Wooden Canoe Heritage Association

Historic Canoe Catalog Reference Guide

These pages contain selections of historic canoe advertising from the Golden Age of Wooden Canoes. A few of the companies represented here are still in business, but to our great loss, most are not. The legacy of wooden canoes lives on with present day builders - as found in our Builders & Suppliers Directory. Some of the magic from the wooden canoe's heyday is captured here.

• Carleton Canoe, Old Town, Maine
  • 1921 Catalog Cover (91K GIF image)
  • Chart of Serial Numbers by Date (18K GIF image)
  • Canoe Design Patterns (145K JPG image)
  • Build Records Archive Project Status and Preliminary Results
• Chestnut Canoe, Fredericton, New Brunswick
  • 1920 Catalog Cover (156K GIF image)
  • 1904 Original Shop Picture (49K JPG image)
  • 1912 Factory Picture (137K GIF image)
• Indian Old Town Canoe, Old Town, Maine
  • 1901 Catalog Cover (112K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (97K GIF image)
  • Advertising Flier Side One (134K GIF image)
  • Advertising Flier Side Two (151K GIF image)
• Iver Johnson Sporting Goods Company, Boston, Massachusetts
  • American Sports 1908 Headline (129K GIF image)
  • American Sports Dedham Trip Story
  • Catalog Cover (100K GIF image)
  • Retail Store Building Picture (128K GIF image)
• Kennebec Canoes, Waterville, Maine
  • 1918 Catalog Cover (158K GIF image)
  • 1920 Catalog Cover (121K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (175K JPEG image)
  • Factory Picture Today (66K JPEG image)
• B. N. Morris, Veazie, Maine
  • 1919 Catalog Cover (105K GIF image)
  • Undated Catalog Cover (123K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (84K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture Today (81K JPEG image)
  • Canoe Models and Specifications
  • Build Records Archive Project Status and Preliminary Results
• Old Town Canoe, Old Town, Maine
  • Catalog Covers
  • Chart of Serial Numbers by Date (17K GIF image)
  • Dimensions and Weights Part 1 (161K GIF image)
  • Dimensions and Weights Part 2 (155K GIF image)
  • Postcards
  • Design Patterns
  • Estimated Wooden Canoe Production Totals by Model
  • Factory Picture (118K GIF image)
  • Guides Model Prices Over the Years
  • Hull Cross Sections (70K GIF image)
  • Specifications (51K GIF image)
  • Build Records Archive Project Status and Preliminary Results
• Penn Yan, Penn Yan, New York
  • 1944 Catalog Cover (123K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (127K GIF image)
• Penobscot Canoe Company (PECACO), Milford, Maine
  • 1917 Catalog Cover (110K JPG image)
  • 1920 Catalog Cover (148K GIF image)
  • Description of the PECACO Deck (56K JPG image)
  • Description of the PECACO "notacrack" Model (94K JPG image)
• Peterborough Canoe Company Limited, Peterborough, Ontario
  • 1929 Catalog Cover (150K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (170K GIF image)
• Racine Boat Company, Racine, Wisconsin
  • Catalog Cover (126K GIF image)
• J.R. Robertson, Auburndale, Massachusetts
  • Catalog Cover (89K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (155K GIF image)
  • Specifications (124K JPG image)
• Robertson & Old Town Canoe, Old Town, Maine
  • Catalog Cover (107K GIF image)
  • Factory Picture (122K GIF image)
• Skowhegan Canoes, Skowhegan, Maine
  • 1941 Catalog Cover (108K GIF image)
• St. Louis Meramec Canoe Co., Valley Park, Missouri
  • 1925 Catalog Cover (70K JPG image)
  • 1927 Major Models (107K JPG image)
  • Description of the Arrowhead Deck (135K JPG image)
• Tremblay Canoes Limited, Saint Felicien, Quebec
  • 1974 Catalog Cover (116K GIF image)
  • Specifications
• E. M. White Canoes, Old Town, Maine
  • Catalog Covers
  • Canoe Design Patterns (154K GIF image)

Peterborough catalog information was supplied by Roger MacGregor, email: roger.macgregor@ivyleashirtco.com.

Tremblay information was supplied by Joe Ball, email: jbks2@greyowl.mb.ca.

Most of the other images were supplied by Benson Gray, email: benson@maine.rr.com.

Additional reproductions of old canoe company catalogs are available on CD-ROMs from the Dragonfly Canoe Works web site.

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