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Canoes: A Natural History in North America

Mark Neuzil and Norman Sims

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This is the story of the canoe, that singular American artifact so little changed over time. Featured here are canoes old and new, from birch bark to dugout to carbon fiber; the people who made them; and the adventures they shared. With features of technology, industry, art, and survival, the canoe carries us deep into the natural and cultural history of North America.

Follow author Mark Neuzil on Twitter: @mrneuzil

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Published: 2016

Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

ISBN(s)

9780816681174 (hardcover)

Subject

Resources

J. H. Rushton poses with his Stella Maris model canoe outside his new boat shop in 1882.

Stella Maris

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

J. H. Rushton poses with his Stella Maris model canoe outside his new boat shop in 1882.

A postcard advertising the J. H. Rushton canoe exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893.

Rushton at the Columbian Exposition

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

A postcard advertising the J. H. Rushton canoe exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago, 1893.

A lithograph print in color of two men in a birch-bark canoe. One man is aiming his gun at a buck on the shore as a dog swims along side the canoe.

A Good Chance

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait, A Good Chance, ca. 1863, lithograph print. Published by Currier & Ives for the American Hunting Scenes print series.

Catalogue cover with black and maroon text and decoration on a beige background. The cover reads, "Thompson Brother Boat Mfg. Co. Peshtigo, Wis. Catalog No. 120, We pay the war tax."

Thompson Brothers Boat Manufacturing Catalogue

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Cover of a 1920 Thompson Boat catalogue.

A color photograph of three young women with short haircuts in blouses and shorts sitting inside a wooden canoe on a lake.

CWAC Sergeants in Canoe

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Three sergeants of the Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) in an all-wood Peterborough style canoe ca. 1950s. Department of National Defense. Library and Archives Canada.

A cover of an Old Town Canoe Catalogue is a colorful illustration of various men and women enjoying a sunny day on a lake by canoeing, fishing, sailing, and riding in a motor boat.

Old Town Canoes & Boats 1940

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Old Town Canoes & Boats catalogue, 1940.

A page of advertising for Kennebec Canoes includes a colorful illustration of two people in a green canoe on a lake, and a drawing of a blue wooden canoe along with text describing the different dimensions and characteristic of the Kennebec Canoe.

Kennebec Boat & Canoe Co. Advertisement

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Kennebec Canoes, “Popular Everywhere”

A cover of a catalogue for Rushton's Rowboats & Canoes. The text and decoration is embossed in gold on top of a vibrant red background.

Rushton's Rowboats & Canoes

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Rushton’s Rowboats & Canoes Catalogue, 1907.

A black and white illustration of two sails mounted inside a canoe from page 44 of the Rushton's Rowboats & Canoes Catalogue. The text beside the illustration reads "Vesper. Sail Plan. Bailey improved sails, double halliards."

Vesper Sail Plan

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Rushton’s Rowboats & Canoes Catalogue, Vesper Sail Plan, 1907

A black and white photograph of a campsite of a man, Jules Fox Marshall, canoeing up to a campsite with a canvas tent supported by birch tree limbs.

Jules Fox Marshall

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Picture of Jule Fox Marshall, ACA canoeing enthusiast, in canoe next to camp ca. 1926.

A black and white photograph of an older man, Jules Fox Marshall, in a dark suit.

Jules Fox Marshall Portrait

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Portrait of Jule F Marshall, probably from around 1958 when he was an officer of the American Felt Company.

A close up photograph of a black image of a turtle on a white background.

Turtle Logo

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

The turtle logo that appeared on all Inwood Canoe Club canoes. Jule Fox Marshall joined the Inwood Canoe Club of New York City in the early twentieth century.

The cover of a Lakefield Canoes Catalogue, with red and gold text embossed on a light green background. The text reads, "Lakefield Canoes. The Lakefield Canoe and Boat Co., Limited, Lakefield, Ontario."

Lakefield Canoes Catalogue

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Lakefield Canoes Catalogue

The cover of a Rice Lake Canoe Catalogue. Red text that reads "The Rice Lake Canoe. 'Safest Canoe Built' Designed and built by The Rice Lake Canoe Co. Gore's Landing, ONT, Canada. sits on top of a tan background, and is deocorated with the simple sketch of a canoe.

Rice Lake Canoe Catalogue

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Rice Lake Canoe Catalogue

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Walter Walker Building a 16-foot Cedar Strip Canoe

From Chapter 4: All-Wood Canoes

Walter Walker building a 16-foot cedar strip canoe, 1980

A black-and-white photograph of Jule and Mae Marshall paddling a canoe.

Jule and Mae Marshall

From Sidebar: Jule Fox Marshall

Jule and Mae Marshall.

A photograph of Jule Marshall carrying his canoe, Babishe.

Babishe

From Sidebar: Jule Fox Marshall

Jule Marshall with Babishe.

A sketch by Jule Fox Marshall of canoe racers at an American Canoe Association gathering, circa 1920s.

Jule Fox Marshall Sketch

From Sidebar: Jule Fox Marshall

A sketch by Jule Fox Marshall of canoe racers at an American Canoe Association gathering, circa 1920s.

A photograph of Jule Fox Marshall, balancing on a canoe.

Jule Fox Marshall

From Sidebar: Jule Fox Marshall

Jule Fox Marshall, circa 1926.

A black-and-white photograph of Mae Marshall holding a fish, a campsite is in the background.

Mae Marshall

From Sidebar: Jule Fox Marshall

Mae Marshall