Goderich Signal Star, 2017-05-24, Page 7Wednesday, May 24, 2017 • Signal Star 7
The Odyssey of the War Canoe 'Menesetung', August 1891
IDn July 27, 1891,
James Wilkinson,
a 63 year-old
Goderich carpenter,
launched his homemade
boat into the Maitland
River before a large crowd
of curious onlookers.
The new vessel was
christened the 'Menese-
tung' and as the 'Huron
Signal' observed, she 'did
honour to her Indian
name as she floated
gracefully' into Lake
Huron.
Propelled by 25 pad-
dles, when crewed by a
full complement of'war-
riors,' the `Signal' noted
that the `Menesetung is of
great carrying capacity
and remarkable solidity.'
The `Menesetung's
'easy movements in the
water and admirable
.management' dispelled
any concerns about its
seaworthiness as she was
about to embark on a
unique odyssey.
The Grand Army of the
Republic (G.A.R.) was
having its 26th national
encampment in Detroit,
Michigan from August
5-7, 1891.
The G.A.R was an
organization of Union
Civil War veterans formed
in 1866. By the 1890's, the
G.A.R had over 400,000
members.
Its annual encampment
was a spectacle of parades,
patriotic music and a car-
nival atmosphere.
The G.A.R. encamp-
ments drew hundreds of
thousands of veterans,
their families and onlook-
ers each year from across
the northern states and
Canada.
In Goderich, a group of
adventurous young men,
mostly students and store
clerks, decided to take the
`Menesetung' war canoe
to the G.A.R encampment
in Detroit.
The 'Signal' hoped the
arrival of the `Menese-
tung' in Detroit would
Huron History
David Yates
`create a sensation' and
'be a big advertisement
for Goderich:
On Saturday, August 1,
thirteen `Braves' met at
Wilkinson's wigwam to
plan their attack on
Detroit. They chose Rob-
ert Wilkinson, James' 24
year-old son, as their
`commodore:
When they set sail the
next day, Wilkinson's
braves let out a 'continu-
ous roll' of war whoops'
imitating the war cry of
what they believed to be
an Indian war party and
`captured' the steamer
`Pinafore.
The 'Pinafore' then
towed the unconven-
tional war canoe to Bay-
field where they began
'paddling their own
canoe' in earnest.
Hector Hays, the last of
the `Menesetung' braves,
recalled in 1944 that the
thirteen `strong armed
paddlers fairly nearly
lifted the canoe out of the
water' when they pulled
deep on their paddles.
The war party's compo-
sition represented the
best young athletes in
town. John Platt, aged 30,
was the son of Samuel
Platt, the discoverer of
salt in Goderich.
Platt was one of the
town's star sportsmen
known for his feats of ath-
letic prowess. Hector
Hays remembered that all
the 'Menesetung's braves
were active sportmen
who played baseball and
competed in the 'high
bicycle' and horse races
on the Square.
Heavy waves forced the
braves to stop several
times. Several of the
younger crewmen were
G.A.R. Encampment, Detroit, 1891.
badly shaken up by their
ordeal on the lake and
needed time to
recuperate.
However, news of their
journey spread down the
lakeshore by telegraph.
On Monday afternoon,
August 3, the war party
reached Sarnia where
they were officially
received by the mayor.
A dinner was held in
their honour at the Bell -
chamber Hotel with other
civic officials. At Port
Lambton, they were
entertained by the U.S.
Consul.
The `Menesetung' and
her war party were then
towed by another
steamer across Lake
Sinclair.
On Tuesday morning,
the U.S. Consul wired
ahead to let authorities in
Detroit know that the
`Menesetung' was on its
way. At Belle Isle, they
were given a gun salute.
Hays recalled that as
they were flying the
Union Jack, one `wise-
cracker' amongst the
party said 'pull down the
flag, Bob [Wilkinson],
they're shooting at us.'
According to an
account in the `Signal;
their progress down the
lake was witnessed by
thousands, who turned
out along the shores to
`heartily cheer' the 'Men-
esetung' as she and her
warriors passed by.
The `Menesetung's crew
had paddled between 70
to 80 miles on the down
bound journey against
'very lumpy water.'
When they arrived in
Detroit on Tuesday after-
noon, they were housed
in a boathouse and were
the guests of 'The Michi-
gan Farmer' newspaper, a
weekly journal with sev-
eral Goderich connec-
tions; the paper was run
by the Gibbons brothers,
nephews of former Huron
County Sheriff John
Gibbons.
Jack Naim, another
Goderich native, took
time off to entertain the.
crewmen. One of the war
party, Thomas Nairn, was
a relative.
The `Menesetung's war
party took in the specta-
cle of the G.A.R's
encampment where they
were a bit of a curiousity.
The `Signal' reported that
the `tribe' was 'having a
Photo courtesy of www thed o.com
good time' all along the
journey.
On August 6, they
began the return journey.
They paddled back to Sar-
nia and took passage on
the steamer 'Monarch'
with their canoe.
They arrived back in
Goderich on Saturday
morning, August 8. A sec-
ond 'Menesetung' voyage
was planned for the next
year never took place.
At least two of the
`Menesetung's braves
(Thomas Nairn, and John
Platt) became founding
members of the Menese-
tung Canoe Club in 1906.
However, the war canoe
itself, was deemed unsea-
worthy for any future
adventures and her odys-
sey an all but forgotten bit
of local folklore.