Rob Stevens
Wooden Canoes are in the Blood
I have just completed reading;
“Epic Wanderer: David Thompson and the Mapping of the Canadian West” (2004)
by D'Arcy Jenish
David Thompson (1770–1857) was a fur-trader, surveyor and map-maker, who lived much of his life in British North America. His travels by canoe, horseback and dogsled include descriptions of cultural encounters between the British, French Canadians (voyageurs) and many groups of First Nations people encountered, as guides, translators, and traders. Contemporary with the Lewis & Clark expeditions, Thompson’s explorations surveyed and mapped much of the Canadian West a far west as the Rocky Mountains and beyond to the “Oregon Country” of the Pacific north-west.
In 1814, having “retired” to Montreal farming, inventing map-making, he experimented with cedar plank & nail canoes, which he believed were “superior” to birchbark.
At least 7 were built in two sizes,
“Canot du Nord” (“North” canoe) 25ft long, 50 inches wide, reportedly weighing 10 pounds,
and “Canot de Maitres” (“Montreal” canoe) length not reported (though typically measuring 35 to 40 feet x 5 to 6 feet in width) weighing 12 pounds.
The success of this commercial endeavour are doubtful, given that the first 3 sold were found to be very leaky so returned by to be caulked (material not described).
Ref. pg. 205 & 212
I find the weights listed "fanciful".
I wonder if any of these boats have survived, perhaps in an historic museum.
“Epic Wanderer: David Thompson and the Mapping of the Canadian West” (2004)
by D'Arcy Jenish
David Thompson (1770–1857) was a fur-trader, surveyor and map-maker, who lived much of his life in British North America. His travels by canoe, horseback and dogsled include descriptions of cultural encounters between the British, French Canadians (voyageurs) and many groups of First Nations people encountered, as guides, translators, and traders. Contemporary with the Lewis & Clark expeditions, Thompson’s explorations surveyed and mapped much of the Canadian West a far west as the Rocky Mountains and beyond to the “Oregon Country” of the Pacific north-west.
In 1814, having “retired” to Montreal farming, inventing map-making, he experimented with cedar plank & nail canoes, which he believed were “superior” to birchbark.
At least 7 were built in two sizes,
“Canot du Nord” (“North” canoe) 25ft long, 50 inches wide, reportedly weighing 10 pounds,
and “Canot de Maitres” (“Montreal” canoe) length not reported (though typically measuring 35 to 40 feet x 5 to 6 feet in width) weighing 12 pounds.
The success of this commercial endeavour are doubtful, given that the first 3 sold were found to be very leaky so returned by to be caulked (material not described).
Ref. pg. 205 & 212
I find the weights listed "fanciful".
I wonder if any of these boats have survived, perhaps in an historic museum.
Seems the author could have done either a bit more research or more careful proofreading. In any case, it makes other claims, including "experimenting with cedar plank and nail canoes," suspect.
