Canoe Crossings: Understanding the Craft that Helped Shape British Columbia

Often called one of the Seven Wonders of Canada, the canoe has played a particularly important role in British Columbia. This seemingly simple watercraft allowed coastal First Nations to hunt on the open ocean and early explorers to travel the provinces many waterways. Always at the crossroads of canoe culture, BC today is home to innovative artists and designers who have rediscovered ancient canoe-building techniques, as well as community leaders who see the canoes potential to bring people together in exciting, inspiring ways.

The story of Canoe Crossings begins some fifteen thousand years ago, when, as compelling new evidence suggests, the first humans to reach the Americas did so by canoe down the West Coast. It continues through the centuries, chronicling the evolution of the canoe and its impact on the various people who used it to explore, hunt, trade, fight, race, create, and even heal. The book contains dozens of stories of colourful, passionate people who have contributed to the provinces canoe culture, including a teenager who lived ninety feet up in a tree house while designing and building the worlds longest kayak; a group of high school students who practised on a tiny lake and went on to win several World Dragon Boat Championships; and at-risk Aboriginal youth who reconnected with their traditional culture through annual big canoe trips.

Canoe Crossings will appeal to anyone who has ever sought adventure, found solace, or seen beauty in a canoe or wondered about the origins of its design and use in British Columbia and beyond.

Sanford Osler was introduced to canoes as a youngster at summer camp, an event that sparked a lifelong interest in the role of the canoe in our history and modern-day lives. This fascination has led him to collect research and information about the subject over several years, and he has given talks about the canoe to audiences across BC. Osler has owned a red sixteen-foot wooden canoe for over forty years and has taken it on trips throughout Canada, including the Broken Islands, Bowron Lakes, and Gulf Islands. He holds an MA from the University of British Columbia and is currently chair of the North Vancouver Museum and Archives Commission and a trustee of the North Vancouver District Public Library.