Transportation

Recent sightings of Canadian alligators

What? Did you know that we had alligators in Canada?

Well, Alligator Tugs actually — a paddle-wheeled tugboat designed specially to help move log booms over long, flat stretches of water using a strong cable and winch, AND capable of going overland at portages.

Intrigued?

Check out the recently released Alligators of the North, by Harry B. Barrett and Clarence C. Coons.  It’s full of interesting photos and uniquely Canadian history.  And the cover features Tom Thomson paintings of alligator tugs.

You can also visit a replica alligator at the Logging Museum in Algonquin Park, a working one in Simcoe, Ontario, and, I think, a shell of one near Chapleau, Ontario.

Tags: algonquin, alligator tugs, alligators, canadian, Clarence C. Coons, Harry B. Barrett, history, logging, Tom Thomson

About the author

Margaret is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Dundurn Press. A resident of the inner city, she's really a lover of regional history, country fairs and canoe trips.