The History of Women and Canoeing

[Dan Lindberg]

Tom,

Thanks for posting about Ma Harry, sounds like another "Up North Character".

Kinda wish someone would write a book about all the Characters, Cary did 1 or 2 and another guy has written some but neither are all encompassing.

Grad,
you might also consider Bea and ??? of the B's Outfitting, a couple "mature" ladies who started a guiding service after they retired and their husbands passed on.

Dan

 

[Tom Widney]

Fanny L. Cox

Fanny L. Cox founded Camp Northway, the first all girls camp in Canada, located on a penninsula on Cache Lake in Algonquin Provencial Park in 1906. Camp Northway is a primative camp, no electricity no hot water, with a focus on wilderness canoeing. Fanny was the camp director until 1950.

Camp Northway is still in business and a attracts legacys of young women/girls whose mothers and aunts all attended.

You can google camp northway on the web, where I'm sure they have some one who would be proud to help you with your project. I have a book that the alumn's published in 2006 with loads of historical info and stories, "Camp Northway, the first hundred years'. The camp still today have quit a fleet of w/c canoes,

By the way Camp Northway is an American Camp, which according to one of the stories in the book was quite a surprise to a young Canadian women who attended the University of Toronto sp? answered a bulliten board note for women counsilors wanted for the summer at an American canoe camp. She replied to the add, got the job and found, much to her surprise heading on the train, north deep into Ontario's interior.

Their address is:
Camp Northway
Box 10003
Algonquin Park
Huntsville, ON P1H2G7

Following the path of her aunt, a good friend of mine attended the camp as well as her sister, who sends her duaghter too. Her brother attended Camp Wendigo which provided male guides for the girls canoe trips, a slightly different attitude than Ma Harry's "GIRLS RULE"

good luck, for the next six years or so!
Tom Widney

 

[Todd F]

I was searching "paintings" and this was one of the threads that came up, it made me consider a recent series of posts about how exclusive modern canoeing is to white, educated, wealthy males. I am impressed with how quickly and respectfully so many offered names of great women contributors to canoeing there are, and still are.