CANADA Transportation in Early Times By: Sonia Kak

Years ago travelling in Canada was difficult because it was a big country with vast distances. Canada is the second largest country in the world. It stretches for over 5514 Km which is about 551 400 school buses long. (1 Km is like lining up 10 school buses together). Canada is a country of huge mountain ranges, vast plains and fields, thick forests, and a large number of lakes and rivers. People in different areas used different means of transportation. Why do you think transportation has always been one of the most important things for people?

Canada has many waterways like seas, great lakes, and rivers Canada has many waterways like seas, great lakes, and rivers. And these waterways were the most efficient means of transport for the First Nations.

The birch-bark canoe The Eastern Woodland people , who lived near the rivers, used water as a means of transport extensively. They made canoes out of birch-bark which grew abundantly in that area. The birch bark canoe was tough, waterproof and light in weight. Its light weight made it easy to store and to carry from one place to another. Watch how Birch Bark canoe was build in the series by Ray Mears on youtube. Click here to view it. For a quick step by step process video click here.

Click here to see how cedar canoe is built The cedar canoe The first nations people of the west coast developed sturdier canoes that were carved from the trunks of cedar trees. These canoes were large enough to carry many paddlers and could be plowed through the high waves of the Atlantic ocean. Click here to see how cedar canoe is built

Voyageur canoe The Voyager canoe was made by the early European settlers for discovery and trading purposes. The voyageur canoes were used to transport trade goods like furs.These canoes were about 10 meters long and carried heavy loads almost as heavy as an asian elephant. Asian elephant

On the Atlantic coast, bigger ships were used to transport goods to and from Canada from other countries. Saint John was ranked as the 4th largest ship building port in the world. It was known as the most powerful shipping and trading city in the world. Canadian ships were popular for their great size and fast speed. One of the most famous Canadian ships was Marco Polo. It was built in Saint John in 1851 and was considered the fastest ship in the world.

The Bluenose The Bluenose was Canada’s most famous sailing vessel. It was launched in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia on March 26, 1921, and it won many sailing races including the International Fishermen's Races and was named the Queen of the North Atlantic Fishing Fleet. It is not hard to imagine its popularity and importance when you see an image of Bluenose placed on the Canadian 50 cent stamps and dimes.

But not all of the land could be traveled by the canoes and other means of transport to travel on land had to be thought of…..

A horse travois The travois was a frame made with a platform or netting slung between two long trailing wooden poles. The travois resembled a sledge and was used to drag goods and belongings over the land routes. It was sometimes dragged by hand or by dogs or horses. A horse travois was used to pull heavier loads.

Inuit dogsled Inuit sleds were mainly made from wood, whalebone, or antlers. It was pulled by sled dogs. Sled dogs were beautiful, loyal, kind and strong. They could pull heavy loads for days at a time.

Red River Cart This cart was a two wheeled vehicle made entirely of wood and tied together with leather, and was drawn behind an ox. Its high wheels were made with wood from the elm tree for strength. The cart was an ideal means of transport in the prairies and could carry heavy loads. Prairies

Cariboo Stagecoach Stories say that gold was found in the Cariboo in mid 1800s. The Cariboo road was a Gold Rush Trail that was constructed for people and miners who travelled for days in search of gold. The Caribou stagecoaches carried passengers, freight and gold through northern British Columbia. For teachers: To know more about the gold rush click here to read. Suggesting reading - book by Austin F Frith

The Horse Drawn Sleigh A horse drawn sleigh used a few horses tied together to the sleigh to pull it. It was also used to pull heavy loads of lumber from the woodlands.

To be continued….History of Canadian Railways and Steamers to Canadian Cars and Aircrafts.

References Complied from various sources: http://www.tourcanada.com/bluenose.htm http://www.canadianvoyageur.com/voyageur/history.html http://www.sleddogcentral.com/canadian_eskimo.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travois Pictures from Google Images and Google Clipart Inspired by the book Exploring Heritage by R Benson, L Bryan, K Newlove, C Player, and L Stenson