Woodsmen. Historical Travel and Facts.

Washington's Crossing (Allegheny River) By John Buxton.

Then we had our Biscuit, which was laid in for the Voyage,

delivered to us, with 1 lb of Pork to each, and kindling large

fires we cooked our Provisions for next day and slept around

the Fires, each of us being provided with a blanket. We kept

along the southeast shore of Ontario Lake, and passed so near

to the English Fort called Conquen or Oswego that we could

talk to the Centinels.

Friday 28. — We travelled all the next day down the said

creek, and just at night found some tracks where Indians had

been hunting. We parted, and appointed a place a distance

off, where to meet, it being then dark. We encamped, and

thought ourselves safe enough to sleep.

Saturday 29. — We set out early, got to Alleghany, made a

raft, and with much difficulty got over to an island, alittle above

Shannopin's town. The Major having fallen in from off the

raft, and my fingers frost-bitten, and the sun down, and very

cold, we contented ourselves to encamp upon that island. It

was deep water between us and the shore ; but the cold did

us some service, for in the morning it was frozen hard enough

for us to pass over on the ice.

From Saturday 21 to Tuesday, Jan'^ 7. — We stayed at this

Place, We had a good Deal of Snow & bad Weather — My

Son had the Misfortune to have his Feet frost-bitten, which

kept Us much longer here than We intended however We

kill'd Plenty of Deer Turkeys &c and fared very well — The

Land hereabouts very good but to the W and SW it is hilly.

1752

Wednesday Jan'>' 8 — My Son's Feet being somewhat

better, We set out S 30 W 5 M, S 45 W 3 M, the Land

middling good but hilly — I found my Son's Feet too tender

to travel, and we were obliged to stop again.

From Thursday 9 to Sunday 19. — We stayed at this Place

— While We were here We killed Plenty of Bear Deer &

Elk, so that We lived very well.

Monday 20. — We set out W j M — here we were stopped

by Snow.

Tuesday 21. — Stayed all the Day in the Camp.

Wednesday 22. — Set out S 45 W 12 M, where we scared

a Panther from under a Rock where there was Room enough

for Us, in it We encamped & had good Shelter.

We went then a south west course by Land eighty

five miles, where we came to a small river and there we made

a little Boat which carried only two men and our provisions.

The rest travelled by land for two days and then we came to

a large river, where we enlarged our Barge so as she carried

all our Company, and whatever loading we had to put into

her.

, being in a strange place ;

far from home, destitute of friends, clothing money and arms,

and in that deplorable condition had been obliged to under-

take a journey of five hundred miles, but -a gentleman who

was commander of a Privateer and now lay at Charlestown

with whom we had discoursed several times gave to each of

us a gun and a sword and would have given us ammunition

but that he had but little. On the eighteenth day of April

we left Charlestown the second time and travelled by land,

and on the seventeenth day of May 1745 we arrived at my

house, having been absent three years two months and one

day from my family, having in that time by the nicest calculation I am able to make, travelled by Land and water four

thousand six hundred and six miles, since I left my own

House till I returned Home again.

The Journal of Christopher Gist, 1750-1751

August 27^th. – Set off again in the morning early; rainy weather. We dined in a Seneca Town, where an old Seneca woman reigns with great authority. We dined at her house, and they all used us very well at this and the last mentioned Delaware Town. They received us by firing a great many guns, especially at this place. We saluted the town by firing off four pairs of pistols.

The journal of Conrad Weiser, Esq., Indian Interpreter: 1748.

Australian Canoe Making Workshop.

http://anmm.wordpress.com/2014/03/07/nawi-workshop/

Baynton & Wharton Traders.

Morgan to Baynton & Wharton July 20th 1768.
Kaskaskia July 20th 1768

I was going on with the forgoing When Simon Girty^ one of our
Hunters came in from the Shawana River & informd me that about
thirty Indians had attackd our Boat & that no body had made their
Escape but himself that he knew of. He is a Lad Who is particularly
attach'd to me otherwise he would not have come here to give me
this Intelligence but would have immediately proceeded to Fort Pitt.
Mr. Hollingshead will give you his Character. The inclosed Letter
which I wrote to Mr Rumsey, will give you a short but plain Relation
of this Tragical Affair. He has given me this Letter, that I need not
have the Trouble of again recollecting every Part & writing it over.
I therefore refer you to it. Inclosure N°. P

Had not this Disaster happend, we should have collected more
Skins from that Quarter by Dec'' next than we trade for here in
twelve Months. There was a generous Strife between the Hunters,
who should do most for me — & pleased themselves very greatly with
reckoning up every Night how much Money We shoul make by
their Industry — Which each of them daily declared should not be
Wanting — for that Mr Morgan had used them so well that they
could not do too much for him.
Besides the Skins, they would have renderd about 20 M W* of
Tallow & brought in Meat sufficient for the Garrison all next Year.
They had agreed to remove about 15 or twenty miles higher up the
River that very Day.

Wampanoag man working on a boat

The Bounty (1984)

The Great Lakes NSW.

