Recent content by Benson Gray

There has been a fair amount of academic debate about pointed paddles being used as weapons. The general conclusion is that the reduced noise of paddling with a pointed paddle was probably a more compelling reason for the design. This is another topic that is likely to continue generating a lot...

The design and construction have clearly evolved over the years. There also appear to have been some typographical errors in these early weights as well. The 1906 catalog listed the 18 foot model at 80 pounds and the 19 foot one at 85 pounds. Open gunwales, thicker thwarts, and other small...

It is the same basic shape but slightly longer. The 1905 Old Town catalog page describing is attached below. Benson

The thread at the link below has more about her including a copy of the original receipt for her canoes and paddles from the Old Town Canoe company on May 15th, 1905. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/minas-benson-hubbard.100/

I have sent Murat a link to this discussion so he may jump in (if he makes it through the verification process). Benson

Murat is the author of the paddle making blog at the previous link. He has made replicas of many early paddles and used them with other well known Canadian paddlers like Becky Mason. My recollection is that Becky found the pole grip paddles work much better while standing up. You may want to...

These are commonly known as pole grip paddles which are frequently used while standing up. The link below has lots of interesting information about these and other early paddles. The image below shows pole grip paddles from Harper's Weekly in June, 1874. I believe that control is maintained by...

The full specifications for a variety of Malecite and other birch bark canoes can be found in The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America by Edwin Tappan Adney and Howard I. Chapelle. This is available at https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50828/50828-h/50828-h.htm and from other sources. It is...

Yes, although it may not be near the airport. The Geolocation tool at https://www.iplocation.net/ip-lookup indicates that it is across the street from City Hall. The office building shown at https://maps.app.goo.gl/FvKjRVdRDJu2sWvX6 is the most likely location. These addresses are very...

I have not been experiencing the problems with this site that you described and resetting your computer along with all of your local network devices will probably resolve the issue. However, you will need to use the trace route and path ping tools if you really want to 'dig into the weeds' with...

The Sunnyside Torpedo Cruiser model from Walter Dean had similar decks. It was shown on pages six to eight of his 1920 catalog. Some canoes during the 1920s had high peaked decks. The link below has a few examples. Benson https://forums.wcha.org/threads/bell-isle-canoe.5921/

My guess is that the canoe may be a Walter Dean or a similar locally made version. See page 11 of his 1920 catalog at https://www.woodencanoemuseum.org/sites/default/files/2024-05/Walter Dean Catalog 1920 2500 red.pdf for more details. The wide outside gunwales with no inside gunwales are common...

One of the objectives of the trip was to find out how many people were already in that area and their nationalities. The northern boundary between Maine and Canada was not well defined at that time. They anticipated that an 'Aroostook War' was coming so wanted to know where the battle lines...

The author's comment that "Authoritative sources, accurately measured and using consistent definitions, do not exist" seems particularly telling. It appears that guesses may be all we have. I am acutely aware of this issue since my current research project is to find the farm of my ninth great...

I use flat straps with snap hooks as shown below. Round ropes will occasionally leave bumps in wooden rails. Benson