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Scow Travel in the Boreal Forest

A sketch drawing depicting men travelling through river rapids by scow in a rainstorm, some on the boat and many others walking through a rocky shoreline.

Date: 1900. Source: Elsie Cardinal

A scow was a flat type of boat used to freight goods from Athabasca to Fort McMurray and vice versa. The image is part of a calendar provided by Elsie Cardinal, which is one of the few things she had remaining after the Fort McMurray wildfire in May 2016. Elsie shared how this illustrates travelling through the Athabasca River. Her great grandfather worked as a scowman.