I have very fond childhood memories of canoeing with my parents in a '35 Old Town, restored by my father. Refinishing all of the original wood and apply the canvas via brass tacks are treasured early recollections, as well as leaning back in the center 'fan' seat with my four legged best friend. As an adult I have rekindled a love for these old canoes and spend time practicing my classic solo paddling techniques. I recall the purchase of an additional Old Town from the rafters of a boathouse in the Adirondacks which has been hanging in the family shed since I was an adolescent. The notion has always been to restore it and recently I have been entertaining this plan with renued enthusiasm. My father tells stories of visiting the Old Town facility and searching through the original 3"x5" cards for the '35 info, which was a thrilling experience for him in the late 70's. The serial number for the model patiently awaiting renovation is 78969 16 and I would be much appreciative of anyone that could point me in the direction of proper identification.
Old Town #78969 16
- Thread starter Ian hayes
- Start date
The Old Town canoe with serial number 78969 is a 16 foot long, CS (Common Sense or middle) grade, HW (Heavy Water) model (that was shipped as a Charles River model) with red western cedar planking, open spruce gunwales, birch decks, birch thwarts, birch seats, and a keel. It was built between June and July, 1923. The original exterior paint color was dark green. It was shipped on July 20th, 1923 to Big Moose, New York. A scans of this build record can be found by following the link at the attached thumbnail images below.
This scan and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. A description of the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description don't match the canoe. The original paper card records still exist at the factory as the pictures at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?12614-Carleton-20234-16&p=64199#post64199 show. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
This scan and several hundred thousand more were created with substantial grants from the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association (WCHA) and others. A description of the project to preserve these records is available at http://www.wcha.org/ot_records/ if you want more details. I hope that you will join or renew your membership to the WCHA so that services like this can continue. See http://www.wcha.org/about-the-wcha/ to learn more about the WCHA and http://store.wcha.org/WCHA-New-Membership.html to join.
It is also possible that you could have another number or manufacturer if this description don't match the canoe. The original paper card records still exist at the factory as the pictures at http://forums.wcha.org/showthread.php?12614-Carleton-20234-16&p=64199#post64199 show. Feel free to reply here if you have any other questions. Good luck with the restoration,
Benson
Attachments
Benson,Thank you very much for the build record and translation!
I suppose I should not be surprised but it is thrilling to learn that this canoe was originally sent to Big Moose Lake. One of the original and most impressive camps on Big Moose is located on Echo Island; actually it is the only camp on the island and the original structure was the first construction on the lake in the late 1800's. The camp includes a main house incorporating a huge stone fireplace centrally located in the middle of the first floor and 5 bedrooms on the second. The boathouse is 3 levels including a full kitchen, 3 bedrooms and large attic loft. This is where my father purchased the canoe for $100 in the early 90's, shortly before the island was offer for sale.
In 1921 the island and 4 additional lots were sold to Minnie Maddern Fiske, ('one of the leading American actresses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century', Tess of the d'Urbervilles and Vanity Fair being two of her more successful feature films). Considering the build date and the notion that few camps existed on the lake at this time, it is most likely that this was her canoe.
One of the 4 lots that accompanied the original land holding of the island was sold to my grandparents in the early 70's, where they built a camp and spent every summer for the remainder of their lives. Visiting the island was always a great adventure and during family reunions we would rent the boathouse to accommodate the overflow of aunts, uncles and cousins.
I've attached a pic of this location and can't help to imagine that we purchased this canoe from it's original home.
Thanks again, I'll be sure to keep a record of the restoration and share in the future.
