"One Month in Algonquin Park by Canoe - Summer 1933" - The Diary of Ruthven Colquhoun McNairn
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- Опубліковано 19 сер 2024
- This unique film captures the history and adventure of Algonquin Park in it's early years, the summer of 1933, July and August, my great uncle Ruthven Colquhoun McNairn was 18 years old and spent a month in the park with his friend Colin Cam. As a budding writer, Ruthven documented his day to day adventures in a diary, leading almost 100 years later to this film, narrated by Steve Welch.
I never met Ruthven, but always saw his picture on the wall at my grandparents house. Whenever I would ask about him, and I was so curious, his older brother, Robert, my grandfather would stare into the distance - and he wouldn't talk much - which of course made me more curious.
Ruthven was a young writer always practicing his craft. He had had a hard time finishing school in his final year, and 1933 was a pivotal year for him. Earlier in the year, during the great depression, he headed to visit relatives in Denver Colorado, and ended up hitchhiking through North America, into the southern States and into Mexico. (This will be the second Ruthven diary film, coming soon). It was an amazing adventure and rekindled his zest for life. That epic year, 1933, continued on his return as he headed north to spend a month in Algonquin Park that summer.
Full of first hand accounts of what is now Algonquin Park history, the film includes descriptions of people and places such as the bustling Highland Inn on Cache Lake (since demolished), the mysterious Camp Minnising, Taylor Statten camps Wapameo and Ahmek, the "American outfit" Camp Pathfinder, Bartlett Lodge (still open), Kish Kaduk Lodge (now in ruins), Camp Tanamakoon, Daventry. Joe Lake Station, the pavilion at Lake Opeongo, and the many portages we are now so familiar with, when some of them were "new".
Ruthven's life was an amazing one - many years later he would enlist in the army and serve as a Captain of the Algonquin regiment in World War 2, marching through Europe and on to eventual victory. He would make it home from the war, but died shortly after in Hamilton from tuberculosis, which he had caught in Europe, not long before there was a cure.
His time in Algonquin helped give him the skills to be successful, and survive in the march across Europe years later, little did he know that as an eighteen year old boy searching for adventure.
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This is part one of an Algonquin "Double Header" - two films I am releasing this year about Algonquin. The second film, coming out in June, "Algonquin Park, Seven Days Deep" is from a recent week long trip in the park, a musical journey with spectacular scenes and magical Algonquin moments.
A third feature film comes out later this year as well : "Killarney Winds". It is an epic week long adventure in Killarney ending with a hike up the incredible Silver Peak.
Check out my channel for more films on :
Temagami, The French River, Kawartha Highlands, Algonquin Western Uplands trail, hiking the Avon Trail end to end and "Bruce Trail - The Movie" End to End on the 910 km Bruce Trail.
Plus lots of original music videos.
Thank you
stevewelchontario.com
Thanks to Turtleshell Studio where I recorded the narration. Great guys over there eh!
turtleshellstu...
/ @outoftheshelltv
/ @aroundtheshell4778
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I have listened to this a few times now. I wish there were more old dairy podcasts thru history read in podcast form. Thanks for the hard work.
Awesome - thanks for checking it out, it was very fun to make. I’m working on another Ruthven Diary film, from that same year 1933 when he took trains and hitchhiked to Denver, though the southern states and into Mexico over a couple of months during the Great Depression and it’s pretty fascinating. 👍
You had a perfect voice for an Algonquin back country story. Beyond amazing.
Thank you! Its always weird hearing your own voice so you can only guess that it may sound ok to others - so I appreciate the feedback and thanks for checking out the movie -
Great idea Steve. I really enjoyed the story and the imagery to compliment it.
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate the comment 👍
That was very enjoyable . thanks for sharing this journal. How nice that you have it.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I have all of his writings and am working on my next video project - a trip he did hitchhiking to Mexico during the Great Depression. Thanks for the comment 👍
Great movie! Spent many summers in Algonquin tripping as a camp counsellor and later, with friends and family. Really interesting to see how things were done back in the early days. Same land and beauty back then but we are spoiled now; the whole process looked much harder in the past. Thanks for sharing this!
Thanks - glad you enjoyed it and it brought back some good memories. I appreciate the comment. Harder then because now we have water filters and it seems like they may have got beaver fever which possibly ended their trip a few days early!
Been a pleasure - brought back memories of my trips there as a counsellor and canoe tripper at camp, my family trip - with parents, aunt and uncle, brother and family friends as well as a group of friends that spent 6 days a few years ago. Great film, cool to hear words from so long ago describing the park and experience and seeing your images to capture the words visually
Thanks for checking it out and for the great comment! ✌️
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Thanks for checking out this documentary, there's a lot more to come. I'd love to hear your comments, Algonquin park anecdotes, stories, and more info on the camps and lodges described in the film. But most of all, I hope you enjoy the beautiful Algonquin scenes.
I love listening to stories from the past from the people who lived a much more free life being able to just set off and being able to not see anyone for weeks but when you did everyone knew where and where you're going. Back when people actually gave a damn and wouldn't bat an eye to bring you in for the night, feed you and let you feed your animals if you had with their food. Oh how I wished I lived in the turn of the 1900s. It's messed up UA-cam isn't gonna push this video because it actually might learn you something and not teaching kids about WAP or trying to harass people for views. I don't watch TV it's just a brain drain. I take that back I'll watch the antenna and watch them shows from the 90's and earlier sitcoms and westerns that's tvi can actually watch. Oh and I'm 35 yo 😆 old soul in a mid aged body
Thanks for watching! You make some great points! - I would say there’s lots of people still living free and easy out there :) in that sense not much has changed for some people.
@@stevewelchontario yeah where I stay in Louisiana there is about 100, 000 people here to me this is a big city. I tell ya the Southwest grand certain area has been calling me. I am hoping I will get to go soon. Thanks again