A Visit to Canoeing History

[dougd]

I'm sure many of you have been to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario but I just wanted to share some pictures from our visit there this past weekend. Kind of been on my bucket list of things to do and it was a great experience! I was so cool to just reach out and touch something built so long ago and see so much history and how the canoeing world has evolved.

I wish the lighting was better but I did what I could as far as pictures go. It was fascinating to see how some of these boats were put together and just how dang big they were! Unbelievable workmanship on many! Well worth the long drive!

https://photos.google.com/share/AF1...?key=emNFRUEtZHNEMHB4bFBENXJoTUh6dUdEcWJ6SEFB

dougd

 

[Guest]

I'm sure many of you have been to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Ontario but I just wanted to share some pictures from our visit there this past weekend.

The Canadian Canoe Museum is very much worth a visit. So much cool stuff everywhere, hung from the ceiling, stashed along the stairways and stuffed back in corners. Some of the decorative stem and paddle designs really spoke to me. Of course I genuflected before Bill Mason’s Chestnut, and snuck a hit off a bottle of Hudson’s Bay rum. Or not.

Our last (first and only) visit was in 2001; the displays and information were less than “museum” quality, but the four of us (mid-week) were the only visitors for most of our wanderings and took our time undisturbed.

The museum’s archived canoe storage is said (written about in a piece somewhere?) to be even more amazing for a Canoehead. The museum has a lot of historic canoes in storage.

I believe that in a decade(s) long effort the museum has raised several million to upgrade their facilities and displays, and maybe even move the whole shebang to a different, purpose-built facility.

 

[BWCA66]

Thanks for the pics Doug, that needs to be on my bucket list

 

[yknpdlr]

I heard some years ago that the canoe museum was moving and building a new facility. Has that happened yet? It is also on my bucket list, but I was waiting for the new facility.

I was surprised to see some impressive antique canoes on display in the Ottawa airport. Vancouver too.

The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake NY (now newly renamed the "Adirondack Experience, yuk IMO) also has an extensive display of antique canoes and guide boats (as well as antique motor boats from the gilded age of the Great Camps rich and famous). Many are on display in the museum proper, hundreds more are displayed in a separate storage facility and are viewable upon special request.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Gee Doug D you have had a deprived life? Your First Visit? I have been three times. I have been lucky twice to have had once a guided tour of the Archives and the second three hours loose in the Archives when a WCHA Assembly met in Peterborough. I remember Ferdy Goode under plastic with some three dozen birch barks for three hours.. He was so happy.

The New CCM is not yet.. When it will be is vague per the website https://canoemuseum.ca/new-museum/

 

[sweeper]

We stopped in coming home from Killarney PP in 2015. They were having a Book signing and had the warehouse open with all the canoes, paddles and gear that won't fit in the museum.
At that time they still hadn't picked a design museum, we sat thru a presentation of each of the designs

 

[dougd]

From what I learned Sweeper was the new location is by the Lift Lock at the lower end. While we were in the area we checked out the lock. Very impressive! I'm envious you got to see the warehouse, we asked but were politely told no, not open to the public! I'm sure they get a lot of that!

Here's a link of what I think they want to build:

https://globalnews.ca/video/5119173...sed-new-canadian-canoe-museum-in-peterborough

 

[sweeper]

Doug I think they were all planned to be built on the same location, I could be wrong.





Hopefully, these will make it into the new Museum.

 

[yellowcanoe]

The new building will be at the Lift Locks. https://canoemuseum.ca/new-museum/

That same gathering of WCHA Assembly we had a canoe outing to the lift locks and we had a couple of hundred canoes in the lock. Very interesting.. for a few minutes the earth was flat! We went down and out then paddled back and were lifted up!

 

[Larry650]

Thank you for posting this, very interesting. Living out in Arizona, I had not even heard of the museum.

 

[yellowcanoe]

Sweeper what are those pink things that look like body parts?

 

[Guest]

Sweeper what are those pink things that look like body parts?

I'm thinking some kind of weird PFD.

???

 

[sweeper]

PFDs would be my guess also

 

[Guest]

PFDs would be my guess also

Those are one of the things I’d move to know the backstory about. What are they made of, was there some theory about the oddly convoluted shape being beneficial.

I look at those racks of old paddles and want to read the cards.