Over 260 cadets participated in the canoe team during the short 11 year life span of the sport at Culver. Additionally, there was hundreds of other students that went on the annual canoe race sponsored by Culver itself. Culver was very good about documenting communication that involved students especially when they went off campus. This includes communication on how the canoeing program began at Culver. The initial credit needs to go to William Garrison who had started a Canoeing Club at another school that was very successful. His initial concept was more of a club than a racing team. On November 7, 1963, he wrote a memorandum to Major General D.T. Spivey, Superintendent on starting a Canoeing program at Culver. Culver supported the idea and the initial name was called Courier De Bois, but later referred to as the Outing Club. His philosophy of the sport is what initially started the club.
After getting Culver’s approval for the Canoe Club, William Garrison went about organizing the first Canoe Race to be sponsored by Culver to be held on the Tippecanoe River in April of 1964. The Rules and Application for the first race were prepared and there was an overwhelming number of 75 cadets wanting to participate in the event. News Releases were prepared and sent out about this first race which was open to the general public. It was also published in the April Vedette.
The race was one of the longest races in the US taking place over two days and going 60 miles. The first day found participates putting in at Leiters Ford which is just south of Culver and ending at Beason Park which is on the southeast corner of Tippecanoe River State Park. Racers could get a hot meal and a place to sleep before the next day started. On the second day, the race went from Beason Park to Buffalo City. It was a very long hard two days. The best finish for Culver was 11th place that year, but it was a big success and Culver received several letters commending them on the organization of the race. William Garrison work very hard to make this race happen.
In preparation for the 2nd race in the Spring of 1965, William Garrison decide to try and start the race at Culver on Lake Macinkuckee instead of Leiters Ford. This would have allowed a much better start to the race as everyone could start at the same time. There is a small creek that went from the southwest part of Lake Maxinkuckee that feeds into the Tippecanoe River. Therefore, in the fall of 1964, he took a few cadets on an exploration trip to see if they could get down the creek to the Tippecanoe river. In was a valent attempt, but much of the creek was filled with mud which made it an improbable path for the race.
In April of 1965, the race found another large participation with 67 cadets and over 60 boats in the race. There were 24 boats from Culver and 35 from outside. The April Vedette describes the event. The last year of a 2 day canoe race would be in 1966. After that race, it would be only one day ending at Beason Park.
With the success of the canoeing program in the first year of the sport, Culver began to award both Varsity and JV Letters starting in 1966. In 1972 Carol Kahn was awarded the first female letter for the sport. In chronological order you can see the cadets and the letters they were awarded.
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