Canoeshuk

History of LBL’s Canoeshuk

The coming of the 75^th anniversary of the L.B.L.A. got me thinking about a monument for the lake. I have traveled to Alaska and experienced the Indian art forms. I also have erected a few small inukshuks on our point at the mouth of the narrows. Lower Beverley Lake has a long history of native Americans and early settlers establishing a canoe route to theSt. Lawrence River.

One of my first Inukshuk designs was much larger and would have spanned two islands of the same group of rock islands where it now stands, with a miniaturization concept to theThousand Islands Bridge – US and Canadian unity, etc. I realized that my bridge concept between islands was beyond my scope of ability because of the distance between islands.

By this time, the talk on the lake was the canoe route so I turned my efforts to the canoeshuk. The base of the canoeshuk depicts the earth, with the larger top stone being the lake. The canoe marks the way for the ancient canoe route through the lake.

I presented my idea to the L.B.L.A for consideration and approval, which was granted. Construction of the canoe was the next hurdle to overcome. Through the lake grapevine I heard that a barge and backhoe were coming on the lake. I lined up a good friend from the lake, Ken Jeffries, who loves to work with stone. Ken and I went to Jackson’s Stone Quarry and picked out stones (5500lbs.) and they were delivered to the dock in Lyndhurst and loaded onto the barge. About 6 hours later on July 10^th, 2007 the inukshuk was in place on the island.

The canoe I designed was also carved at Jackson’s quarry and the lettering was inscribed by Leeder Monuments, Gananoque – HONOUR THE PATH, LOWER BEVERLEY LAKE ASSOC.2007. On September 6, 2008, Ken and I picked it up at Leeder’s, transported it to the lake and loaded it into a small boat and out to the island. It was placed on the base with the assistance of Bob Faust and Nick Neiley and there it stands today, a tribute to the past and present.

Ed VanVoorhis