Paddling the Boreal Forest
Paddling the Boreal Forest
Rediscovering A.P Low
MAX FINKELSTEIN & JAMES STONE
Foreword by Becky Mason
Copyright © 2004 Maxwell W. Finkelstein & James L. Stone
All rights reserved. No portion of this book, with the exception of brief extracts for the purpose of literary or scholarly review, may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the publisher.
Published by Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc.
P.O. Box 95, Station O, Toronto, Ontario M4A 2M8
www.naturalheritagebooks.com For more information on Max Finkelstein and James Stone's adventures in Quebec and Labrador, visit www.paddletheboreal.com.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Finkelstein, Max
Paddling the boreal forest: rediscovering A.P. Low / Max Finkelstein & James Stone ; foreword by Becky Mason.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1–896219–98–5
1. Low, A. P. (Albert Peter), 1861–1942—Travel. 2. Geologists—Canada—Biography. 3. Finkelstein, Max—Travel. 4. Stone, James, 1953-—Travel. 5. Canoes and canoeing—Newfoundland and Labrador—Labrador. 6. Canoes and canoeing—Quebec (Province) I. Stone, James, 1953- II. Title.
FC2193.51F55 2004 917.18'2 C2004-905394–9
All visuals credited to Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada are reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services of Canada, 2004. Contemporary photographs by Max Finkelstein. Maps by James Stone.
Front cover photos: bottom left (A.P. Low & David Eaton), courtesy of Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, photo GSC2027; bottom right (James Stone & Max Finkelstein), top and spine, courtesy of Max Finkelstein.
Back cover photo: Courtesy of Natural Resources Canada, Geological Survey of Canada, photo GSC199570.
Cover and text design by Sari Naworynski
Edited by Jane Gibson & Melissa Hughes
Printed and bound in Canada by Hignell Book Printing, Winnipeg
Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc. acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario Arts Council for our publishing program. We acknowledge the support of the Government of Ontario through the Ontario Media Development Corporation's Ontario Book Initiative. We also acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP) and the Association for the Export of Canadian Books.
Contents
Foreword by Becky Mason
Two: A Brief History of Boating and Canoeing in Quebec-Labrador
Three: Interlude: En Route Destination Lebel-sur-Quévillon
Four: A.P. Low: An Overview of His Life
Five: Interlude: At Mistissini
Six: A.P. Low: Yachting In Ice
Seven: Interlude: Flying Over the Land of Low
Eight: Nine Epic Canoe Trips, 1884–96
Nine: Interlude: Gentlemen, Let the Portages Begin!
Ten: Interlude: River of the Burnt Lands
Eleven: Interlude: Through Fire and Rain
Twelve: Cruising for Canada: The Voyage of the Neptune, 1903–04
Thirteen: Interlude: The Route of the Rupert Brigade
Fourteen: Interlude: James Bay or Bust!
Fifteen: Low the Mandarin, 1906–13
Sixteen: Our Last Word On Low
Epilogue
Appendix I Key Dates – Albert Peter Low
Appendix II Equipment and Supplies – Then and Now
Notes
General Bibliography
Index
About the authors
This book would not have been possible without the existence of the well-organized national treasures held within the Library and Archives Canada, the Library of the Geological Survey of Canada, the archives of the Hudson's Bay Company, the Ottawa Library, the museum of the 43rd regiment on Ottawa, and the McCord Museum in Montreal. Not only does much of Canada's history reside in these collections, but the people taking care of them were invariably helpful and enthusiastic in responding to our endless questions and demands. In particular, we would like to thank James Burant of the Library and Archives Canada and Professor W. Gillies Ross of Bishop's University for their insights and information on the Neptune expedition.
We thank those who supported us financially in our quest for knowledge and insights into A.P. Low and his life and times, and into the area he spent much of his career exploring: The Royal Canadian Geographical Society explorer fund (and Mike Schmidt's guidance on its use), Natural Resources Canada and EarthWild International. Without such invaluable support, our fieldwork and research would have been much restricted.
We owe special thanks to many people: Don Haines, who went beyond the bounds of friendship to generously help us with the logistics of our journey to retrace Low's routes; Michael Greco, President of the Canadian River Management Society, for his unwavering enthusiasm and support for this project; Bob Hellman of Hellman Canoes, whose 17.5' Prospector canoe turned out to be the perfect craft for retracing Low's routes in Quebec; Philip Petawabano of Waasheshkun Airways; Don Gibson, National Manager of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System (CHRS), for his understanding and patience while Max was away