What is really fascinating about the little canoe shown in the photos posted by Benson, is the history which goes along with it.
According to family legend, this model was made in the winter of 1891/92 by Alfred Wickett, and intended for display at the World's Columbian Exposition later that year. The Fair actually opened in 1893, following construction delays. Wickett would have been 18 going on 19 at the time; its expert construction is perhaps not totally surprising in an era when boys were often apprenticed at age 14. Alfred Wickett was a man of great accomplishment, as his subsequent canoe-building career demonstrated. Around the time the model was made, Alfred worked for E M White, and shortly afterward was hired to become builder/manager at Old Town. If the information is true, and it seems quite reliable, this could well be one of the earliest American 'salesman's samples' known.
This model descended to Alfred's son, Chester, a school teacher and principal, in Somerset, MA. Chester never married and disliked driving. He was befriended by a former student who, along with his wife, helped Chester get around, go shopping, visit his summer camp in Maine, etc. Their relationship was akin to 'family', and much time was spent together. Chester made a present of the canoe to the couple, likely as a 'house warming' gift.
The model subsequently passed to the couple's son, who was named after Chester. This man, now in his 70's, is a Master Maine Guide, and has spent much of his life canoeing the rivers and back woods. He claims to have been over 40,000 miles in a canoe. The model remained within that close circle, not far from its place of origin, for almost 120 years.
Another example illustrating that the stories of the people are just as interesting as the canoes themselves. It's not just what we find, but also who we meet along the way.
