Category: Recreation & Leisure, Sports, Snowshoeing
Item 14985
Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: circa 1910 Location: Orono Media: Photographic print
Item 80713
Contributed by: Abbe Museum Date: circa 1850 Location: Indian Island Media: Ash, hide, sinew
Exhibit
In the early 1600s, French explorers and colonizers in the New World quickly adopted a Native American mode of transportation to get around during the harsh winter months: the snowshoe. Most Northern societies had some form of snowshoe, but the Native Americans turned it into a highly functional item. French settlers named snowshoes "raquettes" because they resembled the tennis racket then in use.
Story
Becoming Master snowshoe makers
by Edmond and Brian J. Theriault
Making snowshoes has taken us from novices to world-class craftsmen over 40 years time.
Lesson Plan
Grade Level: 3-5
Content Area: Health Education & Physical Education, Social Studies
This lesson plan will introduce students to myriad communities in Maine, past and present, through the universal lens of sports and group activities. Students will explore and understand the history of many of Maine’s recreational pastimes, what makes Maine the ideal location for some outdoor sports, and how communities have come together through team activities throughout Maine’s history.
