The birch bark canoe

September 22.

Behind one house, an Indian had nearly finished one canoe and was just beginning another, outdoors. I looked very narrowly at the process and had already carefully examined and measured our birch. Canoe is nearly straight on bottom — straight in principle — and not so rounded the other way as is supposed.

Vide this section in middle.

The sides bulge out an inch or so beyond the rail. It took him a fortnight or three weeks to complete a canoe after he had got the materials ready. I was much struck by the method of this work, and the process deserves to be minutely described, — ...

H. D. Thoreau, Journal, September 22, 1853