Beverly Shores

THE TM 911 Franklin Street Weekly Newspaper Michigan City, IN 46360 Volume 17, Number 1 Thursday, January 11, 2001 It slumbers now in ice and snow A silent reminder of when– North winds relent and Mother Nature shows That spring will come again. Sally Carpenter Page 2 January 11, 2001 911 Franklin Street • Michigan City, IN 46360 219/879-0088 • FAX 219/879-8070 In Case Of Emergency, Dial e-mail: News/Articles - [email protected] email: Classifieds - [email protected] http://www.bbpnet.com/Beacher/ Published and Printed by THE BEACHER BUSINESS PRINTERS Delivered weekly, free of charge to Birch Tree Farms, Duneland Beach, Grand Beach, Hidden Shores, Long Beach, Michiana Shores, Michiana MI and Shoreland Hills. The Beacher is also 911Subscription Rates delivered to public places in Michigan City, New Buffalo, LaPorte and Sheridan Beach. 1 year $26 6 months $14 3 months $8 1 month $3 600 Watercraft Later, Canada’s “Mister Canoe” Still Collects by William F. Keefe If Prof. Kirk Wipper had decided to collect super- annuated World War II battleships, Lake Ontario might today be a vast scrapyard. The resident of Peterborough, Ontario concentrated instead on canoes. The result is the Canadian Canoe Museum. The Wipper story goes back to the middle and late 1940s. At that period the concept of a canoe museum wasn’t even a hot coal in a wilderness campfire. Completing World War II service in the Canadian Navy’s “big canoes,” Wipper became associated with Camp Kandalore, a summer leadership and woodland skills camp in the lake country about 125 miles north of Peterborough. The association with Kandalore — “Canada Lore,” as Wipper interprets it — continued into the 1950s. With some 600 canoes on exhibit, the Canadian Canoe Museum In 1957, Wipper bought the camp. Throughout these has to store many specimens on vertical racks. years he was continuing his work toward a doctorate Professor Wipper shows how it’s done. while also teaching at the University of Toronto. Kandalore canoes could be found in action. Kayaks “There were 18 canoes in action at Camp Kandalore were also introduced as part of the camp’s program- by 1953,” Wipper has noted. The fame of the camp ming—long before they became popular in the main- as a “school” for training young people in woods- stream of camping.” manship and outdoor skills was spreading. These Interest in historic reenactments and festivals factors and others “led to the production of a TV was also growing. Heritage celebrations were taking show by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation place across Canada and the United States. “Novel entitled ‘A Walk with Kirk’.” programs such as ballets and creative involvements The TV show raised eyebrows throughout Canada, of the canoe in dramatic productions were devel- launching Wipper toward the title of Canada’s “Mr. oped,” Wipper recalls. “These included both stan- Canoe.” But he didn’t start collecting until 1956, dard and voyageur or fur trade canoes starting in the when a friend donated a historic basswood dugout canoe early 1960s.” to the camp. Wipper looked for a site in which to “In 1967 young people from across Canada, all of display the basswood. It would, he felt, be the perfect them involved in youth camps, organized a cross- exhibit for teaching the camp’s students the key les- Canada canoe journey as part of Canada’s Centennial son that canoes could have cultural, historical, com- Celebration. Each group assumed responsibility for mercial, and even religious/ethnic significance. a segment of the long haul across the nation.” The 15-foot basswood, constructed in about 1855 The result, inevitably, was a further increase of inter- by two Canadian brothers, became the first exhibit est in canoes generally and in the Kanawa Museum’s in a small building set aside as a museum. In succeeding collection. With his “network” of friends, historians, years other canoes joined the basswood. A network of well-wishers, and canoe enthusiasts locating valuable friends and well-wishers developed, and canoes kept historic and cultural specimens, Wipper in 1975 arriving. Experimenting with names for his museum, obtained a charter for the museum as a nonprofit, char- Wipper arrived at the brave title “Kanawa International itable organization. “It had burgeoned into a major Museum of Canoes, Kayaks, and Rowing Craft.” world-wide assembly of hand propelled watercraft,” In the 1960s Camp Kandalore increased its empha- notes Wipper, in these years a professor in the sis on canoeing instruction. It began a diverse canoe University of Toronto’s School of Physical and Health “tripping” or travel program. “Across the north, Camp Education.” January 11, 2001 Page 3 Open ‘til 7 p.m. Evenings wwwElegant.littlehousef Apparelashions.com for the [email protected] Conscious Woman Women’s Apparel Part of the work of the museum focuses on reconstruction and