Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-08-12
Canoeing In the United States.

When John Macgregor, OF the Inner
Temple, published his entertaining ac-
count of the Rob Roy's thousand mile
voyage on the lakes and rivers OIL
Europe, he established canoeing as a
summer pastime. The idea was not
new it was older than authentic his
tory but he gave IL an overhauling and
brushing up that brought it out in a
form that was wonderfully attractive.
The Rob Roy was so diminutive that
her captain was able to transport her
on horseback, but what she accom-
plished made her quite as famous as any
ship OF her maiesty's navy. The Eng
lish canoe feet was soon numbered by
hundreds. The crank Rob Roy was
superseded, as a sailing canoe, by the
Nautilus, and many voyages. under an
endless variety Of conditions, have since
been accomplished. Canoe clubs were
organized, and in an incredibly brief
time canoeing became in Great Britain
a national pastime.
The introduction of canoeing in the
United States may be said to have taken
place in 1870, when the New York
canoe club was founded by William /.
Alden. The Indian birch and dug-out,
| ii is true, belong to the canoe group, but
! they are, at best, rude craft. unfit for
general cruising, and had long before
gone into disuse. and come TO be valued
only as relics of an uncivilized condi-
ton. Americans have enthusiastically
adopted the pastime. and it Is only a
| question of time when canoes will be as
| frequently seen on our bays, lakes, and
rivers as sail and row-boats. Besides
our long coast-line, we have an immense
system of inland waters, a great part of
1 xKTh hfah sa anw-a1 pA
! for years be explored by any other craft
/ than the light and easily portrayed
canoe. There is no one Of the States in
which long cruises may not be made.
1t has been stated upon authority
that summer cruises may be made upon
the waters OF Wisconsin alone for
thirty years without retracting or ex-
hausting the territory. In the northern
| portion of the State there are almost
numberless urexplored lakes, some of
large size, that are connected by rivers
and smaller streams. A canoe may, for
instance, be launched upon Pewaukee
lake. a beautiful sheet of water about
twenty miles west OF Milwaukee, and
then follow a winding course through
a delightful country. through lake 10
rivulet, and from rivulet 70 lake, the
lakes varying In length from three to
eight miles, and in width from one 10
four miles. Leaving the lakes, the
canoe may follow Rock river, and pass
ing many beautiful towns and villages,
strike the Mississippi at Rock Island,
| Illinois. Many OF the Western (notably
Minnesota and Michigan). Eastern and
Middle States offer equally attractive
fields for summer cruising Canada is
as yet almost unmapped. Twenty-Five
miles to the northward of Quebec the
exploring canoeist is beyond the bounds
of civilization, and at the entrance TO a
region of picturesque lakes. that, with
their connecting streams, form = chain
almost unbroken, save by rapids and
falls. TO either the Hudson bay country
or the Saguenay, and the little known
territory still to the northward.
Long cruises have been made by
| Americans. The Kleine Fritz "a. II.
Siegfried) has followed the course of the
Mississippi from the extreme head
waters TO Rock Island, Illinois; the
Maria Theresa IN. II. Bishop) has
cruised by inland waters from Lansing
burg, New York, TO the mouth of the
Suwannee river; the Bubble (Charles
Z. Chase) in 1878 cruised from New
York to Quebec by connecting water
ways. thence by portage through the
Chaudiere 10 the headwaters of snd
down the Connecticut river. 20 and
through Long Island Sound. to New
York. Mr.. G. II. Farnham has recently
completed q Canadian voyage eu bracing
the Saguenay. its tributaries. and other
watercourses. In 1870 Mr.. Frank Zihler
made cruise of about ], 300 miles, from
Racine, Wisconsin, TO New Orleans.
Many less extended cruises have been
made. and clubs have been organized in