From their roots of being built by birchbark and cedar to being used by the First Nations people as a mode of transport, to carrying furs and other goods to be traded by the Voyageurs for the Hudson’s Bay Company, canoes have a long history in this country.
B.C. author and paddler Sanford Osler has just published a book about the history of the canoe (and kayak) in B.C.
He arrives in Vernon Thursday as part of his book tour that is taking him around the Okanagan-Shuswap this week.
Osler’s book, Canoe Crossings: Understanding the Craft that Helped Shape British Columbia, takes the celebration of the canoe to a new level through an exploration of the craft’s unique development in B.C.
“For thousands of years the canoe has been an iconic feature of the history and people of Canada. These simple vessels allowed First Nations to thrive and early explorers to travel Canada’s vast waterways from east to west to the Far North,” reads a release from Heritage House, publisher of Canoe Crossings.
Through an artful blend of memoir, history, and stories from the field, Osler positions B.C. at the leading edge of a flourishing new canoe culture with the power to engage and inspire.
“Canoe Crossings will appeal to anyone who has ever sought adventure, found solace, or seen beauty in a canoe.”
Osler gives his talk at the Vernon library Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. Admission is free.
