FORT ASSINIBOINE – The inaugural voyage of the new Fort Assiniboine Legacy Voyager Canoe happened on Oct. 7, with eight canoers providing the paddle power.
The canoers of this inaugural event are all passionately involved in protecting the water and sharing their canoeing experience with others.
“We paddled 6.6 kilometers,” said Matt Webber, craftsman of the 25-foot Legacy Voyager canoe.
Webber was the stern seat paddler in the Legacy Voyager canoe with Teresa Olson as bow seat paddler.
The other six paddlers included: Coun. Peter Kuelken from Woodlands County; Dan Moore, chairman of the committee; Colleen Kiselyk from Nature Alive Barrhead; Petra Rowell from Athabasca Water Shed; and Rick Zrobak and Illo Harpe, a Hinton canoe couple.
Quentin and Teresa Olson spearheaded this project which was the result of many hearts and minds joining together.
The 2023 Fort Assiniboine Bi-Centennial celebration saw a well-attended canoe brigade event.
Two thousand people attended the bicentennial and fourteen hundred were fed that day.
It was a melting pot of communities joining together to assist Fort Assiniboine in organizing and delivering this huge celebration in 2023.
Woodlands County, Barrhead County, the Town of Barrhead, the hamlet of Bloomsbury, the MTM Agricultural Society and the hamlet of Blue Ridge all contributed to the success.
Woodlands County donated $75,000 towards the 2023 event.
“Due to the generosity of all the communities and numerous individuals from Whitecourt to Athabasca there was a surplus of funds that were used to purchase the Voyageur Canoe,” said Teresa Olson.
The acquisition of a Voyager Canoe was assessed as an investment benefit in tourism for the Fort Assiniboine area.
The Legacy Voyager canoe has already been rented out for 14 days.
The Legacy Voyager is an addition to the Canadian fleet of Voyager canoes and has already been to Manitoba for a 13-day excursion.
The trailer to carry the Legacy Voyager was also a multi-person project with Quentin Olson and Councillor Peter Kuelken working together to get everything outfitted.
The trailer was sandblasted, painted, the cabinets for storage were donated and installed and all the gear for canoeing is provided with the canoe.
There have been three major brigade events connected to Fort Assiniboine all adding to the growing reputation of Fort Assiniboine as a Voyager Brigade location.
“It's a legend what happened here in 2017 with all the hundreds and hundreds of people that showed up,” Dan Moore commented.
“You also build all these friendships and relationships with the people.”
People came from all over the world for these events, from England, Scotland, and Wisconsin, to name a few.
Moore and Webber are directors of the Canadian Voyageur Brigade Society and will spread the word about the amazing new Legacy Voyager canoe.
The Fort Assiniboine Friendship Club and Museum is very grateful for the donations.
Inquiries about renting the canoe can be made to Dale at [email protected]. or 780-305-6921
