canoe maker

The Minnesota Historical Society has a paddle in their collection dating to 1839 (see posts HERE and HERE). The grip is adorned with some elaborate chip carving and includes the initials "W.D." Although the paddle was discovered in Minnesota, the shape and decorative design is consistent with East Coast Abenaki style paddles.




Thought I would try to replicate this design with some 6/4 cherry I had on hand. After sawing out the blank up north, it was brought down to the city to be worked down in the backyard. Here is a shot of the paddle setup on the horse...


Here's a shot of the blade pretty much done, though I plan to round out the pointed tip to match the original a bit more. Grip area still needs more work...



My version isn't meant to be an exact replica since I reduce the length to fit my preferred length of 58". The grip area isn't proportional to the original either since it would've turned out to be too narrow. Here`s how it stands now with some final work needed to the grip and shaft:

Vintage photo from an expired Ebay listing showcasing some Chippewa (Ojibwe) paddlers in a bark canoe...



What caught my attention is the griping method on the paddles. The female in the bow looks to be holding a pole grip style paddle with an underhand grip while the stern paddler is holding the grip in the "Northwoods" style or what Pinkerton described as the "Indian's Position"

The midsection of the canoe looks to have undergone some amateur repair and the whole thing is obviously much shorter than a real tripping canoe...what happened to the seats?

Canoe used in the film (Burt Reynolds Museum)

The Disaster Scene - split occuring at the midpoint

Wonder if any of the actors ever went real canoe tripping after filming wrapped up?

Came across the delightfully descriptive blog, Our Acadia featuring highlights of the East Coast. A post from July of this year detailed a rainy day trip to the Abbe Museum in Bar Harbor which features a paddling exhibit. Of course, it was the paddle in the photo that caught my eye.

Photo Courtesy of OurAcadia

The paddle looks to be identical to the Tomah Joseph etched paddle I posted on earlier, although I could be mistaken. Unfortunately I've had no luck sourcing out any higher resolution close up pics. If anyone has visited this exhibit and is willing to share their personal photos, feel free to email me. 

Issac Walters runs a site devoted to the history of The French in Wisconsin. I stumbled across his 2009 post showcasing his bark canoe and some decorated paddle blades...



Here are some extra details he generously provided...

The two red painted paddles are carved from white cedar and were made by John Beltman of Northern Minnesota. The decorative designs are fusion of different patterns from researching images of historical artists Thomas Davies (circa 1737-1812), James Peachey (active 1773-1797), Louis Nicholas (see my Codex Canadiensis post) and some museum canoe models.

The blue paddle in the picture was one that Scott Bowen (Southern MN) started carving and was going to throw out because it was cracking in the blade. Isaac finished the carving adding a Cross of Lorraine on the grip, then painted it blue. To combat the crack, the tip was reinforced with some copper.

I've been sidelined this past week with a harsh case of eczema on my hands & fingers. They're all covered in burning, nasty blisters and swollen enough that I can't use my hands for much...couldn't drive all week and certainly can't do any carving.

This kept me away from the annual Paddler's Rendezvous at Killbear park this weekend but here is my post from last year for anyone who missed it last time around. Lots of great wooden canoe eye candy.

In the meantime, for anyone itching for a paddle making fix, check out the recent post by Larry Bowers of West Country Canoes on using antler horn for a paddle grip. Lots of great photos of the process for anyone wanting to give it a go.