preservation of historic canoe fragments. WINTER CLEARANCE In 1960 Kanawa had received three “magnificent” wooden canoes, all of them different and all of them built before 1900. “Our first birch-bark canoe reached j us in 1961,” Wipper remembers. “Designs scraped into the bark included a moose-hunting scene typical of Further the old Algonquin canoes from Quebec.” Reports of canoe “finds” took Wipper farther and farther afield. He found a Micmac Indian bark canoe Reductions in a hunting lodge near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. In San Diego, California, visiting the Museum of Man, he found four historic canoes. “The museum said they didn’t know what to do with them,” Wipper comments. “I said, ‘Fortunately I do,’ Many Groups Are and they gave me the four.” Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity As an apostle and teacher of boating skills and nature NOW 50% off lore, Wipper could recognize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. New York City’s Museum of the American Indian was closing. A bonanza of birch-bark and dugout canoes would need a home. Each specimen in this Heye Collection had North k American history written in its every hand-crafted seam RED DOT SALE and joint. As vehicles these canoes had traveled the river highways of the fur trade, the unnamed lakes Take an Additional of the old wilderness. Wipper decided to make room in the Kanawa Museum. Over more than two years he hammered out a purchase agreement. 20% off Any Item Moving time arrived. A convoy of heavy trucks moved north and west, each loaded with valuable canoes. Suddenly, near the Canadian border, the convoy came With a Red to a halt. Two New York congresspeople had decreed that the treasure trove of ancient water vehicles must remain in New York. An argument took place. A customs officer called his superintendent. ”I know all about this,” the super said. He inspect- FUN SPRING BUCKS ed Professor Wipper’s customs import permit, No. 6096- $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 1. “They can go,” he added, and the convoy crossed into Fun Spring Bucks Fun Spring Bucks Fun Spring Bucks $ Canada. Worth $10 Worth $10 Worth 10 on Any Regular Priced on Any Regular Priced on Any Regular Priced The Kanawa International Museum had grown Merchandise of $50 or more Merchandise of $50 or more Merchandise of $50 or more Expires January 31, 2001 Expires January 31, 2001 Expires January 31, 2001 Not Valid With Other Coupons or Discounts Not Valid With Other Coupons or Discounts Not Valid With Other Coupons or Discounts by some 50 additions. Over the next five years con- $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 $10 struction proceeded on a facility that could accommodate the Heye Collection. “A magnificent three-story wing went up,” noted Wipper. “The addition also provided 409 Alexander Street LaPorte, IN 326-8602 On Hwy 35 - 5 Blocks South of Lincolnway space for a number of other canoes.” Turn Right on Alexander Monday - Friday 9:30 to 7 Saturday 9:30 to 5 Canoes Continued on Page 4 Page 4 January 11, 2001 Canoes Continued from Page 3 On other grounds the CCM proved to be the ideal The year 1990 brought a major change. Negotiating custodian for the Kanawa collection. In 1990 the with the directors of the Canadian Canoe Museum, CCM acquired by grant from the City of Peterborough then in the planning stage, Professor Wipper decid- a four-acre plot of land on water-front property in the ed that the Kanawa Museum collection belonged in city center. That land served as the future site of the a site where it would receive professional, permanent CCM’s Interpretation Centre. In 1995, with the fur- care plus the security of a major institution. ther acquisition of 140,000 square feet of factory The CCM provided the answer. It was in Professor space from the Outboard Marine Corporation, the CCM Wipper’s hometown, Peterborough, “the ideal location established its Collection Centre. for an internationally significant collection of water- The two donations made possible the completion, craft.” As a brochure notes: in 1995, of the transfer of the Kanawa collection. “I Located on a watercourse which was a traditional turned the whole collection—some 600 canoes from transport route for native people, the Peterborough com- every continent—over to the CCM,” says Wipper. I had munity later became world-renowned for the distinc- already sold Camp Kandalore. I had partly retired from tive quality of the canoes produced by the Peterborough teaching at the University of Toronto.” Canoe Company and other area boat-builders. “Now I was freer to collect, to do lectures, to con- Peterborough is unique in combining its heritage, as duct classes in outdoor skills, boating safety, wilder- centre of the canoe-building world for over a century, ness lore, and other subjects.

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