Good Morning Paddlers, Canoe Journey & Brigade Friends;
With this note we hope to bring you up-to-date on recent and future happenings here at the Canadian Voyageur Brigade Society. In some ways, with COVID-19 it has been a quiet winter and spring, in others paddling activities have continued.
Here in Edmonton we paddlers have been very busy completing an Expanded Storage Project (planting seven Containers) in two City Parks that will allow four paddling groups to better access their gear, on appropriate sites (all in the City) and in particular get some of our big canoes stored next to the river to facilitate weekly paddling sessions.
We get snippets of reports of big canoe paddling activities here and there:
- Katie reports about her paddling in the Langely/Maple Ridge area along the Fraser River,
- rumblings of a big canoe event being organized in Kamploops in the near future,
- our local Parkland School District is running a spring and summer program out of our local YWCA camp on Wabamun Lake,
- our Edmonton big canoe fitness program expects to start on the North Saskatchewan River on June 24,
- The Yukon River Quest is scheduled to commence June 23, with appropriate distancing and COVID-19 safety measures.
Looking to the future:
- Bruce has been discussing with Bill Redmonds a “Peace and Understanding Brigade”.
It is on the Missouri River not the Mississippi and slated for September 21st 2023.
Some preliminary info is on his website: http://superheroespaddle.org
- See note below about the Peace River Brigade, we hope to use this event as a springboard for a series of brigades into the opening of the new Canadian Canoe Museum, in either 2023, or 2024. We are in discussions with the CCM on this. And the CCM is on the Trent Severn waterway and we think as many paddlers as possible should be paddling in for the opening.
What we really need is some keen paddlers to start on plans for additional events for 2022 and into the future. We began planning for the 2008 David Thompson Brigade in 2005, for the 2017 brigades in 2012, and even smaller events like the Rideau Canal Canoe brigade require 14 to 16 months to get going. CVBS can help, we have a variety of resources on our website, and we're presently considering the development of a pool of "mentors/coachs" who would help new groups through the planning and operation of a brigade. Drop us a note if you'd like to start something for the next couple of seasons.
CVBS Executive
Your executive continues to meet on a regular basis. Our board of directors has members from as far east as PEI and a far west as Galiano Island, BC. It makes for strange start times for some of our video conference calls/meetings.
Laura Mahon from BC has stepped up to be our Treasurer. Past treasurer Bruce Clark moved to Peterborough and has become our prime contact with the Canadian Canoe Museum and our eastern Ontario board rep.
This winter we have provide a "Seed Grants" to the Big Canoe Project on Georgian Bay, Meaford, ON, and to Canoe Kayak Nova Scotia for the purchase of boats and paddling gear. We further made a modest donation to the Athabasca River Voyageur Canoe Brigade for the development of an interpretive display in Hinton, AB (See Rick's note below)
Passing the Paddle -- Peace River Canoe Brigade
The Peace River Brigade has been postponed to the summer of 2022!
We are saddened to be postponing again an event originally intended for 2020 but the changing restrictions around COVID has made it difficult to launch an organized event of this scope. The brigade’s theme of Passing the Paddle is intended to encourage a younger group of paddlers to experience a brigade festival, and this became an issue as youth have just recently been offered the first vaccination shot. We also did not want to strip out the many social gatherings of a brigade to satisfy the expected distancing guidelines. Although Alberta has recently announced an Open for Summer plan, it was too late for us to effectively get the brigade properly organized.
It is our intention to run the brigade in August of 2022. This would be done with support of the Canadian Voyageur Brigade Society, and may allow crews from across Canada to join us. Details of this will be announced at a later date.
Thank you for your interest in participating in the brigade. We hope to be paddling in a successful brigade next summer and have a chance to meet with you all.
Stewart Inglis, Brigade Chair
May 31
Our CVBS Executive would like to find the "ways & means" to include a lot of young paddlers in this brigade. One suggestion has been school paddling group exchanges taking part in brigades. Please forward any info' that would help: who/where/contacts are there for school groups paddling big/voyageur canoes; what Government, Corporate or Foundation $s can we access for this project. What better way is there for kids to learn about our country and the role canoes played in it's development.
The Future Home of the Gabriel Dumont Voyageur Canoe
submitted by Rick Zroback
Chair, ARVCB
History:
The 25-foot fiberglass voyageur canoe was owned originally by the St John’s School of Alberta near Stony Plain Alberta which ran from 1967 to 2008. The canoe named the Gabriel Dumont after the prominent buffalo hunter best known for his role in the 1885 North West Rebellion as the Métis military commander and ally of Louis Riel. All the canoes owned by the school were named after some prominent Canadian historical figure.
