Canoeing with the Cree (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) [Paperback]

Eric Sevareid (Author)

Book Description

Series: Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society | Publication Date: April 1, 1968

The eminent journalist began his book-publishing career in 1935 with this exciting account of the adventurous 2,250-mile canoe trip he and a friend made as teenagers from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Canoeing with the Cree is an all-time favorite of mine."--Ann Bancroft, Arctic explorer

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Eric Sevareid

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Minnesota Historical Society Press (April 1, 1968)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0873511522
• ISBN-13: 978-0873511520
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,378,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Canoeing Into the Past, January 11, 2000

By 

Colin P. Conn (Madison, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canoeing with the Cree (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) (Paperback)

This is a true adventure story written by a great American icon. It was 1930 and in their late teens, Eric Sevareid and his good friend Walter Port, embark on an amazing canoe journey through much of Minnesota and a remote region of Canada. The story takes you back to an era when life was simple but abundant; to a time when the north woods was truly a brutal frontier and men were really men. They fight mosquitoes, flies, boredom, mud, rain, cold, gigantic waves on Lake Winnepeg and being lost in areas where there is no chance of being saved. There is no modern technology. They are often times very much alone against the elements that had no mercy. As you read the book you cannot help visit the thought that these events actually happened, they really did this and they lived to tell about it. The people they encounter, towns they visit and, of course, the rivers and lakes they traverse are all generously given to people like me who toil at computers all day but shamelessly dream impossible dreams of living in a time and place that is now slipping into the oblivion of modern life.

I'm sure many critics would complain about the simplicity of Eric's writing and the lack of visual development in some segments. But take this book for what it is and just enjoy it. Makes a good gift, especially for Nintendo bound teenagers who need to see a bigger world.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Insanity and Necessity of Adventure, September 7, 2004

By 

David Jensen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canoeing with the Cree (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) (Paperback)

Walter Port and (Arnold) Eric Sevareid took an amazing trip that they started by skipping some of their high school finals so they could get the boat they could afford. Though the project appeared to have been Port's pet, it was Sevareid who came up with the way to fund it: writing about it for the Minneapolis Star. It was clear that once the project began both of them were truly enthralled by it and could not be put off. The tale is told simply, but with a clear affection for all of the people who helped them try to reach their goal, even though few of the people who helped were confident that these young men could make it or were even very encouraging.

The book is written from the journals that were kept along the trip. It is clear that this is a book of its times written by a man who was still quite young. While I would strongly encourage any teens to read this book to realize that they too can give themselves a goal that is worthwhile if only for being difficult, I would also encourage their parents to be ready to answer some questions about the wisdom and risks of such adventures and about some of the attitudes of the past. There is a casual acceptance of the bigotry against Native Americans that was common at the time and Sevareid was not yet the mature thoughtful man that we may remember from the CBS Evening News.

Still, the fact that a reasonably literate student was able to take, and appreciate, such a grand adventure while trying his best to bring it alive for us was a remarkable feat. Twain, at his best, gave us better feel for river adventure, but he had the advantage that he could embroider the story whenever necessary, while Sevareid was already writing and thinking as a journalist. This is a quick read that almost anyone, from a child in middle school to an adult whose days of imagined adventure are long past, can enjoy.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Youthful Adventure, December 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Canoeing with the Cree (Publications of the Minnesota Historical Society) (Paperback)

A great book about the power of youth and inexperience. More about adventure than canoeing itself, Sevareid preserves through this amazing experience the intangible confidence (maybe brashness)of youth. Adult leaders of youth should read it. Teenagers who want to challenge anything unknown would be inspired by it.