Canoes: A Natural History in North America

A woman races in a solo open canoe class in 1922 at a regatta in Chemong Park just north of Peterborough.

American Canoe Association founding member William Alden and his original canoe Shadow at the ACA gathering on Lake George in 1881.

In this photograph titled “The Canoe, The Cup and The Captor,” R. W. Gibson poses with the International Challenge Cup, which he won in the Rushton Vesper that he had designed, August 26, 1885.

Picture of Jule Fox Marshall, ACA canoeing enthusiast, in canoe next to camp ca. 1926.

Portrait of Jule F Marshall, probably from around 1958 when he was an officer of the American Felt Company.

The turtle logo that appeared on all Inwood Canoe Club canoes. Jule Fox Marshall joined the Inwood Canoe Club of New York City in the early twentieth century.

A sketch by Jule Fox Marshall of canoe racers at an American Canoe Association gathering, circa 1920s.

Canoe racing, with both professionals and Sunday cruisers competing, remains a popular form of outdoor adventure.

One of the famous twentieth century marathon canoe racers and designers was Eugene (Gene) Jensen, who made a name for himself racing on the Mississippi River.

The Canadian Olympic hero Francis Amyot at the Berlin Games in 1936, where he won his country’s only gold medal in a custom-built canoe made to fit his 6-foot-plus frame.

High-level racing, here featuring a women’s C4 race at the National Canoe/Kayak Championships in Sherbrooke, Quebec, has been a part of canoeing history since clubs were formed in the 19th century.

Canadian Olympian Larry Cain at the 1984 Games in Los Angeles, California.