LEDYARD'S TRADITION LIVES
YEARS HAVE passed since John Ledyard first launched his log canoe on the river and set out for Hartford, nearly 200 miles south. But his vagabond spirit has survived: each year the Ledyard Canoe Club follows him down-river to the sea, and in the thirteen years of its activity has found new fields to conquer.
The last decade has seen a steady growth of the Club, until now, with fifteen canoes, the clubhouse on the river, complete life-saving equipment, and an enthusiastic group of 60 members, it is counted a genuine Dartmouth institution. Still a small club, it has not yet acquired the elaborate organization that comes with wide expansion. Informality rules in all Club affairs, and the cares and duties of responsibility give way to the joys of long trips, of lazy days on the river, and to the goodfellowship of an evening meal under the tall pines of the river bank.
Depression has sought out Hanover, sheltered though it may be, and has left its mark on every field of student activity. But, thanks to the providence of its founders, the Canoe Club has been remarkably free from financial worries and has been able to maintain all its property and equipment.
The new boathouse, built in 1930, stands on the river-bank just out of sight of the bridge. Its clubroom does almost constant service as study, messhall, and gathering-place. In its comfortable fireplace an old-fashioned iron kettle, swinging from its crane, does yeoman duty, while the motto "Cohaereamus," carved above, bears witness to hours of pleasant comradeship. Fifteen canoes of varied design fill the racks of the boathouse, while paddles line the walls, some of them carefully shaved and decorated to suit their owners' fancy. A separate building houses two rowboats, an outboard motor, and the necessary equipment (the gift of the College) for the life-saving crew, which stands by for accidents on the river. Spring sees the height of activity about the clubhouse, with leisurely canoists up and down the river, and an occasional enthusiast diligently practicing his racing-stroke, with weekly feeds under the pines and later a few fellows remaining to spend the night, despite the hectic dash for eight-o'clocks in the morning. Notable also in the Club's equipment are its three cabins, all on islands in the river. Johnny Johnson and Occom cabins offer overnight accommodations for small parties, while Chase cabin, just below the "Narrows" has been renovated and outfitted for large feeds.
Membership in the Club is definitely limited by the number of canoes available. New members are taken in twice a year, chiefly on the basis of their paddling ability and interest in the Club, as shown by the number of feeds attended at the various cabins. The last few years have seen an increasingly exacting paddling test, for only ten or twelve can be selected from the thirty applicants.
Two new policies of the Club deserve mention: one the summer work, the other the life-saving organization. During the last two summers a Summer Director has been in Hanover from June to September, opening the Club's facilities to the community at a nominal charge for summer membership. He is also available as a guide to camps that are planning trips on the Connecticut or White River, and is ready to rent canoes for this purpose.
Life-saving organization has taken definite shape under Dick Goddard '2O, who has formed a corps consisting of members of the local fire department and members of the Club. They are instructed in the fundamentals of life-saving and are ready for immediate action in case of emergency. Life preservers have been placed by the Club at advantageous points, and still further precautions are taken by placing a ban on the river during the highest of the spring water, and by requiring strict physical exams before any major trip.
Racing has become a new and increasingly important part of the Club's activities. The five-mile race from Johnny Johnson island to the Clubhouse is hotly contested each spring, with a pair of paddles as the winner's share. The regatta, which comes late in May each year, is a battle-royal for the Co-op Cup, and draws most of the Club into its eight events. Two racing canoes, Nip and Tuck, have been purchased in the last year, and are in almost constant use during the spring and early fall. The conclusive proof that racing has found a place in the Club, however, lies in the fact that for three years the Club has sent entries to the twenty-mile marathon race on the Charles River, held each Memorial Day under the auspices of a Boston Club.
Oldest of them all, to be sure, is the cruise to the sea. Invoking John Ledyard as the canoes are loaded, we push off on Wednesday afternoon, and reach the mouth of the river off Saybrook, Conn., on Sunday morning. Portages, the campfire at night, the stillness of the dark river and the moon, sleep in the bottom of the canoe, long hours of sun, dripping paddles and tired arms, and at last the cool plunge into the salt water: all these are memories of the 220 miles from Hanover to the Sea.
The White River affords the most concentrated excitement of the year. Starting from Bethel, Vt., it offers twenty-five miles of fast current, with poling a necessity in shallow stretches, and plenty of fast runs through rapids to tax the skill of the best. The greatest thrill of the day comes at Sharon, where we shoot the old logging dam, a sharp drop of nearly two feet. This trip of necessity comes late in the season, for spills are the rule, and dry clothes the exception. Its popularity however, cannot be doubted, for last May saw a fleet of eight canoes on the river, and on the next afternoon sixteen tired but jubilant young rivermen paddled under the old bridge to the dock, with a store of "tall stories" for the stay-at-homes.
Yet perhaps the most eagerly awaited trip is the first one of the year, the Lake Champlain trip. Last year's trip crossed from Burlington, Vt., north to Rousses Point, N. Y. and thence into Canada and down the Richelieu River to St. Jean, P. Q. Four of us left Hanover late on Thursday, canoes lashed firmly to the cars, and packs and paddles piled everywhere. Arrived at Burlington we stopped for dinner, then loaded the canoes for the long trip. As we left the harbor behind, the moon rose over the silhouetted shore of the lake; quite but for the drip of our paddles, we crossed the dark bay as the lights of the city slipped behind. Late that night we beached the canoes and slept four short hours on an isolated island. We were up at daybreak, with ideal conditions—a warm sun, and the gentlest of breezes. During the morning, we made our way through two large flows of honeycombed ice, the last vestige of winter. After noon the wind rose, and we went ashore for welcome rest and an even more welcome meal. Then off again as the sun set behind the snowcapped Adirondacks, into the wind and waves, with our canoes protected now by tight-fitting canvas covers. Two more hours of strenuous paddling brought us to Rousses Point, and, after touring the town, we made our way to Fort Montgomery, the "Fort Blunder" of 1818. There we slept under the cold moon, and in the morning crossed the border into Canada. We fought against a grudging wind for the last twenty miles down the Richelieu to St. Jean, where we stored the canoes for next week's trip and made our way home by rail.
But the exhilaration of the waves and the wind, the long still shadows of the dark lake as the canoe slipped through the night, the cameraderie of good friends in the open air—these are memories that are indelible, and go far to explain the enthusiasm that has penetrated every field of the Club's activity and brought it to its mature growth in the last few years.
Ledyard Canoe Club House on the River
LEDYARD. CANOE. CLUB. 1920
