Freshwater Heritage: A History of Sail on the Great Lakes, 1670-1918 represents the culmination of a lifelong passion for sailing and for the history of sail as it applies to Canada. Author/sailor/boat builder Don Bamford takes us deep into the psyche of sailing as it applies to historical events on the Great Lakes and to stories of the people and places there at the time.
His extensive historical research takes us back to the time of European contact, through the fate of the luckless Griffon and the achievements of the French in the era of sail. From the 1760s through to 1815, Bamford chronicles the glory years of the brigs, the schooners, the snows and the warships that dominated the lakes during the war years, with a particular emphasis on the War of 1812 and the race for naval domination of the Great Lakes.
Much deserving attention is given to the shipbuilders and to the challenges of constructing these vessels in the wilderness of the colonies, all supported by carefully researched detail. Bamford also documents the critical role played by sailing vessels in the settlement process as newly arrived immigrants struggled to establish a home in a new land.
The commercial role of sail on the Great Lakes is captured through the refinements to the schooners, the place of ships in the fur trade, the early days of fishing the lakes as an industry, the role of the timber droghers, the stone hookers and the first ore carriers of the first part of the 20th century. Never before has the place of sailing vessels in the early history of Canada’s Great Lakes been so inclusive, and made so accessible to the general reader.
Richly illustrated with archival visuals and photographs of significant works of art, and supported by a full index and extensive end matter, Freshwater Heritage is a must for both the armchair historian and those who love to sail.
Authors
- Bibliography, etc. Note
- Includes bibliographical references and index
- Control Number Identifier
- CaOOCEL
- Dewey Decimal Classification Number
- 386/.509713
- Dewey Decimal Edition Number
- 22
- General Note
- Originally published: Toronto [Ont.] : Natural Heritage Books, c2007 Issued as part of the desLibris books collection
- Geographic Area Code
- nl-----
- ISBN
- 9781897045206 9781554881710
- LCCN
- HE635.Z7
- LCCN Item number
- G74 2007eb
- Modifying agency
- CaBNVSL
- Original cataloging agency
- CaBNVSL
- Physical Description | Extent
- 1 electronic text (xviii, 301 p., [8] p. of plates)
- Published in
- Canada
- Publisher or Distributor Number
- CaOOCEL
- Rights
- Access restricted to authorized users and institutions
- System Control Number
- (CaBNVSL)thg00603243 (OCoLC)431570791 (CaOOCEL)410795
- System Details Note
- Mode of access: World Wide Web
- Transcribing agency
- CaBNVSL
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents 6
- Acknowledgements 8
- Foreword by Maurice Smith 10
- Prologue by Paul Carroll 11
- Introduction 16
- PART ONE: THE ERA OF FRENCH CONTROL ON THE GREAT LAKES, 1678–1760 20
- 1 The Beginning of Sail on Lake Ontario, 1678 22
- 2 The Building of the Griffon, 1679 32
- 3 The Voyage of the Griffon and the Loss: Where is She Now? 40
- 4 The French Era Ends 50
- PART TWO: EVENTS FROM 1760 UNTIL AFTER THE WAR OF 1812 60
- 5 Between the Wars 62
- 6 Events Leading Up to the War of 1812 71
- 7 Declaration of War 81
- 8 A Shipbuilder's War 87
- 9 The Lake Ontario Theatre in 1813–14 103
- 10 Comments on the Battle of Lake Erie 113
- 11 Disaffection 122
- 12 Negotiations for Peace 127
- 13 The Saga of the Nancy 131
- 14 The Story of the HMS St. Lawrence 144
- PART THREE: SHIPBUILDING IN A WILDERNESS SETTING 148
- 15 Ship Construction in the Early 19th Century 150
- PART FOUR: COMMERCIAL SAIL ON THE LAKES UNTIL THE EARLY 1900s 188
- 16 Schooner Days, Anecdotal Material and Commercial Sail 190
- 17 Fur Trade on the Lakes 222
- 18 Fishing on the Lakes 229
- 19 The Timber Droghers 246
- 20 Other Commercial Sail, Ore Carriers and Stone Hookers 256
- Epilogue 264
- Appendix A: Brief Biographies of Featured Artists 268
- Appendix B: Chronology 272
- Appendix C: Place Names 276
- Appendix D: Selected Glossary 277
- Notes 282
- Bibliography 304
- Index 313
- A 313
- B 313
- C 314
- D 316
- E 316
- F 316
- G 317
- H 318
- I 318
- J 318
- K 319
- L 319
- M 320
- N 321
- O 322
- P 322
- Q 323
- R 323
- S 324
- T 325
- U 326
- V 326
- W 326
- Y 327
- About the Author 328
