Pamela Strickland, age 12, of Burlington, Vt., for her question:
WHO MADE THE FIRST CANOE?
Historians tell us that the canoe developed 500 years or so ago from the seagoing dugouts of the Carib Indians of the Caribbean islands. These dugouts were made from large tree trunks which had been shaped and then hollowed out. We don't know who actually made the first canoe, however.
The word "canoe" comes from "kanu," the Carib term for such a dugout. The early Indians of North America made canoes by fastening bark, mostly birch bark, to a wooden frame or by hollowing out tree trunks.
From the very first days they were built, the light canoes proved to be ideal for the continent's vast system of lakes, rivers and streams.
During the 1600s, canoes played an important part in the exploration of North America. In 1637, Louis Joliet, a French Canadian explorer, and Father Jacques Marquette, a French missionary, traveled the Mississippi River in birch bark canoes.
The most common means of transportation for the early Indians of Canada and the United States was by water. Some of their large dugout canoes could carry as many as 60 people.
Early Indians also made some of their canoes out of reeds while the Plains Indians stretched buffalo skins over a round frame to make a bull boat. Indians of the north developed toboggans as winter replacements for their canoes.
Today canoes can be made of aluminum, fiberglass, plastic, inflatable rubber or wood and canvas. Most measure from 11 to 20 feet in length and range from 35 to 40 inches at the widest point. Their depth varies from 12 to 14 inches. Most are open boats that have no decks, although a number of them do have decks and snug cockpits to hold the passengers.
Canoes are extremely popular boats. They are easy to operate, maintain, store and transport. Also, they cost little compared to many other kinds of boats.
Today's modern canoes hold from one to four persons. A canoeist needs only two pieces of equipment to enjoy a boat ride: a canoe and a paddle.
For today's canoe, a canoeist can select from a number of softwood paddles. Most are made of pine or spruce and, although light, they are extremely strong.
In general, a canoeist should select a paddle that extends from the ground to eye level.
Paddles vary in width just as they vary in length. A wide paddle provides a powerful stroke but requires a lot of strength and skill to operate. A popular type is called the beaver tail blade and it measures from six to eight inches wide.