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Canoe do Peterborough?

September 1, 2018 by Gary Crallé 5 Comments

Canadian Canoe Museum

… from spirited to spirits …
…….

Canoes are in Peterborough’s bloodstream. Once a centre for North American canoe production, the town now holds the world’s largest collection of canoes, kayaks and watercraft in the Canadian Canoe Museum. And next year things get better — much better — as construction begins on a spectacular world class upgrade. A $65 million masterpiece of contemporary design will proudly display almost the entire collection beside the world’s highest hydraulic lift lock on the Trent-Severn Waterway. This will be a destination!

Canadian Canoe Museum logo

The Canadian Canoe Museum’s logo, the “Mazinaawbikinigin” of Pictured Lake, is from a pictograph near Fort William at the western end of Lake Superior. Honouring indigenous cultures everywhere, it represents ‘the nation of rivers and the river of nations that is Canada from coast to coast to coast.’
. . . . . . .

Canadian Canoe Museum

The Canadian Canoe Museum is currently crammed with canoeabillia (is that a word?) from singer Gordon Lightfoot, Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau, First Nations peoples, British royalty, fur traders and weekenders.
Did I mention continental explorations?

CCM organizes tamer 90-minute trips with their own unique bragging rights: an uplifting experience in a replica 36-foot Montréal canoe used by fur trading voyageurs. In a mere 90 seconds canoe and passengers float 19.8 metres (65 feet) skyward in a 5,000 gallon scoop of water.
Cool. But first, a quick paddling lesson.

Canadian Canoe Museum Canadian Canoe Museum

The stroke of inspiration for creating an amphibious watercraft light enough to carry yet sturdy enough to carry a load goes to First Nations people. With simple tools they fashioned canoes from birch bark.

Canadian Canoe Museum

Tools and material for building a birch bark canoe.
. . . . . . .

No doubt about it, our canoe was the smallest vessel in the lock.

Canadian Canoe MuseumCanadian Canoe Museum

At elevated river level, Parks Canada Summer Outreach Coordinator Sam Cuddy gave the traditional French commands for a hardy crew that flagged after a mere 30 seconds of practising the voyageur pace of 56 strokes per minute for gruelling 15 hour days week after week. We did our own version of weak, as in a buncha wimps!

Canadian Canoe Museum

Parks Canada Summer Outreach Coordinator Sam Cuddy was in command.
. . . . . . .

Canadian Canoe Museum

Lunch was at Ashburnham Ale House.
Something went terribly wrong as we all had lunch without a single beer.
Note to self: next time, must correct this oversight by sampling the craft brews.

Canadian Canoe Museum Canadian Canoe Museum Canadian Canoe Museum

Almost across the street sits Black’s Distillery, a brand new place in town with an impressive display of copper hybrid stills looking like something from Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. “From grain to glass,” the distillery pays homage to David Alexander Fife (1805 – 1877), Ontario creator of Red Fife wheat which is the basis of Black’s vodka and is locally grown. A portrait of David hangs on the wall.

Canadian Canoe Museum Canadian Canoe Museum Canadian Canoe Museum

Head distiller Robert Black has transferred his skill and concern for craftsmanship honed during 35 years as a tool and die maker into an uncompromising devotion to perfecting fine spirits. His wife Barb Matchet and sole employee Kris McNeely enthusiastically have his back on this.

Black’s Distillery, from left to right: Barb Matchet, Kris McNeely and Robert Black.
. . . . . . .

Peterborough has a second distiller too. In a nondescript industrial mall across town, Bruce Khabbazi and his wife are celebrating the 21st anniversary of Persian Empire. This award winning company produces no less than 26 different spirits, but the kicker is that Persian is also the largest North American producer of a carbonated yogurt soda popular in the Middle East. It’s an acquired taste.

Once again I found myself facing a copper still from which I expected to hear the command “Take me to your leader.” I shot back with an artistic photo treatment …

Architectural concept rendering courtesy of the Canadian Canoe Museum, all other photos & text © Gary Crallé, August 2018. Commercial rights reserved.

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Filed Under: Canada, Canadian Places

Comments

  1. Ron Brownsberger says

    September 1, 2018 at 7:00 pm

    A totally green roof?

    Wow.

    Reply
    • Glenn says

      September 4, 2018 at 8:18 pm

      Ron,
      The design for the new Canadian Canoe Museum is a joint venture between Heneghan Peng (Dublin, Ireland) and Kearns Mancini Architects (Toronto).
      The project description: http://kmai.com/projects/canadian-canoe-museum

      A bit more info in this short video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vMXrnouHjY
      Gary

      Reply
  2. Jo Matyas says

    September 4, 2018 at 10:00 am

    Love this article!

    Reply
    • Glenn says

      September 4, 2018 at 8:20 pm

      Thanks Jo, do you like the layout? Gary and I tried to mix it up a bit compared to the usual layouts on Roadstories.ca.

      Reply
  3. John Kicksee says

    September 8, 2018 at 12:53 pm

    Nice Piece guys!

    Reply

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