The Canadian Canoe Museum’s James Raffan explains the mysterious and fascinating story of how one of the world’s oldest birch bark canoes came into their possession.
A rare birch bark canoe find
The Enys canoe was found in a stone barn in Cornwall by the relatives of a British soldier named John Enys who had been in Canada in the 18th century. Raffan explains that while they don’t know exactly how old the canoe is, there is written documentation placing Enys in Canada in the late 18th century, and it is likely he took the canoe with him when he returned home to England. After the discovery of the canoe, the family reached out to an English museum to explore next steps for the interesting find. Check out the video to find out how the Enys canoe made it across the Atlantic to rest in Peterborough, Ont.
