History of canoeing part two
"While the origin of the canoe may be shroud-:d in mystery and speculation, certain it is that he use of this type craft for sporting and recreaional purposes among civilized peoples can Ilefinitely be ascribed to a British barrister, John lacgregor, as a result of his development of the lob Roy type canoe in 1865, and the books he rrote of his subsequent cruising throughout urope, Scandinavia and the Holy Land.
"Macgregor popularized canoeing as a sport. July 26th of this same year, 1865, saw the founding of the Royal Canoe Club at a meeting called by Macgregor at the Star and Garter Inn near London. Through the consequent activity, additional types of canoes were developed until by 1868 the 300 or more at the main clubhouse and at its branches on the Humber, the Mersey and at Oxford fell into general classifications as `racers,' `light boats' and 'Rob Roys'-each serving both as a paddling and as a sailing craft.
"About this same time, history has it that France adopted canoeing as a sport. It must have been in a desultory manner, however, since, prior to 1938, Frenchmen did not appear often in international competition; there have been but two well known French canoe clubs. Their devotees of the sport have handed down no heritage of canoeing literature.
"It was in 1871 that a group of enthusiasts, led by William L. Alden and M. Roosevelt Schuyler, organized the New York Canoe Club, at what is now St. George, Staten Island, N.Y. This start quickly led to the formation of other clubs. Some of these early clubs that are still in existence are: New York Canoe Club; Buffalo Canoe Club, N.Y.; Knickerbocker Canoe Club, Edgewater, N.J.; and Red Dragon Canoe Club, Philadelphia, Pa.
"Many small groups of ardent canoeists affiliated themselves with existing local rowing clubs and cruised and raced under the boat clubs' burgee.
"On Aug. 3, 1880, a group of 25 prominent canoeists met at Crosbyside Park, Lake George, N.Y., and organized the American Canoe Association, electing Alden, commodore of the N.Y.C.C. as the first commodore of the association, and Nathaniel H. Bishop, famous for his 1874 cruise from Quebec to the Gulf of Mexico in the paper canoe Maria Theresa as the first secretary-treasurer.
