When you think of Prohibition Era rum running, images of Al Capone and gang warfare pop right to the fore. But sometimes it was a little more wholesome, as we recently discovered. While researching the
Ledyard Canoe Club for the
exhibit currently on display here in Rauner Library, Jaime Eeg discovered tales of Lake Champlain "expeditions" in 1931. How convenient it was to paddle up across the Canadian border, pick up some supplies then silently paddle back south. Just good clean exercise that would never draw the attention of anyone in law enforcement!
The reason we have such great documentation of the Ledyard Canoe Club, and why we can tell this story today is because of the collecting savvy and generosity of Jay Evans '49, who passed away last month. Jay was a guiding force both locally and nationally in kayaking and canoeing and he will be sorely missed by the Dartmouth community.
The exhibit will be up through June 15th, so stop by and take a look. After that, ask for DO-31.
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