Editor’s Note: This article was published in the August issue of LAKElife, a publication of The Papers Inc. Photos provided by Teresa Jones.

Teresa Jones
Guest Columnist

Summertime in Kosciusko County is boating time and that’s been true for centuries.

But through the years, the boats have changed just a little.

The first inhabitants of our area traveled lakes and rivers on dugout canoes — and the Kosciusko County Historical Society has one in our collection for you to see.

The 20-foot dugout canoe is believed to have been from the 1700s. Researchers determined it was from the yellow poplar tree and was hollowed out using chopping tools and fire. Judging by its location and design, it’s believed to have been made by Miami Tribal members, who lived there at the time. The canoe was found submerged on the west end of “Barrel & One Half” Lake of the Tri-County Game Preserve(about a mile north of North Webster) in 1969; The Kosciusko County Historical Society obtained it in 1972. The canoe had to be dried out completely to stop fungal growth and to halt the wood’s deterioration.

Preserved and protected, the dugout canoe is now on display at the Pound Store in Oswego. The Pound Store is the oldest commercial building still standing in Kosciusko County. Stop in and see the canoe and many other artifacts from 1-4 p.m. Sundays through September.