Existing comment:
River of Leisure
The Delaware River offered a retreat to the people of South Jersey and Philadelphia
A 1916 article in Forest and Stream described the tricks used by American paddlers to rid their canoes of water. The article noted that one individual stood precariously on the stern of his canoe and then threw himself into the water. By pushing down with his feet and pulling up with his hands, the man flipped his canoe into the air, rolling it two times over, and ultimately landing it keel down in the river. The master paddler was Edward K. Merrill of the Red Dragon Canoe Club. Also a fierce competitor in Mid-Atlantic canoe competitions, Merrill built this cedar racing canoe in 1900.
At the turn of the twentieth century, the Delaware River offered an escape for Philadelphians hoping to trade city life for outdoor activity. Founded in 1889, the Red Dragon Canoe Club began as a merger of paddling associations located in Philadelphia and Camden. At a canoe camp in Edgewater Park, New Jersey, the Red Dragon afforded its members a place for leisure in the waters of the Delaware. The club is still active today. |