Canadian Icon Gordon Lightfoot Donates Canoes To Canadian Canoe Museum

A Canadian icon was in Peterborough on Thursday (December 7th). Singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot dropped by the Canadian Canoe Museum to donate canoes that will become part of the museum’s storied collection.

“Needless to say, it’s been an incredible day," says Jeremy Ward, Curator for the museum. "We are honoured to be adding to our collection three of Gordon’s canoes and one from his good friend and paddling companion, Fred Gaskin."

Gordon Lightfoot at Canoe Museum in Peterborough, Canada.

Gordon, an avid paddler, has donated the yellow canoe featured in the song "Canary Yellow Canoe". This canoe showcases the scars of an infamous mishap when Gordon and his friend Fred paddled the Nahanni River in the 1970s.

The yellow canoe that inspired Lightfoot's song "Canary Yellow Canoe"

"We know that for Gordon, canoeing was a critical diversion from a very demanding career," adds Ward.

"Many who know him, know how important his canoe trips were to him. And, all the while, he was building national and international recognition. These are remarkable stories, and this museum is indeed the perfect setting for those stories to be told. We are grateful to have been entrusted with them.”

UPDATE: Here are some more pictures from his visit courtesy of the Canoe Museum...

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for PTBOBuzz newsletter here. Watch our PTBOCanada Love video here.