in 1958, allowed city dwellers to experience the joys of wilderness travel without actually owning a canoe.

An illustrated poster advertising the organization "Friends of the Wilderness."

Friends of the Wilderness

From Chapter 7: The Human-Powered Movement

Groups interested in preserving canoe country from development sprang up all over the continent. Canoes were often used as images of a free and quiet outdoors experience, including this poster with artwork by Francis Lee Jaques, ca. 1949.

Arthur Carhart, at the Superior National Forest in 1920, demonstrates how to stack and carry two canoe packs.

Arthur Carhart

From Sidebar: Canoe Packs

Arthur Carhart, next to a Morris canoe at the Superior National Forest in 1920, demonstrates how to stack and carry two canoe packs.

An illustrated advertisement for the Poirier Pack Sack.

Poirier Pack Sack

From Sidebar: Canoe Packs

The Poirier Pack Sack was the forerunner of the Duluth Pack, named after the city where it was manufactured. Duluth Packs are specially designed for use in canoe tripping.

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