Captain Cook and Matthew Flinders sailed by the area in 1770 and 1799 respectively. Two ships were wrecked off Cape Hawke in 1816, presumably introducing the first white people to the area. The Captain of one of the ships, his wife, child and two crew reached Newcastle. The rest were presumed killed by the indigenous inhabitants of the area.

In 1818, John Oxley and his party, on route to Sydney after an inland expedition, carried a boat from Booti Booti to Boomerang Beach where they spent the night. One of the party was speared by the local Aborigines who watched them from canoes.


Timbergetters investigated Cape Hawke in 1831 and they appear to have treated the indigenous inhabitants very badly. They later scoured the rainforests for cedar and pine using the Wang Wauk River and Wallis Lake to float logs to the coast. We saw signs of old winches and lots of old wharfs now left to decay. Timbergetting, milling, shipbuilding and fishing were the principal industries in the early days with sailing ships then steamships carrying fortnightly cargoes to Sydney.

We tried to find an old mill that we knew was up one of the creeks, but our passage was blocked by years of disuse and the growth of Cumbungi. Days were spent slowly gliding over crystal clear waters where the bottom was visible and littered with gears from old winches, bolts and water logged timbers from old wharfs. There were little shacks dotted about further back in the bush which we suspect were fishing shacks. We found an old cottage on an island long deserted. Other house foundations lay not far from the shore. These houses and workshops instead of being preserved were destroyed by the government to stop people squatting in them.

It gave us a strange feeling being dressed and equipped as we were in 18th century style, travelling this area that had once been an area bustling with boats and sailing ships. Being in winter we were mostly alone on the lakes, although earlier we had met with four unsavory characters who we assumed must be river pirates. They picked up our trail shortly after leaving the wharf near the town that was still intact. We watched them jogging along the shoreline to keep up with us. They were quite a ways off, so may not have been able to see us well. We lost track of them just before we made camp. We think that they knowing the area better than we did got ahead of us to an area they expected us to camp at, because after we made camp they blundered into us coming from the opposite direction to what we had been travelling. They were surprised to see us there and very morose looking. They passed us by without a word. We think that had we not looked like we did, or had not been who we are, there could have been trouble. I could be wrong, they may just have been curious, but given the long way they had travelled and the reception we received, I don’t think so.

I wish we could have spent longer on the lakes, but Arthur had to return to Armidale for work at the university. There was still a lot left for us to discover on the Great Lakes, so Arthur planned to build a sea going period sail boat with a small cabin, so we could cover more distance in a shorter period of time, and go out of one lake into the sea and back into another lake. But sadly Arthur died from cancer before he could start work on the boat, and that was to be our last trip to The Great Lakes.

Historical Trekking by Boat. Lessons Learned!

I have been making some improvements to my boat. Many years ago there was another boat just like this one only slightly smaller. It was equiped with a sail and a detachable mast which was carried in the boat. This craft when sail rigged flew like the wind, fastest I have ever been on the water.
However, on one such trek we were hit by a storm. We got the sail down but were still swamped and we had to get out and swim the boat to shore. This was in winter on the Great Lakes.
I almost lost my water bottle as it kept getting washed away.
On another trip my canoe tipped over in crock infested waters! I lost my new 74 calibre buffalo gun that day. I was lucky to make the river bank alive, and I was not about to go diving for my gun!

I have augered holes in the cargo hold stern board for threading rope through.

Also augered holes in the back of the new seat I added at the bow. The threaded rope will form a sort of net that will keep the cargo in the hold should the boat capsize.

I made a removable raised floor for the cargo hold to help keep things dry if water gets into the boat.

These rope holes will also be used to secure guns and anything else that might get lost in a capsize. The water canteen for instance is kept close at hand.

As you can see in this image, there was no forward seating, and I had to sit on Arthur's large bedroll.

More Boat Images, past & present.

Arthur in the boat prior to leaving on our journey on the Great Lakes.

Myself and my wife in Wychwood Forest. This image was taken for a group publicity article in a magazine.

An encounter with river pirates left some damage!

My Boat.

I have finally got my boat out for repair. It has been stored down at the old fort for far too long. This boat was built many years ago by the late Arthur William Baker, a very close personal friend and family friend. It was built to explore the Great Lakes, and every winter Arthur and I would make the run down to the Lakes and spend a week or two travelling and camping.
The boat needs more work than I anticipated, so it will keep me busy for a while. Rains stopped work yesterday, and it is overcast today. I need some good sunshine for a change, something I am normally not fond of.
This boat was built to a period style, though the exact name escapes me for present. It handled well on the Great Lakes taking us far up little tributaries that only a canoe could possibly navigate. This boat is about 16 feet long, and a dream to handle by one or two persons loaded or unloaded. I am looking forward to getting it back in the water again.

Trekking By Water. Saving our creeks & Rivers.

This video is shot in England, but although we do not have chalk streams over here in Australia the message is even more important for us. Water is something special, running water is relaxing. Water gives life, and without it we simply could not live here. A close friend and I used to trek on the Great Lakes each winter in a period boat, it was a great expeience and a lot of fun.
The Great Lakes in Canada are now poisoned, unfit for drinking and fishing. Dispite this some locals still eat the fish even though some now have cancer from doing so.
Please watch this video and think about what you can do in your own way to save water and stop pollution.