Monday, November 09, 2009

Canoeing with the Cree

by Eric Sevareid
Hennepin County Library, audioCD, 3 hrs 45 min.
read by John Farrell

In 1930, the author and his friend Walter Port convinced the Minneapolis Star to finance a canoe trip from Minneapolis to the Hudson Bay. The boys were newly graduated from high school and full of enthusiasm. What an adventure!

My dad really enjoyed this story, so I decided to listen to it, too. As I was in the car listening, I wanted to see a map and trace their journey. They persevered through things that would have deterred most people. What an amazing story! It's definitely a product of its time, though, with references to "half-breeds" and other derogatory terms for the Cree Indians.

All in all, though, a cool story. I love that they were successful despite so many people telling them they'd never make it.

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