This invaluable source has at its core the author's discovery of eight surviving original voyaging canoes of the nineteenth century. Based on unpublished record books and documents of French outfitters, traders, and travelers, as well as numerous other early documents, this history includes material never before published.
Providing detailed descriptions and illustrations of each element of these canoes, the book contains extensive chapters on the origins, manufacture, decoration, usage, sailing, portaging, repair, storage, equipment, and cargoes of voyaging canoes. For anyone interested in North American history, the fur trade, early military transport, and traditional Native American lifestyles, this is an essential resource.