Rushton paddles an Old Town

[Roger Young]

Here's another 'chuckle' for you from the pages of the Old Town build records. We all have our favorite canoe brands, often preferring one over another. Back in the good old days, companies even quietly purchased from one another to see what the competition was up to. However, what if it's one leading name maker seen in another manufacturer's product. Maybe it's just coincidence, but the build record for canoe 134395 shows a sale on 12 June 1942 of an 18' Guide model, painted deep red, with open spruce gunwales, ash decks, thwarts and seats, a mast seat and step, and attached rudder to none other than a Prof. J. Henry Rushton, c/o the Rexall Drugstore in Camden, ME. Another light-hearted moment amongst the dreary pages of research. Obviously, my mind is going!!

 

[Benson Gray]

Well, it appears that this is just coincidence. The Professor John Henry Rushton described at length on page 101 of the document at https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/aboutus/publications/100_years/4_Chapter_4.pdf came from Pennsylvania and appears to have no close family connection to the famous John Henry Rushton who built canoes in Canton, New York. Ironically, this canoe has just been donated to the WCHA and will soon be up for sale.

Benson