Gibban

Surviving authentic paddles from the Voyageur Fur Trade era are few and far between. Paintings, like those of Frances Anne Hopkins give a clue as to the various shape and styles used by these hardy canoemen. Sometimes, archeological excavations add to the knowledge base of paddle shapes. In the 1970s, the National Parks Service undertook a series of underwater excavations around Grand Portage. Until recently, I was only aware of catalog descriptions outlining some of the interesting finds, including some partial fragments of paddles. However, now some of the finds have been posted online in this Photo Gallery of Tools from the excavations. Included in this gallery is the full blade of a late 18th, early 19th century voyageur paddle made of white cedar. It looks to be a simple, straight sided blade with a subtle taper from the shoulders to a rounded tip White Cedar Paddle Fragment Description: 18-19 cent. voyageur;  87.5 cm long; 14 cm wide; 1.9cm thick. Credit: NPS GRPO 16122 Anoth...

Archive.org has an online edition of The Beaver , June 1922 which features an article on Birchbark Canoes. Here's a brief excerpt describing the paddles used by the canoemen: The paddle used in these canoes was narrow in the blade, being about 3 1/2 inches in width, and the style of paddling peculiar to the canoe itself. The stroke was quick, and continuous, 45 strokes to the minute being about the average, and in the hands of a good crew 4 1/2 to 6 miles an hour would be attained. The stroke was set by the bowsman, always a good man, not only as a paddler and guide but an expert in rapids and rough water. He always carried two paddles, the narrow one for ordinary paddling and a long wide one for quick manoeuvering in running rapids. The article continues in the next edition, July 1922. Interestingly, the cover of the September, 1922 edition is the one featuring a fur trade canoe with narrow paddles and an improvised sail from a red HBC point blanket.