Roger Young
display sample collector
It is likely that we’ve all heard stories of how Peterborough Canoe Co. bought a small number (6 or 7) of canoes from the Old Town factory in the early 1900’s. Supposedly, this was a bit of ‘polite’ research or industrial espionage – get hold of a competitor’s product, take it apart, study how it was made, learn the opponent’s trade secrets if you can, then make one of your own. And, it seems, there were Peterborough models which thereafter conspicuously imitated Old Town designs. But what if it was more than this? What if the relationship was, even briefly, far more commercial than rival?
While recently searching for something entirely unrelated amongst the OT build records of the early teens of the last century, I came across a startling (at least, to me) number of sales by Old Town to Peterborough Canoe. In all, I found some 68 canoes purchased by Peterborough between late April and early August 1914. In those 15 weeks, Peterborough had to have been one of the more significant customers of Old Town canoes. About half of these were shipped on one day alone - 25 May 1914. In all, Peterborough purchased thirty-eight 16’ CS grade HW’s; seventeen 17’ CS grade HW’s; eighteen 18’ CS grade IF’s; five 18’ CS grade HW’s; one 16’ CS grade CR; one 17’ CS grade CR; two 15’ CS grade 50#’s; three 9’ CS grade dinghies. This PCC ‘buying flurry’ seems to have ended as abruptly as it began.
True, there were other Canadian outlets which were multiple buyers as well over those same months and years, though not nearly in the same quantity – stores in Chapleau, North Bay, Ottawa, Stratford, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec, to name a few. But Peterborough Canoe was not only the largest Canadian outlet by far for that brief period in 1914, it seemingly out-rivalled even some major US purchasers over those few weeks. What to make of this near symbiosis? Why were they bought in such numbers, and what did Peterborough Canoe do with these craft? How were they re-sold – simply offered as is, or re-branded? Are there Peterborough’s out there that look suspiciously like an Old Town? A mystery waiting to be unravelled.
I have merely stumbled upon the ‘scene’. I’d love some help trying to find some answers. I have begun to poll others who might be able to contribute, such as Roger MacGregor, Dick Persson, Benson Gray, John Summers, Jeremy Ward. All have been quite interested and amused to learn the ‘news’. No firm explanations as yet. Anyone else care to chime in with some thoughts? All contributions welcome. I’m pulling together a data base of the relevant serial #’s of those canoes bought by Peterborough.
Roger Y.
While recently searching for something entirely unrelated amongst the OT build records of the early teens of the last century, I came across a startling (at least, to me) number of sales by Old Town to Peterborough Canoe. In all, I found some 68 canoes purchased by Peterborough between late April and early August 1914. In those 15 weeks, Peterborough had to have been one of the more significant customers of Old Town canoes. About half of these were shipped on one day alone - 25 May 1914. In all, Peterborough purchased thirty-eight 16’ CS grade HW’s; seventeen 17’ CS grade HW’s; eighteen 18’ CS grade IF’s; five 18’ CS grade HW’s; one 16’ CS grade CR; one 17’ CS grade CR; two 15’ CS grade 50#’s; three 9’ CS grade dinghies. This PCC ‘buying flurry’ seems to have ended as abruptly as it began.
True, there were other Canadian outlets which were multiple buyers as well over those same months and years, though not nearly in the same quantity – stores in Chapleau, North Bay, Ottawa, Stratford, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec, to name a few. But Peterborough Canoe was not only the largest Canadian outlet by far for that brief period in 1914, it seemingly out-rivalled even some major US purchasers over those few weeks. What to make of this near symbiosis? Why were they bought in such numbers, and what did Peterborough Canoe do with these craft? How were they re-sold – simply offered as is, or re-branded? Are there Peterborough’s out there that look suspiciously like an Old Town? A mystery waiting to be unravelled.
I have merely stumbled upon the ‘scene’. I’d love some help trying to find some answers. I have begun to poll others who might be able to contribute, such as Roger MacGregor, Dick Persson, Benson Gray, John Summers, Jeremy Ward. All have been quite interested and amused to learn the ‘news’. No firm explanations as yet. Anyone else care to chime in with some thoughts? All contributions welcome. I’m pulling together a data base of the relevant serial #’s of those canoes bought by Peterborough.
Roger Y.
