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Bill Mackowski Traditionals

The guy teaching him how to make the birchbark pack is a good friend of mine Charlie Mayo. He taught me how to make birchbark knife sheaths, baskets and a pack in the Northern European Style. He taught birchbark weaving at the North House Folk School in Grand Marais, Minnesota and was instrumental in founding the school. He and his family are some of the nicest people I have been privileged to know.
 
Bill Mackowski has been very helpful in my search for earliest Maine canoe builders since many of them also made showshoes. The second oldest canoe builder listed in the Maine Register was Albert McClain from 1889 as described in the link below. He was mainly making snowshoes and bark canoes. I've not located any reference to him ever making canvas canoes. Great stuff,

Benson


 
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