Dan Miller started a thread at https://www.wcha.org/forums/index.php?threads/8322/ several years ago titled "When did B.N. Morris Begin Building Canoes?" to help "solidify our knowledge base of Morris history, and dispel some of the myths that seem to be living a life of their own." It is probably past time to do the same for the Old Town Canoe Company.
There are numerous references to the late 1890s in general and 1898 specifically as the founding date of the company but it should be pointed out that this is a myth with no documentary support. Steve Krautkremer was the marketing manager in the late 1990s and wanted to have a centennial celebration before the millennium. He asked Sam's son Braley Gray if it was possible that Alfred and George might have actually begun making canoes long before the Indian Old Town Canoe Company started advertising in 1901. Braley replied “Sure, they might have” so Steve picked 1898 as the founding date. The attached document from Sam Gray written on June 5th, 1928 offers the best documented estimate of the starting date as 1900 in the note that he wrote in the corporate records after his father, George Gray died. It is also interesting to see that he appears to have originally written 1899 with a black ink but later changed it to 1900 with a blue ink. It is probably time to start using a better documented founding date.
It did not actually become the Old Town Canoe Company until January 23rd, 1903 as shown below in the attached document from the State of Maine Office of the Secretary of State.
Does anyone else have additional period documentation to offer?
Benson
There are numerous references to the late 1890s in general and 1898 specifically as the founding date of the company but it should be pointed out that this is a myth with no documentary support. Steve Krautkremer was the marketing manager in the late 1990s and wanted to have a centennial celebration before the millennium. He asked Sam's son Braley Gray if it was possible that Alfred and George might have actually begun making canoes long before the Indian Old Town Canoe Company started advertising in 1901. Braley replied “Sure, they might have” so Steve picked 1898 as the founding date. The attached document from Sam Gray written on June 5th, 1928 offers the best documented estimate of the starting date as 1900 in the note that he wrote in the corporate records after his father, George Gray died. It is also interesting to see that he appears to have originally written 1899 with a black ink but later changed it to 1900 with a blue ink. It is probably time to start using a better documented founding date.
It did not actually become the Old Town Canoe Company until January 23rd, 1903 as shown below in the attached document from the State of Maine Office of the Secretary of State.
Does anyone else have additional period documentation to offer?
Benson
Attachments
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