The canoe was built in the 1970’s and was used by students at the school for wilderness outings organized on an annual basis as part of the school’s curriculum. The NFB film https://youtu.be/TG5F-8CDiis documenting a trip on the Athabasca/Firebag River system back in the 1970’s is an excellent illustration of a typical expedition undertaken by students attending the school.
When the school was closed their fleet of canoes was put up for auction and this particular canoe was bought by an alumnus of the school near Villeneuve. Unfortunately, the canoe was not used and was falling slowly into disrepair until the canoe was restored by members of the Athabasca River Voyageur Canoe Brigade (ARVCB) in the spring of 2017. Our group was contacted by a County Councillor from Barrhead County on its existence and if we were interested in acquiring it for no cost. It was ascertained that the canoe required minor repairs and could not only be repaired but also could be used in the 2017 Athabasca Brigade being held in conjunction with Canada’s 150th Birthday celebrations.
The Athabasca Brigade was undertaken in late June and ran for six days covering a total of 333 kilometers from Jasper to Fort Assiniboine. The Brigade was made of 15 teams with paddlers from all across western Canada and as far away as England and Germany. Since its reintroduction to the water during that Brigade, the canoe has been used on a few occasions and is stored inside on a trailer.
The ARVCB was formed in 2010 to promote paddling in our area with special emphasis on the voyageur canoe and its importance in opening up western North America in the late 1700’s early 1800’s. Hinton is on the historical Columbia Express route originally established by David Thompson after his historical journey down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. Organizing two Canoe Brigades on the Athabasca in 2011 and 2017 were two important events undertaken by the ARVCB recognizing the importance of the Athabasca River as part of our historical fabric. We worked with Yellowhead County and the Town of Hinton to provide proper and safe river access to the public at both Solomon Creek and at the Riverside Park. Not only did we do volunteer work at both locations our group provided financial assistance in constructing the canoe access at the Athabasca River Side Park. It should be noted that we bought the floating dock with help from other paddling groups Paddle Alberta and donated it to the Town of Hinton to be placed in the river on an annual basis for the paddling public.
The Gabriel Dumont canoe represents the size of the canoe used by the original voyageurs that would have paddled the Athabasca River in the early 1800’s. It was used extensively by young Canadians paddling various canoe routes throughout western Canada from the 1970’s up into the early 2000’s as part of the canoe program at the St. John’s School. Recently it was used in two of the numerous voyageur canoe brigades (The Athabasca and North Saskatchewan Brigade) held from coast to coast recognizing our paddling history as part of Canada’s 150th birthday celebrations organized by the Canadian Voyageur Brigade Society (CVBS). It should be noted that the name of the team using the Gabriel Dumont for those two Brigades was the Columbia Express captained by Doug Yalte, a director on the executive of the CVBS.
The ARVCB is donating the canoe to the Northern Museum of the Rockies by providing funds, volunteerism in constructing the display and sourcing out various options from local businesses and individuals to undergo this project. All work has been undertaken with proper communication and liaison with Northern Museum of the Rockies staff and board.
The project started in mid March has been a resounding success with financial help from various sources locally and nationally including the CVBS. The main wood showcase was constructed by Mark Deagle Log Building in Hinton and was transported from his work site and mounted by crane on top of a sea can that features a painted mural depicting the history of the Hinton area. Once mounted, the roofing and back wall were added with just staining and actually mounting of the canoe required. The tentative schedule is to have all work completed including the final mounting of the canoe by the end of June. A plaque will be placed in front of the exhibit explaining the symbolism in regard to its historical significance as well as recognizing all the individuals and corporations involved in working on this project from the beginning to the final displaying of the Gabriel Dumont.
Update - just in from Rick the canoe is in it's new home!
Pass this On!
We encourage you to pass this note onto all interested paddlers.
Mark
for the CVBS executive
Board Members
Chair - Brian Smith, Boutilier Point . , NS
Vice-Chair - W Bruce Clark, Peterborough, ON
Secretary - Michael Murphy, Lunnenburg, NS
Treasurer - Laura Mahon, Maple Ridge, BC
Education/Communications - Mark Lund, Edmonton, AB
BC Rep - Katie Stein-Sather, Maple Ridge, BC
Website mng - Ted Bentley, Galiano Island, BC & Edmonton, AB
PEI/Atlantic Rep - Rob Redmond & Phil
Director at Large - Jeanette Radchenko, Parkland County, AB
Director at Large - Natasha Hinz, Parkland Country, AB
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