When paddlers of all means glide through the Mississippi River for a weekend of canoe races in early summer, they'll dip into an activity that has coursed through state waters for generations.
Canoe racing doesn't get the ink of other big-time sports like the Minnesota Twins or even related recreational pursuits like Boundary Waters adventures – but in simpler times it generated front-page material for the masses.
Minneapolis' summer Aquatennial celebration, going on 83 years, played a major part. Its Paul Bunyan "canoe derby" of 450 miles from Bemidji to Minneapolis garnered wide acclaim. Its finish, too — when spent paddlers floated into the city — marked the Aquatennial's official start. The marathon made canoe racers like Tom Estes and Eugene Jensen sports stars in their own right.
