The canoes were beautifully displayed at Kan-
dalore in a handsome log building especially built for the purpose. As the collection grew to 600 boats the building could no longer contain them all and some of the largest had to be stored outside under shelters. In addition to the worries about financing, the danger of fire and theft was ever present, humidity and temperature controls were out of the question, and insurance was im- possible. Kirk’s resources were stretched to the limit. The time had come to seek a solution. When it became known that Kirk was seeking
a new location for his collection in the 1980s, a group at Trent University began exploring the possibility of establishing a museum in Peter- borough, the home of the famous Peterborough Canoe Company. After negotiations with the newly formed Canadian Canoe Museum were complete, the transfer of canoes took place over several summers in the mid-1990s, whenever trucks and volunteers to drive them were avail- able. Kirk’s collection had found a new home in a safe and controlled environment. The collection was first put on display to the
public in May, 1996. In the words of John Jen- nings, historian and founding member of the museum’s board of directors, “The collection that Kirk Wipper has amassed over four decades is the foremost collection of canoes and kayaks in the world. It is a national treasure that speaks to Canada’s identity and represents much of her early history.” To give Kirk the last word: “I always knew that
one day the public would take the collection to its heart, pick up the torch and run with it.” Kirk has been honoured with the Order of
Canada and the Order of Ontario for creating this national treasure, but as he says, “It’s not what one has done, but what one might still do that is important—Never rest on your paddle.” —Gwyneth Hoyle is the co-author of Canoeing
North into the Unknown and is currently working on a biography of northern surveyor Guy Blanchet.
Kirk transported this 1970 Salish racing canoe from British Columbia on the top of his pickup truck. Sheltering the 53-foot dugout at Camp Kandalore proved to be a challenge.
CANOE ROOTS n 33
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