Nine Years Later: River of Dreams Canoe Found in Frozen River Bank

When each River of Dreams canoe is launched, it is the wish of every student to someday have their canoe found downstream. Inevitably, most of the canoes wind up lodged in debris jams, beaver dams, or wash up onto banks during high flow events. Each takes its own unique path and may disappear from our database for years. It took nine years for canoe number 090034 (launched in 2009 by a student at the Chahinkapa Zoo) to be discovered! A message from the fortunate finders:

“Found 2/15/18 frozen in the bank of the Red River just outside of Fort Abercrombie, by Thomas Mead and Lindsey Whisman. We found it embedded in a frozen bank near a beaver hut while shed hunting with our dog.”

After 9 years of exposure to the elements, the canoe’s condition has deteriorated significantly, but the label and identifying information was plainly visible. Thanks to Lindsey for sharing her find and these photos with us on Facebook!