Propelled By Poles 6 Jan 1887 The Defiance County Express

Dugout Canoe

    The Snook's boys were George, Wilson, John and William and they did a great deal of piroguing on the Maumee River from the head rapids on the river call Providence to  Fort Wayne. All the goods received at Fort Wayne and Defiance in those days, by river trade. Goods of white settler were transported on keel boat and pirogues, prior to that of pack horses.
    The keel boat were built like a canal boat, but narrower, with a runway on the outside of the deck and were generally manned by five men, two on each side to push and one  to steer. They had long poles with a socket on the hewn end and pushed the boat by placing the end of the pole against the shoulder, starting at the bow and walking to the stern.

    These boats could only be used where there was a pretty good stage of water. Sometime they would go down from Fort Wayne when the water was high and work their way along up by the bushes. If there were no bushes, the men would go along the bank with a long line and tow  it.
    Occasionally a trip would be made at the June flood, but generally pirogues had to be used in the summer, and it would require three men at least to manage them, two in the bow to push and one to steer and when they came to a rapids, they would have to get out with spikes, though the bow and stern and almost carry them over. A keel boat generally carried about twenty tons, more but that size was deemed the best. 300 Bu. on a dugout boat.
    Pirogues were make to carry from eight to ten tons of goods or from 250 to 300 bushels of grain. It had been seen 300 bushels loaded and brought to Defiance on a pirogue made from a burr oak tree. The Snook boys probably did as much piroguing as any other fmily on the  Maumee River.